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June 2004 - Posts

C# Super Heroes

Now that the news about Express is out everyone is extremely giddy. Well, aren't you? A fabulous piece of software lands in to your lap at the same time a major new motion picture releases at the box office? If I were you I'd be torn between what I was Read More...
Posted Wednesday, June 30, 2004 11:01 PM by mattwar | 0 Comments
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Wayward Ho!

There will soon be available a 'light' version of the Wayward Weblog, target marketed for students and amateur blog readers. It will come available coinciding with the shipment of VS2005 and be titled Wayward Express. There will be a menu option (and Read More...
Posted Tuesday, June 29, 2004 4:41 PM by mattwar | 4 Comments
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Treasure Hunt

While you were sleeping, eating, working, playing and doing those other things that you do and don't tell people, the Wayward was busy plotting and planning a grand scheme that would be unleashed on the world at a moment of his choosing. That moment is Read More...
Posted Tuesday, June 29, 2004 3:45 PM by mattwar | 1 Comments
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Dollars for Donuts

Wayward blogs shares shot up to $497.00 per share today! If I lived in blog land I could retire! I wonder if I can at least convert them to Marriot reward points. Hmmm. Matt Read More...
Posted Tuesday, June 29, 2004 12:41 PM by mattwar | 0 Comments
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Free is Better

It is always difficult when you are working on something new at Microsoft. They company is so big, it can choose to cancel projects that it has invested millions in, and never even flinch. So when you are developing a product you are never quite certain Read More...
Posted Tuesday, June 29, 2004 10:04 AM by mattwar | 8 Comments
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Through the Looking Glass

What's the fascination of 3D for the desktop? I'm referring to the Sun announcement of its new Looking Glass desktop. Of course, it looks intriguing. I'm not one to scoff at the overuse of CPU power just for the sake of using it, and I have not seen a Read More...
Posted Monday, June 28, 2004 5:16 PM by mattwar | 11 Comments
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Digital Loafers

I was a little lax on the posting this weekend, a selfish sunbaked digital loafer. I actually had a full two days of family time; no coding, nothing. Okay, a little bit of coding but not much. A few lines here or there, who's going to know the difference? Read More...
Posted Monday, June 28, 2004 9:55 AM by mattwar | 0 Comments
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Flaming the Feed

Great balls of fire, batman, there was a fire alarm a while ago. The whole building was evacuated. I had to finish my last post 'What you definitely don't want to see', before I could add a few more zingers. Now I've been away from the keyboard so long Read More...
Posted Friday, June 25, 2004 12:41 PM by mattwar | 0 Comments
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What You Definitely Don't Want To See

It seems that others have been asking the question, “What features do you want to see in C#?” Of course, with this type of open ended question people will be asking for the moon. So I thought that since this is the anti-blog you all should Read More...
Posted Friday, June 25, 2004 11:02 AM by mattwar | 7 Comments
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The Anti-Blog

I was watching the Matrix again the other day. It's full of philosophical statements and themes. One big point that the movie 'architect' made at the end of the second movie, and was sort of re-enforced by the third movie was the idea that the real world Read More...
Posted Friday, June 25, 2004 10:24 AM by mattwar | 7 Comments
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The Wayward Way of Life

The pressure has been building since the beginning of the month. The race is on to prove who has the right stuff, and who is just a wannabe, an amateur. It wouldn't be so difficult but the challengers are many and they are gunning for me. You see, your Read More...
Posted Thursday, June 24, 2004 3:39 PM by mattwar | 3 Comments
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Blog IPO's

It is a intriguing concept to think about the buying and selling of shares of blog sites. While blogshares.com is just for kicks, it is still plausible that a real market for ownership of blogs could come to be. You might think that would amount to the Read More...
Posted Thursday, June 24, 2004 3:14 PM by mattwar | 4 Comments
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Solitude - Part XVI - Conclusion

Read Parts I , II , III , IV , V , VI , VII , VIII , IX , X , XI , XII , XIII , XIV , XV The metal door was now open and large beastly shapes began to emerge from behind it, shadows stacked upon shadows, claws and glimmering teeth. “Too powerful Read More...
Posted Wednesday, June 23, 2004 10:13 PM by mattwar | 0 Comments
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More Posts, Less Filling

I'll be the first to admit that the quality of my posts have been stretched a bit thin in the last few weeks. It seems that all the good posts of the past came on days where that might have been the only post made, sometimes in the midst of a complete Read More...
Posted Wednesday, June 23, 2004 3:08 PM by mattwar | 3 Comments
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The Big Time

Finally, The Wayward Weblog has made it to the big time . Or it will have by the time you read this . Shares of wayward are going on sale soon. Get in on the ground floor! There will never be a better time than right now. It's all Heather's fault. I wonder Read More...
Posted Wednesday, June 23, 2004 2:22 PM by mattwar | 3 Comments
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Personal Area Hygiene

It's true that some times when you hear about a patent, especially from a software company, it seems frivolous, unnecessary or just down right silly. In the news today is some discussion of a new Microsoft patent covering Personal Area Networks . These Read More...
Posted Wednesday, June 23, 2004 11:36 AM by mattwar | 5 Comments
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Free Trips to Space

I've been reading a lot lately about the privately funded launch of an experimental spacecraft. I'm sure you've all read it too. How could you miss it? I suppose it doesn't always make front page. Maybe you were sick that week, out of it, in a comma? Read More...
Posted Wednesday, June 23, 2004 10:21 AM by mattwar | 0 Comments
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Cookie Cutter Coding

Its about time that I finally get down to paying the bills. You knew it could not last forever. I mean, really, a blog about basically nothing? Eventually someone would have noticed. Someone would have said something and then the jig would have been up. Read More...
Posted Wednesday, June 23, 2004 12:25 AM by mattwar | 1 Comments
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Solitude - Part XV

Read Parts I , II , III , IV , V , VI , VII , VIII , IX , X , XI , XII , XIII , XIV Before their very eyes the homestead took shape; the forest, the hills and the small babbling brook. The stone took on detail, the field grew a fence. Colors blended into Read More...
Posted Tuesday, June 22, 2004 11:46 PM by mattwar | (Comments Off)
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The Chump gets Stumped AGAIN

Answers to the latest Stump the Chump challenge! Q: Okey... Easy question... Do you belive that God is almighty? A: I'm sure that if I ever meet him, he'll be able to easily take me at arm wrestling . Q: http://yexley.net/blogs/bob/archive/2004/06/15/SeekingTheWiseHelpWithAFileSystemTreeView.aspx Read More...
Posted Tuesday, June 22, 2004 1:23 PM by mattwar | 2 Comments
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Technicolor Dreamshirt

I'm back at work today, and its now worse than ever. It's happening all around me, and its hard to miss. I see it everywhere I go. I even see it on me. It's kind of easy to understand though. I mean, what with this place being what it is and the people Read More...
Posted Tuesday, June 22, 2004 10:04 AM by mattwar | 1 Comments
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It must be blogona

A few visitors arrived late last night while I was sleeping. Had I known they were waiting I wouldn't have left them there, alone, in the dark. I wouldn't have ignored them as I arose in the morning and went through my morning ritual. I wouldn't have Read More...
Posted Tuesday, June 22, 2004 9:46 AM by mattwar | 0 Comments
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Solitude - Part XIV

Read Parts I , II , III , IV , V , VI , VII , VIII , IX , X , XI , XII , XIII Oetho stood dumbfounded. Around him everything seemed fluid and improbable. The zone of grass flowed outward as new blades lifted up. In the distance, he saw shapes, tall columns Read More...
Posted Friday, June 18, 2004 1:21 PM by mattwar | 1 Comments
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The Heat is On

It is hot today, terribly hot. A kind of hot that makes most Washingtonians jump for joy, slip on their shorts and tank tops and head for the beach. The heat outside is like a stinging syrup that bears down on everything, forcing you to wade through it Read More...
Posted Friday, June 18, 2004 10:24 AM by mattwar | 0 Comments
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Solitude - Part XIII

Read Parts I , II , III , IV , V , VI , VII , VIII , IX , X , XI , XII For a long while no one talked. Amana heaved with sobs. Oetho held his eyes closed and tried to concentrate, seeking a solution. He was certain there was something he was missing, Read More...
Posted Thursday, June 17, 2004 10:31 AM by mattwar | 1 Comments
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Identity Theft

I am taking the day off in remembrance of a momentous event that occurred many years ago and has special meaning to me alone. The day had great impact on a few others too, but even as great as it was my memory of it is poor, hazy at best, and I'm starting Read More...
Posted Thursday, June 17, 2004 10:25 AM by mattwar | 2 Comments
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Solitude - Part XII

Read Parts I , II , III , IV , V , VI , VII , VIII , IX , X , XI Oetho tried to smile but it was too much effort. Instead, he closed his eyes and fell unconscious, deep into a sound sleep, dreaming of better things. He awoke much later to another scream. Read More...
Posted Wednesday, June 16, 2004 3:14 PM by mattwar | 2 Comments
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Personal Denial of Service

I'm having trouble connecting into this blog site today. Maybe its happening to everyone, but somehow it feels like its just me. I know there were DNS troubles yesterday, and maybe that is still going on. But I think there is something more to it. I think Read More...
Posted Wednesday, June 16, 2004 11:31 AM by mattwar | 0 Comments
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Wayward's Deep Dark Secret

Normally, I'd have titled a post like this as a way to catch wandering eyes and then I'd spew out some silly little tirade about some sinister secret, and it would drag on and on never quite divulging anything and finally ending with either a punch-line Read More...
Posted Tuesday, June 15, 2004 2:09 PM by mattwar | 5 Comments
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More Stump the Chump

If you missed it last time around, here is you chance to stump the Wayward. Ask him your incredibly difficult to answer questions and he will answer them, guaranteed! This is no front for a quick google search. I'm talking about tapping the power of the Read More...
Posted Tuesday, June 15, 2004 1:41 PM by mattwar | 7 Comments
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Solitude - Part XI

Read Parts I , II , III , IV , V , VI , VII , VIII , IX , X “I’m trying,” he said, lifting himself weakly from the ground. “I think there is something I can do.” His voice trembled under the strain. Of course, he had no idea Read More...
Posted Tuesday, June 15, 2004 10:25 AM by mattwar | 1 Comments
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Spamming the Feed

It has come to my attention that my plethora of posts on so trivial of topics has been construed by some as the equivalent of spam, the blasting of electronic bits down the proverbial throats of others, the unsuspecting masses of web surfers caught in Read More...
Posted Tuesday, June 15, 2004 10:22 AM by mattwar | 3 Comments
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Solitude - Part X

Read Parts I , II , III , IV , V , VI , VII , VIII , IX The rest was mostly a blur, the memory of the events preceding the nothingness. For a moment, it was soothing; to be at rest, careless, bodiless in a void, no sensations, only his own thoughts, fluid Read More...
Posted Monday, June 14, 2004 4:59 PM by mattwar | 3 Comments
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Thunder bored

This movie is probably going to be a stinker. They really should have kept the puppets. Matt Read More...
Posted Monday, June 14, 2004 2:20 PM by mattwar | 3 Comments
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The Wayward Chump Answers All

I received the following questions from by post “Stump the Chump“ Q: what... is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? A: I'll tell you if you bring me a shrubbery. Q: How many plain M&M's could you fit into a Boeing 747-400 Freighter? Read More...
Posted Monday, June 14, 2004 1:59 PM by mattwar | 3 Comments
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Solitude - Part IX

Read Parts I , II , III , IV , V , VI , VII , VIII Oetho trembled. The pain in his heart was his only sensation. He allowed the stone to slip from his grip and dangle from the chain. “Alright,” he shouted. “Just let her breathe.” Read More...
Posted Monday, June 14, 2004 10:08 AM by mattwar | 8 Comments
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Outside of the Box

I should not be able to type right now. I shouldn't be able to move my arm to lift my hand up to the keyboard. My arm should be too sore to do anything but hang limp from my shoulder. I think I have enough drugs to keep me going for the day, so I can Read More...
Posted Monday, June 14, 2004 9:59 AM by mattwar | 1 Comments
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Solitude - Part VIII

Read Parts I , II , III , IV , V , VI , VII “It’s here,” he shouted. “Forget about the goat. We have to find the stone or we’ll all be dead.” Oetho sprang into action. He pushed crates aside and waded deep into the Read More...
Posted Saturday, June 12, 2004 9:25 PM by mattwar | 4 Comments
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Solitude - Part VII

Read Parts I , II , III , IV , V , VI The Ban-Tho howled in a deep, low rumble. “Si-lenze,” it said with a snarl. “I killed not these ones.” Oetho could easily understand the creature’s speech. He had dealt with many captive Read More...
Posted Saturday, June 12, 2004 8:04 PM by mattwar | 2 Comments
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Solitude - Part VI

Read Parts I , II , III , IV , V It stood in the center where most of the clutter had been cleared away. It was tall, eight foot or more. Its black hair, bristled and frayed, ran from its scalp down its back and grew thickly around its thighs. Its bare Read More...
Posted Saturday, June 12, 2004 7:34 PM by mattwar | 6 Comments
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Solitude - Part V

Read Parts I , II , III , IV The passage beyond led a short distance to a narrow set of steps rising upward. Light streaked in sparingly from some point higher up where the stairs took a sharp twist to the right. The air stank of molded cheese. “It’s Read More...
Posted Saturday, June 12, 2004 4:19 PM by mattwar | 3 Comments
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Farm Fun Fantastic

I had the chance to visit Remlinger Farms today. It is a working berry farm turned into a park used for office picnics and such; somewhat like a mini version of Knotts Berry Farm, but with only teeny rides for toddlers. This was the year end picnic for Read More...
Posted Saturday, June 12, 2004 4:12 PM by mattwar | 0 Comments
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Programming in the Void

We think we know what it is we are capable of as programmers. We think we understand the processes we go through, individually, about how we think about software, how we solve programming problems, how we juggle the concepts and variables of a piece of Read More...
Posted Friday, June 11, 2004 10:15 PM by mattwar | 6 Comments
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Source Code Affirmations

Programmers stare at stubborn code bases all day long. They work within the nuts and bolts of rigid logic, a world where everything is either exactly true or exactly false, or at least some quantized exact measurement. Its a harsh world that we live in, Read More...
Posted Friday, June 11, 2004 5:31 PM by mattwar | 4 Comments
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Stump the Chump

This is your chance to ask me incredibly hard to answer questions. Try to stump me. Every question will be answered. I will compile them into a Q/A format and post them at some time in the future. Sample questions: “Why does nose hair grow faster Read More...
Posted Friday, June 11, 2004 3:23 PM by mattwar | 12 Comments
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Solitude - Part IV

Read Parts I , II , III Amana’s face sagged as she looked up at him. “Where are we?” Oetho had not given it a thought until then. “In my old chambers, I’m sure.” He looked around. Light streaked in through two tall Read More...
Posted Friday, June 11, 2004 2:28 PM by mattwar | 6 Comments
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Feeling the Love

I think I've been spoiled these last so many years. It's gotten to the point where I cannot program without it. I've tried to do it, on my own, for different projects, on the weekend, late at night, but I find that its just not the same. I actually need Read More...
Posted Friday, June 11, 2004 1:33 PM by mattwar | 8 Comments
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Solitude - Part III

Read Part I - Read Part II “I had not given up everything,” Oetho said, “and my mind does not easily forget all that I have learned.” He placed the disk into Amana’s palm. “You married a Mystic, my love. My powers have Read More...
Posted Friday, June 11, 2004 10:23 AM by mattwar | 9 Comments
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Solitude - Part II

Click here to read Part I Part II Amana pursed her lips. “If not you, then Juxin,” she spat. “Damn, him! What has he done? What have you helped him to do?” Her fingers clawed at his forearms, and her legs buckled in weakness. Oetho Read More...
Posted Friday, June 11, 2004 10:15 AM by mattwar | 18 Comments
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Solitude - Part I

Oetho rushed out the doorway at the base of the stone tower. His gray hair whipped in the wind and his black cassock snapped. He held his arm up to shield his face, but the wind still bit at his eyes and ears. Wincing, he forced his way across the small Read More...
Posted Friday, June 11, 2004 10:08 AM by mattwar | 21 Comments
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Behind the Curve

I can't stand being behind the curve, physically, mentally, emotionally, at work and at play. But here I sit, at Microsoft main campus, Redmond WA, far on the other side of the US. If I were in NY I'd be three hours ahead right now. I can't stand it that Read More...
Posted Thursday, June 10, 2004 4:41 PM by mattwar | 3 Comments
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Stuck in the Slow Lane

Been writing in C++ lately. Man, I feel disconnected, alone, naked. So many pointers, deref'ing, addresses, pseudo-maniacal linked lists all over the place. Where's ArrayList when you need it, or managed arrays. I want my managed code back. Please, give Read More...
Posted Thursday, June 10, 2004 3:33 PM by mattwar | 11 Comments
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Enumerating Enums

Why can't you enumerate Enums? You'd think you could, given the name! What would it look like? enum X { A, B, C, D } foreach( X x in X ) { ... } Okay, that won't fly because X is a type not an instance. How about: foreach( X x in X.GetValues() ) Now, Read More...
Posted Thursday, June 10, 2004 3:10 PM by mattwar | 2 Comments
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Programming without Types

Warning, actual serious content. This is not a joke. Repeat, this is not a joke. I don't want to get rid of types. I just don't want to have to explicitly say them all the time. I want more type inference in the language. Again, this is not some lead Read More...
Posted Thursday, June 10, 2004 3:02 PM by mattwar | 14 Comments
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Guaranteed or Your Money Back

Writing lots of posts of day is very exhausting. To be able to do it, you've got to practice a lot, exercising your fingers and your mind. Those that only post once a week or so never get to this point. They can slog out whatever they want at whatever Read More...
Posted Thursday, June 10, 2004 10:20 AM by mattwar | 1 Comments
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Flavor Free Cola

Cola must not be a flavor anymore. It was at one time, long ago. Now, there's cherry, vanilla, lemon and lime all added in, separate products, separate tastes. I cannot image any other explanation other than the flavor of cola has become so ubiquitous, Read More...
Posted Tuesday, June 08, 2004 9:35 PM by mattwar | 4 Comments
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TabletPC Addiction

It was obvious to most users of the current TabletPC that something had to change. The ones out there now are nothing more than regular old laptops with a swivel on the monitor. They are still bulky and heavy, everything a tablet should not be. So the Read More...
Posted Tuesday, June 08, 2004 4:47 PM by mattwar | 4 Comments
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The Pony Express

Did you ever stop to wonder just how much time I spend writing these posts? I mean, what kind of developer has enough time in the day to not only write all the code, fix bugs, drink soda, read email, surf the web and write blog posts? Is there something Read More...
Posted Tuesday, June 08, 2004 10:17 AM by mattwar | 6 Comments
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Xen: SQL in the mainstream

The X#/Xen (newly renamed c-omega) programming language has built in facilities to query data structures and databases. I had the pleasure to work on that project, implementing all the query features. The XML query features looked a bit like OPath from Read More...
Posted Monday, June 07, 2004 9:55 PM by mattwar | 7 Comments
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Gaming Discourse

I went to lunch with my brother today. This is a somewhat common occurrence. We are both soldiers for the Empire. We usually talk about programming or family business, but often we get deep into discourse over his recent gaming/macro-ing exploits. I have Read More...
Posted Monday, June 07, 2004 9:23 PM by mattwar | 2 Comments
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Two Bit Universes

If you take the cover off the box you will find some thin slabs of metal, some circuit boards, boxes of electronics sandwiching disk platters, diodes maybe, chips in sockets definitely. This is the physical reality. This is how the machine coincides with Read More...
Posted Monday, June 07, 2004 4:52 PM by mattwar | 1 Comments
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Hacking the Bozo Bit

Eons ago, back in the heyday of high school, there was this antiquated multi-user mini computer that we all used for course work and such. There was a computer 'club' with elected officers and a bunch of pre-geeks that gathered in the computer room after Read More...
Posted Monday, June 07, 2004 11:42 AM by mattwar | 0 Comments
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Barnacle Bits

I've been thinking of bits lately. You know, those fiendish critters that skitter around under the structures of our data. Take a peek. Look in the field and you'll see them; thirty-two in every integer. They are packed closely together, kind of like Read More...
Posted Monday, June 07, 2004 10:19 AM by mattwar | 2 Comments
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Good to be back

The vacation is over. The bags are unpacked. The laundry is done. The house is restocked of all those perishable food items. Days have gone by and I'm no longer feeling the jet lag, or the tightness of skin left over from the Sun and the heat. It's Monday Read More...
Posted Monday, June 07, 2004 9:50 AM by mattwar | 0 Comments
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Lazy Days

So the Summer is finally here, almost. In a few weeks most people with kids will enter that phase of the year where summer vacations happens. Lots of people go away on vacation during this time. It becomes hard to schedule people for meetings, so conversations Read More...
Posted Sunday, June 06, 2004 1:29 PM by mattwar | 2 Comments
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Artificial Content

Controversial Topic 1. Catchy Lead-In 2. Comical Description 3. Obscure Prose 4. Ironic Summation For those of you using the 'artificial content' blog post formula, try to keep away from anything materially related to work or projects you know anything Read More...
Posted Saturday, June 05, 2004 9:20 AM by mattwar | 2 Comments
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Juiced Up

The flight back yesterday was generally pleasant, except for a few mishaps that I'll gladly go into detail here. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. Charlie and I were sitting together, he had the window seat. Soon after the plane took off and after Read More...
Posted Friday, June 04, 2004 6:50 PM by mattwar | 0 Comments
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Connecting Flight from Hell

Everyone has a story about the connecting flight from hell. I suppose I do too. This would not be it, but rather an observation about it all. Why is it when you have a connecting flight the respective gates are at the opposite ends of the airport, every Read More...
Posted Friday, June 04, 2004 6:32 PM by mattwar | 2 Comments
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Analogies and Metaphors

I thought that when I went on vacation I'd have a lot of time to think of brilliant new analogies that I could spin into a few thought provoking bits of prose that would shed light on life as a programmer, code and our reason for being. I thought that Read More...
Posted Friday, June 04, 2004 6:27 PM by mattwar | 0 Comments
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The Hard Life

There was a surprising derth of posts over the last week. The vacation was great, but the 'brand new' resort had no internet connections in the rooms. I suppose they figured everyone was there to relax. I could have dialed out, but that's always been Read More...
Posted Friday, June 04, 2004 12:10 AM by mattwar | 0 Comments
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Bar Hopping

A couple of weeks ago, Raymond Chen (I think it was him) posted a link to a funny write up on British pub ettiquette. One bit I recall that was interesting was the general scorn the locals held for unknowing tourists ambling up to the bar in groups, when Read More...
Posted Tuesday, June 01, 2004 9:27 PM by mattwar | 2 Comments
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The Easy Life

There was not much to do today, except sit in the sun, float on the waves and take a long nap during the heat of the day. That's the life. That's vacation. That's what it is all about. That's why I do the nine to five (or the eight to seven, or was it Read More...
Posted Tuesday, June 01, 2004 9:19 PM by mattwar | 1 Comments
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