Retweet April 2009
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 I’ll be sure to follow back.
Programming
- The way recent Ruby conference have been shaping up, I think RailsConf 2009 will have strippers giving presentations on cache girth and performance.
- What is it that you enjoy about programming? Is it the language, the libraries, the framework, the tools, or the community?
- What is your favorite code editor? On Windows I use Eclipse and NetBeans. On OS X I use Aptana and Komodo Edit.
- There are many self proclaimed programming laws, my law states: Any hack that can name a law after himself should be arrested under that law.
- I just heard a new variation to the infamous developer excuse ‘It works on my computer.’ Just heard, ‘I’ve never tried it on that computer.’
- I think software bugs like wild animals can smell fear!
- Herding bugs and bytecode!
- I would like to use a Eclipse plugin that is a Twitter client.
- JavaScript + jQuery UI + Google Gears + Twitter API = Yet Another Twitter Client! Juixe Tweetbox
- I don’t have a golden hammer, I have a golden jackhammer and when that is not enough I bring out the golden bulldozer!
- Alas, hacks make the world turn.
- Hacking away at a hack. I that like a compound hack?
- Is Scala the new Ruby? Is Scala the new Scheme?
- Some people like texting, others sexting, I like hexting.
Business
- Just as possesion is nine-tenths of the law, bullshit is nine-tenths of confidence.
- Many companies don’t easily see past their bottom line to see new markets.
- Ideas are like stocks, there are those that pay dividends ideas, blue chip ideas, and high risk/big return ideas. Foster idea market…
- People mistake success/fail as binary, on/off or 0/1. I think of it more like analog, a continuum, or gradient.
- (idea + passion + work + network + hustle + creativity + design + timing + market + … + luck – drama) * C^2 = probability of success.
- It is a good idea to file chapter 11 bankruptcy on your assumptions every few years!
- Even though you may be heads down on a task, keep your ears to the ground and your eyes on the ball.
- It seems that the more you spend the more you want, worst is when you just want to spend more even when you don’t want.
- Don’t re-invent the wheel, just streamline the manufacturing process, develop new distribution channel, outsource production, and trim cost.
- There is no such thing as money making, just money earning, business ideas.
- Those looking to make a quick buck are those that are mist likely willing to buy into ‘money making’ businesses.
- Your current job is where you go to get training, experience, and references for your next job.
- Why is it that when people say ‘save over time’ they really mean ‘pay now’ or ‘pay up front?’
- First we had static URLs, then URLs with database IDs, then SEO URLs, now every service wants to provide short/tiny URLs.
- It is not enough to see an opportunity, you need to feel it and believe in it to make the most out of it.
- Everybody has certain opportunities, some take advantage of them, others extend them to others, what about opportunity arbitrage?
Team
- Rough day, we had to let go 10% of our workforce, which for a small team feels like 20%.
- Don’t throw anyone under the bus just so you can ride the money train.
- The first sign of a failing project is when intimidation is used as motivation.
- Give your team the platform to step up!
- We may not always agree on the right solution but it would help if we agree on the problem at hand.
- Being your own cheerleader is better than being someone else’s cheer follower!
- It hard work being your own cheerleader BUT IF CAN’T DO IT NO ONE CAN!!!! FTW!!!
- I think there is a Murphy’s Law related to that. The more you slog for a release the more it will be delayed.
- There is so much in team projects than could go wrong that having unrealistic expectations only contributes to likelihood of failure.
- A happy team is more likely to succeed than a depressed, grumpy, and tired team.
- When someone tries to shut you down with an argument that starts "When I was at …" your reply should start "And you left because …"
- Sometimes team meetings are not FTW.
- A question I ask myself every workday, am I filling a gap or adding value?
- Being in your comfort zone is not the same thing as bing ‘in the zone.’
Smart and Gets it Done
- The problem with ‘smart and gets it done’ engineers is that they often are too smart and what they get done is too technical.
- It is not just about getting more done, it is about getting more done right!
- What you want is ‘smart, fosters communication to find the correct solution for the target audience, and gets it done’ sort of engineer.
- When you hire smart people that get things done the following equation holds true: respect + responsibility = results!
- What are the active ingredients in a dynamic team? Respect and responsibility!
Product Placement
- If Apple ported iTunes and Safari to Windows, why don’t they just port all their iWork and iLife software?
- When Apple changed their name from Apple Computers to Apple, they should have called themselves iApple.
- Just got 97 Things Every Software Architect Should Know for the Kindle.
- My favorite free iPhone apps are: Kindle for iPhone, TwitterFon, Skype, Bloomberg, iTalk, MiniPiano.
- iPhone apps I am going to have try out: TED, CameraBag, Galcon, iFighter.
- Who would have thought that the Craigslist Killer was not the newspaper biz or competitive social media web services but a actual killer.
- Vista froze up on me like a deer stuck in the headlights of the blue screen of death.
- When Windows 7 comes out there will be this many Windows versions in use: Windows 7 (6 editions) + Vista (6 editions) + xp (5 editions) + …
- If Windows gives ou a rash, then the cure is Ubuntu, or if your health insurance covers it OS X.
- Ever noticed how only large multinational conglomerates are the only ones that sponsor Sunday morning political shows?
- If AMD, UBS, GE, Chevron, Boeing sponsor and lobby to Sunday morning political talk shows who else do these companies lobby to?
- Google should release Google Gears on the iPhone.
- Okay, I just managed to sign up to try Google App Engine for Java.
- Booya! My Google App Engine for Java account has been activated! Okay, now what do I do?
- Having theraflu, it taste like vaporub.
- Peeps taste like sea foam covered in knockoff splenda!
DiggBar
- It is nice that Digg has those short URLs but it should send you to the actual page without the DiggBar hanging around like a third wheel.
- Anybody like the DiggBar? Are they link hijacking producers content?
- It seems like the DiggBar is just a way for Digg to inject their own adds in other peoples content.
- If you add up the browser location, bookmark, and tab bars, plus site banner, and now DiggBar wants to steal precious real estate.
- Has the DiggBar become Digg’s Second Intifada?
- I can’t keep up with all these fails. First there was #failwhale then #failbook then #DiggBarSucks aka #DoucheBar and now #amazonfail
- If you unfollow someone because they post a URL using Digg, is that discrimination of there social network preference?
- The Inconvenient Truth About Digg’s DiggBar: http://tinyurl.com/dneg9e
- The fail revolution will not be televised, it will go viral on the interwebz: The DiggBar Uprising: http://tinyurl.com/djb2jp
- Not really a scientific poll or survey but 19 out of 20 tweets hate the DiggBar