Thanks to Julian I found out about the Channel 4 Geek Comedy ‘IT Crowd’. You can download the first episode legally from the channel 4 website.

Disclaimer: A warning for the jocular challenged - this movies may contain sillyness and jokes some people may find offensive.

Episodes:

1. Yesterday’s Jam
2. Calamity Jen

I’m sorry, the old episodes are no longer available from the Channel4 site, but I’m sure you can find them elsewhere.

I guess they don’t have Scottish as a separate nationality, so this is really the most agreeable european nationality for me

Your Inner European is Irish!

Sprited and boisterous! You drink everyone under the table.

From a marketing email I got today:

With Christmas over, its time to ban that ugly G word from
your repertoire

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Urban Dead is a nice browser based, massive multiplay, zombie roleplaying game. Thanks to Isotop for the hint. One good thing: due to the limited amout of actions you cannot waste a lot of time playing it.

We were talking about these quotes a few days ago, so I looked them up and collected my favorites from these two sites.

Enjoy…

23. Klingon Programmers don’t read manuals. Reliance on a reference is a hallmark of the novice and the coward.

22. A TRUE Klingon Warrior does not comment his code! If it was hard to write, it should be hard to read, and even harder to modify.

21. By filing this bug report you have challenged the honor of my family. Prepare to die!

20. Klingons don’t draw flowcharts. Flowcharts are, after all, the illiterate’s form of documentation. Cavemen drew flowcharts; look how much it did for them.

19. Klingon programmers don’t plan ahead; they have a gut feel for the work required.

18. Klingon Programmers ignore schedules.

17. Klingon Programmers don’t write in Lisp. Only effeminate programmers use more parentheses than actual code.

16. You question the worthiness of my code? I should kill you where you stand!

15. Our competitors are without honor!

14. Specifications are for the weak and timid!

13. Klingon software does not have bugs. It has features, and those features are too sophisticated for a Romulan pig like you to understand.

12. Perhaps it IS a good day to die! I say we ship it!

11. Our users will know fear and cower before our software! Ship it! Ship it and let them flee like the dogs they are!

10. You cannot really appreciate Dilbert unless you’ve read it in the original Klingon.

9. Python? That is for children. A Klingon Warrior uses only machine code, keyed in on the front panel switches in raw binary.

8. Klingon programs don’t do accountancy. For that, you need a Ferengi.

7. Klingon Programmers don’t write specs. Customers should be grateful for whatever they get.

6. Indentation?! - I will show you how to indent when I indent your skull!

5. Debugging? Klingons do not debug. Our software does not coddle the weak. Bugs are good for building character in the user.

4. Defensive programming? Never! Klingon programs are always on the offense. Yes, offensive programming is what we do best.

3. Klingon function calls do not have parameters - they have arguments — and they ALWAYS WIN THEM.

2. Klingon multitasking systems do not support time-sharing. When a Klingon program wants to run, it challenges the scheduler in hand-to-hand combat and owns the machine.

1. What is this talk of release? Klingons do not make software releases. Our software escapes - leaving a bloody trail of designers and quality assurance people in its wake.

The guardian posted a list of the top 20 geek novels and after a glance I was again reminded of my geekness. From the 20 books I know all but 3 (12. Watchmen — Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons, 15. Stranger in a Strange Land — Robert Heinlein and 20. Trouble with Lichen - John Wyndham), have read all but 5 (the 3 unknown plus 4. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? — Philip Dick and 14. Consider Phlebas — Iain M Banks).

1. The HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — Douglas Adams 85% (102)
2. Nineteen Eighty-Four — George Orwell 79% (92)
3. Brave New World — Aldous Huxley 69% (77)
4. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? — Philip Dick 64% (67)
5. Neuromancer — William Gibson 59% (66)
6. Dune — Frank Herbert 53% (54)
7. I, Robot — Isaac Asimov 52% (54)
8. Foundation — Isaac Asimov 47% (47)
9. The Colour of Magic — Terry Pratchett 46% (46)
10. Microserfs — Douglas Coupland 43% (44)
11. Snow Crash — Neal Stephenson 37% (37)
12. Watchmen — Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons 38% (37)
13. Cryptonomicon — Neal Stephenson 36% (36)
14. Consider Phlebas — Iain M Banks 34% (35)
15. Stranger in a Strange Land — Robert Heinlein 33% (33)
16. The Man in the High Castle — Philip K Dick 34% (32)
17. American Gods — Neil Gaiman 31% (29)
18. The Diamond Age — Neal Stephenson 27% (27)
19. The Illuminatus! Trilogy — Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson 23% (21)
20. Trouble with Lichen - John Wyndham 21% (19)

This is priceless… Read the rest of this entry »

Great article about the space shuttle, I especially liked this footnote:

5 The Soviet Shuttle, the Buran (snowstorm) was an aerodynamic clone of the American orbiter, but incorporated many original features that had been considered and rejected for the American program, such as all-liquid rocket boosters, jet engines, ejection seats and an unmanned flight capability. You know you’re in trouble when the Russians are adding safety features to your design.

Being back home I have the time to write some more about the West Highland Way.

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