Pentapedes and the Tree of Life

I know the question that's been on everyone's mind: What have those horrible little pentapedes been up to?

Well, you need wonder no longer, I found some of them today...

Here's a closeup...

That's right, the little monsters are robbing the tree of life...  I can only wonder at what they're up to, but I know it's trouble!

Well, until next time, keep a close watch on your genes!

Alto Violin

Dark and silky
Your tone inspires
Awash in your melodies
Buoyed by your harmonies
I float in a sea of notes
Your gentle turns caress my ears
And fill my soul with the richness
That flows from you

The New Violin Family (video)

New Violin Family, aka Violin Octet (wikipedia)

New posts on One Step From Sunday

There are two new posts on One Step From Sunday:

(untitled introduction) - Something Monstrous This Way Comes (1)

Life in the Nest - Something Monstrous This Way Comes (2)

R'thoria's Used Plot Elements, Vol. 2, Ep. 003

Have you ever been to the far reaches of the galaxy? Deep under the oceans? Around the world by balloon in less than 3 months? Then you know what lies at the heart of all these journeys... that strange mineral, unobtai—no, macguffinite!

When you finally find that thing you were looking for, is it... disappointing? Not everything you thought it would be? Did it make the entire search for it a distraction? Then you, my friend, have a big chunk of redherrigonium!

Potent, powerful substances in their own right, but when smelted together, they become... plotinum! Renowned throughout the universe for its ability to advance a story or just for its beautiful lustre, plotinum is very valuable indeed.

And, here at R'thoria's Used Plot Element Emporium and Second Hand Smoke Store, we have the grandest collection of precious and plot-driving items you've ever seen, and every single one is made from 100% pure plotinum (give or take)!

Tell me, when was the last time your living room felt really complete? Or, rather, could any room really be complete without this jewel-encrusted falcon? Look how its delicate feathers are slightly dented, think of the history! Think of how much you'd be willing to pay! No, higher than that! All right, I'll take it, but I'm cutting off my own arm!

Our oldest piece is a beautiful, hand-crafted ring, no doubt it is one-of-a-kind! Just putting it on my finger gives me a feeling of immense satisfaction and power... On second thought, I think I'll keep the precious thing for myself...

Look up into the night sky. Or, alternatively, at the ceiling, which should currently be displaying the night sky. How beautiful it is! See the slow turn of the galaxy, its majestic spiral arms, the reds and blues and yellows of the stars, twinkling in the inky void. Wouldn't you like to own it? No, I don't mean rule over it, and I certainly don't mean a replica! No, the whole galaxy, nebulae and all, in a convenient pendant! Just, uh, don't let any men in dark suits and sunglasses see it; trust me, it's for the best.

From the cracks of doom or the dunes of Arrakis; whether here on Earth or in other planes of existence entirely; ONLY the professionals at RUPE have the skills, style and vast network of "suppliers" to bring you ACTION, ADVENTURE and miscellaneous crap at wholesale prices! Take something home TODAY!

Sadapedes

How Pentapedes See Themselves...

A Pentapede-inspired drawing from a Macaroni Grill doodle session. Enjoy!

Watch your booleans!

Here's a simple reminder that, whether you're coding or doing a code review (and you ARE doing code reviews, right?), double check your booleans.

private void EnableDisableFancySchmancyControl(bool enable)
{
    _fancySchmancyControl.ReadOnly = enable;
}

We have a piece of code like this in the software I work on daily. This tiny little piece of code, so minuscule, so obviously correct, caused an emergency promotion the day its bug was found because it didn't allow some users to do their work properly.

Why, you ask, do we have such a simple method? Wouldn't it do to just call

_fancySchmancyControl.ReadOnly = enable;

in the calling method? Yes, normally it would. The objective of this piece of code is to normalize the action with the question "Should I allow the user to edit the information in this control?", so that you don't end up with things like:

private void EnableEditing()
{
    _control1.Enabled = true;
    _control2.Readonly = false;
    _control3.Enabled = true;
}

but instead have:

private void EnableEditing()
{
    EnableDisableControl1(true);
    EnableDisableControl2(true);
    EnableDisableControl3(true);
}

Now, the error from our original snippet should be obvious when you're looking for it: the line should be

_fancySchmancyControl.ReadOnly = !enable;

That is, there should be a not (!) in front of enable; a control that is read-only is not editable by the user (which, remember, is our objective).

All of that to say: be extra careful with your booleans; even the simplest code can fall prey to this bug!

Partial Random Song about Data Conversions

(I'm gonna) Scrub that Data!

I'm gonna scrub that data 'til it's shiny and clean!
I'm gonna scrub that data 'til it says what it means!
It'll be so shiny when I give it to you;
But I know you'll mess it up in a day or two!

(That's how data is, baby. If it ain't messed up, it ain't bein' useful)

Concertmaster Auditions - Denver Pops Orchestra

The Denver Pops Orchestra will be holding auditions for Concertmaster for the 2009-2010 season at 7pm on June 3, 2009, at Emmaus Lutheran, 3120 Irving St, Denver, CO 80211. Contact Zina Richardson, Music Director, at 303-530-7633 for further information and to RSVP. This is a paid position.


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Livetweeting THX 1138

• Watching THX 1138: "It's in technicolor. And the color is yellow." "Wait. Now it's blue." "Maybe they could only afford one at a time."


• "That's not good. I think their yellow camera just exploded." EXPLOSION IN RED SECTOR "Oh, it was the red one"


• "Apparently they also couldn't afford skin for the extras"


• The church confessional, automated: "forgive me, for I..." "Please insert plenary indulgence token"


• "He's got a 12-sided die! He's a witch!"


• "Look, commentary on the 21st century" "yeah, little did he know he was making a documentary"


• "Look, it's just like Parker. The only black people you see are on TV"


• "I think I'm dying" "could you be more specific?" "Well, I'm coughing up blood and my heart just stopped."


• "Blessings of the state" "worst plenary indulgence token ever"


• "Apparently they couldn't afford brains for the extras either"


• We could be gone before the next series started. "Thank goodness. Most of the audience will be by then, too"


• "If I have nowhere to go, why are you picking me up?"


• "Dammit, they put the cards into the probulator in the wrong order. Now it's playing chess."


• "Oh, they're teaching him kung fu. *Drunken* kung fu"


• "The nice thing about the white camera is that it removes the walls." ... "What the heck, does it also remove their clothing?"


• "I think he's dead now." "Well, they'd better bring in another subjecte"


• Here, take a biscuit. "What would he want a biscuit for?" "He's all out of business cards."


• "What's with the inifinite featureless white plain?" "They ran out of money for sets"


• "So, basically, this is The Matrix, only more boring. And more kung fu."


• "I wonder if they're going to stop chasing him when they go over budget? You know, like they did with the writers for this movie"


• Stand down. We are here to help you. "You have exceeded the plot budget and are in violation"


• "I think he's trying to get to 88 MPH. That way he can go back in time and prevent this film from being made."


• So, to review, this movie had no plot, no character development or really characterization, no scenery and camera issues. 1.5 hours GONE!


• Just when you thought it couldn't get any more boring... a sound effects only track. Not that the dialogue added much anyway.

Twikus 1 & 2

Violist
----
Safely nestled in
the sweet harmonic bosom
of the orchestra.

(no title)
----
Knocking things over,
Galumphing through the condo.
Kitty is naughty!