links: the 501 developer manifesto, etc.
Mood: okay
Posted on 2012-04-18 13:18:00
Tags: links
Words: 238

- I read The 501 Developer Manifesto and was going to comment on it, and then I read I Guess I'm Not A 501 Developer and it was exactly what I wanted to say, so...nevermind. (the short version: not working long hours = good, but it's OK to program on your own for fun, amirite?)

- Doctors Urge Their Colleagues To Quit Doing Worthless Tests - it makes me sad that it's so easy for doctors to rely on "conventional wisdom" instead of staying up to date on the latest studies on the efficacy of tests/procedures/etc. To be fair, it's a hard problem, but one worth solving!

- On Being Gay In Medicine: A Leading Harvard Pediatrician’s Story - powerful stuff, we've come a long way!

- Calling Radicalism by Its Name - it's general election season, and don't believe anyone who wants to reduce the deficit and cut taxes.

- Poll: Google's More Popular Than Facebook, Twitter, and Even Apple - not too surprising, I guess, but why is Twitter so unpopular?

- Caine's Arcade - if you haven't seen it yet, 9-year-old Caine runs his own arcade made out of cardboard!

- Evidence: Fat People Can Be as Healthy as Thin People - as someone who is overweight but has generally healthy habits (more or less), yay!

- SpaceX on why the US can beat China - whenever I read about SpaceX I feel awesome inside...and not just because they use LabVIEW.

- QArt codes - making art out of QR codes. Very clever!

2 comments

Comment from brittongregory:
2012-04-18T15:33:07+00:00
I definitely get what you're saying re: being a 501 developer. Coding is *awesome* -- why are they pissing over people who love it?

Re-reading it, though, I'm guessing that there's a lot of history that we're missing, like hearing one side of a phone conversation (or reading one of Paul's letters in the New Testament, for that matter). I especially get a lot of feeling out of the phrase "treat us with respect"; to me, it sounds like someone who is being informed that "clearly they're not a *real* programmer", and doesn't want to put up with it anymore.

(I especially feel for programmers at game companies. If you don't love it, you'll die quickly, as your entire personal life is sacrificed to the gods of crunch time. And you are expected to be thankful for the opportunity!)

But yes, whatever the history, the parts of the manifesto are defensive to the point of being offensive. The remark about pity is insulting and unhelpful.

Me? I'm a 501, for the most part. (Well, more like a 601.) I love my job, and I love writing firmware, and if my friends at work need me to stick around late the occasional evening or even work the occasional weekend, I'll take one for the team with a smile on my face. But when I check out...there's a wide world out there. There's a lot out there for me to learn -- a lot out there to create -- besides coding, and I don't have time to do it all as it stands!

Comment from gregstoll:
2012-04-18T22:52:09+00:00
Ah, reading it again your interpretation makes a lot of sense. Totally with you when it comes to checking out! (due to my late schedule I'm more of a 621 developer, but the point stands :-) )

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