Comments for Derek's Blog http://dknyc.net Blog, lather, repeat. Always repeat. Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:16:25 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 Comment on The week in tweets #68 by Anna Rakus http://dknyc.net/?p=501&cpage=1#comment-12975 Anna Rakus Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:16:25 +0000 http://dknyc.net/?p=501#comment-12975 When life gives you lemons, cut them in half and squirt life in the eye! It's been a long since I wrote something profound here:-) When life gives you lemons, cut them in half and squirt life in the eye!

It’s been a long since I wrote something profound here:-)

]]> Comment on Tftyhgdal by Caroline http://dknyc.net/?p=498&cpage=1#comment-9478 Caroline Sun, 13 Sep 2009 08:23:16 +0000 http://dknyc.net/?p=498#comment-9478 Finally! A new post! Finally! A new post!

]]> Comment on Classic programming quotes by Derek http://dknyc.net/?p=479&cpage=1#comment-6989 Derek Wed, 29 Jul 2009 01:08:28 +0000 http://dknyc.net/?p=479#comment-6989 You are working in a dark corner of the world if that’s your impression of programmers based on personal experience. Even as a heavy user of regular expressions I can't defend them. Sure, if you need a quick and dirty throw-away script, why not? But I would think very carefully before using them in code I expected others to maintain. I can think of 8-10 common but incompatible implementations off the top of my head (e.g., Perl, PHP, grep, Python, Ruby, ECMA, etc.). That makes them a problem, not a solution, more often than not. In my experience people defend Perl and shell hacking because they learned a trick ten years ago and refuse to learn a new one. I would have the same low opinion of someone who solved every problem with a C program. You are working in a dark corner of the world if that’s your impression of programmers based on personal experience.

Even as a heavy user of regular expressions I can’t defend them. Sure, if you need a quick and dirty throw-away script, why not? But I would think very carefully before using them in code I expected others to maintain. I can think of 8-10 common but incompatible implementations off the top of my head (e.g., Perl, PHP, grep, Python, Ruby, ECMA, etc.). That makes them a problem, not a solution, more often than not.

In my experience people defend Perl and shell hacking because they learned a trick ten years ago and refuse to learn a new one. I would have the same low opinion of someone who solved every problem with a C program.

]]> Comment on Classic programming quotes by Greg http://dknyc.net/?p=479&cpage=1#comment-6973 Greg Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:10:48 +0000 http://dknyc.net/?p=479#comment-6973 With all due respect, most programmers I've encountered are righteous douchebags. (JWZ is the archetype.) Those quotes are certainly reflective. Regular expressions are useful for people who don't have the time or interest in writing and compiling 25 lines of object-oriented code (in hot, hot language du jour) to parse a single line for a three-character string. Sorry if I sound defensive, but often programmers have no idea what they're talking about since they never leave the safety of their SDK. With all due respect, most programmers I’ve encountered are righteous douchebags. (JWZ is the archetype.) Those quotes are certainly reflective.

Regular expressions are useful for people who don’t have the time or interest in writing and compiling 25 lines of object-oriented code (in hot, hot language du jour) to parse a single line for a three-character string. Sorry if I sound defensive, but often programmers have no idea what they’re talking about since they never leave the safety of their SDK.

]]> Comment on A small mystery by Bev http://dknyc.net/?p=462&cpage=1#comment-3783 Bev Sun, 22 Mar 2009 00:48:58 +0000 http://dknyc.net/?p=462#comment-3783 How come all your cameras have "enhance" buttons, but when I try to find one they are not a feature I can find? How come all your cameras have “enhance” buttons, but when I try to find one they are not a feature I can find?

]]> Comment on A small mystery by Anna http://dknyc.net/?p=462&cpage=1#comment-3737 Anna Sat, 21 Mar 2009 14:06:25 +0000 http://dknyc.net/?p=462#comment-3737 Max's crime evidence is quite convincing at first but we just have your word against Max's blurry photo; I understand it is a bit flimsy to be used as a proof in this court. Sorry, not enough evidence to return the verdict of guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. However; the most damaging evidence comes not from your lab but from the picture itself. As a potential juror I found the defendant's image quite puzzling. It shows somebody who caught Art fever like a disease, who didn't have much time to commit the perfect crime thus a blurry photo, somebody whose eyes tell the defendant's tale in his own way: I did it my way:-). Not guilty! Max’s crime evidence is quite convincing at first but we just have your word against Max’s blurry photo; I understand it is a bit flimsy to be used as a proof in this court. Sorry, not enough evidence to return the verdict of guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
However; the most damaging evidence comes not from your lab but from the picture itself. As a potential juror I found the defendant’s image quite puzzling. It shows somebody who caught Art fever like a disease, who didn’t have much time to commit the perfect crime thus a blurry photo, somebody whose eyes tell the defendant’s tale in his own way: I did it my way:-).
Not guilty!

]]> Comment on Screwed by Ticketmaster by Chuck http://dknyc.net/?p=455&cpage=1#comment-3531 Chuck Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:01:07 +0000 http://dknyc.net/?p=455#comment-3531 FYI, selections from the Cohen concert are currently available at NPR.org. The playlist is over an hour long. They also have the new Neko Case album posted in its entirety. FYI, selections from the Cohen concert are currently available at NPR.org. The playlist is over an hour long. They also have the new Neko Case album posted in its entirety.

]]> Comment on Screwed by Ticketmaster by Derek http://dknyc.net/?p=455&cpage=1#comment-3504 Derek Tue, 24 Feb 2009 04:51:08 +0000 http://dknyc.net/?p=455#comment-3504 I don't have <i>that</i> much more money than common sense. :-) Though it is impressive that Cohen can put on a great show at 85 after a 15-year hiatus. I don’t have that much more money than common sense. :-) Though it is impressive that Cohen can put on a great show at 85 after a 15-year hiatus.

]]> Comment on Screwed by Ticketmaster by Chuck http://dknyc.net/?p=455&cpage=1#comment-3499 Chuck Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:11:29 +0000 http://dknyc.net/?p=455#comment-3499 I don't know. Might almost be worth $1300 to hear Leonard Cohen sing "Take this Waltz" live. Well, no, it wouldn't. But if any live show was worth $1300, this probably would have been it. Eric Alterman of "The Nation" was there; he said the show lasted over three hours, and he described it as a practically religious experience. I don’t know. Might almost be worth $1300 to hear Leonard Cohen sing “Take this Waltz” live.

Well, no, it wouldn’t. But if any live show was worth $1300, this probably would have been it. Eric Alterman of “The Nation” was there; he said the show lasted over three hours, and he described it as a practically religious experience.

]]> Comment on Be destitute and multiply by Anna http://dknyc.net/?p=451&cpage=1#comment-3442 Anna Sun, 15 Feb 2009 19:22:55 +0000 http://dknyc.net/?p=451#comment-3442 Religion is a soothing balm for the masses, especially the poor and uneducated, so it is obvious that any organized structure of religious or political nature would take advantage of the favorable situation to manipulate. We have it in Nature too, I suppose. :-) And I am only half serious about that, but ants, bees and some mammals like packs of wolves, etc; they exploit the weaker if you examine their social organizations closely but with a "good" purpose. As an ex-Catholic and... a mammal (who humbly accept evolution), I know how difficult is for an intelligent mammal to find her/his/its place on this planet without Divine Intervention. :-) But lets look into a case study: rabbits in Australia, and learn that biological control is as good for rabbits as contraceptives for humans. The point is that humans, as equipped as they are, they should make a better use of their intelligence and not mix Divine with biology or economy. If they do just that, then God would be less ridiculous. Religion is a soothing balm for the masses, especially the poor and uneducated, so it is obvious that any organized structure of religious or political nature would take advantage of the favorable situation to manipulate.
We have it in Nature too, I suppose. :-) And I am only half serious about that, but ants, bees and some mammals like packs of wolves, etc; they exploit the weaker if you examine their social organizations closely but with a “good” purpose.

As an ex-Catholic and… a mammal (who humbly accept evolution), I know how difficult is for an intelligent mammal to find her/his/its place on this planet without Divine Intervention. :-) But lets look into a case study: rabbits in Australia, and learn that biological control is as good for rabbits as contraceptives for humans.

The point is that humans, as equipped as they are, they should make a better use of their intelligence and not mix Divine with biology or economy. If they do just that, then God would be less ridiculous.

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