All I have time for is link dumping

Well, that and going on 3-day company events.

• Pioneer in Database Systems Architecture Receives ACM's Highest Honor: For fundamental contributions to the concepts and practices underlying modern database systems.

  His work on Ingres introduced the notion of query modification, used for integrity constraints and views. His later work on Postgres introduced the object-relational model, effectively merging databases with abstract data types while keeping the database separate from the programming language. Stonebraker's implementations of Ingres and Postgres demonstrated how to engineer database systems that support these concepts; he released these systems as open software, which allowed their widespread adoption and their code bases have been incorporated into many modern database systems.

• Code Words: Issue Two – March 2015

  A quarterly publication about programming from the Recurse Center

• Coq used to prove that false is true

  It is always worth remembering that all computer aided mathematics programs contain bugs.

• You Cannot Have Exactly-Once Delivery

  Every major message queue in existence which provides any guarantees will market itself as at-least-once delivery. If it claims exactly-once, it’s because they are lying to your face in hopes that you will buy it or they themselves do not understand distributed systems.

• What Went Wrong with the FISA Court

  The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Court is no longer serving its constitutional function of providing a check on the executive branch’s ability to obtain Americans’ private communications. Dramatic shifts in technology and law have changed the role of the FISA Court since its creation in 1978 — from reviewing government applications to collect communications in specific cases, to issuing blanket approvals of sweeping data collection programs affecting millions of Americans.

  Under today’s foreign intelligence surveillance system, the government’s ability to collect information about ordinary Americans’ lives has increased exponentially while judicial oversight has been reduced to near-nothingness. This report concludes that the role of today's FISA Court no longer comports with constitutional requirements, including the strictures of Article III and the Fourth Amendment. The report lays out several steps Congress should take to help restore the FISA Court’s legitimacy.

• 2600 miles in 4 minutes: A time-lapse of Andy's Pacific Crest Trail hike

  The process of stopping to take a picture every mile had a big impact on the actual experience of doing the hike. I had to be well-aware of where I was at all times, which was quite distracting in that it took me out of the moment and made it difficult to maintain good momentum. Though I suppose it was nice to have something to occupy my thoughts with as well. In retrospect, I am happy to have done it. It provided a good conversation starter with so many hikers that I would meet along the way. And I now love seeing so many wonderful faces popping up in pictures in unexpected places.