Through the Interface

Le Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris

My best attempt to describe this technical, industrial museum is as a Mecca for Makers. It’s not a funky new space with a bunch of hipsters manning 3D printers – not that I have a problem with such spaces… I love those spaces :-) – rather it’s a shrine to all manner of human invention and creation since before the industrial revolution. The first thing I had to see on entering the museum, this morning, was Foucault’s Pendulum – with the museum playing a key part in Umberto Eco’s incredible novel of the same name, this was a “must... Read more →

Thinking about security – Part 2

In the first post in this series, we talked a little about product security in AutoCAD and why having a JavaScript API doesn’t make AutoCAD less secure. We also took the chance to talk about the SECURELOAD mechanism, mainly saying that it’s a good thing. Today we’re going to talk about why it’s such a good thing. The various product teams at Autodesk have been very focused on improving security in our products over the last couple of years. We’ve hired a number of key security-focused architects and engineers who are working to improve the level of security we... Read more →

More interview fun

Thanks to all who have provided feedback on my recent interview with John Walker. Here is a PDF of the complete series for those who would rather use that format for offline viewing (please think twice before printing all 27 pages, though). The interview proved to be a very interesting activity - even more so than I had anticipated - and so I've decided to try a few more. I'm in no danger of making a career of this (don't worry) but I'm finding it an interesting diversion to meet and talk with people who have important information to... Read more →

A good read

Today is a national holiday in Switzerland: the Jeûne Fédéral, or national fasting day (here is some related information), although I have to admit I haven't done anything of the sort. In fact I may just have done the complete opposite. Oh well. I didn't get the chance to put together a technical post for today, but did want to share a book I'm re-reading, 15 years after I first read it, and getting on for 30 years since it was written. This book is an incredible piece of literature, and is certainly the geekiest (in a good way)... Read more →