curvy

Terrigal, March 2006

When I was at The Company, there was this guy who claimed that he got different results from his computer depending on where in his office his rubber chicken was sitting. After explaining this to me, he disappeared in the next round of layoffs. I can't say I knew him well enough to say he was a terrible programmer, although I would say he was misplayed in a Unix organization. When it comes to computers I see that a lot people trying to change unrelated things hoping they will make a difference. Unlike users, programmers take a degree of responsibility in that they have learned enough to be at least dangerous, if not competent. Programmers ought to know enough to know that it isn't the computers fault. Gordon was Scratching his head, moving a few inconsequential semicolons that might as well have been rubber chickens on Friday night asking me why it doesn't work when he'd broken it, all when I was hungry and late for dinner.

Balmain, June 2009