The Rubber Duck method of debugging

We called it the Rubber Duck method of debugging.  It goes like this:

1) Beg, borrow, steal, buy, fabricate or otherwise obtain a rubber duck
   (bathtub variety)
2) Place rubber duck on desk and inform it you are just going to go over
   some code with it, if that's all right.
3) Explain to the duck what you code is supposed to do, and then go into
   detail and explain things line by line
4) At some point you will tell the duck what you are doing next and then
   realise that that is not in fact what you are actually doing.  The duck
   will sit there serenely, happy in the knowledge that it has helped you
   on your way.

Works every time.  Actually, if you don't have a rubber duck you could at
a pinch ask a fellow programmer or engineer to sit in.

…using black magic will invoke a karmic cycle.

That’s what you get after watching Long Khong 2, also known for its English title Art of the Devil 3. This Thai film filled with gory violence and black magic is about the story of a teacher whose body is used by a Thai family to bring a loved one back from the dead.

That’s what I will give you so far. It was a great film, if you’re into visceral depictions of eyes being gouged and pinned, or of bodies being eaten away by maggots. The film also depicted slices of Thai life, such as their Sawasdee greeting (characterized by bowing with the hands clasped as if in a prayer), and their monetary unit, the Thai baht. A glimpse of their elephants is also seen, and the film was sprinkled with Thai religious beliefs.

The afterlife, sacred images, polygamy, and the use of black magic are all in the film. It’s message at the end – that black magic will always haunt you once you started using it – is pronounced very much. Throughout the film, one would see incantations, rituals, and over-the-top graphic descriptions of eyes being gouged out, of feet being sliced, and of pregnant women’s wombs being punched.

If you’re into these kinds of films, then I recommend it. But it’s not for the faint of heart. It would not be rated R-13 by the MTRCB for no reason.

I hate glossy LCD monitors

…I also hate horizontal LCD screens. Right now, I’m blogging from our school’s computer lab, not listening to the lesson. Wellactually, even if I didn’t listen, it won’t matter for I am just sitting in in this class. XD

I’m blogging from a non-glossy LCD monitor which has more width than height. I hate its being horizontally improved, but the un-glossiness of the screen is commendable. That’s what makes me hate glossy LCD screens.

• They reflect your face or the immediate environment behind you. What could probably happen to you if you’re watching a horror film set in the dark, while seeing the reflection of your room behind you? Creeeeepy.
• Also, in the daylight, these glossy LCD monitors proved to be nothing more than disturbance. They reflect so much that I could not see what I’m doing.

I don’t mind actually the increased horizontal real estate that today’s monitors have, but it’s only applicable for gaming and some officework. But when one is doing coding or programming for some matter, a vertically oriented LCD monitor could be of great help.

Also, I want a tablet laptop, like theHP Pavilion TX1302AU Tablet Laptop PC. I think it’s way too cool.

Some bosses tend to be very harsh.

On walking into the factory, the MD noticed a young guy leaning against a wall, doing nothing. He approached the young man and calmly said to him, “How much do you earn?”

The young man was quite amazed that he was asked such a personal question, he replied none the less, “I earn $2000 a month, Sir. Why?”

Without answering, the MD took out his wallet and removed $ 6000 cash and gave it to the young man and said, “Around here I pay people for working, not for standing around looking pretty! Here is 3 months’ salary, now GET OUT and don’t come back”.

The young man turned around and was quickly out of sight.

Noticing a few onlookers, the MD said in a very upset manner, “And that applies for everybody in this company”.

He approached one of the onlookers and asked him, “Who ‘s the young man that I just fired ?”

To which an amazing reply came of, “He was the pizza delivery man, Sir!!!”

Schadenfreude

Hard to pronounce? Schadenfreude is actually a German loanword which refers to the enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others. Of course, one might not be aware of this phenomenon, but it’s just human nature.

Many forms of comedic entertainment exploit humans’ innate schadenfreudic nature to elicit laughs, such as Tom and Jerry, The Road Runner Show, and those slapstick comedies such as The Three Stooges, where hitting each other or slipping on a banana peel is funny.

It’s happiness at the misfortune of others, such as how you enjoy figure skaters falling on ice, or feeling all cozy whenever you see people in extreme weather conditions. You see, schadenfreude is essential, because it makes the people who do not experience such unfortunate events feel great. It’s basically the opposite of sympathy or empathy.

D’ja ever clap when a waitress falls and drops a tray of glasses,
and ain’t it fun to watch figure skaters falling on their asses?
Don’t you feel all warm and cozy watching people out in the rain?
That’s schadenfreude! People taking pleasure in your pain!

….

The world needs people like you and me who’ve been knocked around by fate,
’cause when they see us, they don’t wanna be us, and that makes them feel great!
Sure! We provide a vital service to society, you and me.
Schadenfreude! Making a world a better place… to be.

There’s a whole song about this topic by Avenue Q, the Tony Award-winning musical that talks about sex, love, and finding your purpose in life. And Schadenfreude is another one of their songs which struck me. Talk about nasty realities.

Messing with Google Translate

Seriously, I laughed so hard my mother rushed to my room. Click on the images for a higher resolution.

A Violinist in the Metro

Take some time to read this. It’s a moving narrative on how we tend to ignore the beauty of the world around us.

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning.
He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace.
He collected $32.
When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it.
No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.

Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind

…or, maybe not. I have just noticed the appearance of yet another window in YouTube’s sidebar which I use pretty often. It keeps a log of the categories of your most frequently watched vids and comes up with a list of Recommended Videos.

Pretty cool neh? Also, as I was uploading this image, I happened to Stumble across this Explosm comic. Cyanide and Happiness never fails to give me a slight chuckle.

I got rumors.

Well, it’s not actually a rumor, for it is true. We all know that rumors are those archetypal pieces of language which originates from idle minds.

What I will share is one that is not quite that long, though. It’s just that I was shocked when I knew that some e-Games forumer (who happen to be prominent in one of the boards) actually has a forum moderator account.

Also, I bring updates. After some talk with some GMs, I have learned that there will be changes in the forum system soon. What those changes are and when it will happen is undisclosed. Haha. Some GM told me this line, which is the only piece of conversation i could disclose:

“There will be big change. :D”

Definitions

Cigarette
A pinch of tobacco rolled in paper with fire at one end & a fool on the other.

Classic
A book which people praise, but do not read.

College
A place where some pursue learning and others learn pursuing.

Compromise
The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got the biggest piece.

Committee
Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit to decide that nothing can be done together.

Conference Room
A place where everybody talks, nobody listens & everybody disagrees later on.

Conference
The confusion of one man multiplied by the number present…

Dictionary
A place where divorce comes before marriage.

Diplomat
A person who tells you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip.

Divorce
Future tense of marriage.

Ecstasy
A feeling when you feel you are going to feel a feelingyou have never felt before.

Etc.
A sign to make others believe,you know more than you actually do.

Love affairs
Something like cricket where one-day internationals are more popular than a five day test..

Marriage
It’s an agreement in which a man loses his bachelor’s degree and a woman gains her master’s.

Office
A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life.

Politician
One who shakes your hand before elections and your confidence after.

Tears
The hydraulic force by which masculine will-power is defeated by feminine water-power .

Lecture
An art of transferring information from the notes of the lecturer to the notes of the students without passing through “the minds of either”.

Miser
A person who lives poor so that he can die rich.

Opportunist
One who starts having a bath when he/she accidentally falls in a river …

Optimist
A person who while falling from Eiffel tower says in midway “See I am not injured yet”

Pessimist:
A person who says that O is the last letter in ZERO, instead of the first letter in word OPPORTUNITY

Smile
A curve that can set a lot of things straight.