Software runs the space shuttle. These guys write the software.

The average error rate for most software, over 11 revisions, and of comparable size and complexity, would be 5000.  The shuttle software, over the last 11 revisions, has had 17.

Little bit of a difference in numbers there (no, there are no typos, it really is 5000 VS 17).

How did they do it?  Step one was take out all the glamour.  The people who work there are business men and women; these aren’t the Jolt Cola and pizza fueled scooter riders we envision when we think of “the best” software companies.  Everything done has a plan.  Everything.

At one point, they wanted to have the shuttle track its location from GPS satellites;  this necessitated the changing of about 3, 500 lines of code.  The documentation for the change spanned 2500 PAGES.

Interesting article, makes some comments as far as where programming as a whole is heading (besides talking about some really cool stuff done by really stuffy and cold people)

(I was going for the joke by rearranging that sentence.  I’m sure they’re all wonderful people)

(Except Ted in accounting, he’s a dick)

(That’s right Ted, you’re a dick)

Apparently, this is my personal slogan:

«Be young, have fun, taste Binks.»

Thanks Sloganizer.net, for continuing to creep me out.

For the record, the next ones I got were:  «Binks. The power on your side.» and «Binks know-how.»

Which are actually kinda cool.

Howdy Y’all!

Unlike all of you people working with yesterday’s tech; I’m using Firefox 2.0

Not the Firefox 2.0 Release Candidate 3; the complete official Firefox 2.0 build - a whole day before it’s official release! firefox ddaaa boobies boobicle pasta pastaa - yep, the integrated spell checking works (in case you’re wondering, it recognized that firefox should be capitalized to Firefox, that ddaaa is not a correct spelling of a word, that boobies is spelt correctly, and it decided that pastaa should be pasta).

So, expect moderately better spelling here in the future!  (Jordan sighs in relief)

As for other features; it’s got a different look to it, but nothing major, really.

You can grab it here.  Most people should use the win32 file; and in there you likely want “en-US”, then just pick the .exe

It’s probably best to do it now; before the servers get pounded for the next week with so many people wanting to get it.

I like to think I’m a pretty tech guy, especially when it comes to my anacronyms (though not my spelling…)

I can tell my RAM from my ROM; I know my VOIP from my AJAX.

I can’t figure out what the hell this stands for: PAP2; as in Linksys PAP2 VOIP.

There is only one thing I know of with the anacronym PAP; and it has been described as pleasant by no girl who’s undergone it (anything with “smear” in the name can’t be too good).

But wait! Marketing calls out; This is PAP 2.0! I generally figure if I don’t like 1.0, 2.0 can’t be too wonderful.

I think I’ll wait till they relese the first PAP 2.0 service pack; since that’s where they’ll fix the bugs (eeewww)

Guess someone decided there really AREN’T any girls into tech. The UW CS program cries out in unison, as they realize this is essentially true.

Fin

Video from Google Video

It’s the most popular drink on drinksmixer, something I kind of want to try.

Problem: I need tequila, rum, gin, and triple sec. (vodka is the one thing I have…) This would cost a small fortune to make just one of.  For 750 mL bottles, tequila runs from $30-$135; rum and tripple sec each run about $20, and gin can be had for as little as $10 (That seems scary-cheap though…).

Plus lemon juice for the sweet and sour mix, and coke.

That puts the price-point of this guy at somewhere from $65 to infinity.  Granted, I’m getting a boatload of booze; and booze doesn’t tend to go bad, but that’s a rather large… “investment” in a drink.  Also, I like the idea of saving money with volume; so to pay for smaller volumes, the unit price gets much higher.

I have trouble paying obscene prices for drinks at bars…  I’ve mixed a martini, and let’s face it, your simple martini is gin and dry vermoth - for $30 you can get enough to make dozens of martinis; for $30 at a bar you can get, what, somewhere from 2-6? Ugh… they need a “bulk barn” for alcohol… all I want is a little of each! lol; enough to know if the damn thing is even good! I think I should stick to recipes with two ingredients… At least that way I know I could use those ingredients up in a sane timespan…