The ongoing conversation
This time of year brings together two ideas that don’t have much in common: I’ve received all of my documentation that I need to prepare my tax returns, and this week is Valentine’s Day! A few years ago, my wife and I decided to make a Valentine’s Day gift to one of our charities, and […]
You can find any number of lists of “facts” in the Internet. Weird facts, fun facts, pointless facts, interesting facts. And just like you’ve heard before, just because your read it on the Internet doesn’t mean it’s true. Here are some corrections to some “facts” I’ve seen on these lists: The quack of a duck […]
The return of my ice rules for RoboRally: There are two unofficial RoboRally boards available online that feature Ice. “The Ice Rink” includes rules for inertia. “The Cold Room” features a much nicer graphic, but the “spin chart” is not yet available (and, given the time spent coming “ASAP”, unlikely to become available, but it […]
I came across a SQL function I was not familiar with: decode. I looked it up and immediately replaced it with a CASE statement (in addition to other code cleanup). I’m afraid I don’t understand the existence of Oracle SQL’s decode() function: decode(expression, search, result [, search , result]… [, default] ) seems functionally equivalent […]
Just a quick plug here for my son’s electronic music output as “The Official Insomniac”. Go check him out on SoundCloud at https://soundcloud.com/the-official-insomniac. October 1, 2026, update: His electronic music presence is no longer there. Nothing to see here, move along. —jhunterj
January is no time to make resolutions. Yes, there’s the promise of a new year (unless you’re on the Chinese calendar. Or Hindu calendar. Or Jewish calendar. Or etc.), and you’re likely to be filled with optimism and ready to commit. But it’s an awfully distracting time of year too, and that optimism may lead […]