Since I spend almost all my time at work with C++, I can’t help but become excited about C++11.

I suspect that he following new features alone will vastly ease my life.

1) Lambda functions. I loathe writing out of scope static functions for simple one-liner callbacks… and then having to come up with a suitable name for it.

2) Type inference with the auto keyword. So I can say auto blah = my_vector.begin() instead of vector::iterator blah = my_vector.begin().

3) Range-based for. So I can replace this:

for (vector::iterator i = my_vector.begin(); i != my_vector.end(); ++1) { … }

with this:

for (auto s : my_vector) { … }

(I’ve waited far too long for you, range-based for.)

4) Variadic templates. I love tuples for simple programs and tests. Variadic templates allow for std::tuple. Therefore, I love variadic templates.

tuple GetIntAndString(…) { …; return make_tuple(an_int, a_string); }
auto boo = GetIntAndString(…);
DoSomethingWithInt(get(boo));

Obviously, there is a lot more C++11 has to offer, and you should really check out the Wikipedia article. But IMO, these features alone will help reduce RSI, help prevent hair loss, and let you leave work early so you can go home and code in some other language.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%2B%2B11

Georgia Howard I just wanted to expand a tiny bit on what Laura Malick Smith said in the Creative Web Design aquarium thread, and note that you can have some confidence that you’re not abusing your fish if you make sure that their enclosure is no smaller (preferably somewhat larger) than their natural range. This severely limits both the species one can keep and the population density in a single tank, but it maximizes the health and longevity of the animals you’re caring for. I guess I’m trying to say that many of us have thought long and hard about whether – and if so how – fish can be kept ethically and think they can be, even though no matter what you do, as Laura says, you get a floater now and then.

If only economics could figure out a way to model in the cost of the externalities that that the models fail to.. wait… umm. Screw it, you fire people based on the model you have, not the model you wish you had, amirite?!?

I had a particularly outstanding experience in my public High School with a locally-developed, 4-year literature curriculum. I knew at the time that that sort of thing wasn’t typical, but I didn’t come close to realizing just how much more powerful that model of development and instruction could be.

The Evil Economics Of Judging Teachers

A member of our household fell asleep before the Brady Punt last night, so we were just watching the recording and it brought up the whole Tebow thing again. I stumbled across this link, which I think is pretty much pitch-perfect in explaining how it feels to watch this whole mania from the outside.

http://gawker.com/5875125/the-non-sports-fans-guide-to-tim-tebow

You could find many worse ways to spend a couple of hours than reading through these responses.

http://www.edge.org/responses/what-is-your-favorite-deep-elegant-or-beautiful-explanation

There’s something fascinating about watching the Image Search algorithm go. Even though I intellectually understand that it is an algorithm searching for similarity, to me it looks like an organism struggling to break out, brute forcing a theme until it finally discovers the image that lets it break free and metamorphose into something new.

via http://boingboing.net/2012/01/14/what-happens-if-you-ask-google.html

Ken and I every night.

http://bohemea.tumblr.com/post/15881627941

I just watched a full-length commercial during an NFL game that consisted entirely of children quoting the Christian bible (adorably). I think that’s a first. It does a fairly good job of covering up how detestable an organization Focus on The Family is, so I guess they did a good job?

Just in case you’re unaware: Focus on The Family is the opposite of a cuddly, innocently-in-love-with-Jesus kind of organization. That the NFL took their money actually really upsets me.

Anyone else thinking of participating in this when it comes to Boston in May?

http://runforyourlives.com/locations/boston-massachusetts/