First came A,B,C...

Rated: Geek
For: Lots of language bigotry and computer compiler complaining.

I've always been a C++ hater, and recently a Java hater. However, I've had enough years of C coding to know that it's productivity is pretty low compared to more advanced languages. I think it's ridiculous to write an office application in C. But today, it's also ridiculous to write an office application in Java or C#. Whence shall C++ die?

Why I "hate" java:

1. The evolution of the language has been a complete re-invention of all the standard libraries and toolkits already available through C and C++.
2. Using JNI(Java native invocation) to access said libraries is like playing with a box of bullets and a framing hammer to shoot a deer. Yeah, been there, done that.
3. It's a major memory hog. It shouldn't require 16 GBytes to run a first class production web server. Yes, been there, done that.
   
4. It's a CPU hog. While it does good on benchmarking, this is completely at the expense of memory management. Hit the memory wall and expect a massive wait time while java takes out the trash. This is the reason there is a "server" and a "client" VM now.
5. Language iteration has been awful. The base types are not first class objects, and can't be "boxed" into them easily. There are multiple threading models (though the latest is actually nice), and lots of "styles" of code around. I say they shoot the duck and make a coherent standard library.
6. AWT is foo to work in. Swing is slow. The obvious way to go is SWT - which is "abhorred" by the pure java community. Get a grip!!! SWT is wonderful to work in - it's the java client that we all deserved years ago. Eclipse is the prima donna example.
7. Failure to provide customer optimized native code. Yeah, I know this wasn't the goal of Java - but step through the looking glass and imagine a world where developers write the code and distribute the app as bytecode. When you install the app on a machine it builds a fast, sleek native version that always starts fast, and works on every operating system out there - flawlessly. In other words, the ultimate software delivery model for almost every customer out there. Yes, it's hard to do. Too bad java missed this boat.

I am of the opinion that C# is the way to go if you want to live in the virtual machine world. Java just makes me mad because it's all over the place version to version. I'm no Microsoft lover, either.

The good things about java though:

1. Interfaces, OOP, threading, sockets. Java taught the world that this stuff should be in the language and basic. My original fascination with java started here.
2. Applets. Yes, I love them - too bad they are under-utilized.
3. Eclipse. I'm in love with eclipse. Java is actually usable with eclipse.
   

I won't get into C++ - suffice it to say, I love templates and generic. I hate the memory management and the nasty syntax add-ons. Again, the evolution of C++ has battle scar written all over it. Not to say that you can't do some truly awesome stuff in it - quite the opposite. It can be very productive and given the choice between C++ and C for general development I'd go with C++. One controversial comment though... is it just me or are real C++ programmers sometimes snobby?

Now onto the goodies.

I've been doing much work with C# latily. WOW. Big WOW.

Let me list the goodies:

1. Coherent architecture, methods, naming conventions, types. It's just a JOY when you KNOW that the length of some type is .Length.
2. Structs live on!
   
3. Invoking native code is easy. I'd say 7x faster, as I've written wrappers for both java and C#, being completely non-proficient in either. One day, versus a week to get a simple library interfaced.
   
4. Built-in XML parser. No dabbling with multiple libraries, adding JAR's to your distribution, etc.. I know, it's semantic, but the JCP could have standardized on something like this long ago.
5. Pointers when you need them, mixed managed and unmanaged code. Yes, warn me that I'm using a pointer - no, I know what I'm doing.
6. Follows Java syntax and form, provides the goodies to build native GUI's without huge sacrifices.
7. Follows Java's example in threading, sockets, and other base libraries.

Now, the list of badies:

1. No native code, still have to live with a VM.
2. Again, memory is killed for CPU sake, though I've noticed that C# doesn't hit the memory wall nearly as easily.
3. Complex native structs just require pointers sometimes - I wish there were easier ways to manage structure members without having to write a complete getter/setter interface sometimes - but it's a small price to pay compared to pinning memory and locking the whole VM ala java.

Is there any hope for the average application developer? How about systems developers that want more productivity when the want it? How about developing an office application without sacrificing your soal to the dark one?

I think I've found it.. it's called D. It's a relatively new language, only 4-5 years old. However, it's not afraid to break old code and it's really moving in a nice direction.

From my basic overview of the language, I am hugely impressed.

1. It's clean, fast, compiles to native code, and supports all the goodies of java and C# without the big overhead.
   
2. Contract programming and unit test code "built into" the language
3. C# type delegates (basically functions as pointers you can juggle as needed)
4. C# type strings in switch statement (No more strcmp or overloading junk)
5. Resizeable arrays
6. No header files, methods are definitions
7. Threading, sockets, exception handling
8. Associative arrays ala perl hashes. BIG timesaver here.
   

I have to say, I am hugely impressed so far with the base language. I can see this language filling the needs of many developers. There's much work to be done on the libraries though - but again, a good base will naturally create ease in library development.

What a quote!

George W. Bush is a big spender. He has never vetoed a spending bill. When Congress serves up a big slab of fat, crackling pork, Mr. Bush responds with one big question: Got any barbecue sauce?

-Peggy Noonan

Fun with art...

Something I did a couple of years ago, I plan on doing more of. Enjoy!

Complete break down

Pondering my FEMA comments, I began to really ponder all that went wrong down there. I've got to say, it wasn't as simple as we initially heard - and I was too harsh on FEMA now that the facts are starting to surface.

I may be out on a limb here... but from everything I've read, it appears that even though FEMA did step in eventually (really, as of last Friday) what really happened behind the scenes played out like a cheap greek tragedy.

First off, the media had declared NOLA safe, except for some minor flooding along Lake Ponchatrain. Then, things started getting worse. The local governments BAILED and believed that state and the federal governments would just "take care of it." Of course, the Federal government was more than happy to contribute a few hands to a "normal" clean up effort. The state was busy trying to get information which was just not there.

Really, after that it was a snowball from hell. And as it got worse by the hour, the local government completely dropped the ball and fled town. The widespread destruction across a three state area and general mayham componded the problem of access to gas, food etc.

Frankly, it could have been worse. I think it goes to show that you can't depend on our Federal government to come bail you out. It's not designed to do that on this scale. It can't be done. You're neighbor is much more dependable.

FEMA is about command and planning, and expecting instant action on their part is wrong - but it was the only government structure that was in tact and which had the disaster background to handle this. We expect FEMA to be ready for this, but in reality, we've got to know that the sheer numbers of people was just too high to evacuate in less than a few days.

Ohh well, enough ranting. My appologies to FEMA and the National Guard... I still think they could have executed some things better - but given the scope, volume, and lack of information - it really was effective for a LOT of people.

Why do we even pay FEMA?

FEMA has shown it's complete and utter LACK of any common sense in sorting out the gulf situation. There's lots of characterization going on in the media.. painting the looters as all bad, but in reality most of them are mentally in survivor mode. Some points:

1. These people, if they were able, probably DID put aside food and water. Which is now trapped under 9-20 feet of water in their houses.

2. There is only 1 road out of New orleans right now, and it's DANGEROUS to walk around. It's also on the opposite side of the most affected parts of the city. Put another way.. would you stroll through this with your kids? I'd wait for an escort with guns, thank you.

3. It is essential to get people moved out within 48-72 hours of a disaster. After that, the shock of loosing everything you own wears out and you go into survival mode. The serious moral decay of society is coming out big-time here.

3. These evacuation buses are driving right past thousands of people. Today was the first day that any serious evacuation was happening.

I'm not excusing the behaviour of NOLA people - but I understand it. There's looting, rape and murder happening - at the shelters. 60% of the NOLA police force quite because there's no command/control. You have GOT to protect and provide for yourself and your family somehow.

Most people got clean WATER for the first time since Monday. Even at the Superdome.

If I were FEMA last Tuesday:
1. Get school busses and get accessible people out now. Sort them somewhere else and reduce the need to ship in food. There should be armed escorts getting these people out. They should be swathing the city eastward so they can make effective use of the manpower instead of diluting it.

2. Evacuate all hospitals. Call in every ambulance you can and fly them out of Baton Rouge.

3. Air-drop food and water all over the city. Hell, have the coast guard drop food around as they're going to rescue survivors. It took 4 days to get those "tons and tons" into the city we keep hearing about on the news.

They didn't do that. Instead they:
1. Advised everyone to gather at central locations.. and instantly had supply issues because there's only one friggin road into town.

2. They (Army engineers) thought they could fix a 500' levee of MOVING water in 24 hours. Huh?

3. The advised people to evacuate, but didn't coordinate escorts with the National Guard they had.

4. The police were overwhelmed. Many of them didn't even hear that they were under martial law!

5. The city government left town leaving people with no knowledge of the city to coordinate the effort.

It's just totally wrong. Even an 8 year old could figure it out. If you've got limited access you're not going to be able to provide needed services.

FEMA gets billions of dollars to figure this out and completely botched it. Now they're complaining that people are shooting at them, which is wrong, but these people are mentally in survivor mode and if you don't have food or water then you don't matter.

Posted on interdictor blog earlier:

Three days ago, police and national guard troops told citizens to head toward the Crescent City Connection Bridge to await transportation out of the area. The citizens trekked over to the Convention Center and waited for the buses which they were told would take them to Houston or Alabama or somewhere else, out of this area.

It's been 3 days, and the buses have yet to appear.

Although obviously he has no exact count, he estimates more than 10,000 people are packed into and around and outside the convention center still waiting for the buses. They had no food, no water, and no medicine for the last three days, until today, when the National Guard drove over the bridge above them, and tossed out supplies over the side crashing down to the ground below. Much of the supplies were destroyed from the drop. Many people tried to catch the supplies to protect them before they hit the ground. Some offered to walk all the way around up the bridge and bring the supplies down, but any attempt to approach the police or national guard resulted in weapons being aimed at them.

There are many infants and elderly people among them, as well as many people who were injured jumping out of windows to escape flood water and the like -- all of them in dire straights.

Any attempt to flag down police results in being told to get away at gunpoint. Hour after hour they watch buses pass by filled with people from other areas. Tensions are very high, and there has been at least one murder and several fights. 8 or 9 dead people have been stored in a freezer in the area, and 2 of these dead people are kids.

The people are so desperate that they're doing anything they can think of to impress the authorities enough to bring some buses. These things include standing in single file lines with the eldery in front, women and children next; sweeping up the area and cleaning the windows and anything else that would show the people are not barbarians.

The buses never stop.

Before the supplies were pitched off the bridge today, people had to break into buildings in the area to try to find food and water for their families. There was not enough. This spurred many families to break into cars to try to escape the city. There was no police response to the auto thefts until the mob reached the rich area -- Saulet Condos -- once they tried to get cars from there... well then the whole swat teams began showing up with rifles pointed. Snipers got on the roof and told people to get back.

He reports that the conditions are horrendous. Heat, mosquitoes and utter misery. The smell, he says, is "horrific."

N'Orleans

Been watching this blog: Interdictor, it's run by a NO ISP called directNIC.com. They're still online there.. riding it out. They've even got a webcam, and regular updates. You can watch looters and national guard. It's pretty startling.

The disaster of NOLA is only growing graver.. the entire rescue effort is blown apart. There's cops wandering the streets with no commanders, almost 1/3rd of the force has quite.

Good lord, even the Hospitals can't get help in NOLA.. There's even a doctor are canoing between buildings.

Hello? We can't move 400 patients in less than 4 days! The government can't get it together.. lots more people are going to suffer or die out there. God help them.

The story of Moo moo

05-02-05_2136
Originally uploaded by convivialdingo.

Moo Moo was a beautiful Jersey mix yearling steer. Sweet steer was he, now to table he goes.

Moo Moo weighed in at 540 lbs hanging weight and yielded about 275 lbs of Ground Beef, 28 T-Bone steaks (Which is the New York strip), 20 Club Steaks, 24 Tenderloin (Where the Filet Mignon resides), 6 big roasts, 28 ribs, 2 huge Brisquits, and much more. All in total, about 520 lbs of meat.. that's 18 square feet of freezer at the Ranchita.

Special note about this beef, it is all natural non-hormone Grass fed beef. Very tender as well.

I guess I am a sixth generation Texas Rancher in a small way, and I guess I did learn something about beef from my Dad, God bless him!