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Comment little baby (Score 1) 2

I sent Scott Adams an email criticizing the pushy type of popup ads he had on the Dilbert site. He blocked my IP address from viewing the comics (ie. my entire office.) I no longer read the Dilbert strip at all. Reminds me of Axl Rose having a little tantrum on stage when his mic battery died. I no longer listen to Guns and Roses. I'd pity them if they weren't jerks. Maybe I'll go see a Mel Gibson movie.
Idle

Submission + - Guy Claims Copyright On Da Da Da DA Da DA, Charge! (techdirt.com)

An anonymous reader writes: The latest in bizarre copyright battles, involves a guy named Bobby Kent who is suing ASCAP and plans to sue every single professional sports team in the US (with the exception of the LA Lakers who already wrote him a check for $3,000), because he claims he came up with the famous "da da da DA da DA... CHARGE!" jingle. Of course, the actual origins of the jingle are disputed, with evidence pointing back many years before Kent wrote his version, including suggestions of a USC drum major coming up with it, as well as evidence from an old German army music playbook.

Comment Re:Not really important if somewhat proficient (Score 1) 545

It does help a little to have some typing speed, but haste makes waste.

When it comes to typing speed, I disagree. Yes, much of my programming is sitting and thinking, but once I decide how to tackle a certain difficult task, and sort it out in my head, I wish I could type faster. (I touch-type approx. 70 wpm and am missing my right index finger.) Sometimes I write pseudo code to be filled in later so that I can get my inspiration poured out of my brain. I think experience, rather than typing speed will create better code. I (typically) no longer make common mistakes like = when I meant := etc. A good programmer that can type fast will likely code faster than a good programmer that types slow. That said, though, I do agree that a rushed project facing a looming deadline will suffer, and there, indeed, haste will make waste.

Idle

Axe Cop Trailer 8

The greatest action movie ever made. Written by a 5-year-old boy.
Programming

The 25 Most Dangerous Programming Errors 534

Hugh Pickens writes "The Register reports that experts from some 30 organizations worldwide have compiled 2010's list of the 25 most dangerous programming errors along with a novel way to prevent them: by drafting contracts that hold developers responsible when bugs creep into applications. The 25 flaws are the cause of almost every major cyber attack in recent history, including the ones that recently struck Google and 33 other large companies, as well as breaches suffered by military systems and millions of small business and home users. The top 25 entries are prioritized using inputs from over 20 different organizations, who evaluated each weakness based on prevalence and importance. Interestingly enough the classic buffer overflow ranked 3rd in the list while Cross-site Scripting and SQL Injection are considered the 1-2 punch of security weaknesses in 2010. Security experts say business customers have the means to foster safer products by demanding that vendors follow common-sense safety measures such as verifying that all team members successfully clear a background investigation and be trained in secure programming techniques. 'As a customer, you have the power to influence vendors to provide more secure products by letting them know that security is important to you,' the introduction to the list states and includes a draft contract with the terms customers should request to enable buyers of custom software to make code writers responsible for checking the code and for fixing security flaws before software is delivered."
Programming

"Logan's Run" Syndrome In Programming 599

Ian Lamont writes "InfoWorld has an interesting analysis of the reasons behind the relative dearth of programmers over the age of 40. While some people may assume that the recession has provided a handy cover for age discrimination, a closer look suggests that it's the nature of IT itself to push its elderly workers out, in what the article describes as a 'Logan's Run'-like marketplace. A bunch of factors are listed as reasons, including management's misunderstanding of the ways in which developers work: 'Any developer can tell you that not all C or PHP or Java programmers are created equal; some are vastly more productive or creative. However, unless or until there is a way to explicitly demonstrate the productivity differential between a good programmer and a mediocre one, inexperienced or nontechnical hiring managers tend to look at resumes with an eye for youth, under the "more bang for the buck" theory. Cheaper young 'uns will work longer hours and produce more code. The very concept of viewing experience as an asset for raising productivity is a non-factor — much to the detriment of the developer workplace.'"
Upgrades

Some Users Say Win7 Wants To Remove iTunes, Google Toolbar 570

Foofoobar writes "Due to a strike with the UK's postal system, people in Great Britain are getting copies of Windows 7 early and have already posted their experiences about the install process. Some have an easy time but others post installs taking 3 hours including Windows asking them to remove iTunes and Google toolbar prior to installation." The article indicates that many of these early users, though, are having better luck.

Submission + - Windows 7 Demands Removal of Competitors Software (theregister.co.uk)

Foofoobar writes: Due to a strike with the UK's postal system, people in Great Britain are getting copies of Windows 7 early and have already posted their experiences about the install process. Some have an easy time but others post installs taking 3 hours including Windows asking them to remove iTunes and Google toolbar prior to installation.
Mars

Submission + - Volunteers wanted for simulated 520-day Mars trip (physorg.com)

anglico writes: Starting in 2010, an international crew of six will simulate a 520-day round-trip to Mars, including a 30-day stay on the martian surface. In reality, they will live and work in a sealed facility in Moscow, Russia, to investigate the psychological and medical aspects of a long-duration space mission. ESA is looking for European volunteers to take part.

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