Again, jaw hanging open, but this time in a good way.

I get rather alarmed at work when I’m told that someone’s idiocy is to be expected, as they’re: new, young, inexperienced, poorly trained, etc. I just expect better.

On the other hand, every so often I run across something truly brilliant, and feel humbled (Any book by Don Box). Today, I ran across “Duff’s Device.”

I’d heard of it before, but never bothered to actually look at the code. It’s an optimization for something I rarely have to deal with in real life.

Looking at the code today, I was at first confused by what the big deal was… then saw where the “do” was located, and was struck by the brilliance. Pick up the odd-numbers-out at the start, rather than at the end…

Only click the link if you don’t mind feeling impressed, and feel comfortable in your knowledge of what exactly a compiler does. Assembly language knowledge might help cushion the wtf factor.

Inconceivable!

I just went to clean off my white board (dry erase). It has notes from yesterday’s laborious explanation of the under-the-covers functioning of CoCreateInstance, so that my intern would hopefully be able to solve his own problem without my help (it didn’t).

I picked up the same eraser I used to wipe off the same board yesterday. I was erasing ONLY green, same as yesterday.

Somehow, my eraser left tons of black remnants all over my not-perfectly-clean-but-still-serviceable whiteboard. Black. I haven’t used black in weeks.

The only theory that comes to mind is that someone swiped my eraser and replaced it with this other one. Which is, in a word, inconceivable.

Different places, different work styles

Within an hour, I asked two coworkers to provide either myself or our shared lead with information related to the performance of someone I’m responsible for (my intern).

The guy who’s been with the company for a few years immediately told me not only what he had asked, but the context, and his impressions.

The guy who’s been with the company for a few months didn’t even say he was going to tell our manager; he just said, “Okay.”

It would make things easier for me if I know what he knows, but it’s more important that management knows how he’s doing. It just makes things more convoluted this way.

How to find quilting supplies

If you’re a Microsoft employee, go to the Microsoft externally accessible discount site.

Browse to “The Mall.” Then go to “Computers and Electronics.” Go to the second page. Scroll down.

The last item is QuiltWorks Northwest.

Now, will someone tell me how that’s “Computers” or “Electronics”?

Thomas Crown != Thomas Crown

Here’s a hint to Comcast. When you’re running a special promo, to transition from Sean Connery in From Russia with Love to “another Bond” as Peirce Brosnan in The Thomas Crown Affair, you might want to be sure that the version of the Thomas Crown Affair you’re showing is the remake, and NOT the original.

The original Thomas Crown Affair had a bit more violence, and a lot less Brosnan.