'Wings finally break 3 game skid.

Just to give anyone reading a heads-up, I'll post my hockey blurbs here and there, because I need to give my team a "shout out". Maybe I'll even convert you into a hockey fan along the way...

The Detroit Red Wings ended a three game losing streak Thursday night in a 3-2 shootout victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Dan Cleary posted the only 2 regulation goals for Detroit, with Henrik Zetterberg putting away the only shootout goal.

Dominik Hasek certainly shined on in this game stopping 26 of 28 shots and shutting the Canuck shooters down in the shootout.

In years past, I could probably (and given the time, I most likely will because I'm a nerd like that) graph two "slips" in the Red Wings seasonal performance. One in November and one in late January/early February, almost like clockwork. I'll hopefully put something together in the coming weeks with all the madness going on.

Cheers for the Red Wings!

More on the pegs story later...

Today, I've found a really great "summarizing" podcast by the gentlemen over at Rails Envy. In the very first episode I listened to, I was introduced to a few really rather interesting gems and plugins in the works.

The first of which is Rack.

Rack provides a common API for connecting web frameworks, web servers and layers of software in between."

-- rack.rubyforge.org

From the little I've read on this, it's a great means for essentially creating your own frameworks in Ruby and the web server of your choice.  Who's feeling entrepreneurial?  Maybe this will be the start of more ruby web-frameworks.   Mmm, probably not.  In my humble opinion I really believe having Rails and Merb is going to be plenty.  My theory on the two becoming the alpha-dogs of ruby web-frameworks is as follows:

Rails will become the entry-level framework where developers new to the "scene" will rails <project> there way towards a more blissful means of web development.  After a while, maybe some of them will want to take the framework in a new direction, get upset with ActiveRecord or simply become filled with rage when many of their patches to Rails are denied.  Where will they go?  What other option is there?  At the moment; NONE really.

Enter Merb.  Once the new kid on the block has matured into a full version and someone steps out of the woodwork stating "hey, x-app I wrote runs Merb and here are some damn-fine performance numbers to back it up", I'm sure the march out of the rails community will slowly but surely begin.  Merb could quite possibly end up being the "hardcore" framework for Ruby programmers and ultimately get the nod as the "Enterprise Ruby" framework.

So what evidence is there to back up such a claim, Bradford?  Well, let's take a look at Engine Yard.  They're positioned right now with a huge capital investment (US$3.5m) and are now able to bring a full (and paid-for) Rubinius team.  On top of which there has been talk of them open sourcing their hosting platform (whose name I can't recall at the moment).  They already employ (and I believe he owns part of EY) the core developer of Merb (Ezra Zygmuntowicz), so what's to stop them from deploying an end-to-end, SUPPORTED technology stack leveraged on these technologies?  Absolutely nothing, that's what!

Only time will tell, but with the recipe for success that Rails personifies for other framework creators - hopefully, I'm right.

Square pegs in round holes Pt. 1

Is everyone here? No? Fuck it, I'm going anyway...

I'm currently employed at a medical laboratory that was bought out a few months ago. In the beginning there were a few changes that needed to be made to the data-model (expected things). We (the people in "IT") were told that standard operating procedure at this "new" company was that everything server/application related would get swept into the corporate fruitcake and moved to North Carolina.

It was then apparent to these worker-bee's of the new corporate entity that this did not sit well with our group (which consists of me; a software developer, a network administrator and a help-desk technician). So stories were being floated down from people who, in the corporate hierarchy, are nothing more than someone's gopher about how we were unique and how everything would stay as is. Jobs weren't in jeopardy and life was good - not a care in the world. This same type of story was handed to other departments, sans servers of course.

Various meetings were held telling everyone to sit tight while things were jumbled about - you can insert your favorite corporate buzzwords here. I'm sure if you pictured it in your head you could just imagine this meeting. A southern gentleman who resembled Cotton Hill from King of the Hill standing in front of 80 people, fielding questions ever so diplomatically. The nervousness and longevity of his answers went completely unnoticed by my co-workers who resembled in my eyes a bunch of dogs at obedience class. *You can stop nodding now*

No one thought for a second to have a plan. They let these people waltz in and rip the rug right out from underneath them. Sad.

There's part of me that has some empathy for them but to take such a gamble on you and your families well-being based on some slick-talkin' stranger is simply ridiculous.

ESPN Radio and their advertisers

I have XM Radio and have had it for a number of years. I love it. I also love ESPN. So naturally having the two together is great. What's not so great is the advertising that ESPN hocks on it's xm channel (140). It's the same stuff every break: "Male enhancement in 3-5 seconds?!" or "Tired of seeing everyone around you living the good life?". You'd think a media juggernaut like ESPN could pull in some better schwag to push into our ears than this garbage.

I'm not sure how much longer I can take it; I mean you always have the ability to change the dial...but I'm American, that's a lot of work.

Thinking back on it - I think a solid work around would be the ability (like you have on a directv remote) to hit a "previous" button so that hopping between channels is easier.

This was a shitty rant...but what do I care - it's just a place for me to let the trash out of my head. It will be (I'm guessing) a good six months before anyone even see's this stuff.

Hi, my name is...

I know what you're thinking...This is just what the world needs - another "I think I'm witty and sarcastic so that must mean I'm funny" software developer blog. You're god damn right it does!

Hopefully I make something of this.