Programming – On The 8 Spot

December 21, 2009

Funny::Everything Sysadmin: a list of dumb things to check

hen you are debugging a problem for hours and hours, you suddenly realize, “I bet it’s something really dumb!” It often is. Therefore, we present…
a list of dumb things to check
Update: 2009-11-25: People keep referring to this as if it was something I wrote to be funny. Damn it, this list is 100% true! These are all things that have happened to me and made me think, “I better write that down to help me remember it!” Even the last item!
Layer 0 – PEBKAC

Make sure CapsLock is off. (Same for ScrollLock and NumLock)
Type it again (without using cut-and-paste) and see if you get the same results. (good way to find a typo) (or a unicode “whitespace” char)
Use cut-and-paste to copy that variable name (or URL, commmand line, etc.) to see if it was entered correctly.
Are the binaries really the ones you think are running? (Did you install in single user mode when /opt wasn’t mounted? Can you check the md5 or sha1 checksum vs. a machine that is running properly?)
Check the file permissions.
Are you really on the host you think you are?

via Everything Sysadmin: a list of dumb things to check.
I’m officially adopting this list as a filter for people asking for help. If you haven’t done/checked if the stupid stuff is the one that is the stubling block do not ask for help. Exception is if you are hot!!! heheh!! joke joke joke!!!!

August 9, 2009

Learned::“Blink” and the Art of Hiring the Best – Assembla Consulting: Accelerate Your Software Development

It turns out that personal interviews tended to result in the hiring affable, good looking men, and lock out some great players who didn’t fit a visual image of what an orchestra player should look like. Without the screen, the personal, visual impression of the candidate is so powerful that it actually affects the sound that the committee heard. They thought they were selecting the best audition player, but when they used the screen, and really were able to listen to the audition, they heard differently. The human mind, your mind and mine, is filled with powerful biases. Some of those biases are useful for making quick decisions, others are just misleading. Its important to manipulate your process to screen out the misleading stuff and get the good stuff.
via “Blink” and the Art of Hiring the Best – Assembla Consulting: Accelerate Your Software Development.

June 11, 2009

Ted Talk: Elizabeth Gilbert On Nurturing Creativity

I liked this alot because I still haven’t developed that discipline in creation where you can force yourself to write/dance/code etc. It has to be from an overwhelming desire to do something. That’s my problem with work oft times, I pass mediocre (at least in my standards) whenever I have to code because of a deadline. I can only write stories when I am inspired, and I can’t sing alot of songs when I am not in love with somebody(like now).

March 3, 2009

rePost:Notes for Students Working on Projects:Knowing and Doing: February 2009 Archives

: Image by a7mileproduction via Flickr

This is a nice short list of advice for students working on projects skewed towards software projects! Excellent and short read so go read it!

Notes for Students Working on Projects
My compiler students are getting to the point where they should be deep in writing a parser for their language. Walking back from lunch, I was thinking about some very simple things they could do to make their lives — and project — better.
Knowing and Doing: February 2009 Archives.