As part of a project for work, I needed to design an architecture for a system that could handle an infinite stream of asynchronous "events" (basically, actions triggered by end-users that my system needed to respond to).  Since we were anticipating a high volume of events, it was important that the system be able to operate in a multi-threaded environment.  Additionally, we wanted the system to be modular and extensible so that as functionality was added or modified (for example, adding a new consumer of events, or replacing an existing persistent storage mechanism with another one), the architecture would remain unchanged...

As Jim Anchower would say, "Hola amigos.  It's been a long time since I rapped at ya..."  I knew one of the risks in publishing a blog online was the high likelihood that I would go prolonged periods without updating it.  Sure enough, it's been almost six months since my last post.  I think I have a fairly decent excuse though -- a new endeavor that took up a substantial amount of my free time...

I recently shared my most recent blog post on the promise of science with my good friend Adam, who happens to be one of the sharpest guys I know.  I find his way of thinking to be very precise, methodical, and lucid, which appeals to my engineering-oriented mind.  He also happens to have a law degree from Harvard, so you really need to stay on your toes and know your sh*t if you want to debate him...

As an engineer, I tend to take what I think is a pretty rational view of the world.  When making an argument, I prefer to rely on established fact, rather than appealing to emotion.  Thus, it probably comes as no surprise that I fall squarely in the "pro-science" camp.  I believe science is unrivaled in its ability to inform our understanding of the world around us.

But lately I've been paying attention to a worrying trend that I think has been playing out in public discourse, especially political discourse...

This is how games of fetch usually go with Naya...

As part of her summer training regimen, Naya has begun interval training -- sleeping for 1 hour, then 2, then 4, then 8, repeat.  Her dedication is impressive...