/dev/full – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is handy! ‘In Linux, /dev/full or the always full device[1][2] is a special file that always returns the error code ENOSPC (meaning “No space left on device”) on writing, and provides an infinite number of null characters to any process that reads from it (similar to /dev/zero). This device is usually used when testing the behaviour of a program when it encounters a “disk full” error.’
(tags: dev /dev/full filesystems devices linux testing enospc error-handling)
Netty: Using as a generic library
Some cool stuff that comes along with Netty: an improved ByteBuffer, a thread-local object pool, a hashed-wheel Timer, and some nice mechanical-sympathy utils.
(tags: mechanical-sympathy netty java bytebuffer object-pools data-structures hashed-wheel-timer algorithms timers)
Should Airplanes Be Flying Themselves?
Excellent Vanity Fair article on the AF447 disaster, covering pilots’ team-leadership skills, Clipper Skippers, Alternate Law, and autopilot design: ‘There is an old truth in aviation that the reasons you get into trouble become the reasons you don’t get out of it.’ Also interesting: ‘The best pilots discard the [autopilot] automation naturally when it becomes unhelpful, and again there appear to be some cultural traits involved. Simulator studies have shown that Irish pilots, for instance, will gleefully throw away their crutches, while Asian pilots will hang on tightly. It’s obvious that the Irish are right, but in the real world Sarter’s advice is hard to sell. The automation is simply too compelling. The operational benefits outweigh the costs. The trend is toward more of it, not less. And after throwing away their crutches, many pilots today would lack the wherewithal to walk.’ (via Gavin Sheridan)
(tags: airlines automation flight flying accidents post-mortems af447 air-france autopilot alerts pilots team-leaders clipper-skippers alternate-law)
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MetricsGraphics.js is a library built on top of D3 that is optimized for visualizing and laying out time-series data. It provides a simple way to produce common types of graphics in a principled, consistent and responsive way. The library currently supports line charts, scatterplots and histograms as well as features like rug plots and basic linear regression.
(tags: charts javascript timeline visualization time-series d3)