REPRINT: When Is A Software Engineer Not A Software Engineer? (Part II)

This is part two of a publicly available article. It has been posted here with permission from the original author.

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I think this happens because modern programming tools have made proper code design seem like a nuisance.  In the early years of computing, people were forced to write out their software designs, pondering many fine details before they ever sat down in front of the computer.  Nowadays, with our fast compilers and interactive debugging systems, programmers often find it more convenient to simply sit down and start coding, with just a modicum of software design.  Mind you, I do understand that this is sometimes more efficient—when the programming task is fairly routine, for example.  However, when such design-as-you-go software development becomes standard practice, then you have the makings of utter chaos.

In part, this problem is also rooted in the malleable nature of computer software.  No self-respecting civil engineer would design a bridge by slapping girders together until he has something that works; after all, if the bridge collapses, it could take months to rebuild it.  Similarly, no sensible architect would want to build a house without blueprints and floor plans.  Yet it is commonplace for programmers to develop software using poorly chosen functions and only the sketchiest of designs.  After all, if the software doesn’t work, they can always find the bug and fix it—at least, in theory.  In practice, these bugs are often difficult to detect, and fixing them can require extensive surgery.  The consequences of an ill-designed software program can be disastrous indeed.

For this reason, I believe that high-tech companies need to give software engineering the respect that it deserves.  They need to develop a true culture of systematic software design, instead of merely settling for “whatever works.”  A company that’s looking toward the future must pay proper devotion to the principles of software maintainability, proper documentation and elegant, robust design.  It must also inculcate a culture of true software engineering among its employees.  The failure to do so may work in the short-term, but it is a recipe for long-term disaster.

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About the Author:

V. B. Velasco Jr is a senior electrical and software engineer at a small biotech company that provides ELISPOT readers, immune monitoring services, and serum-free media.

REPRINT: When Is A Software Engineer Not A Software Engineer? (Part I)

The following is part one of a publicly available article.  It has been posted here with permission from the original author.

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The title of “software engineer” has got to be among the most highly abused in the corporate high-tech world.  It’s also one of the most popular.

And why not?  It sounds a lot better than “computer programmer,” and it looks much better on one’s business card.  Unfortunately, it’s often inaccurate.  Engineering is, after all, the application of sound technical principles to develop systems that are robust, efficient and elegant.  I’ve found that a great many software engineers can develop working programs, but do little or no real engineering design.

Does this sound harsh?  Perhaps, but I’ve also found it hard to deny.  I’ve encountered very few software engineers, for example, who have clean, crisp and readable coding styles—an essential element of elegant software design.  I’ve also encountered a preponderance of cryptically written functions, clumsy software abstractions and bizarre spaghetti code.  To my dismay, I’ve discovered that even among computer science graduates, many reduce object-oriented programming to the mere use of private data, public functions and object instantiations.  It’s enough to break a teacher’s heart.

Now, I won’t go so far as to say that most programmers write spaghetti code.  That would not be fair.  However, I do think that relatively few programmers have a deep appreciation for the artistry of software development.  That’s not to say that they’re ignorant of such things; not at all.  Rather, it’s more that the engineering aspects of elegant code design are all too often neglected.

(To be continued…)

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About the Author:

V. B. Velasco Jr is a senior electrical and software engineer at a small biotech company that provides ELISPOT software, colony counters, and serum-free media.

Lindy hop moves

Here is a list of lindy hop moves that I need to practice and master.
Swingout from the open and closed positions
Lindy circle
She goes
He goes
Outside turn
Rollaway
RJ  (I think my instructor is using the wrong terminology here)
RJ with a turn
RJ with follow-through
Texas tommy
8-count tuck turn
Reverse swingout
This strange unnamed “pretzel” move
Basic dip
Dip with a turn
Another dip where the woman almost sits on the guy’s lap
Handpress with no turn, a single turn, or a double turn
Hip catch and hip catch with a turn

Where is Karen Austin?

Whatever happened to Karen Austin?

A quick look at her IMDB entry shows that she’s now 54 years old and still acting.  Wow.  That’s especially impressive for a woman, since their marketability as actresses tends to go down as they age.

She was more than just a pretty face with beautiful eyes.

Annoying gym gal

I can’t forget this very annoying woman at my gym.

I attend this cardio workout class every Saturday morning.  One day, she showed up and took up a spot in one corner at the front.  Instead of following along with the moves though — marching, grapevines, lunges, and the like — she kept twisting and dancing in place, occasionally letting out with a big “Whoop!” to the music.

Yeah, she was annoying.  However, I figured that she might be intimidated by some of the moves, even though they weren’t very complex.  So after the class, I walked over, welcomed her to the group, and asked if she needed help with any of the moves.

Her response?  In a sing song voice, she said, “Oh, no.  I just like doing my own thing.”

Lady, if you want to do your own thing, stay at home.  What’s the point of joining the group if you’re not going to follow along?

BTW, the same goes for this other fella who never follows along with the group either.  I can understand not being coordinated, and I can understand not being in shape.  At the very least though, try to roughly follow the moves, for pity’s sake!  If you keep making up your own moves, and if you fail to move in the same direction as the rest of the group, then you should probably join another class.  Either that or make up your own routine.

Don’t be an idiot when using PowerPoint

There’s a great article about people who read their PowerPoint slides to the crowd when giving presentations.  The author rightfully asserts that this is an insult to one’s audience.  It’s also a sign of poor preparation and/or an inability to communicate effectively.  I’d even argue that it frequently indicates a lack of mastery of one’s subject matter.

One reader reported that according to a survey he conducted, 73% of presenters rely on the slides to remind them what to say.  Now that’s horrible.  I don’t mind it when the slides help prompt one’s flow of thought or serve as occasional reminders, but you have to be better prepared than that.

I love a snappy slogan

Most small companies aren’t very clever when it comes to writing their advertising copy.  That’s why it’s always a pleasure when I come across one that actually puts some quality thought into their ads and marketing flyers.

Consider this company, for example.  Their website copy needs improvement; however, their marketing materials were clearly thought through very well.  Look at the downloadable copy of their line of colony counters, for example.  I thought that the slogan they came up with was clever and had a lot of impact, but without being overly cutesy.

More on profanity

The following statement from another acquaintance is also worth repeating:

“My husband swears a lot and it’s really getting old. Shit, damn, ass and an emphatic fuck (she dreamed!) don’t bother me at all. But he CONSTANTLY uses fucker, cocksucker and motherfucker. If you say cocksucker or motherfucker when you drop a piece of bread or burn your finger, you’re tapped out. There really isn’t much worse that you can say. What if you get hit by a car, or your house burns down, or someone shoots your dog? You’ve already used up the worst words. Believe me, I can swear like a trucker IF PROVOKED, but overusing curses just makes one sound unintelligent, like you can’t think of a smart thing to say. It’s like getting into a physical fight (unless you are in danger, someone is attacking you or a loved one, etc.) Gee, I really have nothing intelligent to say, I think I’ll just punch this guy or say fucking cocksucker because my pills fell on the floor. When you swear a lot, you rob the words of their impact and you just sound like an impatient, short-fused ass. When you hear it every day, it gets old really fast. “

Profanity

An acquaintance of mine made the following comment recently. I think it’s worth repeating.

” Swear words are a net minus for society and we’d be better off without them. They are definitely lazy. One could, I suppose, have an academic debate of whether they’re theoretically useful for “escape valve” or “code switching” purposes. In reality, it’s gone way past that point. There are now a lot of people who spout profanity in every single sentence they use, for no reason whatever except that they can’t be bothered to speak English correctly.”

Another post on Asian men

I though the following two posts from the aforementioned discussion thread were also interesting. The second was a rejoinder to the first.

I don’t think it is true at all. Asian American men may have certain qualities (nerdy, short, etc) in greater numbers than other races, but this does not mean that being Asian American in itself puts them on a “lower rung.”

If that were the case, then we should see a proportionate number of Asian leading men, sex symbols and heartthrobs in movies and on TV… but we don’t. When was the last time you saw a young woman put up a poster of a hot Asian actor in her room?

Now, whenever this subject comes up, people often toss around the following counter-examples:

• Bruce Lee. Sorry folks, but he’s been dead for over thirty years now. What’s more, he was more of an action hero than a sex symbol. It was usually the teenaged boys who put his poster up in their rooms, not the girls.
• Jackie Chan. A funny and talented gent, but again, not generally considered to be a sex symbol.
• Jet Li and Chow Yun Fat. Once again, chop-socky martial artists. Some women find them attractive, but they’re not usually regarded as heartthrobs. When was the last time you saw them on the cover of Tiger Beat or somesuch magazine?