Our project architect wanted to track files in a database. I would have been just as happy with a text file, but I put in a database to avoid an argument. In my experience, arguing over an overly-complex design takes longer than doing it the complex way.
Now the database admin, who I was never even introduced to, is vetoing my design. She says it’s not efficient enough. I say we’re going to be writing 20 records a DAY to it. She says “we might expand it in the future”.
Whatever. Arguing about it takes longer than doing it the complex way. I’m hoping my boss sticks a sock in the admin’s mouth before I start the redesign, though.
Read more...I’m programming! I’m writing honest to God code - that will go into a PRODUCTION SYSTEM!
How long has it been now - five months? During that time, all I’ve been able to do is write documents about programming. Now I get to actually do it! Can you imagine?
Read more...Have you heard about the TPS reports?
Seeing the Vogons and their triplicate authorization forms in the Hitchhiker’s Guide last week has me keenly aware of the bureaucracy within my own company. Just got this e-mail…
> We have found an opportunity for improvement! Our Change > Management process states you should not modify a Change > Request (“CR”) after it has been approved. There are cases > where CRs have been modified after they have been approved, > and the result has been unsuccessful changes. This is > problematic for our customers, our employees, and [company name]. > > Please be aware that if you modify a CR after it is > approved, you invalidate your CR approval because your > modifications are not necessarily read. If you modify a CR > after it is approved (other than to update the worklog with > status during/post change), you must reset it for approval. > There are no exceptions to this requirement.
“Opportunity for improvement”? Gag. This must be the person who suggested that all employees put “Capitalize on our opportunities” as part of their e-mail signatures. (Which I refuse to do.)
I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I need to participate in some bare minimum of all this (change request documents, release management documents) to be able to get my job done. What I have to watch myself for, though, is to ensure that the need to cover my ass doesn’t turn me into a bureaucrat myself.
Read more...New Halo 2 maps tonight! Yay!
I should be on about 7:30 PM Arizona time (9:30 Central), with Diana joining me shortly thereafter.
Read more...
Which OStan are you? <p align="center"> You are Windows 2000 Professional Edition. You are the most stable and reliable of all the Windows girls. Of course, since your main comparison is with ME, that’s not saying much. You’re popular with some, but you’re being replaced with XP. You often help take care of your sister ME.</p>
Sigh… Yes, I caved and did a survey…
Read more...Google Search History
Yeehaw! This will be a treasure trove for personal data mining: Google has added a search history. When you use Google as often as I do (several times daily), this could generate a very rich map of the topics you’re thinking about. And since Google saves everything to your account and maps it to a calendar, you can actually go back in time and see what you were working on for any given date.
Privacy advocates needn’t fret (much); it’s opt-in, and you can “pause” the search logging at any time.
This is a very cool feature that I didn’t know I needed until now. :)
Read more...Diana and her mom are sharing a PC, and they’re starting to have “roommate problems”. (Judy doesn’t like the apps I install for Diana, etc.) Since it’s Judy’s PC anyway, Diana was going to be the one kicked off. Time to do something.
We’re on a tight budget, I set up an eBay automated search to find cheap laptops. To avoid being outbid all the time, I configured it to only report auctions ending in less than an hour.
The problem with that, I have since figured out, is that it leads to impulse purchases. We got a laptop for a measly 80 bucks (shipped), but it’s only a Pentium, so I doubt it can run anything later than Windows 95. Not only that, it has no Ethernet port. I have to hunt around and see if anyone still sells adapter cards.
I think I may have just wasted 80 bucks, and the thing hasn’t even arrived yet. Now I have to decide if I’ll waste even more of my time trying to make it work (Linux? Thin clients?), or if I’ll bite the bullet and go buy her a real PC. Lenny might be getting a laptop for his birthday.
Read more...You are currently reading the blog of my company’s newest SENIOR Programmer Analyst. :) Not bad after one year.
People used to go half a decade without a promotion in this department. I am very lucky to have joined in the year the logjam broke.
Read more...I had a dream last night that Diana and I had another child, and we offered up his first name for corporate sponsorship.
“Hi, I’m Jay, this is my wife Diana, and this is little FedEx…”
Read more...SNES game music is back in my playlist. I’m revisiting SPC plugins for Winamp, and they’re actually really well-integrated now; you can edit a track’s info and even rate it in the Library. Currently stuck in my head are tracks from Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana/Seiken Densetsu 2, and SoulBlazer.
I’m also starting to catch the podcasting wave. With so much IT news out there to review, the ability to cram it into my 1.5 hours of otherwise-wasted commute time each day is verrry tempting. There aren’t many quality ‘casts right now, but a notable exception is Slashdot Review. Instead of a stream of uhs, ums, and ers as they try to think up what to talk about next, SR simply takes major Slashdot stories from the day and summarizes them in an audio format. Simple and useful. Now if only there were similar feeds for GizModo, GameSpot, and Yahoo! News…
Read more...