DPL Reading List – May 15, 2015
Here are some of the articles we’ve been reading around this office this week.
More Weight Doesn’t Mean More Wait (Thanks to Jarrod Wubbels for recommending this article) – “Formerly, much of the focus in web performance was concerned with optimizing assets like images and fonts, which does make for a shorter overall page load time. But today there are techniques we can use in addition to file optimization that have an arguably larger impact on how soon our users can see and use the content we’re delivering.”
The Time to Think About the 3D-Printed Future Is Now – “3-D printing, or additive manufacturing, is likely to revolutionize business in the next several years. Often dismissed in the popular mindset as a tool for home-based “makers” of toys and trinkets, the technology is gaining momentum in large-scale industry.”
The Pool is Getting Crowded! – “What’s so interesting about right now is that while the internet advertising market is increasingly concentrated across a small number of players (the top 3 represent more than half the industry), the sheer number of new entrants hoping to feed off that economic model is exploding.”
Microsoft (Yes, Microsoft) Has a Far-Out Vision – “In some ways, Microsoft is already a different place from the infamously balkanized one Mr. Nadella inherited from Steven A. Ballmer in February 2014. Not long ago, the company had about a half-dozen internal systems for managing the development of software; Mr. Nadella is pushing everyone to use a single one, in the belief that top-notch internal tools will help it create top-notch products.”
The Dreaded Bundle Comes to Internet TV – “In short, instead of the Internet killing the bundle, the bundle is coming to the Internet; it would not be surprising if, in the next year or two, half a dozen more neo-bundlers join the game. This may come as a surprise to those who expected the television of the future to resemble, say, a smartphone screen, where every channel would be roughly like an app that you subscribe to à la carte. But overestimating change in the television industry is a rookie mistake.”
It’s Official: Wearing a Suit Makes You Less Effective – “In high tech, for example, everyone (including post-Boomer CEOs) tends to dress casually, just like the engineers who design and build the products. In those workplaces, everyone looks down at the ‘suits’ who must dress up to feel important. Just to be clear, I’m not saying that everyone who wears a suit is ineffective or shallow. In many industries and situations, suits are like a sports uniform. If you’re not ‘suited up,’ you don’t get to play.”
Microsoft’s DirectX 12 Enables Intel, AMD, Nvidia GPUs To Work Together – “In theory, this means you will see AMD APUs working in tandem with dedicated Nvidia GPUs. While AMD has already implemented CrossFire capabilities between their APUs and a limited selection of dedicated Radeon cards, this blows the door wide open for developers to tap into the full potential of a gamer’s hardware.”
