Coding Challenge Series / Technical Interview Series
Efficiently parse the following string into corresponding key-value pairs:
Content-Type: text/xml;
Content-Length: 246;
Connection: Keep-Alive;
Security-Token: ‘F52AB22B890E22:55AB072CF’;
(The above string is an example of the types of strings that might be encountered).
On slideshare, from Stephen Anderson, “Eye Candy IS A Critical Business Requirement.”
Do you think Eye Candy is an important aspect of the applications you might create and use?
Not sure I’d expect to see a small dude bouncing on a ball in a business application though … :)
This one I’d need to hear … sure, the one on the right is “friendlier”, but it’s like asking which is more citrus flavored, an apple or an orange?
Check out the rest of the slides here as I’ve only captured a few.
This would have been a better photo without the people, but I really liked how “warm” the colors were in the Wisconsin State capital building yesterday.
It’s a bit dark shrunk down to this size. You can click the image to see a larger version hosted on SmugMug if you’re interested (although it’s not the full size version).
I was using my new Nikon 50mm AF f/1.4 lens with my D300 today. It’s a very sharp lens … although I’m so accustomed to having a zoom lens … I found myself wanting to zoom (and get more wide angles). In some ways, a 50mm is better exercise as it forces me to do the zooming! :)
KETV in Omaha has created the “next generation of online weather information.”
http://www.ketv.com/weather/16842110/detail.html#
Do you love your iPhone? The new page uses pods, much like the Apple phone. You can move tiles around, add and delete tools until you have only the weather information you want. These tools will allow you to drag the weather information that is most important to you to the top of the page. You will be able to select your favorite cities to watch.
Wow, does that look gimmicky. I’m on a PC, not an iPhone. Optimize for the platform. There’s a great reason why the iPhone’s interface doesn’t emulate OS X.
Some great advice if for users who might be having trouble accessing the web site:
Another solution would be to bring the firewall settings to medium or medium low and try to get into the site.
Medium-low? Is that like a medium-rare firewall? My firewall is on or off (uncooked or well-done). There’s no “medium” option. And what the heck does having a firewall do with their web application?
Q: Why do I need downloads to view the radar?
A: Microsoft’s Silverlight is only recommended to view Live Radar
(Hello, grammar police? I guess you shouldn’t expect New York Times writers at a TV station).
But, of all the quotes …
Q: Why is my new weather page slower?
A: The new weather site using the latest web technology. Some of the graphics will take longer to load, especially on older systems and computers with slower access to the Internet. Some dial up users will not be able to use portions of the site.
The new weather site using [sic] the latest web technology. (Silverlight for video — they aren’t using it anywhere else according to the FAQ). The graphics are bigger and may take longer to load. Uh huh. Poor dial-up users — you’re completely out of luck.
Many users, slowly, over time, come to accept that new applications will run slower on their existing hardware.
When are the software developer’s going to stand up and say — enough is enough! We’re going to write tight, fast, optimized code? We’re not going to settle for users having less than stellar experiences if at all possible!
Unfortunately, I don’t see it happening — until the users just say, NO MORE!
If you’re involved with coding, what are you doing to make sure the performance of your software doesn’t decrease every release? Sure, sometimes new features means there might be a perf hit, yet performance decreases far too often. Think about the power under the hood of the computer you’re reading this on right now — it’s awesome! And so much of it is wasted. :(
The best way to stifle creativity and productivity: form a committee.
(I was inspired after reading this post to express my feelings on committees like the W3C ….).
