Many people have a mental model of how computers work that goes something like: "A computer is like a small cardboard box. Inside this box lives an elf. The elf obeys instructions from my program, in the order they are given. Some instructions tell the...

When C# code runs too slowly, you can profile it to see where the time is being spent. Graphics programmers are not so lucky. If you work for a big commercial studio and have access to an Xbox devkit, the Xbox version of PIX gives nearly as much...

"The eating was one of the most horrible things. Excepting the first two days after I entered the asylum, there was no salt for the food." - Nellie Bly Salt is a strange thing. In minute quantities, it makes almost any food taste better. In medium...

As an Englishman living in Seattle, I am fascinated to watch how America chooses its presidential candidates. The US primary system seems slightly more reasonable than its English equivalent, where a few old party hacks basically just toss dice, but it...