Do you code in ColdFusion? If so, put yourself on the map.
Day: February 28, 2007
Will getting computer parts in Knoxville become impossible?
Oh how I’ve longed for a Fry’s within driving distance. I do try to order online from vendors like Newegg but in a pinch I bite the bullet and pay CompUSA’s rates on their limited stock but that may not be an option for long. CompUSA is closing 126 US stores. I bet Knoxville doesn’t make the cut.
And they call themselves programmers…
Coding Horror by Jeff Atwood made me cry today. I wanted to laugh but it was so painful all I could do is shake my head and cry. Two days ago he made a very good post asking "Why can’t programmers.. Program?" He referenced Imran on Tech who uses a simple problem to figure out if his prospective candidates can code. Imran also has good tastes in WordPress themes. One of Imran’s test questions:
Write a program that prints the numbers from 1 to 100. But for multiples of three print “Fizz†instead of the number and for the multiples of five print “Buzzâ€. For numbers which are multiples of both three and five print “FizzBuzzâ€. [Source]
The result was programming types completely missing the point of his post. The tears come in the comments. The first commenter rushed to get his solution to the problem before anyone else. Naturally, many other commenters followed with solutions in different languages or varying degrees of optimization. Why did I cry? Almost every solution has an error!
I also like the debate between the academics and the professionals about recursion. And yes, my view is that recursion belongs in academia and rarely (if ever) in commercial software.
Sadly, it appears that indeed programmers cannot program and, better yet, they cannot even read for comprehension!
Of Grasshoppers
Student: I need a counselor.
Master: You have me!
Self-doubt – killer of good times
Am I ever having some serious self-doubt over agreeing to take Noah on the Okefenokee trip! Yes, money is a recurring issue in my head but when I think about it rationally that is just an excuse for me to bail. The real reasons are my work schedule (can I have my deadlines met before the trip?), some separation anxiety (am I being fair to Cathy?), fairness to the rest of the family (shouldn’t this money be put in a savings account to go toward a family Disney trip?), and are we properly equipped for such a trip. This seems like a wonderful and rare opportunity for Noah. I know I will return refreshed and chilled (these trips are like tranquilizers for me). I usually follow my gut and my gut seems to be telling me, "don’t go." Of course, other signs do point to going. When I went to ask if they still had adult and child openings (this trip is limited to 20 scouts and 5 adults), I was told, "someone confirmed you and Noah in an email."
