Fuckowski

A developer friend has pointed me to this fabulous blog. Look especially at this post.

I know, it is in Spanish. Perhaps you can use the language buttons on the left-hand side of the screen…

Doing research by building tools

My work involves a lot of abstract and obscure constructs. We could say I am a theory guy. However, I have an extense background in programming and general software development, which I like to cultivate. I write code almost every day.

I have found that the best way to go deeper in many of my abstract and highly theoretical endeavours is to build a software tool that implements (part of) the idea. For example: some time ago I envisaged a new approach to metamodelling for software development methodologies. I spent some months drawing diagrams, visualising ideas and writing notes. Eventually I decided to write a tool, so I fired up Visual Studio and, in a few weeks, I had written a nifty toolset that implements the core ideas behind my metamodelling approach. The amount of things I learned and discovered as a result of implementing these tools cannot be overstated. I have observed this many times: building tools is extremely useful as a research method. I guess because you need to formalise everything in your head in order to write the code, so any assumption or hole is eventually detected.

Teaching technologies at uni

When talking to my colleagues and friends, a topic that often comes up in the conversation is whether or not specific technologies and products should be taught at uni. For example, should we (i.e. uni lecturers) be teaching Java, .NET and UML, or just object-orientation, requirements engineering and internetworking?

Most of the time I find somebody with a strong position against teaching technologies and products. The arguments goes like this: the university should teach things that are valid for a long time, and not dependent on the products and the market. Technologies and products fade away, and we should teach things that stay with the student for a long time while being useful. Let the TAFE (trade colleges) teach products and technologies.

Do you agree?

One size fits most

A few years ago, while I was working at Neco, I was involved in the development of the OPEN/Metis software development methodological framework. In addition to including a metamodel and some extra stuff (of not much direct use to software practitioners), OPEN/Metis is basically a software development methodology. I am a professional software engineer, and therefore the idea that no single methodology can solve all the problems is embedded in each molecule of my body. That is, the old saying that one size fits all is plainly wrong, at least in academe.

However, my experience in industry shows that, for any given company, most of its projects are very similar in scope, size and even area of expertise. Perhaps we need to exclude here some hugely diversified companies that work in a multitude of areas. But, for most of the mid-size companies, this is, in my experience, quite valid. Therefore, the methodology that they use can be specified to a high degree of concretion leaving little room for variation. As long as the methodology is a good one, of course.

Homosexual marriage act is progressing

The Spanish house of representatives approved yesterday the law that will allow homosexual couples to get married, adopt children, inherit from their spouses and, in general, have the same rights as heterosexuals. The senate must now debate it and vote on it. The intentions are to make it effective next 28 June, Day of the Gay Pride.

This initiative has been qualified by the media as historical and exemplar. It seems that some religious and conservative groups participated in a ridiculous demonstration with mottos along the lines of the infamous “one apple plus one pear is one thing, but two apples together is something different”.

OulookConfig source code available

I have made the source code of OutlookConfig available on my website.

Enjoy!

Funny and mostly true

http://www.blogthings.com/sydney.html

What punctuality?

You know how I was saying that it is not true that Spaniards are less punctual than Anglo-Saxons.

Last sunday Isabel and I walked down the street to the park to see the Endeavour replica navigate again. As advertised on the newspaper, it was scheduled to pass under the Harbour Bridge and close to Blues Point at 2:30 pm. We were sitting there at 2:10 and the ship didn’t come. We waited a bit more and it did not appear. People gathered together on both shores. The afternoon was delicious. The Endeavour finally appeared at 3:12 pm. Not very punctual, was it?

If this had happened in Spain and an English writer happened to be looking, he would have written something like “See? The infamous and typical Spanish inability to be punctual”. Since it happened in Australia, people probably thought “Isn’t this odd? Forty minutes late!”.

This is how myths are built.

A xenophobe’s guide to the Spanish

I’ve finished reading “Xenophobe’s Guide to the Spanish” by Drew Launay, in my search for external views of Spain (see past experiences here and here). It is a 1993 book so I need to be benevolent with out-of-date issues, since Spain has changed a fair bit in the last 12 years.

The good news is that this book succeeds in pointing out a few things that I’ve never seen in any other book on Spain written by non-Spaniards. The bad news is that most of the book, even the good points, are (surprise, surprise!) heavily misunderstood.

There is a wormhole in Sydney

I have discovered a wormhole in the middle of Sydney city.

You may not believe me, but if you dare walk into it, you will be instantly transported to another place and another time.

The place is Spain and the time is the mid 1970s.

The wormhole terminus is permanently open at 24/31 Market Street, Sydney. I could not observe the real fabric of the universe or other spectacular phenomena as described by Peter F. Hamilton, but I could experience a tingling feeling in my bones as I travelled through space and time. If you love extreme experiences, I suggest you try it.

By the way, in order to make it a truly rewarding experience (from a scientific point of view, of course), you will need to spend at least 10 minutes at the other end of the wormhole, and preferably attempt some simple physics experiment (such as filling in a form) while you are there.