Software design Nov 22, 2006
I'm not technically a software developer, but I sometimes work with code that will eventually be used by other people.  This sorta makes me a software developer, in some small way. 

One of the rules of thumb to keep in mind when programming is this:  "It's a good idea to keep the user in mind when developing software".  That sounds dumb, but it's surprising how often it isn't followed.  I'm working with a guy who's been doing minor programming work for 15 years.  Nothing major, just a bunch of in-house simulation codes and things like that.  But the code he's written has been distributed to other people.  In fact, the project he and I are currently working on is meant to be shared with several other groups of people, none of which even work in our office.  So I was at least slightly shocked/disgusted by a little "feature" he added right at the beginning of the project.  When the user opens the main window of the program, he/she can input data, run the simulation, and plot stuff.  When the user wants to exit, he/she simply clicks on the "Exit" button at the bottom.  And that's where my coworker decided to make a pop-up say "Are you sure?  Yes/No".  I questioned his logic on it and he said, "Eh, it's what I've seen other programs do."  Wow.  That hurts.  You include a useless feature simply because you saw it in some other piece of software?  I'm no expert, but that sounds pretty stupid. #technology
Waiting in line Nov 21, 2006
This post has nothing to do with Wii-tards or PS3-tards (thanks kottke!). 

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times asks, "Was it worth the wait?"  The best answer by far was from a guy named Bill:  "The longest I ever waited in line was 25 minutes to use the bathroom at Wrigley, and when I got in, I used the sink!"  What an awesome thing to do, and an even awesomer thing to submit to a newspaper.  God bless America! 

(via Obscure Store) #entertainment
Satellite Nov 21, 2006
I used to be a customer of Dish Network.  They offer the same stupid junk as other cable providers, but sometimes it's slightly less expensive.  But about 6 months ago, I switched back to regular old cable for one simple reason:  Satellite signals depend on clear weather.  Chucks of metal and electronics (satellites) circling the earth at 7000 mph send magical radio waves to receivers here on earth.  If something gets in the way (e.g. clouds, mountains, trees, etc. [two Latin phrases in one fragment - yippee!]), the signals disappear into the hole in the space-time continuum where antimatter collided with a black hole billions of years ago.  Just kidding.  The signals simply don't get received.  The problem with this is quite simple:  The only thing to do on rainy days is watch TV.  If TV doesn't work on rainy days, we have a problem.  Cable TV is distributed through wires.  Bad weather has no effect on wires.  Hence, cable wins over satellite

The thing with satellite stuff is that it's really awesome and it's incredibly useful.  It's really awesome to be able to determine where on earth you are, within a few feet, by communicating with a satellite.  It's incredibly useful to get internet access in the middle of the desert without any wires.  And it's such a welcome relief to be able to listen to commercial-free radio.  But the problem is that it's not reliable.  You can't count on the weather being clear.  You don't always have a clear view of a certain part of the sky when you're driving or sitting in your house.  You can't depend on everything working.  And that's not cool in my book. #entertainment
Recurring thought fragment (2) Nov 20, 2006
Every once in a while, I'll experience a recurring thought fragment throughout the course of an entire day.  I'm not sure how else to explain it.  Basically, I'll have a split-second mental picture of some distant thought, experience, or dream, and then I'll forget it instantly.  When I try to explain it to someone, I can't describe any of the fragment's contents or details.  I think I remember seeing a person or two, and a field with grass and a hill.  But I'm not completely sure of that.  But I do know that I keep seeing the same fragment over and over again at various times throughout the day. 

This happened yesterday, and it wasn't the first time it happened.  Several other times in the past, I've had a whole day of these recurring thought fragments.  And what's even weirder is that it's been the same detail-less, unexplainable fragment every time.  I'm wondering if this will all make sense some day.  Maybe I'll eventually experience the fragment in real life and it'll be a major case of deja vu.  Or maybe the fragment already happened and my brain keeps replaying it for some reason, like it's a broken record. #psychology
Blister pack Nov 20, 2006
I'm a fan of gum that comes in blister packs.  Every time I get gum in cardboard or paper rappers, it gets all melted and disgusting in my pocket.  So when I try to get a piece out of the packaging, I have to spend a few hours taking all the little pieces of wrapper out of the sticky, messy goo that used to be a piece of gum (or I just pretend I got all the wrapper out and chew it real fast before I can think about it).  But with blister packs, each piece of gum stays separate from the rest, so there's no "if you get all the nachos stuck together, that's one nacho".  Plus, most blister pack gum has a hard coating that doesn't melt when it's in a warm environment for an extended period of time (e.g. my pocket).  No melted gum makes Dave a happy camper. 

I always feel weird when people ask me for gum, especially when I stupidly buy non-blister pack gum.  I pull out this ratty old pack of gum that looks like it's from 1989 and I say something along the lines of, "Yeah, you can have a piece, but it's all warm and melted".  For some reason, most people don't care.  I tend to look at them with squinted eyes and think, "It's warm because of my body heat.  Ya know.  From my body.  From my upper thigh."  But most people just spend a few minutes peeling the wrapper off and eat it like it's no big deal.  Maybe I'm weird, but I think there's something wrong with that. #food
Outcoached (2) Nov 17, 2006
I keep hearing the term "outcoached" in player commentaries following NFL games.  It usually goes something like this:  "We lost the game because we were outplayed and outcoached."  Outplayed, yes.  Outcoached, meh.  It's an excuse.  It's coming from a player who doesn't agree with the decisions his coach made.  It doesn't mean he would've made better ones if he was given a chance.  It just means he thinks he could be a better coach.  While this sometimes appears to be a logical statement, it's not.  It's like claiming to know more than God.  "If I were God, I wouldn't have created saturated fat."  "If I were the coach, I would've passed more to T.O."  It's easy to claim to know more than the person in charge, but it's hard to prove and usually isn't true.  Plus, it's a subtle way of taking a jab at a specific person or group of people (of which the player is not a member).  If a player says, "We were outplayed," he's taking at least some of the blame himself.  The team could've done better.  The players could've played better.  The player is included in the group of players who could've played better.  But by saying, "We were outcoached," the player is blame-shifting and putting some of the pressure and criticism on the coaches.  It's unfair, it's stupid, and it makes the team look bad.  If a player wants to think that, let him think it.  But don't say it to the media. #sports
WebSense (5) Nov 16, 2006
WebSense is a wonderful little program that businesses use to filter objectionable material from the internet.  Actually, it's an evil monstrosity that arbitrarily participates in information control.  Each time a user visits a website with questionable content, it intercepts the requested site and displays a stupid page with lots of capital letters and empty threats.  In some cases, it can be good.  I've looked up information and clicked on a link, only to have it blocked because it was labeled as a site with "Adult Content".  My intention wasn't to look for "Adult Content", so I'm kinda glad it got blocked.  But other times, it's just plain ridiculous.  For instance, I was searching for information about the Windows Autorun command, and one of the links I clicked on got blocked because of "Potentially Unwanted Software".  What does that mean?  Who potentially doesn't want the software?  Me?  Wrong ... I'm the one who's searching for it.  My employer?  Wrong ... they allow almost all kinds of software to be installed on their machines.  Apparently, Mr. WebSense doesn't want me to have this software.  But even he isn't too sure.  Unwanted?  Nah.  Potentially unwanted.  What a stupid jerk. #technology
Speedflying Nov 16, 2006
Last winter, while snowboarding down some snow-covered mountains, I periodically had a thought:  Wouldn't it be cool if there was a way to use the speed you gain while traveling downhill to create lift and fly?  A couple of crazy Frenchmen (I think) have done exactly that by successfully inventing the sport of speedflying, a combination of skiing and parachuting.  These two videos show it being done.  Where do I sign up?  (via kottke) #sports
Frozen meals Nov 16, 2006
My opinion of frozen microwaveable meals is pretty negative and largely based on the people who eat them.  These people usually suffer from one (or more) of the following conditions:  laziness, single-and-living-alone-ness, and extreme obesity.  Lazy people (in terms of food) usually don't cook, which means they tend to either eat a lot of their food in restaurants or buy a lot of it pre-prepared (Note:  I don't usually cook, which makes me fit quite nicely into this category).  People who are single and who live by themselves often have frightening personal hygiene habits and other strange quirks.  This leads them to buy large quantities of imperishables and frozen foods "just in case".  Extremely obese people are usually looking for a simple solution to their problem, so they eat microwaveable meals with Oprah's name on them instead of eating something like fresh vegetables and/or lean meats. 

If that didn't offend at least 1 person, I haven't done my job. 

Despite all this, my life changed 6 days ago.  That's when I ate my first frozen meal since I was 10.  I was getting a little sick of sandwiches, and Wendy's been traveling so we have no more leftovers (again, I don't usually cook).  So I decided to try my hand at some microwaveable mashups.  I decided against the stuff I ate when I was 10 (Kid Cuisine) and went for Healthy Choice.  Wow, was I impressed.  It was a good-tasting meal that was relatively healthy, served in a manageable portion for a pretty low price (sounds like a commercial; it's not).  I went back to the store and bought 4 more (different brand) for lunch this week.  If I can feed myself lunch for $10-15 per week and eat something different every day, I'm a fan.  Plus, I'm not overfilling myself, and I'm getting at least some amount of nutrition. #food
Quarterback (2) Nov 16, 2006
John Madden on the importance of the quarterback: 
Color commentator John Madden spent the third quarter of the San Diego Chargers-Denver Broncos game explaining exactly how important it is for an NFL team to have a quarterback. "You're definitely gonna need one of these guys on your team if you want to have any success in the NFL," Madden said, explaining how having somebody standing directly behind the center when the ball is snapped provides a feeling of stability and consistency. "If Denver, for example, didn't have a quarterback, they could maybe hand the ball off to the running back, but there's absolutely no way the Broncos could pass the ball to the receivers. Frankly, I don't know how the Raiders do it." Madden later went on to talk about how different football would be if there were no end zone and the field "just went on and on forever."
This is why I've been reading the Onion lately. #sports