My name is Michael Furtak. I craft computer software for a living. On the weekends I have more time to shave.Tumblr (3.0; @mikefurtak)http://mikefurtak.com/“Nothing comes easy and the moment you feel comfortable with where you are, that’s when one should look at what the next challenge should be.”<br/><br/> - <em>Jorge Quinteros, <em><a href="http://folio.jorgeq.com/post/16957089650/on-self-promotion-being-uncomfortable-as-a-photographer">On Self-Promotion & Being Uncomfortable as a Photographer</a></em></em>http://mikefurtak.com/post/17610947167http://mikefurtak.com/post/17610947167Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:49:13 -0500motivationworkchallengegoals<img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyu43dAWK21qzgexso1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><blockquote> <p>An gargoyle grows an icy beard in a fountain in Zurich on February 2, 2012</p> </blockquote> <p>It somehow makes sense to me that the mild winter we’re experiencing in the Northeastern United States be balanced out by bitter cold somewhere else.</p>http://mikefurtak.com/post/16988360265http://mikefurtak.com/post/16988360265Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:40:25 -0500BigPicturephotowintericecold“What distinguished programmers at the top-performing companies wasn’t greater experience or better pay. It was how much privacy, personal workspace and freedom from interruption they enjoyed.”<br/><br/> - <em>Susan Cain, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/opinion/sunday/the-rise-of-the-new-groupthink.html?_r=3&pagewanted=all&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter">The Rise of the New Groupthink</a></em>http://mikefurtak.com/post/15950813417http://mikefurtak.com/post/15950813417Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:35:48 -0500workcollaborationofficeprivacyprogramming“If Americans want to live the American dream, they should go to Denmark.”<br/><br/> - <em>Richard Wilkinson - <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_wilkinson.html">How economic inequality harms societies</a></em>http://mikefurtak.com/post/14075855466http://mikefurtak.com/post/14075855466Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:07:52 -0500TEDsocialequalitymobiityprosperityincomewealth<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lt629n5HYS1qzgexso1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/>http://mikefurtak.com/post/11527425236http://mikefurtak.com/post/11527425236Sun, 16 Oct 2011 12:10:35 -0400siriiphonefunny<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lqhr46trpa1qz9917o1_500.png"/><br/><br/><p><a href="http://jmak.tumblr.com/post/9377189056">jmak</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p><strong>Thanks, Steve.</strong></p> <p>Posting designs like this one makes me paranoid, because I can’t shake the feeling that it’s not original. I enjoyed the process regardless, but please let me know if somebody else beat me to the idea!</p> <p>Thoughts?</p> </blockquote>http://mikefurtak.com/post/11100328087http://mikefurtak.com/post/11100328087Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:09:39 -0400Steve JobsdeathRIPAppleTim Cook“My friends and I have been coddled long enough by a billionaire-friendly Congress. It’s time for our government to get serious about shared sacrifice.”<br/><br/> - <em>Warren E. Buffett, <em><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/opinion/stop-coddling-the-super-rich.html?_r=1">Stop Coddling the Super-Rich</a></em></em>http://mikefurtak.com/post/8953567482http://mikefurtak.com/post/8953567482Mon, 15 Aug 2011 11:37:46 -0400sacrificewealtheconomypoliticsjobstaxes“My fear is that It’s only a matter of time before developers find the risks and expenses prohibitive and retreat to the safety of a larger organization. We’ll be going back to square one.”<br/><br/> - <em>Craig Hockenberry, <a href="http://furbo.org/2011/07/13/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-independent-developer/">The Rise and Fall of the Independent Developer</a></em>http://mikefurtak.com/post/7673259044http://mikefurtak.com/post/7673259044Fri, 15 Jul 2011 22:34:00 -0400ProgrammingbusinessPatentstrollslegalinnovation<a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/07/06/we-will-honor-all-those-who-have-fallen">We Will Honor All Those Who Have Fallen</a>: <p>I was going to post part of this as a quote, but it’s so important that I think it should be read in its entirety.</p>http://mikefurtak.com/post/7320694270http://mikefurtak.com/post/7320694270Wed, 06 Jul 2011 19:40:00 -0400militaryservicegratitudehonorrespectrecognitionpresidentpolicy“Maybe it is just my friends, but I find more and more people completely disgusted by this situation and looking for a serious Third Party candidate who could run in 2012 and deliver the shock therapy to the corrupt, encrusted, two-party duopoly now running the show in America.”<br/><br/> - <em>Thomas L. Friedman, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/22/opinion/22friedman.html">100 Days</a></em>http://mikefurtak.com/post/7302679017http://mikefurtak.com/post/7302679017Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:36:47 -0400politicscongresselections“<p>The important thing is to slog diligently through this quagmire of discouragement and despair. Put on some audio commentary and listen to the stories of professionals who have been making films for decades going through the same slings and arrows of outrageous production problems. </p> <p>In a word: PERSIST.</p>”<br/><br/> - <em><a href="http://www.lettersofnote.com/2011/07/persist.html">Austin Madison</a></em>http://mikefurtak.com/post/7278158983http://mikefurtak.com/post/7278158983Tue, 05 Jul 2011 18:10:17 -0400motivationinspirationperseverancepixarletter<a href="http://www.panic.com/blog/2011/07/yay-fireworks-2011/">Yay! 4th of July Fireworks 2011!</a>: <p>It’s time for another survey of the wonderful world of fireworks package design from the fine folks at <a href="http://panic.com">Panic</a></p>http://mikefurtak.com/post/7236787639http://mikefurtak.com/post/7236787639Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:38:21 -0400fireworkshumorpanicdesigncopy<iframe width="400" height="225" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/N8mFDVF1V5U?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br/><br/><p>Today I learned about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutting">Tutting</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_and_digits">Liquid and Digits</a>… and this guy’s <em>awesome</em>.</p>http://mikefurtak.com/post/7096393192http://mikefurtak.com/post/7096393192Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:17:07 -0400dancemusictil“A corporation is a legal person created by state statute that can be used as a fall guy, a servant, a good friend or a decoy,” the company’s website boasts. “A person you control… yet cannot be held accountable for its actions. Imagine the possibilities!”<br/><br/> - <em>Seriously shady. From <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/28/us-usa-shell-companies-idUSTRE75R20Z20110628">Special Report: A little house of secrets on the Great Plains</a></em>http://mikefurtak.com/post/7042301208http://mikefurtak.com/post/7042301208Wed, 29 Jun 2011 08:07:02 -0400corporatepersonhoodshellshady<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lnj4bm5Rs41qzgexso1_500.png"/><br/><br/><p>Motherlover</p>http://mikefurtak.com/post/7029694003http://mikefurtak.com/post/7029694003Tue, 28 Jun 2011 22:02:11 -0400googlelovemomjoke<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/25380454" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><br/><br/><p>Part 3 of 4 of Kirby Ferguson’s excellent video miniseries, <a href="http://www.everythingisaremix.info/">Everything is a Remix</a>. Definitely start with the first two if you haven’t seen them yet.</p>http://mikefurtak.com/post/6771127743http://mikefurtak.com/post/6771127743Tue, 21 Jun 2011 19:20:43 -0400remixcreativityinspirationideascomputers<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmtv7t2pkX1qbpnjzo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><a href="http://alanvanroemburg.tumblr.com/post/6550997276">alanvanroemburg</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>Apple iCloud icon golden ratio</p> <a href="http://twitter.com/alanvanroemburg">Alan van Roemburg</a></blockquote>http://mikefurtak.com/post/6601705823http://mikefurtak.com/post/6601705823Thu, 16 Jun 2011 18:57:26 -0400<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/23839605" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe><br/><br/><p>Linking to <a href="http://mikefurtak.com/post/6541941555">Tangle</a> reminded me that I had this video in my drafts folder. I think it’s another great example of the power of exploring data and their relationships in-place through experimentation.</p>http://mikefurtak.com/post/6542253349http://mikefurtak.com/post/6542253349Tue, 14 Jun 2011 22:37:43 -0400datavisualizationdesignmath<a href="http://worrydream.com/Tangle/">Tangle</a>: <blockquote> <p>Tangle is a JavaScript library for creating reactive documents. Your readers can interactively explore possibilities, play with parameters, and see the document update immediately. Tangle is super-simple and easy to learn.</p> </blockquote> <p>I often learn best when I’m able to explore concepts through what-if scenarios. Allowing data to be directly manipulated within the web page is a powerful idea.</p>http://mikefurtak.com/post/6541941555http://mikefurtak.com/post/6541941555Tue, 14 Jun 2011 22:27:24 -0400datawebhtmljavascriptlibrarycodingprogrammingexploration“<p>The gas pressure is huge. Even if you could use a transporter to teleport your neutron star into the hold of your ship, the sudden decrease in pressure will cause the gas to explosively expand. Assuming a decent-sized cargo hold, they’ll end up producing a pressure of something like a quadrillion times atmospheric normal, and a density on the order of ten million times that of solid rock.</p> <p>Do not stand in your cargo bay when you beam up your neutron star material. I cannot stress this enough.</p>”<br/><br/> - <em>ASK A PHYSICIST: What would a teaspoonful of neutron star do to you?</em>http://mikefurtak.com/post/5929922888http://mikefurtak.com/post/5929922888Sat, 28 May 2011 10:18:43 -0400physicsastrophysicssciencespace