Notes From My Basement

for my age… and it will be officially the Hexadecimal base to define my age. 

So today, I am 0x26!, yes 26 (hex).

Tags: guillermo

This came to me via my friend Benny, who can't wait to jump on any chance he gets to highlight everything evn remotely mentioning Apple and specially if it is "anti" Microsoft.

Battered and bruised by a long-running advertising campaign on the part of rival Apple, Inc., Microsoft Corp. is turning to sitcom star and world renowned comedian Jerry Seinfeld to help clean up the public perception of its Windows Vista operating system.

Full Article here.

Also funny is that Benny does not "own" any Apple hardware... he did buy his wife an iPod and once in a while plays with her PowerBook.  His main workstation is a Dell Inspiron 9400 (which you can say is what pays the bills)

Ironically, the computers featured in the 9-year situation comedy Seinfeld, for which the comedian payed a semi-fictional version of himself, were always Macs.

Tags: funny, happenings

This is about the only time when being a geek might work to one's advantage:

Tags:

Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.

Abraham Lincoln

Tags: quotes, tools

I am not taking about managers managing a team of OO developers here, I am talking about managers that think that practices and tenets of OO apply and benefit the process of managing a team of smart developer... things like encapsulation (secrecy, mysteries, a lot of closed door meeting), loose coupling (I don't really care about how or what you do, just do it), and lets not bring up Polymorphism.

In the interest of full disclosure, I currently work for an organization that is 90% (roughly?) "there"... we do keep a very open channel of communication, and open door policy does not mean "wood plank at office threshold is ajar".  There is still a little bit of mystery around some initiatives and decisions, but that is almost understandable given history and culture.  This post is NOT about my current experience, it is an outlet from accounts elsewhere that are not foreign to me by both direct and indirect experience and exposure.  Luckily most of this BS does not have a current effect on me, but because it HAS and because I feel for those who have to put up with this idiotic approach, I feel inspired if not obligated to express my opinion about it.

In all seriousness, there just isn't room in a team you want to make cohesive for unnecessary bullshit, mysteries or the dreaded "on a need to know basis" line.  If we want to work together as a team, and we are striving to foster open lines of communication with the introduction of Agile practices, there just isn't room for private meetings or delivery of information in a delayed and layered fashion. 

What is it that is feared?  Are we in a world that is THAT paranoid that we think we have to "protect" ourselves from the people we let into our own "home turf"?  If you don't trust them, then why did you hire them in the first place? 

When smart people get fed crap, the immediate reaction is anger.  There is the sense of being insulted and then devalued and then unappreciated and then ... you get the point.  When they feel this way, the natural tendency is to seek this information out, generating an environment of gossip and conspiracy theorist.  You'd want to know what the heck is going on, period, whether it affects you in any way.  Your first and perhaps more natural reaction is defensive and then perhaps proactive: What can we do about it?  How can I contribute, help, be a force acting to obtain value through change.  But most of these reactions go "unnoticed" or in the best (worst) scenario only viewed as negative/punishable/unnaceptable behavior on the part of the developer.

The context to which this opinion applies or better put is intended for, is that of the professional applications/software development world.  Developers, Architects, Database Administrators, IT guys and gals.

I would like to see the day organizations hire people they can trust.  You should be hiring Professionals, not monkeys.  Professional in my book is not defined by how old you are or how many years of experience you have.  If you are an unprofessional loser right out of college, or in the absence of formal education, during your 1st year at your 1st job in the trait, then nothing will change 10, 15 or 20 years later.  You'll just be the same loser with less hair or more gray hair, or more wrinkles and a pot belly.

If as a manager you have an opinion about a team member that is relevant to your environment, the business or the project, just say it, splat! flat out, not PC, no sugar coating the negative or adorning the positive.   I am not foreign to seeing managers calendar's full of private meetings & "checkpoints" on people.  How insulting is that?  Of course you "have" to make it private because its idiotic to have checkpoints on anyone to begin with!

My pet peeve extends to include common "controlling" type activities such as "web content filtering" or super strict PC usage policies.  If someone is dumb enough to look at inappropriate material (porn, warez, take your pick) while at work (because what they do in the privacy of their own home is their business) or is prone to click on dancing bunnies, you'd probably want to find out sooner rather than later wouldn't you?  Or would you just rather have a false sense of control of a wondering mind by administering smaller and continuous shocks?  I won't fear repeating myself here: If you hire true passionate professionals, this is a non issue.

Hire with confidence and trust.  Assume the best, not the worst.  Measure, keep an eye out for red flags, sure you just can't turn your back on it just like that, but don't bring forth paranoia a the de facto management style, bring, seed Trust and you'll harvest good will, productivity, sense of belonging.  If a person betrays that trust, then act accordingly. This brings home the very important sense of accountability.  I am not advocating be a push over or a tyrant, find your own style, your comfort zone for dealing out consequences.  Each person, each organization should have a defined threshold for tolerance to *these* issues we are talking about here.

Good 'ole "boys" clubs don't work, they segregate, they devalue, they demean.  It is very much Binary.  It sends the signal that if you are not "in" then you are "out", and so, what are you to expect from those that are "out"?  Do you think you can expect, let alone demand loyalty?

Tags: management, methodology

I have many times realized I do have plenty of bad habits, but until recently I hadn't been able to properly name them... I give you Max Pool's Post on Refactorbation

Sadly enough, this fits me to a tee (sometimes....hmmm... most times).  The good thing is that it is commonly agreed that the first step in the road to recovery is admitting one has a "problem"... I will try to get better at leaving "old, crappy code as-is", as long as it works... right?

Tags: programming, refactoring, habits

It is pretty simple... shower together with your significant other!  Save water, and have fun at the same time.

Here are the very basic numbers:  A 5 minute shower using a very efficient shower head at 2.5 gallons per minute, will have you using 12.5 gallons per shower, per person.  Now, I don't know about you but I rarely take "only" 5 minutes in the shower, and reality is that it is closer to 10.  Also factor in that you'll get 2.5 gallons/min only on newer, efficient shower heads.  If you have an older shower head you'll probably be more in the 6 gallon/min range.

Some resources on this matter are:

• EPA WaterSense
• SavingWater.org
• Milwaukee WaterWorks

So, the raw calculations would yield that for 2 people taking daily showers, taking a more prorated/average/guesstimate based on the rates of use stated above of 4 gal/min, 7 minute shower, 6 times a week (and allowing for a day or two here and there where you just skip it for whatever reason!), will be using a total off 17,472 gallons a year.

If you take showers together with your significant other at least 3 of those days a week, you'll be saving about 25% water consumtion or  4,368 gallons!

Don't take for granted that this will also save you some of the "green" most people really care about.  At an estimated cost of $.002 per gallon (the average cost in the United States, although prices differ from city to city), yields a pretty pathetic savings of just over $8.67... but hey, at least you are doing something good for the environment and have some fun at the same time.

Since I really don't know how many polar bears that would help, or how many fish will survive (water pollution effects) thanks to your water saving contribution, it is somewhat of an act of faith!

All of this seems pretty refreshing to me!  I can't wait to step in the shower!

Tags: green