For some reason Mac OS X does not reload, restart, or re-initialize your hosts file (at least not the one at /private/etc/hosts) when you've altered it. Windows and Linux usually do.

To reload the Mac OS X hosts file, run this:

sudo niload -v -m hosts . < /etc/hosts

The author at the Holy Shmoly! blog led me to the promised land.

Detailed link

Working at a startup that was trying desperately to get on track with an ad-driven revenue model, the magic word was the medium-size rectangle ad format -- a.k.a. the "mid-rec". Always remember to incorporate ad space in your webpage designs.

This isn't going to be a groundbreaking post but it's just something I want to remember for myself.

Mid-rec primer

The mid-rec is a rectangular ad format is a 300×250 sized ad (300 pixels wide by 250 pixels high). It looks like this:

I purposely used an image-based ad so that you can get a feel for the regular commercial application of this ad. Notice its bulk and perhaps more importantly the presence of the ad. Since I'm using Google ads I don't have control over what you see here, but I'm guessing it's some crazy Flash animation, blinking, or generally in-your-face.

Why care?

The mid-rec is the king of ad formats. You must incorporate it into your pages. Executives at the media company I worked for were obsessed with it. All page designs required mid-recs and that's all I would ever hear coming out of the mouths of the VPs and other executives. Pages lacking the mid-recs were shot down.

• "Where are we going to put the mid-rec?"
• "Is that space big enough for a mid-rec?"
• "Is the mid-rec above the fold?"
• "Can you shrink down that form so that we can stuff a mid-rec next to it?"
• "Can you make the video player bigger so that we put a mid-rec next to it?"
• And many more...

Indeed, the mid-rec is effective. It catches eyeballs and you can cram video ads in there. Use and placement of mid-recs is discussed during ad pricing negotiations. If advertisers pay more for larger more annoying ads then hell yes, a company relying on ad revenue will do whatever it can to place the biggest flash-based mid-rec that it can in the middle of its page.

Judging from the quantity of annoying flash mid-recs on every website imaginable advertisers are paying top dollar for this type of placement and they are becoming ever more popular. Look at the major websites like CNN, Yahoo, MSN, and you will surely notice mid-recs at least on the sides of pages if not integrated into the middle of articles.

Designing for the mid-rec

The difficulty, then is how does one design for this? I don't have the answer but I do know this: mid-recs take up a lot of space. They are often loud in color and/or volume. Product managers and executives prefer these to be above the fold and away from the side of the page. If you could put it smack dab in the middle of the page you are a design genius. If you're producing a portfolio, make sure to cram some mid-recs and other advertisements on your pages. Interviewers will take notice that, yes, this designer is business savvy.

So, in summary, be sure to set aside space in your beautiful designs for a 300×250 ad placement, probably Flash.

I have the distinct pleasure of having the same name as some shady individual whom the Department of Homeland Security does not want on airplanes. I thought this was the "no-fly" list but it's actually a "selectee" list. The difference is if you are a "no-fly" person you don't get to board the airplane. If you're simply a "selectee" they let you fly, but somebody double-checks your identity.

Because of double-check component of being a "selectee", I am forced to check in to airports in-person whenever I fly. I cannot use e-ticket checkin kiosks nor can I print boarding passes at home. It totally sucks ass.

Wired magazine has an article that describes the varying watchlists that the government uses to keep people in check. The DHS is among them. There is a DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program -- I have no idea how I'm supposed to know that this combination of words translates into "get off the TSA watchlist" but apparently this is the place to go if you want to print boarding passes from your home computer again.

Link to wired

Link to get off the DHS list.

I went to a thing called "Startup School" held on the Stanford Campus organized by a venture firm called Ycombinator

My impression: interesting but not informative. It was mostly rhetoric about why startups are great and why we should all quit our jobs to start and/or join a startup. A few key takeaways from some of the speakers:

• Mitch Kapor, Lotus founder, emphasized that a corporate culture of equality and humility was one of the great points of pride he had in Lotus.
• Max Levchin, a PayPal cofounder, emphasized product management as one of the most important aspects of a startup -- this includes HCI and UI work.
• there was some talk about how financing works
• when dealing with VCs, a company co-founder should shoot for a 5-10% stake in the company.
• having a co-founders is majorly important
• designating roles is important. somebody needs to be CEO. Splitting responsibilities may work for a short time but it is not good long term.
• hiring good talent is important
• I was most disappointed that they did not discuss more about the management aspects of startups.

Having worked for 3 different startups in the last 28 months I have a few experiential takeaways:

• Yes, startups are more interesting than normal work.
• No, you will not become rich. Not even if you work at a successful one.
• Yes, you will learn a lot
• Yes, you will have to do a lot of different things
• Undecided -- is it a good career path? I'm inclined to say no.
• You will probably get laid off.
• foosball tables in the office are loud
• watch out for the snacks. There is no shortage of carbs and fattiness.

Link

A week ago the cable outlet in one of the rooms of my apartment mysteriously stopped working.

I called RCN to have them fix the problem on Saturday. I tested the line in the room to make sure the line was still not working before the technician showed up. Sure enough, it was still disabled. About 30 minutes later the RCN technician shows up and I start telling him the symptoms of everything as I unhooked the modem from the living room to test it in the bedroom.

The symptoms were as such:

• the modem was was working for the past month
• mysteriously it stopped working on a Wednesday afternoon
• we tested the modem about an hour before he showed up to make sure it was still broken.

When I plugged everything in, the cable modem was magically working. I was dumbfounded: "I swear man, it was just broken before you came in". My roommate was there, too. It's working?

Then the technician pulls a little silver cable filter from his pocket. Comcast had disconnected the cable from some lines in our apartment and placed filters on our plugs while we were away. That stopped the cable from working. Bastards!

If they ever pull that shit again, I wonder if I can sue them.