This is a request for commentary from computer programmers. C programmers, Java programmers, web language programmers, hacks who cobble things together with shell scripts, what have you.
Here's the question: What kind of skill is programming?
The way I see it, there's two different types of skills: Ones that are creative, such as painting pictures, writing poetry, making music, and so on; and others that are purely based on logic and reason, such as engineering, scientific experimentation, and so on.
So, which kind of skill is computer programming?
Actually, the real question is: Can anyone with enough brains do programming, or is some weird creative bent required?
Programmers, I beg of you to leave any commentary on the matter. Thank you!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
3 Inches of Blood
I only know about this band because of one of our temp laborers.
Knew they were for something.
3 Inches of Blood
Knew they were for something.
3 Inches of Blood
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Let's Chop Up All The Big Countries
Wouldn't it be great if there were no more 800 pound gorillas on the world stage?
Most countries have are limited in population and industrial capacity so that they can't really engage in rude and anti-social behavior like stinkin' up the whole fuckin' place (cough-CHINA) or kicking the shit out of someone for no fuckin' reason (cough-USA) without the neighbors getting together and putting a stop to it.
So, I think it'd be a really wonderful thing if a way could be found to break down any political entity with enough clout to seriously fuck everyone around whenever it suits them. By "break down", I mean literal political fragmentation - the top level government just taken away, replaced by second level governments.
Not being some kind of fuckin' egghead political expert or anything I'm probably missing some really obvious examples, but the particular governments I feel the world would be better off without are the European Union, and the federal governments of the United States, China, and Russia. Some for reasons of specific bad behavior, but really this reason for all: The rest of us don't need anyone that big around. To me, they're more like the geopolitical equivalent of gangs than anything.
I wonder how, in theory, that might be made to happen?
Hmm. I guess what I really mean is, "how that might be made to happen AGAIN?" Were it still around, I would certainly have added the Soviet Union to my list of undesirable governments, and it did exactly what I'm talking about, except that one of the pieces is still too big. So, how to make that go further, and elsewhere, as well?
C'mon, US, China, Russia, EU: Do a Soviet Union! You know you wanna! Honestly, you don't really much care for out-of-towners, do ya? Talkin' all funny and takin' your jobs away? Wouldn't it be better to just be your own country? C'mon, break up, balkanize, separate, say bye bye. It'd be great for everyone.
Most countries have are limited in population and industrial capacity so that they can't really engage in rude and anti-social behavior like stinkin' up the whole fuckin' place (cough-CHINA) or kicking the shit out of someone for no fuckin' reason (cough-USA) without the neighbors getting together and putting a stop to it.
So, I think it'd be a really wonderful thing if a way could be found to break down any political entity with enough clout to seriously fuck everyone around whenever it suits them. By "break down", I mean literal political fragmentation - the top level government just taken away, replaced by second level governments.
Not being some kind of fuckin' egghead political expert or anything I'm probably missing some really obvious examples, but the particular governments I feel the world would be better off without are the European Union, and the federal governments of the United States, China, and Russia. Some for reasons of specific bad behavior, but really this reason for all: The rest of us don't need anyone that big around. To me, they're more like the geopolitical equivalent of gangs than anything.
I wonder how, in theory, that might be made to happen?
Hmm. I guess what I really mean is, "how that might be made to happen AGAIN?" Were it still around, I would certainly have added the Soviet Union to my list of undesirable governments, and it did exactly what I'm talking about, except that one of the pieces is still too big. So, how to make that go further, and elsewhere, as well?
C'mon, US, China, Russia, EU: Do a Soviet Union! You know you wanna! Honestly, you don't really much care for out-of-towners, do ya? Talkin' all funny and takin' your jobs away? Wouldn't it be better to just be your own country? C'mon, break up, balkanize, separate, say bye bye. It'd be great for everyone.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Nice One, Protesters
A couple of weeks ago, I was on my way somewhere Downtown Vancouver, cutting through the lot of the Vancouver Art Gallery. There was this big protest going on, as there often is. Now, I don't want to say what the protest was about because I basically sympathize with the point they were making. I'm not here to talk about that though, I'm here to call them a bunch of fuckin' idiots. I happened to notice this THIS goddam thing next to the beautiful water feature in front of the Gallery:
No, it doesn't clean up well at all on a porous surface like brick, as anyone in my line of work, or several other lines of work could have told you. So, now a beautiful water feature in mostly glass-and-concrete downtown in my city is marred by diesel exhaust because you dummies didn't bother to responsibly use the equipment you were using even to the extent of looking at it to see what it was fuckin' doing! That's why people like me have so little patience with you hippy-dippy wingnuts, it's not because we necessarily disagree, it's because you don't have the bloody sense to ask when you don't know something practical.
Nice one.
I might not even hide this on my blog, I might even fire this in to the fuckin' paper. Idiots.
Should the picture be not distinct enough or there be another problem with seeing my point, the pictured machine is a diesel electric power generator, and it's sooty black exhaust is pointed right at the brickwork on the water feature.
Do you imagine that cleans up well? Well, here's the same spot on the water feature two weeks later:
No, it doesn't clean up well at all on a porous surface like brick, as anyone in my line of work, or several other lines of work could have told you. So, now a beautiful water feature in mostly glass-and-concrete downtown in my city is marred by diesel exhaust because you dummies didn't bother to responsibly use the equipment you were using even to the extent of looking at it to see what it was fuckin' doing! That's why people like me have so little patience with you hippy-dippy wingnuts, it's not because we necessarily disagree, it's because you don't have the bloody sense to ask when you don't know something practical.
Nice one.
I might not even hide this on my blog, I might even fire this in to the fuckin' paper. Idiots.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Let Me Explain To You What a Firetruck Is
(I can't believe I have another topic already!)
That huge red car with the noise and the lights? That's called a "Firetruck".
The reason it's so large is because it carries equipment that's meant to put out a fire. Not campfires or barbecues, they're not driving around being assholes, but big deadly fires that kill people.
That's the reason for the noise (known as a "siren"), also. They're letting you know that they're not just chillin' or showing the ladies what an awesome ride they have, it's to let you know they are on the way to do their job. Unlike your job, people are going to DIE if they don't get there on time. In fact, people might die anyway.
The specific implication for the three of you is that you're really not supposed to step out on the road when one is passing, especially if, as in your case, it appears to be headed in your direction. People who drive firetrucks are used to people knowing who they are, so they don't obey the traffic lights. In fact, when their siren is on, they're not supposed to. For that reason, everyone that's been paying attention in life, and not living in la-la obliviousland like you, knows to stay out of their way.
The same applies to any vehicle equipped with a siren, even if it's not big and red like a firetruck. I'd explain further, but I don't want to get too complicated and crowd out the two main ideas I'm trying to communicate: Don't walk in front of a noisy firetruck; you are not very smart.
I am not an unkind person. Except when I am, like right now. I really wish that truck had squashed all three of you and continued on it's way, because people like you really need to be taken out of the gene pool. Idiots. I would exempt your small child from that harsh judgement, but I really don't think people like you need to go around reproducing. There's too many people in the world already and only the really smart ones should be allowed to do that.
(Oh yeah, this TOTALLY beats drinking and making my woman mad. Oh! About that...)
That huge red car with the noise and the lights? That's called a "Firetruck".
The reason it's so large is because it carries equipment that's meant to put out a fire. Not campfires or barbecues, they're not driving around being assholes, but big deadly fires that kill people.
That's the reason for the noise (known as a "siren"), also. They're letting you know that they're not just chillin' or showing the ladies what an awesome ride they have, it's to let you know they are on the way to do their job. Unlike your job, people are going to DIE if they don't get there on time. In fact, people might die anyway.
The specific implication for the three of you is that you're really not supposed to step out on the road when one is passing, especially if, as in your case, it appears to be headed in your direction. People who drive firetrucks are used to people knowing who they are, so they don't obey the traffic lights. In fact, when their siren is on, they're not supposed to. For that reason, everyone that's been paying attention in life, and not living in la-la obliviousland like you, knows to stay out of their way.
The same applies to any vehicle equipped with a siren, even if it's not big and red like a firetruck. I'd explain further, but I don't want to get too complicated and crowd out the two main ideas I'm trying to communicate: Don't walk in front of a noisy firetruck; you are not very smart.
I am not an unkind person. Except when I am, like right now. I really wish that truck had squashed all three of you and continued on it's way, because people like you really need to be taken out of the gene pool. Idiots. I would exempt your small child from that harsh judgement, but I really don't think people like you need to go around reproducing. There's too many people in the world already and only the really smart ones should be allowed to do that.
(Oh yeah, this TOTALLY beats drinking and making my woman mad. Oh! About that...)
Homophobia is Bullshit
You're not allowed to get mad about faggots if you're in a gay bar, no matter how they touch you.
Who the hell do you think you're fooling? You know you're in a gay bar right away. It's obvious. "Gee, there's only three girls in here, and they all have adam's apples!"
And, I hate to break it to you: It's pretty obvious to the rest of us. You wanted to try it, and then you chickened out. That's why you hit him.
That's bullshit.
Who the hell do you think you're fooling? You know you're in a gay bar right away. It's obvious. "Gee, there's only three girls in here, and they all have adam's apples!"
And, I hate to break it to you: It's pretty obvious to the rest of us. You wanted to try it, and then you chickened out. That's why you hit him.
That's bullshit.
Who's the Idiot that Invented Coffee Sleeves?
News flash, people: My fingers are tough enough to hold a cardboard cup full of hot coffee, and so are yours. I guarantee it. Try it.
Styrofoam coffee cups seem to have gone the way of the dodo for environmental reasons, and that's a good thing. I like the Earth the way it is, excepting that there's too many people, and that the pine beetle is trashing my favorite part of it. Other than that, I think it's fine the way it is.
So, all of you who worked to make styrofoam cups go away, THANK YOU. I wish I could say I helped. Thanks. That was great. All I really do is refuse coffee sleeves and plastic bags.
But whoever invented these goddam coffee sleeves should have a large number of them inserted into his rectum because that was ENTIRELY UNHELPFUL. Not "unhelpful" in the same sense as lazy pricks like me, but in the sense of ACTIVELY DAMAGING.
So, those great people that uninvented styrofoam cups? Thanks for undoing their work, asshole. I sincerely hope you get hit by a car. Except that would traumatize the driver, who doesn't deserve it. So go fall off a cliff or something, ok? Please do it in a remote location so the carrion eaters have a chance to pick you over before you're discovered.
It would help the environment.
Styrofoam coffee cups seem to have gone the way of the dodo for environmental reasons, and that's a good thing. I like the Earth the way it is, excepting that there's too many people, and that the pine beetle is trashing my favorite part of it. Other than that, I think it's fine the way it is.
So, all of you who worked to make styrofoam cups go away, THANK YOU. I wish I could say I helped. Thanks. That was great. All I really do is refuse coffee sleeves and plastic bags.
But whoever invented these goddam coffee sleeves should have a large number of them inserted into his rectum because that was ENTIRELY UNHELPFUL. Not "unhelpful" in the same sense as lazy pricks like me, but in the sense of ACTIVELY DAMAGING.
So, those great people that uninvented styrofoam cups? Thanks for undoing their work, asshole. I sincerely hope you get hit by a car. Except that would traumatize the driver, who doesn't deserve it. So go fall off a cliff or something, ok? Please do it in a remote location so the carrion eaters have a chance to pick you over before you're discovered.
It would help the environment.
Well, I'm back then.
I've decided to try to resurrect this blog that I tried to tried to convert to a redirect to my music page. There are two reasons for this: First, because I am no longer physically able to play my guitar in any meaningful way, I no longer wish to call attention to my music.
Second, because, oddly enough, I see that writing here and inflicting my opinions on the unsuspecting Internet is much more fun than getting stupid drunk and inflicting my opinions on people in the immediate vicinity. Don't get me wrong, I'm still the same arrogant bastard, it's just that this way I'm sober, making sense, and possibly reaching a wider audience.
Second, because, oddly enough, I see that writing here and inflicting my opinions on the unsuspecting Internet is much more fun than getting stupid drunk and inflicting my opinions on people in the immediate vicinity. Don't get me wrong, I'm still the same arrogant bastard, it's just that this way I'm sober, making sense, and possibly reaching a wider audience.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
I Don't Think This Blog is Helping Me At All.
Sorry, but it isn't.
I noticed something recently. All the tracks I store at 7161/Dancetech continue to have a rising play count, even though most of them are guitar songs mislabelled "techno". The ones I keep at zShare.net, although newer, appear to have been completely ignored.
This tells me that my modest listenership comes to me via 7161/Dancetech, and that the people who stop to play my music probably have no idea this page exists at all.
So a major re-org is in order. I'm probably gonna actually pay 7161 some money and just host everything there, including my home page. This blog, if I use it at all, will be stripped of it's musical content and used once again in the same fashion I did before I discovered music again. More likely though, I will simply abandon it.
In the short term though, I'm gonna clear out some stuff from my 7161 space, all the less popular stuff, to make room for new material. The stuff that I'm clearing off 7161 I'm gonna move to zShare, where it will live out it's remaining days in peace and comfort until zShare notices nobody cares about it anymore, takes it behind the barn, and shoots it.
I noticed something recently. All the tracks I store at 7161/Dancetech continue to have a rising play count, even though most of them are guitar songs mislabelled "techno". The ones I keep at zShare.net, although newer, appear to have been completely ignored.
This tells me that my modest listenership comes to me via 7161/Dancetech, and that the people who stop to play my music probably have no idea this page exists at all.
So a major re-org is in order. I'm probably gonna actually pay 7161 some money and just host everything there, including my home page. This blog, if I use it at all, will be stripped of it's musical content and used once again in the same fashion I did before I discovered music again. More likely though, I will simply abandon it.
In the short term though, I'm gonna clear out some stuff from my 7161 space, all the less popular stuff, to make room for new material. The stuff that I'm clearing off 7161 I'm gonna move to zShare, where it will live out it's remaining days in peace and comfort until zShare notices nobody cares about it anymore, takes it behind the barn, and shoots it.
There's Been a Couple of Changes on Here
So, right after I finished my last post where I complained about the fact that there's no such thing as GPL for music, I Googled a little harder and discovered that there is. Oops. My bad.
I chose an existing, legally binding licence agreement, so now my music has the exact legal status I want it to: I demonstrably own it, but it is legally spelled out that it's free for distrubition for any non-commercial purpose.
So, good. Mission accomplished, there. The next change I made was, I created a second list of music links called "Project Archives". This is different from the list of mp3's above it. These files are not mp3's, but zip archives that contain mp3's. THOSE mp3's are nearly every little snippet and recording I've made on my recent music projects since my interest in making music came back two months ago. It's all organized so each recording is in with whatever project it was originally associated with.
There's also a little grab bag of odd stuff in it's own archive. This is stuff that isn't associated with any existing project that I can recall. There's also a few "first-takes" - The first play on a guitar of a new riff or song. The recording I save and keep no matter how badly I play it, because otherwise I'll forget how it goes and lose it forever. Anyway, there's 2 or 3 of those. One I have plans for, but the others might just stay on the cutting room floor until the janitor comes, unless someone else rescues them.
Anyway, there it is! I'm doing my part: My music is "copylefted" exactly the way I want, and all my source files are up! Wonderful,
One other little change. Regular readers/listeners, if any, might have noticed one of my songs is missing now. Yes. It is. It isn't coming back either. It's a hateful little thing and I'm sorry I made it.
I chose an existing, legally binding licence agreement, so now my music has the exact legal status I want it to: I demonstrably own it, but it is legally spelled out that it's free for distrubition for any non-commercial purpose.
So, good. Mission accomplished, there. The next change I made was, I created a second list of music links called "Project Archives". This is different from the list of mp3's above it. These files are not mp3's, but zip archives that contain mp3's. THOSE mp3's are nearly every little snippet and recording I've made on my recent music projects since my interest in making music came back two months ago. It's all organized so each recording is in with whatever project it was originally associated with.
There's also a little grab bag of odd stuff in it's own archive. This is stuff that isn't associated with any existing project that I can recall. There's also a few "first-takes" - The first play on a guitar of a new riff or song. The recording I save and keep no matter how badly I play it, because otherwise I'll forget how it goes and lose it forever. Anyway, there's 2 or 3 of those. One I have plans for, but the others might just stay on the cutting room floor until the janitor comes, unless someone else rescues them.
Anyway, there it is! I'm doing my part: My music is "copylefted" exactly the way I want, and all my source files are up! Wonderful,
One other little change. Regular readers/listeners, if any, might have noticed one of my songs is missing now. Yes. It is. It isn't coming back either. It's a hateful little thing and I'm sorry I made it.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Why Can't Musicians Be More Like Linux Guys?
First off, let me explain a little bit of what I know about Linux guys, and what it is about their attitude that would be really good for musicians.Actually, I, myself, don't have to explain it at all. I just now checked my reference for what I was thinking of: "GNU - General Public Licence". The page pretty much explains it all.
However, in a nutshell, what they do is copyright all their stuff so no-one else can, and then they give it away. They call this "copylefting". They also make a special point of making it easy for other programmers who want to change the product.
The only difference between what those guys are doing, and what I want, is they are all about software, whereas I am all about music.
I very much want there to be a similar "General Public Licence" for music. I want it very, very badly.
That piece of paper there that I scibbled on explains why. I'm a dumb-ass construction grunt with no f***ing education and nothing but a computer and a guitar. (And my loving wife, of course. I love you, Cindy!) And, yet I am able to make music well enough that at least I myself am able to enjoy just putting it media player and listening to it, just as if I'd bought it from some famous spoiled prick, like how I usually get music.
In other words, the "x = somewhat ok music" like it says on my chart.
Now I'm doing what I do, about the music thing, purely because I want to HEAR THE MUSIC . That's it. No other reason. I would never care to try to be a rock star or anything like that. I could never stand all the goddam cameras in my face all the time, and plus, like that would ever happen now anyway. It isn't about that.
It isn't about stamping my name all over the music either. Perhaps some of you have heard of a Canadian rock band known as Rush. The reason I bring them up is because one of their guys summed up what I'm currently talking about perfectly. No surprise. That's his job, words. He writes them all (or mostly) and that's what he was talking about at the time.
Now, I don't still have the DVD with that little gem on it, so I gonna have to just paraphrase from memory. The drift was: "I don't mind it at all after I turn my work in to my bandmates, the fact that they may suggest some changes. I don't get hung up on ego, and they don't either. If anything, I HOPE they suggest changes. Then, it will be EVEN BETTER!"
Again, not his exact words, and I apologize to Mr. Neil Peart if I'm far off the mark. I don't believe I am though.
The point I'm making is, I feel the same way about THE ENTIRE WORLD MUSIC COMMUNITY as Neil Peart feels about bandmates. "Hey, EVERYONE. Here's some music! Take it, and make it BETTER!"
I don't care if my name is still on a song when it gets to be good. I truly, don't. I just want to HEAR IT!
So, that's the whole point of this article. I'm wondering if there are others out there with similar capabilities as myself, who also feel that way. I bet there are. So, I think we should create a "GPL for Music", copyleft all our music from raw recordings on up, and make it all available to each other by ftp. Just the way Linux guys do with source code.
I believe some wonderful music would then result.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Sonic Carnage - Snapshot 3
This is all about a weekend of chanting incoherently, hitting things with a stick, and making our birds yell at the computer.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
What I Did With Two Hours After Work Today
New Project: Sonic Carnage.
I had a better version, mixed for stereo and with a better bass performance, but FlexiMusic crashed and lost it.
I had a better version, mixed for stereo and with a better bass performance, but FlexiMusic crashed and lost it.
Monday, December 3, 2007
New Musical Offering
Introducing:
Abomination Against Hearing II: Monday Night Rescue of a Boring Song.
About a week ago I played the last snapshot on the speakers, and realized the you could only hear the drums! Oops. You hear more than that on headphones. Anyway, here's an attempt to dress that song up, using stone-age technology.
That's appropriate enough, I guess. Cindy said my last song reminded her of Fred Flinstone.
Abomination Against Hearing II: Monday Night Rescue of a Boring Song.
About a week ago I played the last snapshot on the speakers, and realized the you could only hear the drums! Oops. You hear more than that on headphones. Anyway, here's an attempt to dress that song up, using stone-age technology.
That's appropriate enough, I guess. Cindy said my last song reminded her of Fred Flinstone.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Music: Back to Basics.
Back to basics with the new project: "Muthafukkas 'n' Guns".
Warning: contains singing.
Warning: contains singing.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Is there "Labor Ready" for Computer Programmers?
The reason I ask is because there some programming I want done, and I could do it, but I don't want to waste my time on it. I just want to use it, not make it. So, I was wondering if there were any "day laborers", only programmers.
Monday, November 26, 2007
I CAN program my way out a paper bag!
Plastic might be a problem though.
The point I'm making is that I need a C compiler for XP. Anyone know a good one?
The point I'm making is that I need a C compiler for XP. Anyone know a good one?
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Music's Coming Together
My music project is starting to come together. I have a new snapshot, a complete re-mix, that I'm much happier with.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Not Exactly What I Meant
This to me is really funny. Because of an ad that appeared in a comment in my last post, I had to try to read and write Portuguese, which I did by Internet translator, of course. Here is my Portuguese, re-translated into English by the same site:
I am distrustful that I do not say the Portuguese, or spells it probably
exactly correctly, thus that I had that to use the services of an unskillful
translator of the InterNet to analyze its message grammatical. It seems to be a
propaganda. I am distrustful that I did not understand it entirely. I have that
to inquire after a supposed expression portuguese that somebody teaches to me.
He goes: of "For du inshere usaco" (sic). Pparently the ways of the expression,
"I think that you are trying to gain the favor even so flattery, and I we are
not printed particularly. The approach equivalent of the English "Quit blowing
smoke up my ass." (it is stopped casting the tobacco above of my donkey.) He was
I I taught correctly, or my fellow worker I was had a funny one in me?Oh.Not only that, but that Portuguese expression I named literally means
(I believe) "Stop sucking my balls." Talk about the meaning drifting a
little bit! Oops!How the hell do you get out of blockquote? I thought it was a
toggle.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
New Music, New Section
I added a new section for posting my music there on the right. The project I've been working on in Fleximusic I'm calling "Horrid Noise Explosion", snapshot 2 is new.
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