Month: February 2009

  • Why Coding is Hard, Even When It's Easy

    Keywords: WordPress, Quicktags, Cache,


    There are days when I totally understand why people are afraid of computers.

    Today is one of them.

    I started with a very simple task: add an additional quicktag to the WordPress editor for my own use. I’ve done this before. It’s really bloody simple. Just add an additional piece of code inside your WordPress blog. As long as you can do a google search and aren’t afraid of digging around in the code, this is a snap.

    Or at least, it was a snap back when I did it the last time. This time it didn’t work. It should have worked. I double checked my syntax on the 5 lines of code that I freaking copied and pasted. I double checked the WordPress codex. I double double checked the code again. I banged my head a few times. I swore and cursed. There was no noticeable change happening because of my addition.

    Finally, I did what any coder would do, I started to try and effect any change that would evidence my having altered the code. I started commenting out important parts of the file I was working in. Still nothing. Did WP need to be “refreshed” or “restarted”, I thought to myself.

    Then, I thought of the cache.

    The goddamn cache was maintaining the old javascript.

    I had banged my head on this simple easy child-like task for two hours and all I needed to do was clear the cache.

    Argh.

    Don’t forget to clear the cache.

  • Keeping Track of Things

    Do You Write Stuff Down?
    One of the things that High School tried to teach me was note taking skills. It didn’t really take until I got to college and even then I didn’t have a good system until around late sophomore year. I ended up only carrying a notepad of quadrille paper (three hole punched) to classes, taking all my notes and doing up my work and then filing it in 3 ring binders for later referral. That way I didn’t have to haul around a bunch of different binders or notebooks for my various classes.

    I’ve gotten away from that system now. I only have two notebooks, one for personal stuff and one for work. My work notebook contains a lot of phone logs and records of conversation, plus lists of things to do. Very occasionally will it have sketches or numbers that document engineering work. That mostly is handled through the various software that I work with, however there is nothing quite like a hand sketched map with notes and annotations.

    My personal notebook contains a lot of more notish stuff; much more like a journal than a logbook. In this notebook I currently have the layouts of two different gaming campaigns (one D&D from a while ago and one GURPS), the beginnings of my recording of my toothpick bridge building and some construction sketches for stuff around the house (it’s very early into the notebook’s life).

    My current two-notebook system dovetails nicely with the modified GTD setup that I use. I go back through the notebooks at the end of the week and see if there are any outstanding “to do” items that need to be encapsulated in my system. It also lets me see what it was I did that week; I’m sure I’m not the only person who’s arrive at Friday afternoon and wondered what the heck it was that occupied all my time.

  • NPR: Evil Plagiarists

    Uh oh. According to Whil Wheaton, NPR has joined the evil ranks of evil evil plagiarists.

    Bill does not approve.


    Update: Apparently I should read the comments of WW’s post.

  • Ith Toothpick Bridge Gathering

    This year, I finally managed to go see the Toothpick Bridge Building Event at the Fernbank Science Center (I’ve tried, and missed, for three years; this year, success!). Several of us went, including myself, Jenn, Courtney, David and Alex.

    Toothpick Bridge Building Contest

    Everyone had a great time. The bridge that held the most weight clocked in at 163 pounds or so. Another managed 141 lb. It was a great time watching all the young kids and teens bring their truss up for destructive testing!

    In fact, everyone had such a good time that it was universally acknowledged a home contest must be held. Thus…

    The Ith Toothpick Bridge Gathering

    This gathering will be held at the residence of Jennifer Bowie and Bill Ruhsam on a date to be determined. Entry fee will be negotiable. It will involve either food or beer.

    Categories:
    There will be two judged, two acclaimed and one quantitative categories for the toothpick bridges. Other categories may be added as time goes by. These categories will be:

    • Judged
    1. Prettiest
    2. Ugliest
    • Acclaimed
    1. Most Likely to Succeed
    2. Least Likely to Succeed
    • Quantitative
    1. Zero Side Force Truss Bridge (i.e. simply supported)
    2. Open (i.e. arched, catenary, triangular: anything with a side-load at the supports)

    Rules:
    Rules will be fleshed out as time goes by. 100 gram mass limit on the bridge seems good. As does a requirement that all construction be made from round toothpicks and white Elmers-brand glue. The loading setup will be such that every bridge is tested to DESTRUCTION so we’ll have to do all the qualitative judging before any loading begins.

    Entrants:
    Must not necessarily be present to win. If someone (ahem!) wants to mail me their entry, we’ll be happy to throw it into the pool. Photographic evidence will be provided.

    That’s the thoughts so far. More detail to come later.

  • Anathem

    A few weeks ago I created an homage to Xkcd by evaluating my experience reading Neal Stephenson’s Anathem.

    Well, I’m done.

    Anathem Reading Experience

    Overall, I think Neal Stephenson will be remembered as one of the premier scifi authors of this generation. That doesn’t make his books any easier to read. This one in particular I found to be genuinely amazing in spots and fundamentally boring in others. The concepts he put together in surprising juxtapositions made the story move along and kept me reading but I won’t read the book again.

    If you’re new to Neal Stephenson, read Snow Crash and Diamond Age before you read this book. That will ramp you and let you know what to expect (Cryptonomicon is in it’s own special category, less scifi). If you find it hard to get through either of those, do not read Anathem.

  • Hugo-Winning Novels == Blah?

    To Be Read

    I have a theory.

    My theory is that I don’t like Hugo winning novels. If you’re not familiar with the Hugos, it’s like the Academy Awards for Science Fiction and Fantasy. There’s a whole bunch of categories, but the one that gets the most attention, and that I’m talking about now, is “Best Novel”.

    Back to my theory. I have picked up several books simply because they won the Hugo. This was because I was looking for something to read and I figured I might as well go with a book that was recommended through a vote. So far, my track record for actually liking these books is poor. Let’s review.

    1. A Fire Upon the Deep, by Vernor Vinge. Tie in 1993: Couldn’t get more than a third of the way through it. Every time something seemed to be happening…it didn’t. Gave the book away.
    2. Speaker for the Dead, by Orson Scott Card. Won in 1987: The book prior to that in the series, Ender’s Game (won in 1986!) was fabulous. Speaker for the Dead was deadly dull. Interesting concept, but I read for fun, not for concepts.
    3. Neuromancer, by William Gibson. Won in 1985. Yes, I know it’s the book that started Cyberpunk. That doesn’t mean I didn’t find it difficult to fathom and somewhat boring.
    4. Downbelow Station, by C. J. Cherryh. Won in 1982. Oh…my…god was I depressed before I put the book down. And I only got about a third of the way in. No thanks.
    5. The Dispossesed, by Ursula K. Le Guin. Won in 1975. Booooring. I’m glad I read it, but I’ll never read it again. My sister Cindy will probably send me a mail bomb because of this comment.
    6. Rendezvous with Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke. Won in 1974. This was more like a space engineering treatise than a good book. I didn’t read the sequels because the first one didn’t capture me.
    7. Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein. Won in 1962. This was one of those novels that you must read if only to maintain your geek credentials and grok everyone else’s. However, I wasn’t sold on its glorious nature. Would not Buy Again.
    8. A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller, Jr. Won in 1961. I’ve tried, and failed, to read this book 3 times. I may give it one more chance before deep-sixing it.

    That is eight books of fifty-five that I didn’t like. What about ones that I did?

    1. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman. Won in 2002. Fabulous.
    2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J.K. Rowling. Won in 2001. This award I find amusing because I believe it was surfing the wave of popularity rather than any real deservedness. Of all the HP books, HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban would be my pick. I still liked Goblet, though.
    3. The Diamond Age, by Neal Stephenson. Won in 1996. This is one of my favorite books, ever.
    4. Enders Game, by Orson Scott Card. Won in 1986. Also one of my favorite books, ever.
    5. Foundation’s Edge, by Issac Asimov. Won in 1983. This one gets a thumb up (but not two) from me. I’ll still qualify it as a book I liked, though.
    6. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman. Won in 1976. Excellent book.
    7. Ringworld, by Larry Niven. Won in 1971. There isn’t much written by Larry Niven that I wouldn’t have buried in my coffin with me.
    8. Dune, by Frank Herbert. Won in 1966. Great great story. I can see the point of view of people who don’t like it, but I think it’s great.
    9. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein. Won in 1960. Another of my favorite novels.

    That makes nine novels of fifty-five that I like, and eight that I don’t (I could take this further and also analyze the novels that were nominated, but that’s a bit much, for reasons that will be explained in a moment). You would think that a greater than 50% success rate would make me happy, no?

    No!

    I demand 100% client satisfaction! And in order to have a good data set before sending in my lawyers, I’ve decided that I need to read the rest of the Hugo-winning novels and see which ones I like. Through the good services of Paperbackswap.com I have acquired several of them, and we’re waiting for them to come to the top of the queue before I start digging in. To Say Nothing of the Dog, by Connie Willis (1999), Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke (2005), and Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer (2003) are the first in line. I also have The Curse of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold, which is the first book in a trilogy before Paladin of Souls (2004).

    So, I’m going to read the rest of the Hugo list and see what opinions I end up with. I’ll let the interwebs know how it’s coming along.

  • Questionable Content

    Last week was stressful. During that time, when I was incapable of doing productive things, I read the entirety of the webcomic “Questionable Content”. I found it to be one of the best soap-opera web comics out there and I highly recommend it to you, loyal reader.

    For full disclosure, this is a risque, homo-friendly, sex-is-out-there, profanity laced, no-holds-barred comic. That is a big part of what makes it so hilarious.

    There are 1339 editions as of today. Here are my five favorite, from oldest to newest:

    #38: Definition of a Term
    #49: Undie-Jitsu. This one made me spit out my coffee
    #396: Faye is sort of Channeling me here. It’s all about the last panel
    #711: I’d Eat One. This one is all about the suffering coffee beans
    #1087: It’s the Thought that Counts. This truly illustrates the best birthday present that it is possible to give.