Thanks to Dariusz Parys for this notice. A security vulnerability has been found in dasBlog, and Clemens Vasters is asking bloggers to apply a patch to their systems. Go here for more info.

The project programming work is almost done, and the project manager has set a “code freeze” date. As the lead developer, I am assigning tasks so that the project is done by this date. But the date keeps changing. Almost every day, the PM announces a new code freeze date. Sometimes we have more time to develop, and sometimes we have less. It’s random. And so, when asked what type of programming methodology my company uses, I say we are using Chaos Driven Development (CDD). It’s the hot new thing. Test Driven Development is so “last month”.

Now, doing a quick search on Google, I discover there are no web pages out there that discuss Chaos Driven Development. Not one. The entrepreneur in me sees an opportunity! I could take this to the next level, registering http://www.chaosdriven.com/ and creating a web site about this development style. I could write books, Chaos Driven Development For Dummies. And tour the country giving training and holding conferences.

But the problem is, Chaos is already the dominant programming methodology in IT today. Most teams follow this by-the-seat-of-your-pants style. Noone would buy my books, or attend my training, because everyone knows (all too well) how to do it. Chaos is the natural state of things. It requires work to avoid chaos, but anyone can get a project into a chaotic state.

Many developers, when asked what programming methodology they practice, will freely admit it is similar to the Chaos model. When you ask them if that is the best way to do things, most will mention other models – extreme programming, test driven development, agile process, or Microsoft Solutions Framework. So there is a general admission in IT development that “we could do better”.

I had a hard time last week explaining to some friends of mine what the big deal was about Visual Studio Team System. “Come on”, one said, “that's great in theory, but what about the real world?” “Who has time to follow a formal methodology?” said another.

Eric Lippert has updated his favorite search terms, which inspired me to examine my referrer logs again and find the most interesting ones. The following are all search terms that people have entered into Google to get to this blog.

“How to spot a terrorist”

Hmm, I hope this wasn't the FBI searching Google trying to learn how to spot terrorists. I am not an expert, but I bet it is probably pretty difficult to spot a real terrorist. Many innocent people have been harrassed at airports because they happened to go to the bathroom too many times, or winked at someone else on the flight. Probably the only way is to infiltrate a terrorist group (either in person or electronically) and identify the people associated with that group.

“I'm sorry you feel that way” apology

I once said that the phrase “I'm sorry you feel that way” is not a genuine apology. You're not apologizing for your actions, or for hurting the other person. You're basically telling the person “You're wrong to feel like that”.

“You're more likely to die” lottery

Given that most major lotteries have a 1 in 14 million chance in hitting the jackpot, and death is a 100% certainty, you are definitely more likely to die than win the lottery. So if you think about it, you are more likely to die than do almost anything.

1 in 50 die in “car crash” peanut butter

This reminds me of the strange story that you are more likely to die from the carcinogens in peanut butter than the radiation from a nuclear power plant, yet people are not afraid of peanut butter but often are very afraid of nuclear power.

10 billion dollars to talk to me for one minute through my brains

I won't pay 10 billion to talk to you for one minute, whoever you may be. But what intrigues me about your proposal is how you expect me to talk to you THROUGH your brains. Do you have multiple brians? My brain actually hurts thinking about the possibilities here.

Are NDP socialists?

The New Democratic Party in Canada are indeed a socialist-like party, although they would rather use the term progessive. The party proposes increasing taxes to support more government programs, such as free prescription drugs, higher pensions and unemployment benefits. They are heavily supported by labor unions, but only enjoy 15% popular support nationwide.

ASP.NET jobs $100 per hour

If you find any ASP.NET jobs that pay that, drop me an email.

Bill O'Reilly Donald Trump double date

Apparently, it really happened. According to Bill O'Reilly's last book, he once went on a double date with The Donald. I haven't read the book, so I can't tell the full story, but I will assume it was a one-time occurrence. I wonder who the lucky ladies were. 

As an aside, I don't understand how my web log has become such a magnet for searchers looking for Sean Puffy Combs, Mark Cuban, Donald Trump and/or Bill O'Reilly. My referrer log is full of those references.

Employment with Sean Puffy Combs

Sean Combs, or P. Diddy as he is sometimes called, runs Bad Boy Entertainment, Sean John clothing, and a number of other empires. The Bad Boy web site doesn't have a Jobs link, so I don't know how you'd go about applying for a job. How about calling their main number and asking for their fax number?

See pictures of easy gymnastic moves with instructions on how to do them on the net

I guess with the Olympics on, people want to do the gymnastic moves themselves. That is admirable, but not advisable. Seriously. You could hurt yourself. Falling from a balance beam hurts. Are you trying to do the Iron Cross on the rings? Don't bother - you can't. (It's ok, neither can I.) Maybe you can do a cartwheel, which I can't even do.

What do Brazilians look like?

Brazil is the largest country in South America. Brazilians looks a lot like other Americans, but with more of a tan. And they wear less clothes apparently. According to the CIA World Factbook, Brazilians are 55% white, 38% mixed, and 6% black.

What does Bill Gates do for a living?

Well, Bill, or “The Gatester” as he lets me call him, is the Chairman and Chief Software Architect of Microsoft Corporation. He provides technical leadership to Microsoft, and probably gets involved in the biggest decisions, such as where the company should invest its technical future.

This is so cool it's scary. The U.S. government is experimenting with a technology that can identify the molecular components of cargo crossing the border. So it can tell if the contents of a barrel are flour or cocaine. Or anthrax.

Right now, it's just one machine, and it will only be used for suspicious trucks passing in from Mexico. But if the government made everything passing through its border pass through this, the drug trade would stop in its tracks. As would other smuggling activities.

The downsides are significant right now. First, the cost: $10 million per unit. Second, the time: it takes 10 minutes to scan the contents of a 18-wheeler. And third: it's nuclear, so operators require radiation protection. Still tough, those things can be overcome in time.

The privacy invasion brought on by the PATRIOT act may be nothing compared to this. Soon, the US will be able to count exactly how much money is in your wallet without you even knowing. Or be able to tell what you had for lunch by examining the contents of your stomach as you pass through the XRay machine.

New Nukes at U.S. Border

U.S. agents next week will start scanning trucks crossing the Mexico border with a device that shoots neutrons to detect what exactly is hidden in the cargo. By Ryan Singel.

 

Alice Cooper is selling school supplies for Staples. That is cool.

Little Girl: “I thought you said school was out forever.”
Alice Cooper: “No no no. The song goes, school's out for summer. Nice try though.”

On a recent trip to Dallas, Texas, I came across a sign warning patrons not to bring their handgun into the restaurant.

I guess the gun culture found in Texas (and other Southern States) is quite foreign to me as a Canadian, so seeing signs like this makes me laugh.

What makes it funny, to me at least, is that bringing concealed handguns into a Texas bar is such a common occurrence, that they have to create a sign to tell people not to.

I've talked a lot about my experience ripping open my old Dell Inspiron laptop. Here are some pictures.

Here's a picture of the laptop without the keyboard or the screen:

Here's a picture of the laptop with the palmrest assembly removed:

Notice the battery and floppy disk have already been removed, which are the two empty bays at the bottom left and right of the picture.

Here is a picture of the laptop motherboard:

On the left is the PCMCIA slot. On the right is the laptop security mechanism, to which a cable can be attached so noone steals your laptop off your office desk. Just to the left of the security mechanism, taking up most of the right side of the motherboard, is a complex looking heat redistribution system.