My idea of what a Professional Computer Engineering example would look like...

After having worked in the Software Engineering industry for a while now, I am often quite surprised by what people view is a "good example" of their code work.  Some companies have differing methods of trying to measure a potential candidate's skill by asking obtuse language questions, or live coding exercises.  I've even seen where some companies require a code sample.

Recently I had an opportunity to go through such an exercise, and it really made me think about what I would consider a professionally written software project.  It is a relatively small scale example, so in some ways it doesn't have the kind of code re-use that I would have ideally included.  However I feel that it is a really good example of things like unit testing your code, tracking code coverage, utilizing memory checking tools, counting Source Lines of Code (SLoC), and providing documentation for interfaces generated from the code.

A good friend of mine made an excellent suggestion, which was "Why not Open Source the project code, and make it available for others to look".  As it is small scale, and makes use of widely available Open Source software tools, it seems like a good example of how to make use of these tools.

I chose to do so, and posted the project on GitHub.  I hope that someone finds it useful.

Test Day 2012

Unit Testing isn't only just for testing your code, it is also for holding constant your external dependencies.  For example, your code uses an Open Source library.  Unit Testing is a perfect fit for documenting your assumptions/conditions on how the API currently works.  That way, when you upgrade to get the "improved caching" or some other whiz-bang feature, you can run your unit tests and verify that any under the covers kind of changes in the library hasn't broken your code.  Very slick.

And much better to find it when you upgrade your library, than weeks later when someone discovers a bug in your code when you don't have it fresh in your mind.

Participating in Test Day 2012.

#TestDay2012

I have to say, I like this kind of jerk...

For Soda, the Genie Is Out of the Bottle

Something for America to be proud of...

Now I know that most of you have already jumped to the conclusion, from the post title, that I'm going to put on some big show and dance about the election of President Barack Obama.  However, you would be thinking not for the reasons I intend to lay out, but because you will think that I hold a particular political persuasion.

No the reason I think that America has something to be proud of is this:
- the highest number of registered voters in recent history
- the highest voter turn-out in recent history
- the highest INVOLVEMENT by the public in an election in recent history
- And a sense of hope and optimism for our country and that we can make a difference

So no matter what you think of the candidates or the results, you have to agree that America definitely has something to be proud of in this election.

Lifehacker: Top 10 Printable Paper Productivity Tools

For a tech person, it is a wonder that I'm still fascinated with paper.

Cool thing of the day (from the iGoogle Howto widget)

How to Make Tea - wikiHow

This is a nice write up on how to make tea, much more than just your boil water, pour over tea, wait, drink.

I especially like the addition of the tap water instructions, pre-heating the vessel, etc.

Hydrogen Power in small steps

Good to see that at least someone is attempting to "walk the walk" about hydrogen vehicles.

CNN.com - Toy hydrogen-powered car offers glimpse of future - Jul 24, 2006