rare bird

I read Guy Steele's paper called "Growing a Language" this weekend. It is probably the best written technical paper I've ever read. It doesn't matter what he is saying, just how he is saying it. Highly recommended reading.

Happy Star Wars Day! (I had no idea).

BBC NEWS | Technology | The power behind LucasFilm magic

This is cute, but I still think it's brilliant. Reminds us what it was like to get into computers in the first place.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | 'New' Tolkien novel goes on sale

When writing a test plan, start where you are. Focus on the things the developers are focused on and ride their wave. Regression testing should not be done from an abstract perspective, but from a concrete one where problems are already perceived to exist. It's always good to know what release you’re on. This might seem elementary, but it’s harder to keep up with than you might think. When developers and managers talk about “the next release,” be sure you know what they’re referring to, especially for so-called minor releases. Write test cases based on requirements. Even if they’re bad requirements. Don’t try to reverse-engineer requirements and create test cases off those, unless you really have no choice. If you have any kind of requirements at all, create test cases for them. Reverse-engineering requirements will result in thrashing and will make you feel as though nothing is being accomplished. Document all testing, including tests done on the fly. Not doing...

My twist on the BibleCentre definition: "And the Lord kept adding to the project the bugs who were being found."

By the time my daughter is as old as I am now, the polar ice cap will have completely melted, resulting in a sea-level rise of 20 feet.

(RED) manifesto

My wife’s water broke on a Wednesday afternoon, right as I was getting off work. Perfect timing , I thought. My wife’s due date was the next day. She even does labor in a scheduled way . I had heard that if the water breaks, the baby has 24 hours to be born, after which she starts to lose oxygen. I had the image and sound of a ticking digital clock in my head as I walked down the long outside stairway of my employer's building, to my car. The sun was setting – it was a perfect moment. My wife’s bag was packed – we were ready. She was driving home from the auto dealership where she works. I would meet her there and we would go to the hospital together. It went according to plan. We arrived, they put us in a room, and hooked my wife up to a fetal monitor. It had an amber display, like an old IBM PC. The only graphic was a pulsating heart – keeping track of the baby’s heart rhythm was the machine’s main purpose. The room was cool inside – why are all hospital rooms that way? It must...

This was published using Google Docs.

"And now, your Highness, we will discuss the location of your secret Rebel base..."

From Morning Edition on NPR: Here are some keys -- if you can remember them -- to a better memory. Do Crossword puzzles, read fiction, avoid heavy drinking and, most of all, turn off the TV. That's according to a survey of 30,000 people in Australia. Researchers found those who watch TV less than an hour a day have the strongest memories.

Potential Israel-Syria conflict During his appearance on the John Batchelor Show on July 26 , 2006 , Yossef Bodansky delineated a set of red lines that are not to be crossed by Hezbollah or by their Syrian backers. Bodansky is the Director of the Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare. The red lines are: a missile attack on Tel Aviv or Jerusalem the use of chemical or biological weapons on Israelis the execution of any of the three kidnapped soldiers any movement or suspicious activity by Syrian tanks or artillery He indicated that if any of these lines should be crossed, Israel would open a third front in the conflict by bombing the Syrian capital, Damascus . Since Iran has declared it will stand with Syria against Israel in the face of an attack, it is possible that Israel will also pre-emptively attack Iran as well, though Bodansky says the United States would have to approve that action. He specifically said that Israel does not need any approval from the United State...

GREETINGS PROFESSOR FALKEN... WHICH SIDE DO YOU WANT? 1) Israel 2) Arab Axis (Theater = middleEast) Israel* vs Lebanon(Hezbollah) Israel* occupies Lebanon Israel attacks Syria? / Syria attacks Israel? Iran vs Israel Morocco vs Israel? Yemen vs Israel? Saudi Arabia vs Israel? Egypt vs Israel? Anti-Israeli Axis forms? Iran enters Iraq US* (Iraq) vs Iran US* (Afghanistan) vs Iran US vs Anti-Israeli Axis? NATO* vs Iran? India* vs Pakistan*? Pakistan* vs Israel*? * - nuclearWeapon state Remarks: -------- ?'s are hypothetical possibilities, not given as probabilities. every event is inter-dependent on the previous event; if the previous event does not occur, the following event probably will not occur. rule of escalation : if a country/alliance perceives that continuing war may be more beneficial than not, then war will continue. if a country/alliance perceives that continuing war may be more detrimental than not, then Ceasefire may be...

For the rare bird lurkers that didn't live through this first hand, there have been two books recently published about the Orange Revolution. Last week's Economist had a full review . RandomHouse has more information about "An Orange Revolution" , and the Carnegie Endowment has more information about "Revolution in Orange" (which is an excellent website, by the way). Does anyone else think the titles are just a little too similar? Only one vowel different!

I love free things even more that I love comic books. You can enter your zip code on the web page and it will give you a list of stores participating. There seems to be quite a few. I looked at the sponsors for this and they aren't giving away anything too great... but still, it's free and we should support local businesses.

Note: This is a chemical equation. US airstrikes + US tactical nuclear weapons -> (WMD war) + Iranian chemical & biological weapons + Hezbollah -> Sum of All Fears

A programmer's wife tells him to go to the grocery store. She says, "Buy a link of Kielbasa (sausage). And if there are eggs, buy a dozen." The programmer comes home with a dozen Kielbasa links. He says, "There were eggs."