Wednesday, September 30, 2009

reBlog from Maracas: Bad code is good for you?

I found this fascinating quote today:

 

I’d argue that bad code is often a sign and a side effect of a thriving, welcoming user community around a project.

The OSS projects with good code tend to have a relatively small group of committers doing nearly all the work. There is a big learning curve to working within the project’s (probably unwritten) architectural guidelines, and a big reputation curve that a new person has to climb to get their patches accepted.

Bad code is often a sign of welcoming new contributors, taking patches that do something useful even if the approach is ugly.

We  all know the problems bad code brings, but I would argue that some  projects are not just successful in spite of bad code, but successful  because they allow bad code.

Maracas, Bad code is good for you?, Sep 2009

 

You should read the whole article.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle launches "The Great Anaheim Apps Challenge" nationwide contest

ANAHEIM, CA – (Sept. 29, 2009) – City of Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle, along with his Mayor's Technology Advisory Committee, today unveiled The Great Anaheim Apps Challenge, an innovative and nationwide online contest which will challenge the public to dream up creative mobile and Web-based "apps" for city services, programs and more. The contest launched today and will run through Nov. 30. Contest winners and the awarding of more than $5,000 in cash and gift prizes will be announced on Jan. 5, 2010.

"The Great Anaheim Apps Challenge creates a more transparent and interactive relationship between our customers and our City," said Mayor Pringle to the media at today's press conference held at City Hall. "In a world where technology plays a major role in our lives – and in how we access just about everything – we want to generate ideas that will give us mobile and Web-based apps solutions for the best city in the country – Anaheim – and we want anyone in the country to tell us those ideas."

At his 2009 State of the City Address, Mayor Pringle introduced the formation of a Mayor's Technology Advisory Committee to bring the best technology minds together from Orange County and give the City of Anaheim the ideas, recommendation and solutions that would benefit not only residents, but businesses and visitors as well.

The contest features five categories: Water & Power, Parks & Recreation, Public Safety, Tourism/Sports/Entertainment and Anything Anaheim. Participation is not limited to Anaheim residents. Submissions will be welcomed by any U.S. resident age 16 and over. Entrants are asked to provide a name for the app, a description and the intended benefits.

Complete contest details can be found at www.anaheimapps.org.

Friday, September 18, 2009

5 Minute Management Course (NSFW)

Lesson 1: A man is getting into the shower, just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands David, the next-door neighbor. Before she says a word, David says, 'I'll give you $800 to drop that towel.' After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of David.. After a few seconds, David hands her $800 and leaves. The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, ' Who was that?' 'It was David, the next door neighbor,' she replies. 'Great,' the husband says, 'did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?' Moral of the story: If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure. Lesson 2: A priest offered a Nun a lift. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg. The nun said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?' The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again. The nun once again said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?' The priest apologized 'Sorry sister but the flesh is weak.' Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way. On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, 'Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.' Moral of the story: If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity. Lesson 3: A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, 'I'll give each of you just one wish.' 'Me first! Me first!' says the admin clerk.. 'I want to be in the Bahamas , driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.' Poof! She's gone. 'Me next! Me next!' says the sales rep. 'I want to be in Hawaii , relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas, and the love of my life.' Poof! He's gone. 'OK, you're up,' the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, 'I want those two back in the office after lunch.' Moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say. Lesson 4 An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, 'Can I also sit like you and do nothing?' The eagle answered: 'Sure, why not.' So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it. Moral of the story: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up. Lesson 5 A turkey was chatting with a bull. 'I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree' sighed the turkey, 'but I haven't got the energy.' 'Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?' replied the bull. It's full of nutrients.' The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree. He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree. Moral of the story: Bull Shit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there... Lesson 6 A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy. A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him. Moral of the story: (1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy. (2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend. (3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

Friday, September 11, 2009

Your request and donation helps our heroes.

As you know, Fire Captain Ted Hall and Fire Fighter Specialist Arnie Quinones were killed while battling the largest brushfire in Southern California's modern history. They gave their lives to help save ours.

Captain Hall is survived by his wife, Katherine, and their two boys, Randall (20) and Steven (21). Specialist Quinones leaves behind his wife, Loressa, who is expecting their first child in the next few weeks.

100.3 FM The Sound asked several fire fighters what could be done to help them as they continue to battle the Station Fire. Without exception, every fire fighter requested that we all help the families of their fallen brothers.

Here's what you do. It's easy:

1. Go to www.TheSoundLA.com and click on "Fire Fighter Friday"

2. Fill out the form requesting your favorite song and pledging a donation.

3. While you're there, send a brief heartfelt message to the fire fighters.

These men made a difference. Now it's our turn.

Sunday, September 06, 2009

Acapulco 6' burrito

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

ANAHEIM SPOOKTACULAR HALLOWEEN PARADE AND FALL FESTIVAL OFFERS FUN FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY

Join the fun on Saturday, Oct. 31, and come in costume!

ANAHEIM, Calif. - (September 2, 2009) – It's time to put up the cobwebs and select the costumes, cauldrons and treat bags: The decades-old Halloween tradition in Anaheim continues on Oct. 31 as the City presents the traditional Spooktacular Halloween Parade and Fall Festival. All the fun, including a costume contest, food, games, and haunted house, will take place on Center Street Promenade in historic Downtown Anaheim.

The Spooktacular Halloween Parade, which dates back to 1924 when baseball legends Babe Ruth and Walter Johnson served as its first grand marshals, will be held on Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m., and will feature colorful floats, marching bands and drill teams, equestrian units, vintage cars, and special guests and honorees.

The parade will begin on the corner of Broadway and West Street, travel east on Broadway, then north on Anaheim Blvd, and finish at Lincoln Ave. Structure and on-street parking will be available throughout Downtown Anaheim. Families are encouraged to bring their children in costume.

The Fall Festival, organized by the Anaheim Fall Festival committee, have activities planned from 10 a.m. – 9 p.m., featuring game and food booths, live entertainment, a costume contest, free children's admission to the MUZEO when accompanied by a paid adult, and a haunted house. Food and craft booths are available for a nominal fee, but there is no fee for non-profit organizations.

Volunteer participants are needed to be a part of the parade. Costumes are provided. For more information or for a detailed parade map and full schedule of events, or to sign up to be a volunteer, please call (714) 765-5192 or visit www.anaheim.net, keyword "2009 Halloween Parade," or www.anaheimfallfestival.org.