W-Shadow.com

Meta : A snowstorm has killed my Internet access, so I couldn’t answer emails and comments – sorry! Should get my uplink working in 4-5 days. In the meantime, here’s some delicious filler delivered via an unreliable GPRS hack…

In this post you will find a small collection of potentially interesting or useful links. I usually don’t bother with posting about every odd webpage I come across – who would care to read that? – but creating an aggregate list once in a while seems like a fine idea. Here goes 😉

WP Tuner : A Better Performance Profiling Hack

If your WordPress site feels slow, check out WP Tuner. This plugin tracks how much time WP spends on various tasks when displaying a page, which lets you locate the source of the slowdown. It’s very similar in function to my Plugin Profiler, but is a bit more user-friendly and places more emphasis on MySQL optimization.

Gay Marriage, Database Engineering and Graph Theory

A light-hearted rant that starts off discussing how to redesign a marriage registry database schema to account for gay marriage, ends up (eventually) with a graph-like structure and offers some insighful commentary in-between. A fun distraction for the programmerly inclined.

A List of “Physics Sandbox” Games

Speaking of fun, I’ve been a fan of physics-based games ever since I encountered the ultimate procrastination-enabler, Fantastic Contraption. However, my attempts to feed the desire for similar games were constantly thwarted by the apparent lack of a website that would list all the games of this kind. I still haven’t found a site like that, but this list looks promising. Sidenote : check out Toribash.

Accelerando

Even if you think neural implants, nanotechnology and superhuman AIs would be cool, “Accelerando” still has a solid chance to overload your weirdness detector. By following the (mis)adventures of three successive generations of one family, this sci-fi novel goes from discussing slightly futuristic VR glasses to a galaxy-spanning civilization of immortal transhumans and virtual minds. Overall, it’s strange and exciting, and inexplicably depressing too, and somewhat anti-climactic. Available for free.

The Tragedy of the Commons

Also known as Plausible “We’re All Doomed” Theory #437. This insightful essay discusses the idea of the tragedy of the commons and how it can be applied to a wide range of problems – e.g. birth rates. The article is 40 years old, but it can still offer some novelty and make for an interesting reading if you haven’t studied social sciences/economy before.