My experiment with "Yahoo!! Pipes"

RSS feeds has wildly captured my imagination recently, which was bound to happen thanks to my new born hobby of wwilfying. I started to spend my airtel broadband completely to subscribe and unsubscribe from various different feeds. Now that i feel i have quite an interesting collection of RSS feeds from various sources, i thought lets share the same. But the problem that raised its all time jumping head as to how i should do that. Sharing my feed XML was too kinky a process with another shortcoming of limited reach. So started my experiments on web …

In came Yahoo Pipes. Quite a nice way to ’single’fy feeds from various different sources. A simple and intuitive user interface with various interesting options to merge/filter the feeds. This post is not to explain why and how i did this experiment with Yahoo pipes. But is to provide with two output feeds i created using it.

• Weird and Funny Posts
• Technology Information

Both the feeds do provide quite an interesting collection. Do give it a try. By the way enough of this infoblogging. Should quickly get into my ‘funonomics’ version of my blog.

Blank….

Blank… Thats how i have been for almost a week now. Truly speaking work apart, life’s really following a pattern. ‘Pattern’ itself is trying to poke its head out of the blogged mind, but will somehow prevent it from doing so for a bit.

This post of mine is more of a “puch” to my blog. It has been throwing the same faces at me for more than a week now. It looked totally rusted, highly demanding a post. So thought lemme push down what i have been doing for a while. So the pattern goes something like this…

• Come to office : Is it really a step?? Though the efforts required does make it one.
• Check mails : Doesn’t matter even if i did it just before i left for office. Thats how work dawns at me
• Remain updated with my social contacts : Name sounds big. In simple words, i look at my un-updated profile again searching for new updates. Even a look at lame updates from friends would do
• Get coffee : Dude, it draws one fresh. Makes me totally ready for work
• Start Working and keep working : Works always there boss. But all work can make one a turtle head in an office. So simultaneous tasks include keeping an eye on notifications from Outlook, Gtalk, feed readers, communicator, fellow workers and “hope they were my fellow workers” types. By the way, a basic click continues. Check mails and social networks!!!
• Lunch : Have to take it boss. Can’t jump over it. I can give my 100% only when my tummy stays 100%.
• Scribble about everything : “Why just aloo/paneer?” “Need a small nap yaar!!” “Boss i shouldn’t have filled my tummy 100%. It really makes work difficult!!! [paradox???]” “Oh wow.. Man I never get a chance to praise beauty. Is it me who choices the wrong places to fall in or its just my luck that throws me in??? [Men will be men ]” And when i do think this is getting too out of work context, only the scribble context change “Tomcat sucks big time man!!!” “Eclipse slows like damn dude” “Uhhh my system needs a dose buddy!!” And as this continues …
• Get Coffee : One has to get fed up. Nothing works in noon. Coffee has to make me fresh
• Start Working and keep working : Work again. And stays the simultaneous threads. Just that an another thread with look at the clock gets added. And as EOD arrives…
• Check mails and Social Networks : I do it only twice. Once in the morning and again in the evening. Anyways no one mails. So why waste time checking mails. (An inner thought cries “Uhh still no mails.. no scraps”)
• Leave Office: I have a common statement to end my day daily “Today’s was the worst day mate. Nothing worked yaar!!!” Scribbling continues….

And as i end this post, an instant thought strikes. Does any software engineer spends a routine even an inch different than this one? Out comes the answer, obviously yes. Afterall every software engineer has new scribbles to scribble and new notification to look at. Also not everyone drinks coffee ….

[PS: Though the above mentioned steps seem bulky, but they hardly take 5 % of my working time. Reasons are simple. I hardly get any checkable mails or replyable scraps or readable feeds. Moreover work does succeed to pull me in]

By the way, follows a nice video on juggling. It does provide another work synchronized thread, a look at “Buffering …”

Software Programmers Panico!!!

As a follow-up to an earlier post titled ‘Quality Confidus’, here goes another one. The theme for this was bubbling in my mind right from the day this lack of confidence for quality came to my notice. But the world is too full with nonsensical stuff to let you think about anything else. So this time round just closed my thought radar and blogged this post first.

So the story goes like this. This whole lack of confidence among the software programmers and managerial “stuff” makes me wonder how really a programmers life is (Are managers really human? Am a bit skeptic about this fact. So let us call them stuff for now). I mean, thanks to this whole Bug-Raga that rings in their ears day round, the time is not far when we may see a conversation sort as follows:

SP2: What the heck? Are you serious?
SP1: Yeah man. I am really worried now. And confused too! Really i don’t know how this happened
SP2: Did you try resolving the issue. I mean try adding some stubs in code dude.
SP1: Did everything buddy. But its still the same. I don’t know what will Emailo say. (Emailo is the manager ’stuff’. I hope it does ring some bells)
SP2: Yeah. You have to work on this crisis. No one else can help and you know that. By the way what were you trying to do?
SP1: See nothing complex of sort. I had to blah blah blah. So what i did was i created a class extending blah and implementing blah with blah method overridden. Then i created a static object for blah blah blah…. (Thats what SP2 interpreted)
SP2: Ya got that. Dude that indeed is not that complex (Thats called Geekology!!!). I know you will resolve this soon. But lemme tell you one thing. You have to come out of this mess soon. Because Emailo will think otherwise that you are not giving your 100% (Though everyone knows thats the truth. I mean if i give work 100%, how will social networking and IM’s pull through).
SP1: I know buddy.
SP2: But i am still baffled yaar. How can your Code run at the first go dude! Thats completely unimaginable!!! I would just say try a bit of “Re-bugging“. My best wishes are with you dude
SP1: Thanks pal. By the way, do you know of any free downloadable “Rebuggers“!!!

PS: Here though SP is supposed to stand for a “Software Programmer”. But i feel there is another signifying expansion explaining condition of this Entity: Shoddy ‘n Pitiable!!!

Thats tagged as: humor programming software

Quality ‘Confidus’ for Softwares!!!

First thought one may get is what this title really mean. Truly speaking not something amazingly mind blogging. But I just kept scratching my bum over searching for the right word which i hardly could. So just replaced it with something sensefull and thought who cares. After all thats how new words are born and as an ardent user of English language its my even responsibility to add to its vast sea of gibberishes.

Ahh so backing to the topic, recently i heard about this CMM5 quality guru and an incident that happened with him. Forgive me I am bad at remembering the names. But anyways how does that really matter what you call him. In my senses lets say Mr D . This supposedly techie guy used to resurrect the importance of quality in software projects. It so happened that D had this kiddish habit of forcing his listeners into some situations and then try screw them when they answer. However this time around he promoted himself to a sadistic charm. He had a group of project leads as his listeners. Yawny as they always are, Mr D put them into a bit of critical situation. Here goes the conversation, obviously a spicy virtual one:

Mr D: Suppose you are boarding an aircraft which is a fully high tech one with Auto Pilot system, lights running all around, virtual air hostesses of shape and size of your choices. But the catch here is the whole software running is developed by your project group. There are no parachutes or any kind of emergency exit system. So in case your software fails, you rest in peace in your cosy container. Choice is yours; board the plane or pain your board.

Leads by now were pulled back to their senses. Seeing there life at stake, everyone hesitated to even walk in the aircraft. Their minds were running on a track somewhat as: “What the heck. Dude am least comfortable with aircrafts running with software developed by these geeks under me. Who knows these bastards left some untied piece inside. I don’t understand a shit and they don’t give a damn.” Actually speaking, Mr D was bubbling inside as this was his chance of scoring goal on quality. But suddenly a hand rose. Not only D but every single ‘D’umbo inside was shocked.

Mr D: Buddy lemme get it clear. Is it some kind of joke or you really are that confident. Dude this isn’t something what i expected. Tell me how are you so confident with your team. What do you run for so much quality control. Speak up before everyone leaves this room and rush to book a call with you.
The One(cool and yawny as always): Cool down man. Am least worried to board the aircraft. And I know nothing is gonna happen to me. Rather I am not gonna go anywhere. Just for the simple reason that if the aircraft is build by my team, it can never take off. Engines would never kick off.”

Just a midget silence and the whole room roared up into a huge burst of laughter. It got virtually transfered to a ball room where no one except performer cares how he perform. Mr D needed hardly anything to prove his point.

This whole lack of quality confidus (got something to do with confidence, but i though thats not the perfect word may rise to a level which would lead to a new breed of IT conversations. I am dressing it up. It would rise soon. Something by the name: Programmer’s Panico !!! Do hook up.

Quality ‘Confidus’ for Softwares!!!

First thought one may get is what this title really mean. Truly speaking not something amazingly mind blogging. But I just kept scratching my bum over searching for the right word which i hardly could. So just replaced it with something sensefull and thought who cares. After all thats how new words are born and as an ardent user of English language its my even responsibility to add to its vast sea of gibberishes.

Ahh so backing to the topic, recently i heard about this CMM5 quality guru and an incident that happened with him. Forgive me I am bad at remembering the names. But anyways how does that really matter what you call him. In my senses lets say Mr D . This supposedly techie guy used to resurrect the importance of quality in software projects. It so happened that D had this kiddish habit of forcing his listeners into some situations and then try screw them when they answer. However this time around he promoted himself to a sadistic charm. He had a group of project leads as his listeners. Yawny as they always are, Mr D put them into a bit of critical situation. Here goes the conversation, obviously a spicy virtual one:

Mr D: Suppose you are boarding an aircraft which is a fully high tech one with Auto Pilot system, lights running all around, virtual air hostesses of shape and size of your choices. But the catch here is the whole software running is developed by your project group. There are no parachutes or any kind of emergency exit system. So in case your software fails, you rest in peace in your cosy container. Choice is yours; board the plane or pain your board.

Leads by now were pulled back to their senses. Seeing there life at stake, everyone hesitated to even walk in the aircraft. Their minds were running on a track somewhat as: “What the heck. Dude am least comfortable with aircrafts running with software developed by these geeks under me. Who knows these bastards left some untied piece inside. I don’t understand a shit and they don’t give a damn.” Actually speaking, Mr D was bubbling inside as this was his chance of scoring goal on quality. But suddenly a hand rose. Not only D but every single ‘D’umbo inside was shocked.

Mr D: Buddy lemme get it clear. Is it some kind of joke or you really are that confident. Dude this isn’t something what i expected. Tell me how are you so confident with your team. What do you run for so much quality control. Speak up before everyone leaves this room and rush to book a call with you.
The One(cool and yawny as always): Cool down man. Am least worried to board the aircraft. And I know nothing is gonna happen to me. Rather I am not gonna go anywhere. Just for the simple reason that if the aircraft is build by my team, it can never take off. Engines would never kick off.”

Just a midget silence and the whole room roared up into a huge burst of laughter. It got virtually transfered to a ball room where no one except performer cares how he perform. Mr D needed hardly anything to prove his point.

This whole lack of quality confidus (got something to do with confidence, but i though thats not the perfect word may rise to a level which would lead to a new breed of IT conversations. I am dressing it up. It would rise soon. Something by the name: Programmer’s Panico !!! Do hook up.