I think toy shops can be the most magical places ever. Call me a kid if you want to, but just looking at the racks and racks of toys does something to my brain! It's worse if there are samples left around.. Today, I even got a kid who was holding one half of a ball tossing game to show me how it was played. He looked rather nonplussed! While my friend was looking around for something for her brother,I began trying out the scooter and the Xbox too. If the manager would let me, I'm sure I'd spend hours in there! I think the whole fascination is just with the connection to the part of my own brain which has been shut down/overwritten by other parts: the 'play circuit', if you will! As a kid, playing was quite an end in itself: I didn't feel like I should be doing something else while I spent time in my backyard digging for hours. As adults, we have to think about work and manage time. Now all I can do is watch kids play, and play with them when I feel I can fit it into my schedule!
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
++i or i++?
The stereotype of computer programmers in media is often that of 'nerds' who can't see beyond their own noses. After a couple of weeks' exposure to their job, I think the stereotype falls, as a lot of stereotypes do tend to fall, beside the wayside.
One thing programmers always want their code to be is 'clean'. In other words, it should be efficient, short and uncomplicated, and should do the job you want it to do, and nothing else! High quality programming is as creative a job as art. Anyone can copy a painting or picture: it requires knowledge of technique. Technique is easy to master, procedures are easy to master, too; the harder part is in being the person who says:"Wait a minute, let's try that!" or"But can't we do it this way?". Copying code from a book is easy; thinking up new ways of writing it based on your knowledge(and not just technical knowledge, but knowledge of the world, such as it is!), requires a special kind of mind! I think the top quality computer programmers, artists, musicians, designers and engineers all do pretty much the same thing!
Also, just today, I was looking at a bit of code that left me completely mystified. The author of the book it was in seemed engagingly excited about it and it clearly was something special, but its meaning left me completely in the dark. Frankly, I felt a bit like a kid wanting to get into a cool club. I do hope the mysteries of code unravel themselves more and more over the next six months!
PS. I just feel so pleased with myself. My previous post had a white background for some reason and I went into the HTML part of the editor and removed the colour. Let the initiation begin!
One thing programmers always want their code to be is 'clean'. In other words, it should be efficient, short and uncomplicated, and should do the job you want it to do, and nothing else! High quality programming is as creative a job as art. Anyone can copy a painting or picture: it requires knowledge of technique. Technique is easy to master, procedures are easy to master, too; the harder part is in being the person who says:"Wait a minute, let's try that!" or"But can't we do it this way?". Copying code from a book is easy; thinking up new ways of writing it based on your knowledge(and not just technical knowledge, but knowledge of the world, such as it is!), requires a special kind of mind! I think the top quality computer programmers, artists, musicians, designers and engineers all do pretty much the same thing!
Also, just today, I was looking at a bit of code that left me completely mystified. The author of the book it was in seemed engagingly excited about it and it clearly was something special, but its meaning left me completely in the dark. Frankly, I felt a bit like a kid wanting to get into a cool club. I do hope the mysteries of code unravel themselves more and more over the next six months!
PS. I just feel so pleased with myself. My previous post had a white background for some reason and I went into the HTML part of the editor and removed the colour. Let the initiation begin!
Will you, won't you?
High on money
But low on care
High on profits
(Let's up the fare!)
But low on care
High on profits
(Let's up the fare!)
Hopping to London
And Paris for chores
Not knowing who handles
Our own dirty clothes
Did you see her shoes
Now, darling, that's nice
Jimmy Choo does bring
That certain spice
Prada and Chanel
We rack up the bills
Not knowing who labour
At that moment kills
Or the servants who drive us
Who feed us our meals
Who deal with our children
Their tantrums, their squeals
It's in front of our eyes
But we heed it we don't
Misery is caused
By people who WON'T
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