Juixe Techknow

It is that time of year where we reflect on the accomplishments of the passing year and look forward to the one to come. Here is a window into the past year in technology through this year’s popular posts on TechKnow Juixe.

Top Favorites

• Laws of Source Code and Software Development
• Repetative Recursion
• Technology and Politics
• Being a Better Rails Developer
• Programming Memes
• Developer’s Perpetual Todo List

Fav Tutorial

• Anatomy of a JavaScript Bookmarklet
• Dynamically Create HTML Elements with JavaScript
• Grinding Griffon
• The 1KB CSS Grid
• Download Twitter Profile Images Using Ruby
• Jamming with Ruby YAML

Memorable Quotes

• Quotable Calacanis
• Quotable DHH
• Favorite Programming Quotes 2009

Twitter

• Twitter Ruby Gem
• Twitter Business Model
• The Three Laws of Twitters
• Twitcode
• Songs in Code

Twitter Conversations

• Remote Debug Your Thinking Process
• All Code is Inherently Evil
• The Mayor of Dead Space

Year in Review

• 2008
• 2007
• 2006
• 2005

Just like opinions, at the end of the year everyone has their own predictions for the new year. I came to these predictions by reading the back of caps of green tea bottles. If you like to see my accuracy with past predictions see the predictions of 2009.

• In the future everybody will have their 15 minutes of fame and their own iPhone app on the App Store.
• The App Store app review process will be even more stringent, opaque, and occult. the App Store will require a vial of blood from each iPhone developer.
• Steve Jobs has himself cloned and a disk image of his memories will be implanted in the clone.
• The Apple Tablet shall come with Steve Jobs’ iCommandments.
• The Google Android platform will explode with hundreds of Android phones on the market, and no app review process for apps. Also the first Android trojan horse virus will affect Android users.
• Google will release a Google Phone and become a true telephony company with Google Voice.
• The Google Twins will have a falling out over an argument as to who does less evil.
• Marissa Mayer, VP of Search Product and User Experience at Google, will leave Google for her own startup where she will develop the next killer web app which consists of a single search field and no buttons or text.
• Twitter will be hacked, Fail Whale, and Jump the Shark all in the same day.
• Facebook will buy Foursquare only to let it bit rot like Google did with Dodgeball.
• Facebook will allow advertisers to impersonate you and post in your friends wall.
• Zynga will but Facebook and rename it to FarmBook.
• News Corp will buy Digg for $500 Million only to have all the users migrate over to Reddit.
• Paul Graham will be deified by entrepreneurs around the world and will be given a mandatory 3% for $10 of all new startups.
• The US government will award $10 million contract for an installation of WordPress for a government site.

From time to time I just blast tweets about software development, project planning, team dynamics, or whatever else comes to mind. Here is a synopsis of recent tweets and rants. If you want to follow the conversation follow me at techknow and/or juixe and I’ll be sure to follow back.

Software Development

• If bad artists copy and great artists steal then bad programmers copy and great programmers cut and paste.
• You have to think outside our current requirements and think about solutions that fit the platform and which we can build product features.
• Can programmer mood/happiness be deciphered based on rate of check-ins, changelist, source code diff size, amount of refactoring?
• Software is alchemy. The magic of software is that it can turn complexity to simplicity.
• One man’s feature is another’s complexity.

Team Leadership

• A 10:00 PM design leads to 1:00 AM release leads to 8:00 AM FAIL.
• There are sore losers and sour winners!
• You may know your competitors, but do you know your complementor? Complementors are businesses and services that complement yours.
• Know thy competitor, and get to know thy complementor.
• The biggest risk is not taking risks.
• Don’t be afraid of someone stealing your idea, be afraid that someone is actually going to follow through with it
• Taking startup advice is like taking dating advice.

Product Placement

• Google Wave does not feel like a wave, it is more like a creek and I am without a paddle.
• I’m riding the Google Wave, but not drinking the Google Kool-Aid.
• It’s great that Apple invest in design and multi-touch tech, but they need to invest in water proof tech too. I’ve lost two ipods to water.
• I want to tether an iPod Touch with an iPhone.
• The iPhone is the PC.
• I have a growing collection of ebooks on my Kindle, in fact I have not bought a hard cover book since I got my Kindle over a year ago.
• Recharging my Kindle. It used to be that a book recharged my creativity and imagination now I have to recharge my ebook.
• FaceBook should just rename itself to FarmBook! All I see on FaceBook when I sign in are updates from FarmVille, Cafe World, etc…
• Will Microsoft port Google Go to the .NET platform? Why will they call it? G++? Iron Google Go? Google Go 2010 Business Edition?
• What will people abbreviate Google Go down to? GooGo? GoGo? Goo? Goog++? Golang? Pogo?
• ‘Python 300’ + ‘C++’ + Googleplex + $$$ + WTF = Google Go

Self Development

• Creditability is worth more than money in the bank.
• It is better to work on your own ideas than on someone else’s assumptions.
• To think outside the box it helps to first master the box.
• Don’t do what stops you from doing what you want to do unless that is what you want to do.
• You are damned if you do, damned if you don’t, and damned if you hesitate.
• If you don’t have the key to success, call on a locksmith.

Quotes

• The biggest motivation is not the money but the impact. – Matt Mullenweg/#TWiST 26
• You can’t build everything and there is no more a killer feature. Everyone has a different killer feature. – Matt Mullenweg/#TWiST 26
• I am the unhappiest WordPress user in the world, I think it sucks. – Matt Mullenweg/#TWiST 26
• Having a virtual assistant is one of the greatest training for managers. – Matt Coffin/#TWiST 27
• I only believe rumors that I start – Mike Elgan
• Wait a second, … you’ll waiting for me to take a risk, and then you’ll take a risk, that is not risk at all – @jason/#TWiST
• We spend more time worrying and planning for the downside than we do spend worrying and planning for the upside. – Mark Pincus/Zynga
• A lot of what you have to do as CEO is convince the employees that you are not a normal company. – Mark Pincus/Zynga
• If you don’t have control of your company, you are an employee. – Mark Pincus
• The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings. – Eric Hoffer

Recently, I gave myself the small task of going through all my Twitter retries and downloading each profile image from each Twitter user that replied to me. To access my Twitter replies I used the Twitter Ruby Gem. I am using Twitter gem version 0.4.1.

The script is small and pretty concise that it can speak for itself. I use my Twitter credential to log on and query for the 40 most recent replies. For each reply download the user’s profile image.

require 'rubygems'

gem 'twitter', '=0.4.1'

require 'twitter'
require 'open-uri'
require 'find'

twitter = Twitter::Base.new(username, password)
replies = twitter.replies(:count => 40)

replies.each do |status|
  user = status.user
  image_url = user.profile_image_url
  image_name = image_url.match(/([\w_]+).(\w\w\w)$/)
  file_path = "profile/#{image_name[1]}.#{image_name[2]}"

  # Did I already download this image?
  unless File.exists?(file_path)
    File.open(file_path, 'w') do |output|
      # Download image
      open(image_url) do |input|
        output << input.read
      end
    end
  end  
end

From time to time I just blast tweets about software development, project planning, team dynamics, or whatever else comes to mind. Here is a synopsis of recent tweets and rants. If you want to follow the conversation follow me at techknow and/or juixe and I’ll be sure to follow back.

Software Development

• sudo gem install mixico; wishing sudo gem install vacation.
• Version control tools need a better way to diff source history than just diffing two versions of a file…
• If all bug defects are set to high priority, how are you to know, which one are really really really important ones?
• I have 20 bugs marked a high priority, but some are higher than others. In addition to the having a priority and severity on defects we need color code too, ‘high pink’ is lower than ‘high crimson.’
• Just remember, a two line fix can cost you a two hundred thousand dollar deal! Any code change to a production system must be tested.
• LOL, getting a NullPointerException in a method called initNullValues.
• Give me open source or give me piracy!
• Let your users help drive the development of your product, not the accountants.

Team Leadership

• Sometimes it seems that team meetings are anti-team building!
• You can still compare apples to oranges, but it is harder to compare apples to some ill-perceived subjective metric.
• Sometimes people tell you whatever you want to hear, because you are not listening to whatever they are trying to say.
• People are crazy, and you getting upset about other people’s craziness, will make you crazy.
• Not losing is not winning.
• Take your competitors and make them your competitive advantage.

Product Placement

• I don’t think Apple sponsored #iPhoneDevCamp 3, which is interesting because the iPhone dev camps generate a lot of business for Apple.
• One feature implemented in many MS products is to restrict other features unless you upgrade from the home to the super business edition.
• Why does Edible Arrangements require an answer to the following question ‘How did you hear about us?’ before I can place an order?
• Finally figured out how to cancel @UsWeekly, just typical of a old media company their web site/design/usability makes absolutely no sense!
• Facebook adds so many obstacles before you can follow someone… It’s like they don’t really want you to have friends.
• Updating and adding new plugins on my WordPress bloggie! Plugins are like bling for blog!
• You might have heard of ttyl, maybe of ttyn, but what about ttyat&t? ttyat&t: Talk To You if I get cell reception from AT&T.

Business Planning

• When you have lemons don’t just make lemonade, make lemon cake too!
• Having your mommy pay for your business plan is not a business plan.
• Everyone has a million dollar idea, I have a billion dollar idea, care to invest?
• Cash in your million dollar idea!
• If content is king, then context is like emperor.

Programming related hashtags don’t make the top trend on Twitter. But last Friday night, when most people are out except geeks, the hashtag #songsincode made it to the top trends on Twitter. As of today, here some of my favorite songs in code.

Songs in Code

• @juixe: if(self.getLikes().contains(BIG_BUTTS) && !self.canLie()) {other.getBrothers().deny(false); you.getFace().add(ROUND_THING); you.getSprung()} #songsincode
• @techknow: Rhythm instanceof Dancer == true #songsincode
• @techknow: 2.times do we_will end; rock_you; face :has => ‘mud’; disgrace you, big #songsincode
• @anteaya: if “its” === 1999 then party; end #songsincode
• @cessor: for(int i = 99; i >= 0; i–) { Bottle b = _bottlesOfBeerOnTheWall[i]; b.Pass(); } #songsincode #CSharp
• @seeflanigan: Love.is_a?(Battlefield) => true #songsincode
• @stewdio_org: return “that’s” + ( name.indexOf([ “girl”, “stacey”, “her”, “jane” ]) > 0 ? “” : ” not” ) + ” my name” #songsincode #tingtings
• @malvim: try { me.go(“rehab”); } catch { return “No, no, no!”; } #songsincode
• @bricriu: if (self.go() { return new Trouble() } else if (self.stay()) { return new Trouble().intValue() * 2} #songsincode
• @projektdotnet: int main(void){get_your($body_beat); let_your(blood_flow); return 0;} #songsincode
• @NescioPhone: try { margaritaville.Resolve(“Lost”); } catch (Exception woman) { Trace(this.Fault); } #songsincode
• @brotzeitbrettl: for(int i=0; i==0; i=1) { we.celebrate(); oh_yeah.allright(); dancing.stop = false; } #songsincode
• @chiihime: foreach (night in myDreams) { me.see(you); me.feel(you); }; #songsincode
• @joestump: if (IN_YOUR_ARMS && TONIGHT) { die(); } #songsincode
• @brentgarner: if($theEnd){$loveYouTake = $loveYouMake;} // #songsincode #beatles
• @stewartyu: while(money++) { problems++; } #songsincode
• @dustinfineout: if (time.equals(‘hammer’)) { this.touchable = false; } #songsincode
• @kevinwo: hold($me, $close++, $tiny_dancer); #songsincode
• @llemirtrauts: for(var oclock = 1; oclock <= 12; oclock++){rock();} #songsincode
• @abachman: you.dance if you.want_to?; #songsincode
• @dbrady: i == sky << eye; i.looking!(@you); i.authorized?(your.mind, :read) == true #songsincode
• @zarkon: if (you.loves(somebody)) { them.set(free); } #songsincode
• @llemirtrauts: @paynen [money, show, getReady, goGoGo].forEach(function(value, key) {key + for(value);});!stepOnMy(blueSuedeShoes); #songsincode
• @jonrimmer: x = ‘Umbrella’; you.Permissions[‘StandUnder’] += self.GetPossession(x + x.Right(4) + x.Right(4) + ‘eh’ * 3) #songsincode
• @jverdi: while(true) {if(!this.touch()) {echo “can’t touch this”;}}#songsincode
• @tiemez: while(false){ self.giveYouUp(); self.letYouDown(); self.runAround(); self.desertYou(); } #songsincode
• @mikemangi: function iWant(){ $rocknroll=’allnite’; $party=’everyday’; keepon($rockn); } #songsincode
• @librarythingtim: if(!woman) { cry = false; } #songsincode
• @motherwell: if(you.think(sexy) == true && you.want(myBody) == true ) { you.tellMe(so) } #songsincode
• @TjoosDude: me.see(you.watch(me.watch(you))); #songsincode
• @cameronhunter: (function( you ){ return you.getLove().matches(/bad medicine/) })() #songsincode
• @tower10: @paynen function () { walk(this).way(); talk(this).way(); } #songsincode
• @eviltabbycat: public interface egyptian {public void walk();} #songsincode
• @frenchs: int *chicks = (int*)malloc(sizeof (int)); int *money = null; free(chicks); #songsincode #rusty_c
• @joestump: if (HUMPTY_DANCE) { define(‘TRANCE’, true); do_the_hump(); } #songsincode
• @paynen: (girls == boys).like(girls.do(boys.like(girls.do(girls.like(boys)))) #songsincode
• @beenewilliamr: dc -e'[dsm1laxsr]sj[2/ljxlcxq]st[3*1+ljx lcx]sy[d1=qd2%0=td2%0!=y]sc[100P]sw[0P] se[q]sq[d1700!>qdlm%d0=w d0!=esr1+lax]sa28lcx’ #songsincode
• @skatterbean: if not self.check(): self.wreck() #songsincode (thanks do @dreid for the bug fix)
• @frenchs: if(!roxanne) { self::turnOnLight(self::RED); } #songsincode
• @eegiffin: class HotelCalifornia { void checkOut () { canLeave=false; } } #songsincode
• @ald: try { Britney.Sing(); } catch (Exception ex) { throw new Exception(“Oops”); } #songsincode
• @herlifeinpixels: while you.find(me, indaclub): me.sipping(bub); if isinstance(you, sexylilthug): you.need = me.got; #songsincode
• @dhinojosa: assertTrue(heat.isOn()) #songsincode #glennfrye
• @llemirtrauts: [].push(“ah”).push(“good”).push(“real good”);#songsincode
• @ara_p: roof.set(“fire”, true); #songsincode
• @proxymoron: if(wantTo) { we = dance(); } friends = !dance(); if(friends != dance()) { we.remove(friends); } #songsincode

For some unexplainable reason, I found a lot of developers tweeted/coded the song Dude (Looks Like a Lady) by Aerosmith.

Dude (Looks Like a Lady)

• @davglass: var Dude = new Lady();#songsincode
• @jrconlin: @davglass Shouldn’t that be: (Lady) new Dude; ? #songsincode
• @Slow3000: dude.setLook(Looks.LADY); #songsincode
• @krigsi: LooksLike(“Dude”,”Lady”) #songsincode
• @ptone: import dude as lady #songsincode
• @clindh: looks == (lady)dude; #songsincode

I found these three variants of Jay-Z’s song 99 Problems interesting.

99 Problems

• @brotzeitbrettl: echo count($this->problems) == 99; foreach($this->problems as $p) { echo ($p instanceof Bitch) == false); } #songsincode
• @peterc: Okay, just one more: # problems.size == 99 && !problems.include?(“bitch”) #songsincode
• @tome: en(problems) == 99 and “bitch” not in problems

Some songs, in code, by Michael Jackson.

RIP MJ

• @techknow: dianna.setDirty(true) #songsincode
• @pud: If (BillieJean.is != my.lover) { BillieJean.justa = ‘girl’; i = 1; } #songsincode
• @RobertFischer: !my.isLover(billyJean) && billyJean.claims(my.theOne) && !my.isSon(theKid) #songsincode
• @krigsi: if($Annie = ‘OK’) { SmoothCriminal(Hit) } #songsincode