Programmers as Children

I’m reading a book called Introducing Microsoft .NET.

In the very first chapter, the author starts comparing programmers to alcoholics. He says we are unable to follow good programming practices like unit tests, or documenting our code. We programmers, he insists, are so lazy and undiciplined that we cannot even keep ourselves from wasting four hours a day playing Solitaire on our computers during work hours (pg. 5).

As a solution, he proposes we programmers need to do what people in recovery do, basically follow a “two step” program:

• Admit we are powerless to manage our lives.
• Believe a greater power than ourselves can restore us to sanity.

Anyone want to guess who he thinks this “greater power” is? Who is the only one who can save lazy, undiciplined programmers? Why, it’s our old friend Microsoft. Microsoft is now our god, according to David S. Platt. Wise benevolent Microsoft and their only begotten son, .Net, has come to redeem us and make us whole, productive citizens again.

...

What’s left to say?

Grad School Quandry

I got an offer from UCF to come to graduate school. It was a teaching assistantship, which covered full tuition as well as a moderately healthy stipend. It isn’t, however, a healthy enough stipend to avoid communal living, and after owning my own home, I don’t know if I can go back to that.

I still haven’t heard from UNC. I guess that means I’m not invited to “Candidates Day”, which is tomorrow. I’m not too surprised, since I was two months late getting my application in. Still, I had hoped my killer personal statement would have won them over. :D

And then there is the local job search. Let’s not talk about that; who know’s who’s reading these things.

End of an Era

Crap.

CommerceEngine is closing it’s doors. I feel bad in a way, as I was involved in bringing Chad into the company, but I did tell him at the time that it was a significant risk. I really think, had our initial customer not bailed on us, we could have made a go of it.

Eh.

I’m trying to get into grad school. UNC is my first choice. They have a lot going on and some people there who I respect a lot. If that falls through, I’ve also got my application in at UCF, a less well known, but quite reputable program in it’s own right.

Eh. Even thought I’m losing my job, I have no love life, and I can’t get the wallpaper off my kitchen walls, at least I’ve discovered MegaTokyo!, the best web comic on the planet.