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.

If you have been looking for an intro to Spring Roo, here’s an excellent one from Willie Wheeler. Spring Roo is a rapid application development tool that lets Java developers build full Java applications very quickly.

Finally, the platform wars have come to Hollywood-this is epic… Pick a side, grab some popcorn and follow along.

From niteviva.com, here’s a way to automate posting of content to your Facebook page to easily create daily events or posting updates as to whatever is relevant to you or your business each month, using the Facebook Java API.

Here is a very nice utility for processing Excel tables in Java with an annotation-based approach: the yava Excel stripper.

Nicolas Frankel has a nice article over at dzone on what you can do with proxies in Java.

Here’s a nice article on the PhantomReference subclass of Reference, its functionality and behavior and when to use it, from dzone.

German over at java.dzone.com has a great article on db4o, a persistence engine that will make life easier for Java developers by giving them a middle ground option for dealing with data persistence, instead of relational databases with ORM tools, which are time-consuming, or serialization, which in Java is not straightforward for object persistence.

Have you dreaded synchronization when you have concurrent Java applications and multiple threads simultaneously running and need to ensure that these multiple threads have access to the data they share? Immutable data structures can minimize the need to synchronize.
Here’s a post from Jim McClure on reducing and localizing the necessity for synchronization by creating and using immutable data structures.

Here is Google’s answer to the question:

How do you create and maintain efficient JavaScript code that downloads quickly and works across different browsers?

The Google Closure tools package contains a Javascript compiler/optimizer, a library Java and Javascript, and template system for both as well.

Totally different area: have you seen Google Dashboard yet? It’s info on all of your Google accounts in one place. Hmm, they certainly do know a lot about me…