Over at codecentric.de, Mirko Novakovic shares lessons learned regarding a ThreadLocal Memory Leak that he dealt with in one of his projects recently.

Being interpreted and dynamic, Python is generally not as fast as compiled languages. Here is a technique for optimizing Python by way of Jython, including reasons why you’d want to use Java to implement some parts of your Python program and exactly how to write an extension in Java.

What’s the best way to write a byte array to a hexadecimal string: build the string using a for loop, use the bit converter and replace the delimiters, or another method? Damon Armstrong ran a little test to find out and the results might surprise you.

If you are looking for a better UML (Unified Modeling Language) tool, here’s a nice list of 16 free and open source UML tools.

You’re good right?

What developer worth his salt could resist taking a look at a site called the toughest developer puzzle ever? There are untold prizes awaiting the first 100 winners, with only 61 winners at the moment. Get over there and show your stuff, and do us a favor and tell us what the heck you won in the comments because we’re um, too busy to solve it ourselves.

You can pass an argument at run time using the command line; here is a short tutorial/tip from thecrumb on how to do it running the script in Eclipse.

One thing that is attractive about computer programming or web development as a career is that you can acquire many of the skills that you need to do it professionally without first convincing someone to hire you so that you can get work experience. Entry level software jobs are something that you can create yourself.

Creating and executing your own projects is a way to display your talents for any future employer. Obviously breaking into the industry still won’t be easy if your work is of poor quality, but having no formal work experience doesn’t have to be a strict barrier to entry, as it would be in many industries.

Lou Franco over at Atalasoft has an excellent list of seven ways to get software work experience without having to actually be hired by anyone.

Popular C++ frameworks include Platinum, Reason, Evocosm, ACF and many others, and now there is Cinder, a free, community developed offering from The Barbarian Group. It’s cross-platform, including iPhone/iPad, and was designed with audio, graphics, video, image processing, computational geometry and networking in mind.

Simon Ince has an excellent, concise explanation on how to use Lambda Expressions, with code examples.

Do you aspire to trade in the “developer” tag for being in the programming business? Do you wonder why good ideas don’t always become profitable business endeavors? Do you think you can’t adequately sell to a market for one of your good ideas because you do not have the time, because of your day job as a programmer? You should read this great article by Patrick at Kalzumeus, who’s actually turned his idea into a moneymaker while working seriously long hours, without having to set the world on fire with his programming ability, because his product just didn’t require it.