Codergnome

You know it's O-week when...

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 11:10:59 GMT

So I'm on the #10, and just as we're leaving the mall, the bus has to stop and wait for two 1st years to cross (note that this is not a crosswalk or anything). The driver yells out the window, "you guys going or what?", and the guy asked about a bathroom or something as he staggered around.

Yup, drunk frosh on the prowl for bathrooms at 7am. Must be o-week.

REALLY? The Internet lets you work online?

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 14:50:29 GMT

From a spam-ish email I just got: "The Internet has opened up a wealth of opportunities for working online". Sorry, just had to share that quote.

My inner geek is smiling

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:09:09 GMT

So I just found out that you can make posts through LJ's Jabber bot "Frank". That makes my inner geek smile. I just got my new MacBook, and good golly is it shiny. I'm still installing stuff (working on development tools now), but I'm really liking it. I'm glad I made this switch.

A very fitting XKCD

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 19:16:35 GMT

Funny thing is, one of the packages (Carolyn's iPod) is in Memphis right now... Another leaves China today ("Where the hell is SHENZHEN, CN?"), and a third ships by the end of the week. Leave it to Apple to split my order of three items into three separate packages, each arriving separately, probably from three separate continents.

I have succumbed.

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 17:02:40 GMT

I am joining the ranks of the iPod-toting, MacBook-wielding... people

How sweet is that:

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 16:09:46 GMT

Fuzziness at its best.

Gaah! My poor baby!

Sat, 19 May 2007 17:30:23 GMT

So when your bike lock has this nifty little latch that keeps it from falling off the bike, getting caught in the frame and mangling the derailleur, remember kids... always, and I do mean always, use that latch.

I forgot to latch the lock in, it fell off, and now my derailler is bent outwards so it's about 3.2 gears off where it should be. Then, when I was trying to find a gear where it might be manageable to limp home at 10kph, I got the bright idea to shift up to the top gear and, wouldn't you know, the chain got jammed. I thought I might be able to bend the derailleur back into shape, so I stopped near the Stone Road Mall. I was wearing a white button-up shirt on top of a black sleeveless shirt, so I took off the white one to keep it from getting dirty and got to work.

It turns out the derailleur's bent at the hefty metal piece (hefty as in a steel plate about 1cm thick) that attaches it to the frame. There's considerable metal fatigue where it's bent, so if this happens again it would probably just snap off. I managed to bend it a bit, to about 1.7 gears off. Then I realized the chain was still jammed, and jammed tight too; the only way to get it unjammed without tools covered my hands with grease.

Only after my hands were a lovely shade of black did I remember that my shirt was lying there on the ground. I wiped my hands in the grass to make them only a pink-black colour, used my relatively-clean pinky-fingers to pick it up and drape it over my handlebars, went to the mall and washed my hands. I must have been quite a sight: me wearing a black sleeveless shirt, white shirt over my shoulder, carrying a helmet with hands covered in grease.

I did do my good deed for the day... as I was unlocking my bike to limp home, noticed a woman with maybe a Ukrainian accent checking a map, so I asked her if she's trying to find someplace, then directed her to Edinburgh and Speedvale.

I'd at least need a clamp and worktable to fix this myself, so I'm going to have to go into a bike shop on Tuesday. Hopefully they can bend it back into shape, otherwise I'm going to have to drop $50 or more on a new derailleur. Just what I needed.

Random conversation

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 18:52:54 GMT

Kris says:
what does "flim flam jamba ramba" mean? (note this is hypothetical)
Michael says:
hmm... I would guess something about cheating a mob boss out of his maple syrup
Kris says:
wrong the answer is "flim flam jamba ramba"

at least according to the logic of [client's name] and their answer to our question [where they just restated the question]
Michael says:
I was close
Kris says:
pre-supposing that you were right you had a 23.5% chance of being correct
Kris says:
oh I'm sorry did that not make any sense? I guess [client's name] is rubbing off on me
Michael says:
of course, 86.2% of statistics are made up on the spot
Kris says:
sweet
Michael says:
and the other 42.0% are wrong
Kris says:
100% of non-smokers will die
Kris says:
so smoke up
Michael says:
ah, but 100% of smokers will die
Kris says:
true
Michael says:
so obviously if you start you must never quit
Michael says:
because then you would be both a smoker and a non-smoker
Michael says:
and have a 200% chance of dying
Kris says:
crazy
Michael says:
[client's name] is rubbing off on me too

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 18:36:56 GMT

Apparently someone got my debit card number and PIN and drained my account last night. The account's been frozen until I can go to the bank and clear it up, which I'm going to do in a few hours. The only three places they could have gotten it was the Grotto, the Wendy's on Wellington, and the Subway at Gordon and Wellington.

Gaah, sound familiar, jfswift?

Edit: WTF? Who the hell's "jfswift"? I entered "slyfox" (really, I did, it says so now in the edit box).

Reason #324 why Guelph kicks ass

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:51:02 GMT

http://uoguelph.facebook.com/profile.php?id=562415970

If I actually knew him, I'd add him.

Accomplishment

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 18:00:31 GMT

Today, I narrowly avoided Greenspun's Tenth Rule of Programming.

Fri, 02 Mar 2007 14:56:47 GMT

Woo yeah, snow day!

Funniest video ever.

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 06:57:09 GMT

Tue, 19 Sep 2006 01:01:15 GMT

Well, it looks like I'm working at ALT again in the winter. There's only one job that may be better, but it's in Texas. It does right up my alley, though -- for Freescale Semiconductors, the people who make the PPC processor.

In other news, I bought the most incredibly cheap textbooks today: "Object-Oriented Software Engineering: Using UML, Patterns, and Java" for $6.99 (Amazon's price: $74.10), and "Computer Networking: A top-town approach featuring the Internet" for $12.99 (Amazon's price: $90.96). What the hell? They look new too. I have no idea how they were so cheap. Computer Networking is a textbook for one of my courses, and I think the other one is a recommended text. Either way, it'll be useful for later courses and hell, for $7, you can't go wrong.

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 11:39:06 GMT

What the hell?

Back off my name, buddy

I can't resist a good meme

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 03:23:45 GMT

You scored as II - The High Priestess. The High Priestess is a card of intuition, instinct and hidden knowledge. She knows all your secrets, you can hide nothing from her. Yet you will never know the secrets she herself protects.If well aspected in a Tarot spread, this card can indicate the use of intuition to solve problems; trust to your instincts. If badly aspected, it can mean suppression and ignoring of such instincts - following your head at the expense of your heart.

</td>

II - The High Priestess

75%

XIX: The Sun

69%

XI: Justice

69%

XVI: The Tower

63%

I - Magician

56%

VIII - Strength

56%

0 - The Fool

56%

XIII: Death

56%

IV - The Emperor

50%

X - Wheel of Fortune

44%

VI: The Lovers

44%

III - The Empress

38%

XV: The Devil

38%

Which Major Arcana Tarot Card Are You?
created with QuizFarm.com

In the absence of a bike rack...

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 20:47:40 GMT

I have discovered the next best place to lock up a bike...

To a natural gas line. Go ahead, cut through that, sucker. I dare you. I call it "natural selection by natural gas".

Meme!

Wed, 12 Jul 2006 03:00:21 GMT

(Click here to post your own answers for this meme.)

✓ I miss somebody right now.	✓ I don't watch much TV these days. (I'll catch the occasional show, but not too many)	× I own lots of books. (I don't read nearly enough anymore.)
✓ I wear glasses or contact lenses. (I've never really gotten comfortable with them, though.)	× I love to play video games.	× I've tried marijuana.
✓ I've watched porn movies. (Never did anything for me.)	× I have been the psycho-ex in a past relationship.	✓ I believe honesty is usually the best policy.
✓ I curse sometimes. (Fuck yeah.)	× I have changed a lot mentally over the last year.	× I carry my knife/razor everywhere with me.

* * * * *

× I have broken someone's bones.	× I have a secret that I am ashamed to reveal.	× I hate the rain. (Hell no, I love rain!)
× I'm paranoid at times.	× I would get plastic surgery if it were 100% safe, free of cost, and scar-free.	✓ I need/want money right now. (Especially after that bike...)
✓ I love sushi.	× I talk really, really fast.	× I have fresh breath in the morning.
× I have long hair. (It's turning into a 'fro again!)	× I have lost money in Las Vegas.	✓ I have at least one sibling.
✓ I was born in a country outside of the U.S. (GO CANADA!)	× I have worn fake hair/fingernails/eyelashes in the past.	× I couldn't survive without Caller I.D.
✓ I like the way that I look. (Usually, yeah.)	× I have lied to a good friend in the last 6 months.	× I am usually pessimistic.
× I have a lot of mood swings.	✓ I think prostitution should be legalized.	× I slept with a roommate.
✓ I have a hidden talent. (Brad, Melissa and Carolyn know it. It's musical.)	× I'm always hyper no matter how much sugar I have.	✓ I have a lot of friends.
× I have pecked someone of the same sex.	× I enjoy talking on the phone.	× I practically live in sweatpants or PJ pants.
× I love to shop and/or window shop.	× I'm obsessed with my Xanga or Livejournal.	× I'm completely embarrassed to be seen with my mother.
× I have a mobile phone.	× I have passed out drunk in the past 6 months.	✓ I've rejected someone before.
✓ I currently like/love someone.	× I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life.	✓ I want to have children in the future.
× I have changed a diaper before.	× I've called the cops on a friend before.	× I'm not allergic to anything.
✓ I have a lot to learn.	× I am shy around the opposite sex.	✓ I'm online 24/7, even as an away message. (Excluding disconnects.)
× I have at least 5 away messages saved.	✓ I have tried alcohol or drugs before.	× I have made a move on a friend's significant other or crush in the past.
× I own the "South Park" movie.	× I have avoided assignments at work/school to be on Xanga or Livejournal.	× I enjoy some country music.
✓ I would die for my best friends.	× I'm obsessive, and often a perfectionist.	× I have used my sexuality to advance my career.
× I think Halloween is awesome because you get free candy.	× I have dated a close friend's ex.	× I am happy at this moment.
× I'm obsessed with guys.	× Democrat.	× Republican.
× I don't even know what I am.	× I am punk rockish.	× I go for older guys/girls, not younger.
× I study for tests most of the time.	× I tie my shoelaces differently from anyone I've ever met.	× I can work on a car.
× I love my job(s).	× I am comfortable with who I am right now.	× I have more than just my ears pierced.
✓ I walk barefoot wherever I can.	× I have jumped off a bridge.	× I love sea turtles.
× I spend ridiculous amounts of money on makeup.	× I plan on achieving a major goal/dream.	× I am proficient on a musical instrument.
× I hate office jobs.	× I went to college out of state.	× I am adopted.
✓ I am a pyro.	× I have thrown up from crying too much.	× I have been intentionally hurt by people that I loved.
× I fall for the worst people.	× I adore bright colours.	× I usually like covers better than originals.
× I hate chain theme restaurants like Applebees and TGIFridays.	✓ I can pick up things with my toes.	× I can't whistle.
× I have ridden/owned a horse.	× I still have every journal I've ever written in.	× I talk in my sleep.
× I've often thought that I was born in the wrong century.	× I try to forget things by drowning them out with loads of distractions.	× I wear a toe ring.
× I have a tattoo.	× I can't stand at LEAST one person that I work with.	✓ I am a caffeine junkie.
× I am completely tree-huggy spiritual, and I'm not ashamed at all.	× If I knew I would get away with it, I would commit at least one murder.	× I will collect anything, and the more nonsensical, the better.
× I enjoy a nice glass of wine with dinner.	× I'm an artist.	✓ I am ambidextrous. (I guess that's the best way to describe my handiness. I write with my right hand, most other things I can do with either hand, with a bias towards my left hand.)
× I sleep with so many stuffed animals, I can hardly fit on my bed.	× If it weren't for having to see other people naked, I'd live in a nudist colony.	× I have terrible teeth.
× I hate my toes.	✓ I did this meme even though I wasn't tagged by the person who took it before me.	× I have more friends on the internet than in real life.
× I have lived in either three different states or countries.	✓ I am extremely flexible. (Depends in what way. I'm flexible in some directions, but I suck in others.)	× I love hugs more than kisses.
✓ I want to own my own business. (Entrepreneurship, here I come!)	× I smoke.	✓ I spend way too much time on the computer than on anything else.
✓ Nobody has ever said I'm normal. (Not that I recall.)	✓ Sad movies, games, and the like can cause a trickle of tears every now and then.	× I am proficient in the use of many types of firearms and combat weapons.
✓ I like the way women look in stylized men's suits.	× I don't like it when people are unpleased or seem unpleased with me.	× I have been described as a dreamer or likely to have my head up in the clouds.
× I have played strip poker with someone else before.	× I have had emotional problems for which I have sought professional help.	× I believe in ghosts and the paranormal.
× I can't stand being alone.	× I have at least one obsession at any given time.	× I weigh myself, pee/poo, and then weigh myself again.
× I consistently spend way too much money on obsessions-of-the-moment.	× I'm a judgmental asshole.	× I'm a HUGE drama-queen.
× I have travelled on more than one continent.	× I sometimes wish my father would just disappear.	× I need people to tell me I'm good at something in order to feel that I am.
× I am a Libertarian. (I see Libertarianism as an application of Hobbes' Leviathan. In that way, it's a sound theory, and we can learn much from it, but I believe it lacks the social support of a truly just society.)	× I can speak more than one language. (I assume they don't mean computer languages. That's a bummer.)	× I can fall asleep even if the whole room is as noisy as it can be.
× I would rather read than watch TV.	× I like reading fact more than fiction.	× I have pulled an all-nighter on an assignment I was given a month to do.
✓ I have no piercings.	× I have spent the night in a train station or other public place.	× I have been so upset over my physical gender that I cried.
× I once spent Christmas completely alone because there was a miscommunication on which parent was supposed to have me that night.	× There have been times when I have wondered "Why was I born?" and may/may not have cried over it.	× I like most animals better than most people.
× I own a collection of retro games consoles.	× The thought of physical exercise makes me shiver.	× I have hit someone with a dead fish.
× I am compulsively honest.	✓ I was born with a congenital birth defect that has never been repaired. (Two minor ones, in fact.)	× I have danced topless in front of dozens of complete strangers.
× I have gone from wishing I was a girl to revelling in being a boy to feeling like a girl again in the span of five minutes, and not cared a whit for my actual sex.	× I am unashamedly bisexual, and have different motivations for my desires for different genders.	× I sometimes won't sleep a whole night or eat a whole day because I forget to. (I can't think when I don't eat and sleep properly.)
× I find it impossible to get to sleep without some kind of music on.	× I dislike milk.	× I obsessively wash my hands.
× I always carry something significant around with me.	× Sometimes I'd rather wear a wig in day-to-day life than use my own hair. (ha haha)	✓ I've pushed myself to become more self-aware and thereby more aware of others.
× Even though I live on my own I still cry sometimes because I miss my mother.	× I hand wrote all the HTML tags in this document. (What do they mean by this?)	× I've liked something which a majority of people claimed was either bad or weird.
× I have been clinically dead for a brief period of time.	× Instead of feeling sympathy/empathy with people and their problems, I simply become annoyed.	× I participate/have participated in auto drag races and won.
× I do not 'get' most comedy acts.	✓ I don't think strippers are money-greedy or slutty for dancing.	× I don't like to chew gum.
× I am obsessed with history/historical things and can't wait for someone to build a time machine so I can be the first to use it.	× I can never remember for the life of me where I parked the car.	× I had the TEEN ANGST thing going for at least 2-3 years.
× I wish people would be more empathic and honest with each other.	× I play Dungeons and Dragons weekly. (Oh, D&D, how I miss you.)	× I love to sing.
× I want to live in my mother's basement when I grow up.	× I have a custom-built computer. (I hereby revoke my geek membership.)	× I want to create a certain someone's babies, even though there's a 0% possiblity of ever achieving it.
× I would be in a relationship with one of my pets if they were human.	× I've gone skinny-dipping.	× I've performed in three plays.
× I enjoy burritos.	✓ I'm Irish and loving it. (BOO YEAH, PROUD OF IT.)	× I have a thing for redheads.
× I am a twin!	× Most of the times, I'd rather do something intellectual instead of doing something generically 'fun'. (Each in their own time.)	× Once I set out to finish something, I always stay at it until it is completed before I move on to something else. (I usually have another idea half-way through, and start working on that.)
× I wish there were a way to erase past mistakes.	× I sleep more than 12 hours a day.	✓ I wish I could be prouder of what I've accomplished, but it's never enough.
× I need more time to myself.	× I wish I was more open-minded.	× I hope that I go really prematurely grey.
✓ I download songs from the internet.	× I've just reenacted chapter 58 of Death Note with my best friend.	× I say random things to freak people out.
× I'm still a little mad about the ending of Death Note.	× I love playing Truth or Dare.	× I love listening to slow music, but I hate singing to it.
× Music helps me remember that I am not alone.	✓ Playing my favorite sport makes me temporarily forget my problems. (Judo fix that!)	✓ I think this survey is particularly long.
× I prefer my LJ friends to my real-life ones.	× I can only hate someone that I love.	× I've ordered an extra two shots of espresso to an Americano at Starbucks.

Wed, 12 Jul 2006 00:30:44 GMT

Well, as a few of you know, my bike was stolen on Friday from work. Some dude dressed in a white shirt, white baseball hat and red trackpants cut the lock at 1:58PM on Friday and walked off with it. We got footage of the bastard, from the security cameras on the building, but it's not good enough to identify him (it's almost definitely a guy). It looked like a theft-for-hire -- the guy appeared to take a picture with a camera phone about 10 minutes before he stole it. Whoever he was, he cut cleanly through my Kryptonite cable lock with no problem.

So, while it's possible I'll get it back (I reported it to the police yesterday), there's no point in counting on that. I needed a new bike, and I splurged on a fancy fancy new bike. Say "hello" to my new baby: . It's basically a low-end road bike, and it's really fast. :-)

This time, I also got a fancy bike lock to match. There's no way anyone's cutting through that with anything short of a welding torch (and even then, it would probably take a while. It's got $500 in insurance on it, which is cool.

I have permission to keep it inside now, provided I can find somewhere in the office that no one will object to. I might even put it in my cubicle, if necessary. This one isn't getting stolen.

Well that's weird

Wed, 05 Jul 2006 18:39:32 GMT

I just had a corporate recruiter call me.

New icon!

Sat, 24 Jun 2006 01:32:26 GMT

It's a new icon! And it's actually a good picture!

It's a cropped version of a picture I got from Ana a little while ago, from the annual Judo party last summer.

Just thought I'd share that :)

LJ post? at 4AM?

Fri, 23 Jun 2006 07:58:52 GMT

Check out that time, folks. 4AM? That's right. You know what's worse?

I'm still at work.

I have been for 19 hours and counting. I got here at 9AM Thursday morning, and I'm still going. I may be finished now, actually, I don't know. I just submitted the last case assigned to me, and so far I don't have any more. I'll take that as a good sign.

So yeah, this is a first for me. Sure, I've done all-nighters for school before, and even for my own coding, but never at a job. I'm sure it won't be the last though... just not for a while I hope.

Overall, this semester's going pretty well. The workload here varies from slow-and-steady to "what do you mean there's a deadline tomorrow?".

I seem to be the last to know things like that. Like today... I found out noonish that I'm doing an all-nighter tonight. I found out on Tuesday that all my cases at that time were due by the next morning, and that I'd end up being here until 11:30PM. So now I've put in about 50 hours this week over 4 days.

Anyways, I think I'd better find myself something to do until the sun comes up.

Edit: Well, that was one thoroughly pointless night. It turns out I was pretty much done when I made this post, and I sat around on my ass for another 5 hours until I told my boss I was crashing and couldn't concentrate, so he let me go.

There's still work to be done there, but it's not my work anymore. He said to get in touch with the office in the afternoon if I'm in good enough shape to work some more. Yeah, right. 24 hours is quite enough for me. My excuse is that I fell asleep around noon and slept until 9PM tonight.

Since they've said they're going to compensate me with time off, I've worked out I did 57 hours this week, or 17 hours of overtime. That entitles me to at least 2 days off work. Really, it should be time-and-a-half, or 3.5 days. I'm definitely going to use at least a day of that to spend some extra, much-needed, time with Carolyn this long weekend.

Anyways, I'm going to get a few hours sleep.

Fri, 26 May 2006 21:31:04 GMT

My co-workers are awesome. For reference, FogBugz is the system we use around here for tracking bugs in the software.

[Regarding a case Paul was working on, but couldn't figure out how to solve]
(17:22:59) Paul: ryan said to let it fester in fogbugz for a while haha
(17:23:07) Paul: cause we didn't know what to do
(17:23:11) Michael: haha
(17:23:12) Paul: i guess that's the protocol around here
(17:23:26) Paul: by the end of the term i'll have like 105 outstanding cases
(17:23:30) Paul: they'll call me Uncle Fester
(17:23:46) Michael: I need Ryan to take a look at this next week... he's the one that wrote it this code in the first place
(17:24:01) Michael: people will be able to smell your fogbugz list in the Toronto office
(17:24:56) Paul: I will be notorious
(17:25:08) Paul: I won't be asked to come back...but i'll be damned if I'm forgotten
(17:25:39) Paul: they'll have to hire 3 co-ops just to make up for the work i didn't do
(17:26:11) Michael: people will forever assign new co-op students to your cases as a test of loyalty... if they can wade through the muck, they deserve to stick around
(17:26:29) Paul: ya exactly
(17:26:37) Paul: I'll be doing them a favour
(17:26:40) Paul: weeding out the bad ones
(17:26:42) Michael: exactly
(17:27:12) Paul: alright man i'm out
(17:27:14) Paul: have a good weekend.
(17:27:16) Paul has closed the conversation window.
(17:27:21) Michael: thanks, you too

Tue, 02 May 2006 02:23:53 GMT

It's amazing what you can find cleaning out a closet that's been your dumping ground for stuff all your life. I just found some of spoonkun's maps from Invasion, the D&D-based game spoonkun, oytamarind, myself, and a few others played when I was in grade 8. That's where my old nickname "Liz" started. I have no idea how the maps ended up in my closet. So yeah, spoonkun, you can have them back if you want.

Tue, 02 May 2006 00:10:02 GMT

First off, I passed Stats! I even ended up with a 60%, which is surprising. I was expecting 50's, if I passed at all. I assume he curved the marks or something, because I seriously bombed that final. Whatever the case may be, I'm glad that course is over with. My other marks are better. Well, except for Psych, which I also did some hardcore slacking on this semester and ended up with a 66%. Semester GPA: 74%.

Next, well, I would talk about my first day of work, except that it hasn't happened yet. I found out last night they're backlogged with new employees, and don't have enough equipment or something. I may not start until the 15th, they say. Hopefully I won't be sitting on my ass for two weeks.

Well, I don't want to sit on my ass for two weeks. If there's anyone around Waterloo in the mood for doing anything later this week, or probably next week, let me know. I'm particularly talking about biking and random hangouts.

In the mean time, I've spent the day cleaning up my room. I kinda dropped all my stuff when I moved back to Waterloo last Tuesday, and I've had boxes and garbage bags of stuff strewn all over my room for almost a week now. I've discovered I have a depressingly small amount of storage space in here, which is going to make organizing all this stuff interesting. Eh, as long as it's out of the way, I don't really care.