I consider this a fatal flaw in the software since it leads to loss of data (at least in a visual sense) and might end up causing very weird formatting problems of a thread being viewed, at times distorting the information beyond comprehension.

For example, if somebody were to write “Could you put this in a <h1> tag. More text.” it would show as “Could you put this in a

tag. More text.

“. What a mess, huh? And this is a very benign example. I’ve seen people posting HTML code of forms in posts and comments!

Most people I have seen get confused. They don’t realise immediately that there is a <h1> tag there which is messing things up. They only see “Could you put this in a tag.” and go: Which tag? Why is “tag” in big and bold? And so forth… And yes, sometimes, even experienced ‘web people’ are surprised by this initially because of this unexpected behaviour. That’s bad user experience.

So whenever you see weird formatting next to text that doesn’t seem to make sense, remember: There is probably a HTML tag in there causing the problem.

The solution: Look at the HTML source. The content is right there, dutifully regurgitated by Basecamp, unfortunately un-escaped, and thus rendered by browser.

Tip: There are browser plugins that allow you to make a selection and view the source of only that part of the page. Using them will make it extremely easy for you to home in on the content you’re interested in.

Another thing to remember is that Basecamp also uses Textile for text formatting. So there could be additional HTML formatting inserted in the comment which might not belong there. It’s usually easy to figure that out though. If that doesn’t work, you can always ask the person who made the post to clarify and try to be careful next time.

I went to the bank that had issued me the note and the account manager there said she’ll try to do something about it. I got a call later in the evening from the teller as well. From what I could tell, because I had failed to detect the note to be a fake on receiving the cash, and since it was not part of a bundle (but rather part of loose notes I had taken), there was no way of telling that the note actually came from the bank. In other words, they might not do anything about it. Ouch! I’ll know for sure tomorrow.

Do you know how to tell a note is counterfeit?

Instead of a cell just breaking off from a tumor and traveling through the bloodstream to another organ where it forms a secondary tumour, or metastasis, researchers in the United States have shown that the cancer sends out envoys to prepare the new site.

Update:
I came across a report in New Scientist about widespread melting in Siberia that’s apparently been triggered only 4-5 years ago.

One article in Businessweek led to a discussion about retaining talent (hey, we’re a normal company; even we have people walking out). So, he wrote in an email that makes a whole lotta sense to me as a manager. If you’re working in a senior position in any organisation, you will have members of your work force going away sooner or later. One way is to not do anything about it which is stupid. The other, and more sensible thing to do, is to try to retain the good ones for as long as possible.

This is what he wrote in the email (slightly pruned on the edges):

Everywhere I have read, the most important things to do are:

1. IDENTIFY people who wish to work hard, who put their minds in understanding the jobs and problems, and want to improve and deliver.
2. SHOW them a CLEAR career path in the organization to grow.
3. APPRECIATE their work.
4. Provide them with CHALLENGES.
5. Finally create a fun and happy ENVIRONMENT to work.

I am sure there are other things, but if we can do all of the above, I am positive, we can improve the quality of resources in the company, and move towards a steady growth path that benefits everyone.

Told you.

#1:

you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.

#2:

You’ve got to find what you love.

#3:

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.

These are the things perhaps each of us know and will never pay much attention to. Some may even end up retorting, “So what’s new in what he said? We know that.” I ask them if anybody ever remembers it all in our regular daily lives. There really is no answer to that question. Some will retort back an affirmative, while some might be pushed into a little deeper meditation on it.

The problem I’ve seen is this: We listen. We agree. We don’t act.

Note to self:

• Inertia… got to get that out of our system, and keep it out.
• Change… got to embrace that, not fight it.
• Faith… got to build it in yourself about yourself, and keep strengthening it.

From among these all, the one that really stands out for the message is #7.

#7. Speed. Quality. Affordability. Pick any two.

As part of the list, it is probably getting understated but this is actually a very profound rule. If you are even remotely connected to any production environment, this rule applies to you in some manner:

• If you are getting anything produced, your expectations should be based on this rule.
• If you are producing for a client, you are working with these limitations.

Yet, as clients, we want all three, and as production people, we never point out this rule to any of our clients; mainly because nobody would like to acknowledge it as being true and will hate you for even suggesting such a thing.

• Magnifying lens
• Bookmarks
• Full text search
• Archival access

Requires free registration to read inside pages but I guess it’s worth it. The site is nicely done and it’s not hard at all to figure out how to use it, at least I was able to. I see myself returning to it often, even if at times it’s only for the fun of it. At least it doesn’t have the portalish-junk like the online-versions of these newspapers and is fast enough too.

[Via Jagtar]