XML and Aliens

"If SETI@home works, for example, we'll need libraries for communicating with aliens. Unless of course
they are sufficiently advanced that they already communicate in XML."

- Paul Graham, The Hundred Year Language

The quote is towards the end, but the entire essay is well worth a read

There is XML support, and there is XML support

Microsoft limits XML in Office 2003.

XML-compliance don't mean nowt unless the XML is *intended* for direct processing by software outside of the system that orginally created it.

WordML for example.

Forget Lord of the Rings. Forget Harry Potter. Forget Chicago. THIS is the movie you *must* see

A missive from Clyde Hatter informed me of this, "must see", movie event of the decade : The Technical Writer (2003).

How to run a sucessful website

Four rules

• Offload the work


• Aggregate, don't duplicate


• Zero beaurocracy means great speed


• Don't disscuss business

Python/XML stuff from the archives - assembled by Uche Ogbuji

Uche Ogbuji has assembled some stuff from the archives of Python's XML-SIG. I like Greg Stein's HTML-is-a-hierarch-of-objects approach which shows up the dual text/data structure nature of markup rather well.

Weapons of Math Destruction - Sarnoff, Metcalf and Reed. Laws of the hyperjungle

David Reed explains why the Internet makes a lot of existing business models choke on their cornflakes.

I'm a LAMP-head

I'm a LAMP-head. At least some of the time.

Printers, Coffee Machines and Razor Blades

In the ITWorld archives, Printers, Coffee Machines and Razor Blades.

Pareto Peristaltic Peripatetic Perambulations of a Propylate

As I wonder around the blogsphere, I link to things, and they link back. Every time I look at my blog's hits I'm reminded of the 80/20 rule and scale free networks etc. etc. This guy in particular, has a lot to answer for.

An interesting Data Pump

This is perfect for XML processing you know. I've always wanted a way of treating data processing as a form of logistics. Pneumatic pumping of XML instances through transforming pipes. I can see it all now...

Beautifully illustrated intro to Unicode

Tim Bray's visual introduction to Unicode.

Nobody takes me seriously

I'm getting disheartened at the number of ideas I have floated in the XML community that do not get taken seriously. Look at this for five years worth of ignored ideas? What gives? Is there a pattern here?

April 1 2003	MMIX Interperter in XSLT
April 1 2002	Applying Financial Technical Analysis Techniques to XML Validation
April 1 2001	Nanotech implementation of XSLT engine
April 1 2000	Quantum Markup Language
April 1 1999	RTF to XML Converter in Perl