Windows Phone 8 Review →

With each new generation of Windows Phone, Microsoft not only closes the gap with iOS and Android in important ways, but it also differentiates in important ways — and that might be more true in version 8 than ever before.

There aren't a ton of compelling features (in my opinion) in this release due to the work necessary to port the software to a new kernel (though there are huge wins from that effort), but The Verge's review (and Ars Technica's) missed some of the cool tweaks that I haven't seen discussed publicly yet that will delight many people. Publicly announced features include Wallet and NFC, Kid's Corner, updated lock and home screen customizations, and new apps powered by the improved developer story such as Pandora, Cut the Rope, Temple Run, Words with Friends, and Draw Something. Did I mention massive hardware spec boosts?

Hurricane Sandy in Photos →

I'm not sure if the satellite photo of the storm, this shot of an empty Grand Central station, or the shot of an empty NYC highway is more shocking.

Can Austin Keep Itself Weird? →

In November, Austin will become the American home of Grand Prix Formula One racing: Big-name sponsors, racecars going 180 miles an hour, $4,300 tickets to V.I.P. seating, Champagne and helicopters flying wealthy fans from locations all over the city to the new $450 million race facility built by a bond trader and a billionaire. For three days, the global elite who follow Grand Prix racing will touch down in Austin from Abu Dhabi before taking off again three days later for São Paulo or Monaco. It seems a strange departure, frankly, for a city whose reputation was built on sunshine, tacos, good coffee and better margaritas, Willie Nelson, Longhorn football and barbecue.

As all "cool" places inevitably due, Austin appears to be struggling maintaining it's uniqueness in the face of growth.

Stanford Researchers Show the Economic Value of Effective Supervisors →

Good bosses are a good deal better than bad ones. Replacing a supervisor from the bottom 10 percent of the pool with one from the top 10 percent increases output about as much as adding a 10th worker to a nine-worker team.

That it's better to have a good manager than a poor one isn't very surprising. But the authors' two other findings are a bit more striking. The main impact effective supervisors have on their employees doesn't come from motivating or supervising them per se, it comes from teaching them better work methods.

National Geographic Photo Contest 2012 →

Finally, A Practical Use for Algebra →

Academic researchers have improved wireless bandwidth by an order of magnitude—not by adding base stations, tapping more spectrum, or cranking up transmitter wattage, but by using algebra to eliminate the network-clogging task of resending dropped packets of data.

The Benghazi Embarrassment →

The embarrassment of the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi is not that it happened. America has its victories against terrorism, and its defeats, and the murder of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three American security personnel represents one defeat in a long war. The embarrassment is that political culture in America is such that we can't have an adult conversation about the lessons of Benghazi.

Learnable Programming →

Programming has to work like this. Programmers must be able to read the vocabulary, follow the flow, and see the state. Programmers have to create by reacting and create by abstracting. Assume that these are requirements. Given these requirements, how do we redesign programming?

An interesting essay on the fundamental attributes of programming, programming languages, and programming environments that should make you think about how we teach and learn programming in the future.

Surface Reviews Are Out →

Ars Technica and Wired have well-balanced reviews of the Surface. It competes with the iPad in some places and beats Android in most, but does silly Windows RT things in others. The hardware looks to be much better than the software at the moment.