Small code with powerful results, the occasional opinion … and beer. 

26 Oct 2022
Just Who Is In Charge Here?

“The real danger is not that machines will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to think like machines. ” — Sydney J. Harris (former journalist for the Chicago Daily News) I recently watched a YouTube video about an incident which came close to starting a nuclear war, and it reminded me […]

13 Oct 2020
Just Scribble While You Work

In 2015, there was a picture taken of Putin listening to Obama give a speech.  When the photo was zoomed, it was clear that notes he was writing during the speech were just scribbles.  It made its way around the internet and, this being an election year, it’s making a comeback on Facebook in 2020. […]

29 Aug 2018
Real Password Security, Using the KISS Principle

Keep It Simple and Stupid! If you hate those extremely over-complicated password requirements which paranoid corporations are embracing, you will love the changes that NIST issued about a year ago.  The problem is, corporations aren’t really showing any interest in it. It is time to point them the the new guidelines, because the current ones […]

06 Aug 2018
Use Meaningful Method Names in WebAPI (.NET)

<rant> I don’t know if it comes from laziness in changing a default name from a template, or a misunderstanding of the attributes HttpGet, HttpPut, HttpPost, HttpDelete or HttpHead.  Regardless, having a WebAPI method name in code called Get() for a single method with an HttpGet attribute, Put() for HttpPut, etc… is bad practice. Use […]

19 Jun 2017
A Common Template Approach to Iterative Tests in NUnit 3.0 and Microsoft Unit Tests

NUnit and Microsoft Unit Tests use an approach of attributes on a method to identify a test which is expected to throw an exception, to differentiate tests which are expected to not throw an exception and just report success or failure based on Assertions (AreEqual, IsFalse, IsTrue, etc).  For individual tests, this approach is very effective. […]

25 Nov 2015
The electronic toll system is about to go the way of the Telcos.

Before I moved to Florida from Maryland in 2005, I had an E-ZPass in Maryland which we used for the Bay Bridge toll payments.  We got it in about 2000, and it was wonderful.  It was a time when electronic toll systems were just getting started in the US.  The big benefit was bypassing the […]

01 Sep 2015
Some tips when tracking your finances online

As a lot of people have done or are doing, I moved my finance tracking off the old (read: previously) reliable Quicken desktop application, to a provider on the web.  I love the convenience of having quick access on all devices I use and wherever I am. But there are still things I will not […]

01 Dec 2013
DD-WRT: Making two-routers work on the same network… and an alternate

I recently moved and had to setup a new home network. Because of the length and number of walls limiting effective radio coverage in the new house, I opted to put in two wireless AP’s: one at the front in the living room where the main input is, and one at the back of the house […]

30 Aug 2013
The 5 Core System Requirements To Protect Your Sleep

I have been a software developer for over 30 years now.  That includes time as a kid playing with technology, time as a student, and professional and non-professional work.  Over that time I have encountered a lot of bad designs, and some good designs in systems and software.  I also have, like every person in […]

20 Mar 2013
The French Taxi Driver Test

This analogy, which I heard long ago while living in Europe, is a very revealing exercise. The story goes as follows: “A Taxi Driver is driving his taxi down a city road at 2:30AM. The traffic light at the intersection he is approaching is red.  As he approaches the intersection, he brings the taxi to a […]