Dilbert’s Wally Gets It
Category: Life
XMarks: fare thee well
Received XMarks’ notice that they’re folding, and their story is excellent reading. Here are a few of my observations. First, it’s very well-written and has an excellent tone. I hope never to fold a business, but if I had to, I hope I’d bow out as gracefully as they are. Hats off to them for… Continue reading XMarks: fare thee well
Fixing it in the hardware
I wrote a graphics-intensive application for one client. He reported that when he tried to drag it from one monitor to another it seemed to lock up. Then he reported the fix: adjusting the fan for one of his multi-monitor video cards, to keep it from overheating. When you push bits all day, it’s hard… Continue reading Fixing it in the hardware
Dora Full Circle(s)
Dora the Explorer turns ten. It’s a TV show, but it pretends the TV is a computer. (When Dora asks where something is, you see a mouse go across the screen and click it.) But we watch it off of the Netflix instant queue on our computer. So our computer acts like a TV acting… Continue reading Dora Full Circle(s)
TIOBE Index: The 2009 Programming Language Survey
Tiobe’s 2009 Programming Language Survey is an interesting read. I write in a variety of languages: as it turns out, seven of the top eight. Very interesting that C seems to be such a constant. And far more constant even than its second place suggests, since six of the top eight languages use a syntax… Continue reading TIOBE Index: The 2009 Programming Language Survey
Your most controversial programming opinion?
A very interesting question–with very interesting answers–on StackOverflow.com: What’s your most controversial programming opinion? (Via
Step Away
Step away from the computer. I get some of my best ideas when I step away from the computer for a few hours and carry on with life (letting the problem mull over in the back of my mind). Maybe you’ve experienced this, too. If software is much more about good ideas than BFI (and… Continue reading Step Away
Ten Whole Megabytes
When I was in college, I rented a friend’s computer for a year. It had an amazing ten megabyte hard drive, and I loved it! I didn’t have to boot it with two single-sided single-density 360KB floppy disks. It was great! And ten whole megabytes! I figured I could type non-stop for decades before I… Continue reading Ten Whole Megabytes
Changing the Unchangeable
Now that screens are wide, I find vertical space more precious. So I put my XP task bar on the left side of the screen. It’s interesting how many programs now come up underneath it. Commercial packages with large user bases. I’m sure they mind the task bar when it’s at the bottom of the… Continue reading Changing the Unchangeable
Just how does that feel?
I got a huge kick out of this line from Sunday’s Dilbert: