George Orwell and Effective Coding
I spend a lot of time and effort trying to get better at the craft of software development. My goal every day is to fall asleep as a better programmer than the one that awoke that morning. While this...
View ArticleBragging On the GWA Marching Bulldog Band
My elder daughter, a senior at George Walton Academy in Monroe, GA, is a member of the color guard on the GWA Marching Bulldog Band. This past weekend the band competed in the USSBA Southern States...
View ArticleFacebook and Your Grandchildren
I think most people, at some point, have tried to keep a diary. Most people also gave up after a few days. Yet Facebook is like a diary that you’ll let your 900 closest friends read, and you have to...
View ArticleMy Life With Programming Languages
A language that doesn’t affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing. — Alan Perlis My first programming language was Basic on a TI-99/4A. Contra Dijkstra, I don’t think it did me...
View ArticleUpdated Version of Dragsens
UPDATE: There is now a version of this utility with a graphical interface that’s easier to use: http://www.parkscomputing.com/2013/12/windows-version-of-dragsens/. I have also updated this command-line...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Windows Version of Dragsens
In response to a comment on the previous version of the drag sensitivity utility, I’ve created a new version of the utility that includes a graphical interface and a means of testing the drag settings...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cabin Fever
Atlanta shut down for a few days as the result of a moderate snowfall. Perhaps you saw something about it on the news. Now, another winter storm is on the way, and this one is supposed to be worse than...
View ArticleDragsens version 1.4
It’s time for a new version of the command-line version of the dragsens utility, which allows one to change the mouse sensitivity for detecting mouse drag actions in Windows. A comment posted by Mark...
View ArticleThe pbrain Programming Language
Note: This is a rather old post that didn’t quite survive the transition from my old ASP.NET server to my new Linux-based server. I imported it as-is into WordPress so that it would be readable again....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fix it. Bolt it down. Forget it.
Setting up your environment to be the same all the time, everywhere, can make it easier to focus on the task at hand. From the age of about 14 I’ve been sitting in front of a computer with a guitar in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Becoming a Developer Overnight, In Only Five Years
“Do you think hard work can make you talented?” “Yes. I do.” This post was inspired by an article on Cal Newport’s site entitled, “The Pre-Med and Ira Glass: Complicated Career Advice from Compelling...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Master Foo and the Technical Recruiter
I found Eric Raymond’s Unix Koans of Master Foo several years ago and simply loved them. Like the Zen koans they are taken from, they are a succinct way to communicate concepts of software development,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Real Reason I Love AdBlock
First, let’s get this out of the way: Yes, there are ads on my web site. I have no problem with anyone blocking them. In fact, I have no problem with anyone doing what I’m going to discuss in the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How I Plan Every Minute of My Day to Stay Productive
Note: I also posted this article on LinkedIn. “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower Over the years, I have...
View ArticleUpdated Barcode Generator
I finally got around to making some updates to my Barcode Generator. Try it out and let me know if you have any problems. Share
View ArticleConway’s Game of Life in JavaScript
I realized yesterday that I had never implemented Conway’s Game of Life, which is something of a rite of passage for young computer-science students. As I opted for a more non-traditional path to the...
View ArticleOn Recruiting
I’ll have more to say about this later, but I want to get this quote out there now so that technical leads, engineering managers, engineering directors, and vice-presidents of software engineering can...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Scheduling Every Minute, Revisited
Note: I originally posted this article on LinkedIn. “Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.” — Alan Lakein Late last year, I published an article...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Barbecue and Project Management
As I begin to write this article, it’s 8:30 on the Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend, the de facto start of the summer season in the United States. In most parts of the country, and especially...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Real Reason I Love AdBlock
First, let’s get this out of the way: Yes, there are ads on my web site. I have no problem with anyone blocking them. In fact, I have no problem with anyone doing what I’m going to discuss in the...
View Article
