How many times do I have to tell ‘em, you do not get paid for being smart. I missed the movies last night because I was working on the web page. When I looked up, it was twenty minutes too late to even consider the trip. I am serious about this web programming [again], and it is amusing how often I run into the same old situations. The implication is that I’ve tried and failed before. No, that is not at all correct.
I have designed excellent web pages with the resources available. It is making money off these pages that I have not done. Yeah, I’ve made a bit but nothing like a living at it. I get serious only when there is some potential money. I think HTML is a retarded language and if I had known of the requirements, I could and would have done a far better job of it. The methods I’ve invented are well-documented elsewhere. I went out for some plums and read an hour at the Starbucks. It was already too hot to ride anywhere.
The situations I refer to are the way that other “programmers” handle predictable problems. Like law, programming is thinking in very tiny strings of circular logic, hoping that one will work in the end. At least, that is the way for 99% of people in the field. (To bad programmers, like bad lawyers, all facts are created equal.) These days, it is likely you will be disassembling somebody else’s HTML code to find the working parts.
Thus, I can tell what stage of the process a programmer was at by noting how he dealt with problems. I am taking apart Justin’s bakery equipment site. A redesign is a better option than trying to fix what he did, but I still have to peel out the links, both the photos and the anchors. I learned when I was 18 that only the coding stage of computer programming uses a computer very much. I am amused by people who sit down and start typing. Alas, that is what Justin did and what is so amusing.
I also learned early to keep notes of what you are doing. He did not. Now I see why he is so reluctant to go back and upgrade any of that code. The laugh is that I know it is hard to keep tract of embedded picture links. In HTML, where you want to go is coded before the link to get there. The only way to keep organized is to write it down. All new programmers get frustrated and finally start doing the exact wrong thing – naming the picture the same as the destination. Some of his titles are over 100 characters long. Spelling becomes a big issue for computer words over 10 characters.
I know it is late, but once more I must sing the praises of my Argus, the now-famous $18.88 unit that surpassed all expectations in performance and quality. Finally showing signs of age, the camera began to allow one of the batteries [of 3xAAA] to wiggle or get jarred loose during its rough journeys clanking back and forth on a lanyard around my neck. No, not a fancy camera strap, a surplus gadget clip I salvaged for the purpose. The camera does not have any backup power, so a disengaged battery clears the memory. However, no such luxury is expected for such a price. The value of this camera is built-in ruggedness.
As evidence of that, I was able to make a field repair. This is not possible with most “modern” equipment that has all the empirical strength engineered out of it to save a few fractions of a penny per unit. I’ve already modified this unit [to not beep when used] and this time I simply removed the battery cover as shown in the photo. I then wood-glued a slice of ordinary emery board [trimmed to fit] to pressure the batteries down against the camera frame. Bonus, it also tightened the fit of the battery cover. Good as new, and another plug for Argus.
