Sunday, May 16, 2010

WTF code

“ Always code as if the guy who ends up maintaining your code will be a violent psychopath who knows where you live. Martin Golding

“ Programming is like sex: one mistake and you’re providing support for a lifetime. Michael Sinz

“ The trouble with programmers is that you can never tell what a programmer is doing until it’s too late. Seymour Cray


Most software today is very much like an Egyptian pyramid with millions of bricks piled on top of each other, with no structural integrity, but just done by brute force and thousands of slaves. Alan Kay

Kenny's Ass

A city boy, Kenny, moved to the country and bought a donkey from an old farmer for $100.

The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day. The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died last night ."

Kenny replied: "Well then, just give me my money back."

The farmer said,"Can't do that. I went and spent it already."

Kenny said,"OK then, just unload the donkey."

The farmer asked, "What ya goanna do with him?"

"I'm going to raffle him off." (Note: To raffle is to sell a thing by lottery - draw lot to a group of people each paying the same amount for a ticket)

"You can't raffle off a dead donkey!"

"Sure ! I can", Kenny said. "Watch me. I just won't tell anybody he's dead."

A month later the farmer met up with Kenny and asked, "What happened with that dead donkey?"

"I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars apiece and made a profit of $898."

The farmer asked "Didn't anyone complain?"

"Just the guy who won," Kenny answered. "So I gave him back his two dollars."

Kenny grew up and eventually became the chairman of Enron. (Kenneth Lay)

Monday, May 10, 2010

Picture of the Day - Peace

Gamers Refuse to Turn Off Xboxes, Keep Playing 'Halo 2' Online

Back in February, Microsoft announced that it planned to end Xbox LIVE support for its original console. Then, in March, the company offered some consolation prizes to loyal Xbox gamers. Now, the deadline has come and gone, but, naturally, a group of avid gamers has found a way to skirt the system.

According to Eurogamer, about 20 gamers who were playing 'Halo 2' simply refrained from turning off their consoles on April 15th, which has allowed them to keep playing the game online. But, as you can imagine, the numbers have dwindled. Not because they can't stand up to this marathon gaming session, but because their consoles can't last. Overheated Xboxes and lost network connections ended a few gamers' online 'Halo 2' days, but according to Geekosystem, there were still 16 loyalists playing the game online as of Sunday afternoon.

We're not sure if Microsoft will boot these folks or just let them ride out in a blaze of glory (or in a smoke-filled room from an overheated console). However, we applaud their effort, dedication and moxie -- or insanity, depending on how you look at it.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Sniper's bullets fell target 2.5km away, in record

A British Army sniper in Afghanistan has found a place in military history by shooting dead two Taliban guerrillas who were over two-and-a-half kilometers away.

Corporal Craig Harrison killed the two insurgents, who were armed with a machine gun, with consecutive bullets that were fired nearly 3,200 feet beyond the official range of his rifle. His kills beat the previous record held by a Canadian soldier by 150 feet. Harrison was so far away that the bullets took almost three seconds to reach their target. The sniper fired at the Taliban guerrillas after his commander and Afghan soldiers were attacked during a patrol in Helmand in November last year. His vehicle was further back on a ridge, with his sights trained on a Taliban compound.

"We saw two insurgents running through its courtyard. They came forward carrying a machine gun and opened fire on the commander's wagon. Conditions were perfect, no wind, mild weather, clear visibility. The first round hit a machine gunner in the stomach. He went straight down and didn't move. The second insurgent grabbed the weapon and my second shot hit him in the side," Harrison was quoted as saying.

Corporal Harrison, a married father-of-one from Gloucestershire, killed 12 more rebels and wounded seven others. During an extraordinary six-month tour of duty he also survived a bullet that went though his helmet and a roadside bomb. The blast broke both his arms but he was eventually able to return to duty, his accuracy unaffected. 

Picture of the Day - Following her dream