greencorduroysocks

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Code Review

Proving my motto of “I’m slow but I get it”, it’s hit me that I need to have Code Reviews.

I started a new book Tuesday.  It was the 2nd book in a series I’ve been reading.  The problem is, I’ve already read books 3 and 4.  I mean I thought I was reading them in the right order.  I recall when reading what I thought was book 2 that I felt a bit lost at the beginning.  I’d expected the story to pick up in the general vicinity of where book 1 ended.  But the story soon had me and I kept on reading, definitely none the wiser.  So Tuesday I start what I think is the next book in the series and there it was at the title page - Book 2.  I’d like to blame amazon (I read on a kindle) since the book titles aren’t that big, but even I know that’s not fair.  A code review would have helped with this.  Book 2 is good!

Speaking of amazon, I was looking at something and was wondering about the # of buttons.  See, the one I was looking at showed 1 button buttoned and 2 buttonholes with no buttons.  When I clicked on other colors all buttonholes were filled with buttons.  It’s likely it was just a bad picture but I really liked the buttons and the color of the item that didn’t show 3 buttons.  I went to the question section and meant to search for something along the lines of ‘do all backpacks have 3 buttons cuz the plaid one only shows 1′.  That’s not a good search phrase and I was thinking about a better way to put the words together when I guess I hit enter.  And it wasn’t a search field, it was the ask a question field.  And my question was simply ‘how many buttons’.  I have received so many answers to that sad and stupid question!  And the best part is that only 1 of the answers has been even slightly snarky.  They’re all very kind and helpful answers (yes, 3 buttons!).  Another good missed opportunity for a code review.  Even before I realized I’d asked a question I had decided to order the thing.  It arrived and is great and has 3 buttons but ... the picture on the web site, the picture of the item I ordered, was black plaid.  What arrived was solid black and is being sent back cuz I really don’t want it in solid black.  Not sure a code review would have helped with that though.

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Roasted Orange Rump

Driving north on Wacker Drive, there is a magical spot where you can see the Rump Tower (trump tower with the t blocked by buildings).  The next best thing would be if it just said FUCK TRUMP.  Best of all would be if there was no such thing as trump (I fight by refusing to use a capital T.  Take that asshole!)

I fear the news every day now.  I don’t want to hear it or see it or read it.  Every time I do I become more scared and despondent.  A line from a song has been floating in my brain for the past few days.  From The Falcon and The Snowman soundtrack, Bowie singing sadly “this is not America, no” over and over again.  His voice nearly cracking on the no.

Honestly, it’s hard to speak on the subject.  But I do have 2 clear questions.  1 - are they that stupid or 2 - do they think we’re that stupid?  Alternative news?  I say this, then no I never said that.  By the same logic can I say “I’m very rich I don’t have to work” and it will become the truth?  Something else that floats in my mind was when he said ‘no puppet no puppet you’re the puppet’ at one of the debates.

I boosted the numbers that watched the inauguration.  I’ve never watched one before.  Know why I did?  It’s very simple actually.  I felt obligated to witness the beginning of the end so I could tell people when we’re huddled over a trash can fire living our own post-apocalypse nightmare how it started.  This is most certainly not America, no....

Feb 13, 02017

You know about internet fights, on forums and Twitter and wherever people type at each other?  You know how the antagonists will not let go, how the argument will go on and on and drag in all kinds of non-related stuff?  You know it stops being about the original disagreement and instead is a battle to the death just to be right, to not give in or back down?  That's what Orange Rump supporters are like.  Maybe their hearts and minds realize what a total fuck he is but damnit, just ain't gonna admit they were wrong.  Or even worse, that someone else was right.

You know what else?  I feel like I’m living in a far past that will confuse the hell out of future populations when they read about this.  There’ll be classroom discussions and papers written on us and how we worked and fought to dumb down America (and the world too I guess, I mean they got bat shit numbnuts in Australia too).  

When GW Bush was running for office people said they liked him, that he seemed like someone they could go get a beer with.  A friend at the time said (not an exact quote, it’s been years) “I don’t want a pal for president, I want someone higher minded to lead the country”.

Feb 15 02017

Every day it gets worse.

Feb 16 02017

Today Rumped Orange Roast had a press conference with Benjamin Netanyahu.  A reporter asked for a comment on how it appears white power groups feel empowered by his election.  The reporter was very civil.  Roast responded by talking about how (not a quote here but the gist is correct) he won so many electoral votes, that no one had thought he’d every make 260 votes but he had gone far beyond ever that number.  He looked to Netanyahu as if for confirmation.  What the double fuck?  

Are we not supposed to notice the inconsistency of statements that email leaks about opponents are good and patriotic but leaks about his side are criminal?  Again I ask, who’s playing the role of the stupid one here?

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Women Who Know How to Woman

These could be real or fictional or maybe sometimes imaginary.  

Patricia Neal, especially in Hud.  She is so straight-forward, she does not hide her sexuality, there is no subtlety and yet there is nothing skeezy about her. Patricia Neal was brilliant.

Anne Bancroft.  She is elegant and classy and she married Mel Brooks.  Brilliant as well.

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Critiques

How Green Was My Valley

This critique started as a chat with a friend. I've cut out his parts here, what you see is my end of the conversation.

happy welsh coal miners in a town where the miners sing on their way home after getting paid I think it's supposed to be serious. 

it's old. 

1941

also, coal miners had lovely china and crystal on their tables the cratchett's would think these people royalty

hmm, the guy is narrating his childhood, perhaps he's a bit bedazzled by the past

now the town has gathered to sing in a church at a wedding

the woman has had 7, 8 kids and she's as happy and peppy as a newlywed 

the fuck, now a drunk man is singing his way through a sobriety dance/test. 

now we're getting somewhere, wages lowered, union talk something's up, miners are coming home from work and they're not happy or singing 

ok, time has passed. Master Roddy McDowell is crippled and the town's excited cuz the QofE wants to hear one of the sons sing.

Preacher Pidgeon just commanded Master Roddy McDowell to walk, and he did and he's now no longer a cripple. Now I understand why people like talking to Preacher Pidgeon, his words have power. Let's change his title to Wizard Pidgeon. 

it's over. 

There was an actor named Evan S. Evans. There was a character called Evans. Did they have Evan S. Evans play Evans? Noooooo! This may be when I lost my faith in humanity.

The Harvey Girls

Again this is my end of the chat when I'm telling a friend about a movie I was watching:

this is why I love old movies: I'm watching a lavish musical with Judy Garland in it, and it seems the story is about a battle between goodie-goodie girls and saloon dancers.

essentially it is a battle between virgins and whores

oh no! some men just chose the whores over the virgins!

this is also set in wild west days and the people are so shiny and sparkly

holy shit, Judy just wiped the tears from her cheek with a rose

oh oh, someone just set fire to the saloon

not sure what happened but the 1st Virgin (Garland) is on the train and asking the 1st Whore to forgive her and says the difference between whores and virgins is a matter of style

it's over. looks like I started it toward the end. I wonder if my description of the story is any good

ohhh! this movie received a nod from Oscar!

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Over Thoughts

Since I've been feeling pissy and people-hating lately, I've been wondering why.  Am I hungry, not sleeping enough, not getting proper nutrition?  Is it a personality defect in me and if so, what triggered it?  Remember that I have been feeling happy and at ease, appreciative of myself.  Now there's this.  Next I wondered if maybe I'm smoking too much pot and over-thinking things.

Am I bad at communicating or am I just lazy?  I stop myself from telling something to someone because I don't want to explain things.  

The thing about eating Almond Rocas is that it's also an activity.

Property Brothers @ Home is so ridiculous.    A show about 2 guys who do a show about house remodeling, remodeling their own home.  That's not enough, oh no.  The reason for this remodeling (would really have liked to do another remodeling about a remodeling thing but it seemed excessive so now I can mention avoiding it twice so you'll be sure to notice that I noticed and chose not to notice.  Wait, DAMN, I'm doing giga-meta!) is to hold the "First Annual Family Reunion". 

Instant mental failure - wtf did I want to say about that?  I said "remember this as instant mental failure", but I've failed so much I can't even remember what failure caused me to try to remember that about failure.  It's like my getting to the bottom of me failing to get to the bottom of something.   Things are getting crazy meta around here.

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Floats

Thinking about mental rigidity.  Is it experience and wisdom that makes me say "X is my opinion of Y.  I've thought it through and came to the conclusion of X.  And I'm not interested in why you think I'm wrong.", or is it rigidity?  Set in one's ways.  

There are 2 unix expressions that are like hearing "welcome home":  1)  pipe it to grep and 2) cat it to /dev/null.

I settle like a dog or a cat.  I circle the house, putting things away, little clean-ups.  Then I circle closer to the spot I've chosen, the sofa or bed, and start to prep it.  I keep circling closer and closer and finally I settle.

got a beverage? check.  laptop starting up? check.  arranged under the afghan? check.  remote and mouse on the armrest? check.  phone within reach? check.  laptop plugged in? check.  cats settling? check.  Alrighty then - this evening is GO!

When the network is pervasive and we are part computer, we'll still have to teach our children how to use computers.  I believe it will be easier and will be like learning a language, but it will be strange and means the species will always have to learn computers.

I’m trying to remember the things I used to tell myself that I would never do when I got older so I can see if I’m doing any of them.

Marketing will ruin The Singularity.  Marketing will enable The Singularity.  I want it so bad, but damn, I do not want to merge with an advertising agency.