Holy Snikies – Emit jQuery with C#!!! October 29, 2009
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in .Net, ActiveEngine, C#, New Techniques.Tags: jQuery
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Brief but exciting and really cool. 
There’s a new .Net solution called JSM that will take code like this:
and emit this:
Head over this nice presentation for further details, or read this gentleman’s post. This looks very cool. Question is whether you can use plug-ins as well.
Source code is here.
Why Your Code is a One Way Time Machine October 19, 2009
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in ActiveEngine, Agile vs Waterfall, Mythology, Problem Solving, software economics.add a comment
What type of duress are you under? The unfortunate among us have been sentenced to slavery by our evil nemesis from the past. We all have this enemy, and at one time or another have succumbed to the enemy’s evil plot. The enemy from the past is YOU.
When you sit down to create a solution, you need to balance solving the problem with being able to maintain and implement changes to the logic you have selected. All logic changes, and there are very few times when you have the finite scope defined to be able to accommodate new ideas. ”Rewrite!” is the cry of many who have written good solutions that have solved the problem but more than likely are not very maintainable. ”Broken Cardinality” is the bane of all DBA’s, and this is very serious indeed. Sensei can’t help you with that – go beat your business analyst who didn’t drive home the rules of relational databases!
What Sensei will say is put your after you think you’ve solved your users problems in a two week sprint, step back and project into the future: will this code be readable; can you augment the logic without altering the methods; will you be happy with yourself at midnight trying to fix something? Addressing these concerns helps you maintain your solution.
The real challenge is to help yourself next year. The-future-you needs your help, but The-future-you will hate you if you misconstrue YAGNI in your design phase with avoid-refactoring-at-all-costs while you code. Forget the sprint. Putting something into a customers hands too soon masks the complexity of what you have done for them and undersells your true talents. They’ll be happier if you can quickly implement changes without impacting the existing environment. Congrat’s – The-future-you just bought a beer!
Dave Ward at Encosia Just Rocks! October 15, 2009
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in ActiveEngine, New Techniques, Problem Solving.Tags: jQuery
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If you are looking to have your mind just blown away at how hard we’ve been toiling with the tool set for .Net development, watch Dave Ward’s screencast on learning jQuery with FireBug. Forget Visual Studio and Intellisense, forget MS Ajax. Go find out how much time you have been wasting.
Dave has a brilliant series on jQuery and the beauty is he keeps it simple, but it is extremely effective. Mind-meld with his posts and find out why he is smarter than Spock! Take it on out with a jam.
New from the Hive-Mind August 12, 2009
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in ActiveEngine.add a comment
Seekers of truth, on your knowledge quest, do not foresake the Hive-Mind. More goodness awaits you after the jump.
The Economics of Developing iPhone Apps August 6, 2009
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in ActiveEngine, software economics.Tags: bad software, iPhone, new software, new thinking, paradigm
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Sensei has an iPhone and it is indeed a great technological achievement. It just works. Another attractive aspect to the iPhone is the lowe priced software available from the App Store. We have all heard of the stories of the kid who made $40K by creating an app and selling it. At Coding Horror, Jeff Atwood posted his thoughts regarding the effect of lowering the cost of a software product and how that can create a jump in sales. In short, the lower priced software makes up for the loss with volume. 
There are other considerations to be kept in mind before diverting your talent to iPhone application development. The economics of surviving in that envirnoment are hazardous. (more…)
More Grand Designs from the Hive-Mind August 2, 2009
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in ActiveEngine.Tags: Ajax, CSS, jQuery, Web 2.0
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Information so powerful it can affect the past! No need for Supes for fly backwards around the planet, just ask Ludwig Van!
Go there, now! (I almost want to say Excelsior, but I’m not that deranged).
The Economics of Protecting the Red Shirts July 29, 2009
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in .Net Development, ActiveEngine, Business Processes, Coaching, Design Patterns, Mythology, Personal Development, Problem Solving, software economics.Tags: ActiveEngine, bad software, communication, Data Stewardship, new thinking, paradigm
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Recently I came across this post from a fellow lamenting the lack of interest on the part of .Net developers in architecture solutions such as IoC, Dependency Injection, ORMs, and the like. 
This stood out in stark contrast to Java developers who this person interviewed, who either were conversant with the technology or were interested enough to pursue informing themselves further. Some call this the result of Drag -n -Drop design as laid out in a post by Greg Young, a Microsoft MVP and .Net developer who has specialized in high performance applications. Greg maintains in his post Java vs. .Net Developers that drag and drop is mis applied and there needs to be an greater effort the isolate the cases where it is mis used. This practice has arisen, he maintains, from poor training and lack of awareness of other development platforms. (more…)
New stuff from the Hive-Mind July 22, 2009
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in ActiveEngine.Tags: CSS, iPhone, jQuery, Web 2.0
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Revenge of the Fallen July 21, 2009
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in ActiveEngine, Agile, Agile vs Waterfall, Business Processes, Problem Solving.Tags: ActiveEngine, bad software, communication, focus, Problem Solving
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Did you think you were constructing this: 
but you were actually delivering this instead: (more…)
Faith – The Time is Now Again July 18, 2009
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in ActiveEngine, Coaching, Mythology, Personal Development.Tags: ActiveEngine Sensei, bad software, Bushido, Coaching, Ego, focus, humility, new thinking, paradigm, self improvement, survival
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Ceiling unlimited
World so wide
Turn and turn againFeeling unlimited
Still unsatisfied
Changes never endWinding like an ancient river
The time is now againHope is like an ancient river
The time is now againNeil Peart
Indulge, play the song, drink in the message and go hug your kids, embrace your family, be thankful for your friends, team members, co-workers.
There is so many new things on the horizon. For those of us who are lucky enough to practice this technical craft called programming, we can be stymied by all the possiblities, the arguments and skirmishes. These de-rail you. Build a fortress against the distractions and ignore your fear of change by embracing the challenge of good arguments. It’s all a chance for you to improve.
When you arrive at work think of what ways you can engage with others. Can you practice your techniques in a better way? Recite the Wolf Creedo and end an argument. Better yet, start a new one in jest and revel in the ideas. Bang out some code and fight for the day. What new things can you add to your team’s arsenal if you inspire someone else? Are you leading or are you a suit sitting in a chair? Would someone ask you for help or think that you’re too involved in your own head to deign to talk to them? Have you built an empire above you or below you? Is your legacy more important than what you have truly done?
Okay, so you’re code was awful – but did someone else still benefit? Was your code perfect but never used? Was your ego hurt yet your company still profitable, keeping families fed? Did your mistakes help others learn?
What matters is that you engage. Most times it will be painful. Developers need serenity to produce but I’m telling you man you’re lucky if you have it. Life is full of the distractions and once you conquer them, you’ll find greater strength and battle hardened capability. Work at it. Revel in it, share it. Be grateful and humble. Win and go home to the ones you love. Technology is great, but you as a friend, mother, father, co-worker, neighbor, dude in line at Starbucks or grandma at church are even greater.
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