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User: Liquidrage

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  1. Re:I'd rather not stand on Ask Slashdot: Are Daily Stand-Up Meetings More Productive? · · Score: 1

    So all your developers take lunch at the same time? Breaks at the same time?

    Sounds like an assembly line which I've avoided my entire career.

    Can you give some examples of what you've actually gotten out of this quickly daily meeting that you see it as worthwhile?

  2. Re:I'd rather not stand on Ask Slashdot: Are Daily Stand-Up Meetings More Productive? · · Score: 1

    Exactly. They want focus. So typically about an hour or two after they get in you're going to interrupt them for almost no gain.

  3. Re:I'd rather not stand on Ask Slashdot: Are Daily Stand-Up Meetings More Productive? · · Score: 1

    Why aren't your people aware without a 15 minute daily meeting?

  4. Re:I'd rather not stand on Ask Slashdot: Are Daily Stand-Up Meetings More Productive? · · Score: 1

    That has nothing to do with standups. Almost every development methodology is RAPID/AGILE these days. The standups do not give any time for everyone on the team to share in enough detail to make sure you're on the right track. That meeting, with everyone involved would take hours. I've worked in a few AGILE SCRUM projects and the standups did not cut down on the amount of time we were meeting with other developers and analysts on a real-time as needed basis where we addressed the exact issues you've mentioned above.

  5. Re:I'd rather not stand on Ask Slashdot: Are Daily Stand-Up Meetings More Productive? · · Score: 1

    I don't understand your point. That's exactly what the stand-up is. It's an daily meeting held at the exact time.

    And I've had a very successful IT career so I'm really not worried about some guy on the interwebs telling me they wouldn't want me on their team.

  6. Re:They are a gimmick on Ask Slashdot: Are Daily Stand-Up Meetings More Productive? · · Score: 1

    They are a gimmick. If you want to use post-it notes for a burn chart or a RTM, go for it. What does forcing everyone to go stand there for 15 minutes a day accomplish? As he mentioned when stuff happens it's always dealt then and there by interaction between team members. No one waits for the next day's stand up, nor should they. If someone needs help or has a question they do it in real time, not at the stand up.

    If he gets hit by a bus as a team lead they'll have to replace him, and any one of half a dozen main techniques for tracking the design and development of requirements suffice for the hand off as good or better then post-it notes. SCRUM/AGILE didn't invent communication between team members nor tracing requirements in a visible format. It's just a catchy name that over the course of a months long process wastes about 5% of your total project time because everyone in the meeting already knows everything that matters to them that's going to be said in the stand-up most of the time.

  7. Re:I'd rather not stand on Ask Slashdot: Are Daily Stand-Up Meetings More Productive? · · Score: 1

    My point wasn't that it monitors people's time. It's that the daily standup puts an expectation that "every" day you "will" be at "this" spot for "this" amount of time. And I find that overbearing.

    Now look, where I would appreciate scrum is in a creative design process. Where people are bouncing "ideas" off each other. If say I was building a new MMO, I could see the design phase using scrum because you're inventing systems and processes.

    Or even "maybe" if I were working on a 3D engine where all the developers are off doing their own thing and with just a limited direction on what they should be doing. Or even "maybe" at Amazon where everything is SOA and the team leads might do a daily stand-up to see what each other are up to.

    The problem is in the typical business world it serves no purpose. Which is where it's taking over and what a lot here have the most experience with as that's where a large % of developers exist. We automated business processes. Without solid requirements that are already broken up for tasking you can't guess what the software is supposed to do and developers and analysts should be working closely on a regular/as needed basis. I don't even like the weekly meetings that are very common on medium to large projects. We just all go over the stuff everyone already knows because we all talk all the time.

  8. Re:I'd rather not stand on Ask Slashdot: Are Daily Stand-Up Meetings More Productive? · · Score: 1

    If you do not have access to good requirements, 15 minutes a day standing up will not get them for you. If you aren't sure what you're supposed to be coding there is no magic process to code the right thing.

  9. Re:I'd rather not stand on Ask Slashdot: Are Daily Stand-Up Meetings More Productive? · · Score: 1

    I've consulted about half that time, and worked privately about half that time. Currently private and managing in-house and contracted resources on the project. I do think that same way with consultants. I try and create a very positive work environment. With any new team member I always start off saying I don't baby sit. If there's somewhere you have to be I expect you to be there without me needing to ask you. I'm not going to monitor your time, just your work, when you need to stay late I expect it (now with contractors I certainly do have to limit that at times due to limited hours/dollars on a contract, but I've had plenty of times contractors worked extra hours without billing though I never have asked for that). If you burn me than I'll have to baby sit you. And I've never had to baby sit anyone once. It's just always worked. I think people appreciate being treated like an adult and respecting that they don't live to work, they work to live.

  10. I'd rather not stand on Ask Slashdot: Are Daily Stand-Up Meetings More Productive? · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I've run development projects for about 15 years now. I've always considered development a creative process. And as such I've always avoided too much structure in developers time. I'm not going to say to anyone, "Every day at 9:30 we're going to spend 15 minutes talking about yellow post-it notes". There will be meetings. But overall I treat developers as professionals, I'm not monitoring their time. I'd rather have 35 hours of productive time then 50 hours on the clock of which 10 is spent avoiding work and another 10 not giving their all. And I'd rather they stay until is needed without needing to be asked when the time comes because they appreciate the freedom they get normally. Basically, I measure productivity and not timesheets. I have no problem approving a timesheet that is "short" on hours as long as I feel the production was there. Some people like working late and come in late. Some early and leave early. Some like to skip out after 37 hours a week, but if they're productive why do I care?

    I might be lucky and through many stops have it always work for me. But overall a process development is simple. Get me good requirements. Do a good design. Develop with good practices and patterns. Test it. Deploy. More than that is a solution looking for a problem IMO.

    I've had several developers come in early and stay late and not do as much work as someone that always sneaks out a little early. What's the big deal unless their pay levels are off? The stand up's just seem childish and are a fad. I hope!

  11. How is nuclear not safe? on Japan Plans To Scrap Nuclear Plants After 40 Years · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Seems to me we had multiple reactors hit with a giant earthquake AND tsumani and aside for the major news not a lot of people died. Seems evidence to build more nuclear for me. I swear the anti-nuclear hippies must be funded by big oil cause I can't see any reason not to keep building safer and safer plants till energy is basically free.

  12. Re:A500 -Why not the Acer ? on Ask Slashdot: Best Android Tablet For Travel? · · Score: 2

    I have the Iconia A500, wife has the Asus Transformer.

    To me these are the two best Android tablets out there (the prime will probably change that but at a cost of course). They are not bloated. They have the hardware specs you'd want. All the I/O you would want. And both can be found for under 350 right now. We both spent a lot of time making the choices and trying everything under the sun including the iPad 2. If the iPad 2 was the same price I'd still pick either the Acer or Asus over it.
    I also think the Kindle Fire is nice and have several hours use on one. For $200 you can't beat the hardware, but the lack of I/O, camera, mic, etc.. won't work for many. If book reading and web browsing email was the primary use I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

  13. Re:User satisfaction level . . . ? on Munich's Move To Linux Exceeds Target · · Score: 2

    He or she is an AC that posted complete drivel. A normal end user wouldn't have posted that. Seriously, think. End user. Posted what he posted? No. And for someone on the inside they posted.

    While there may have been big gains his post amounted to a made up press release. Woah what times it be when such non-technical fluff is taken as truth on the interwebs. It's not a MS vs *nix, it's that their post was garbage.

    Think of the app issue. If they weren't rewritten they aren't going from Windows to *nix. So are they web apps? Did the webservers change? If the webservers changed then did the software just come over like say java or php?

    Again, his post was so clearly made up AC crap it's not even funny.

  14. Re:User satisfaction level . . . ? on Munich's Move To Linux Exceeds Target · · Score: 0, Troll

    Your post sounds pretty unbelievable. The Finance databases are now always available? So they moved the database servers from Windows to *nix? I'm not going to point fingers but if you can't keep a Windows DB server up it's a people problem not a software problem. Though personally unless it's MS SQL I wouldn't have had it on a windows server anyways. But still, that's interesting that your database servers were moved and now are stable. Interesting as in what assclown was admining them before?

    Log-in's I can see. Windows XP load slow but the 10 minutes are login scripts and bad people writing scripts

    What apps? The ones that were completely rewritten to run natively on your new *nix environment? *boggle*

    Sorry you no longer have exchange. It's easily the best mail server out there.

    Sucks you still have 2001 concerns in 2011. Most places aren't hammered with virus every week.

    Glad your happy, but I don't take your post at face value. At least not with the drivel you wrote about.

  15. Re:U.S. on Iran Shuts Down US Virtual Embassy · · Score: 1

    How is that insightful? The US is one of the most free societies on the planet. We aren't censored from a damn thing. Like pretty much every developed nation there's been a merger of the corporate world with politics. You might not like the policy, but we're not censored here.

  16. Re:More info about the star? on Kepler Confirms Exoplanet Inside Star's Habitable Zone · · Score: 4, Informative

    Thanks. If it is KIC10593626 then you should see it np at that site assuming it's visible from where you are since it's apparent magnitude is almost 12. http://palebluedot.whitedwarf.org/stars/10593626 I have a MK-66 which is a 6" Mak-Cass and can see up to about magnitude 12 in my yard on a good night, and about 15 at a dark spot. A 20" on a dark site should go well beyond that in the high teens.

  17. More info about the star? on Kepler Confirms Exoplanet Inside Star's Habitable Zone · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I've looked a bit this morning and can't find anymore info about the star itself. What its apparent magnitude it? What constellation its in? Etc. All I can figure out is its referred to as Kepler 22 which only makes sense in relation to the program. But I'd love to be able to try and see the star through a telescope.

  18. Siri is unproven as useful on Siri Gives Apple Two Year Advantage Over Android · · Score: 1

    As of right now it's a novelty and nothing that others have to catch up to.

    Just because something sounds cool doesn't mean it actually is useful. It's possible this changes how people use mobile devices, but I'd rather doubt it, and I'm not seeing any evidence of it. I am seeing *some* people that like playing around with it. But for the most part they still pick up their phone. For the same reason the voice features on the Android have always been underutilized. Talking isn't always convenient. If it gets your question wrong you're going to waste more time correcting it then it would have taken to just look it up yourself, and looking it up yourself is very quick anyways.

  19. Re:Einstein replied "Check your measurements, son" on CERN Experiment Indicates Faster-Than-Light Neutrinos · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So you're saying there's an 18m wormhole that makes these things get there "faster" than light. Or that they aren't capable of measuring to within 18 meters at that scale? I'd say that isn't very likely and I'd have a hard time imagining it. What I could imagine is that there's a mistake somewhere or equipment issue possibly. But repeated 15k times, and I fully trust the people at CERN OPERA to measure within 18m.

  20. Re:Heuristic on Bees Beat Machines At 'Traveling Salesman' Problem · · Score: 1

    But if the route isn't perfect then the TS isn't solved by a bee. I'd like to see more details because saying bee's do amazing things with their routes is one thing. I doubt many would disagree and life always seems to amaze. A simple cell is amazing. If they are perfect routes then that's another.

    But there's no reason to assume they are actually solving a specific problems just because the end results are similar, especially since similar in this case is easy to do. It's only the exact perfect route that's an issue.

  21. Re:Heuristic on Bees Beat Machines At 'Traveling Salesman' Problem · · Score: 1

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typographical_error

    Thanks for making the world a better place by taking your time to point out a typo. You are a man amongst men.

  22. Re:Heuristic on Bees Beat Machines At 'Traveling Salesman' Problem · · Score: 2, Interesting

    That was pretty much my thought. Do the bees ever get it wrong or at least not perfect? Seems obvious they world. I'd imagine the power lies in "good enough" thinking vs "perfect" thinking. Kinda an analog vs digital approach. If bees are able to map out where they are and which flower is closest to them at the time and head to that one next, they won't always get the perfect route, but it'll be close enough and sometimes be the best route based on a few variables in the layout.

  23. Re:Uh on Wikileaks Donations Account Shut Down · · Score: 1

    Wow two idiots. You, and the person that modded you up. No, neither the people of Vietnam nor Korea wanted a communist government. In both cases what lead to the two sides was Russia/China trying to create one side and the US/others trying to stop it. It's not like the Koreans just wanted to go communist and the US went "woah woah. Calm down. Lets fight". Both countries were pawns in a larger battle, one the US and allies responded too, not "create".

  24. Re:Uh on Wikileaks Donations Account Shut Down · · Score: 1

    Citation needed for your original post. When you make claims that are unsubstantiated it's OK, but since I bothered to have a rebuttle and googled it, now you want substantiation. Sure.

    The 2006 study from the same group you link to from 2002. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/roper2006/pdf/FINALReport2006GeogLitsurvey.pdf
    Page 26 shows 92% correct about Canada.

    It also shows 79% find the Pacific Ocean just fine. You know, I'm all for increasing Geography in school, just as I'm all for increasing critical thinking and less memorization, even if those wants can be seen as somewhat conflicting. But let's not make up crap just because you have a bias. One of the biggest factors in Americans scoring lower on these types of tests is the size of America itself and the time it takes to teach students about America. 50 states and all that ya know. And it's a lot easier being an "international" living in Switzerland then it is in Iowa. They should quiz the Swiss on finding Nebraska then compare it to Americans so we get a free "win", right?

    Non-relgious stats: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_atheism#North_America

    What else do you want? Now go show me how Christians and the Tea-Party (of which I belong to neither) are turning America into a fascist state.

  25. Re:Uh on Wikileaks Donations Account Shut Down · · Score: 1

    92% of Americans aged 18-24 were able to fill out Canada on a blank map of the world. So your facts are wrong. And your reasoning is ignorant conjecture.

    Very few nations on Earth haven't been engaged in some kinda of war in the last 40 years. The Americans don't believe to engage war to keep the nation strong. Yes, I know you'll give some silly conjecture about Iraq or whatnot. Afghanistan and Iraq were to many Americans not acceptable, and to many other were about security. I'll await your rebuttle (that will never come) before expanding on the "security".

    America is about 75% Christian. A good many of which are not strong followers but identify with one of the Christian groups. The second largest group, and fastest growing, is "no religion" at around 15%.

    The far right is the far right and not the "single-party" state for a reason. All groups want everyone to be like them. You think the Tea-Party is about to take over America or something?

    I'm not worried at all because your post was from Fantasy Land.