Testing. Below is a list of Bay Area Happy Hour & Restaurant Deals, late nights, and other discounts. Please feel free to comment and/or add more discounts.
Crowd-sourced open data powered by factual.com
Testing: San Francisco Museum discounts
Testing. Below is a list of Bay Area museum free days, late nights, and other discounts. Please feel free to comment and/or add more discounts.
Crowd-sourced open data powered by factual.com
Crowd-sourced open data powered by factual.com
Golden Glass 2009 Slow Food expo yesterday
Some of my faves were:
* http://inka.fm/ - a food-growing sculpture/energy/ecosystem for cities where there isn't much space or locations where fresh water is in short supply
* http://harvest4you.com - my new go-to place for sourcing local high-quality produce for home production of pickles & spirits
* http://poggiotrattoria.com/ - traditional yet nouvelles terrines. downtown Sausalito
Talking about natural fermentation w/:
* http://broccellars.com/ (made from native bacteria from Berkeley, CA. About $35/bottle) available at http://events.sfgate.com/san-francisco-ca/venues/show/8792-william-cross-wine-merchants and
* https://www.bonnydoonvineyard.com (no more red truck)
Originally the "slow food wine expo" was an Italian wine show, which explains the majority of Italian wine vendors. Most of the Italian wines showcased weren't that expensive and the importers told me I should be able to find them in local stores. However, when I looked for the wines online, I couldn't find them on mos of the stores' websites. Maybe you just have to call them and ask or go there to look for yourself?
Some wines around $20/bottle:
* Fratelli Alessandria's verduna pelaverga 2007 - http://www.villaitaliawines.com and http://www.beltramos.com/
* La Crotta di Vegneron's gamay 2007 - http://www.thejugshop.com
* Lini Lambrusco's Rosso sparkling (sweet & tangy, good for parties) - http://www.plumpjackwines.com/plumpjackwines/fillmore.aspx?loc=fillmore
* Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta's Rosso 2007 - http://www.buyserendipitywines.com/contact.html
* Catherine & Pierre Breton's Borgueil Les Perrières 2004 - http://terroirsf.com/
* http://inka.fm/ - a food-growing sculpture/energy/ecosystem for cities where there isn't much space or locations where fresh water is in short supply
* http://harvest4you.com - my new go-to place for sourcing local high-quality produce for home production of pickles & spirits
* http://poggiotrattoria.com/ - traditional yet nouvelles terrines. downtown Sausalito
Talking about natural fermentation w/:
* http://broccellars.com/ (made from native bacteria from Berkeley, CA. About $35/bottle) available at http://events.sfgate.com/san-francisco-ca/venues/show/8792-william-cross-wine-merchants and
* https://www.bonnydoonvineyard.com (no more red truck)
Originally the "slow food wine expo" was an Italian wine show, which explains the majority of Italian wine vendors. Most of the Italian wines showcased weren't that expensive and the importers told me I should be able to find them in local stores. However, when I looked for the wines online, I couldn't find them on mos of the stores' websites. Maybe you just have to call them and ask or go there to look for yourself?
Some wines around $20/bottle:
* Fratelli Alessandria's verduna pelaverga 2007 - http://www.villaitaliawines.com and http://www.beltramos.com/
* La Crotta di Vegneron's gamay 2007 - http://www.thejugshop.com
* Lini Lambrusco's Rosso sparkling (sweet & tangy, good for parties) - http://www.plumpjackwines.com/plumpjackwines/fillmore.aspx?loc=fillmore
* Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta's Rosso 2007 - http://www.buyserendipitywines.com/contact.html
* Catherine & Pierre Breton's Borgueil Les Perrières 2004 - http://terroirsf.com/
Google Book Search
http://books.google.com/books?uid=5046864914692291547
I like this better than Facebook's Visual Bookshelf. Google Book Search links to books I'm sharing rather than just amazon links. I'm using it to bookmark authors I've read recently I want to keep on my radar - and share w/others.
I like this better than Facebook's Visual Bookshelf. Google Book Search links to books I'm sharing rather than just amazon links. I'm using it to bookmark authors I've read recently I want to keep on my radar - and share w/others.
Gilda goes to San Francisco
Gilda and I are sitting in a bar in San Francisco. It's 2 am, two hackers are intermittently coding, talking, dozing on the couch in facebook t-shirts, laptops on their stomachs. Another guy is at the table across from us, working on his personal sound system that takes ambient noise as input to create distortions in live video feeds. Downstairs a couple people are sitting at a large table in the kitchen working & chatting. Also downstairs another couple, the owners, are discussing finances, housekeeping chores, and what's in the attic that they should clean out. The desk where we're sitting is scattered with failed IDE connectors, a couple tiny CPUs, resistors of various sizes, voltage regulators, wire scraps. Someone is building what looks like some kind of robot. I don't actually see the robot itself, but I see evidence that a robot is being built.
Somehow the word "asymptote" comes up in conversation. One guy admits he doesn't really know what an asymptote is. Gilda bounces up and down. What? You don't know? It's when something converges but doesn't quite get there. It's when you have a theoretical limit, that's never attained except at infinity, the limit itself is the asymptote.
"So", one guy from the couch pipes in, "an asymptote is like my sex life?"
"I wouldn't call sex an asymptote", says Gilda.
I roll my eyes, such infantile conversation. I see what they're trying to do, fish for goods on each other's sex lives. Maybe get to hear a juicy story. If one's lucky, find out that so-and-so has a crush on you. And if it's really one's day, that so-and-so will happen to be there in the room, and one thing will lead to another.
"Don't tell me, your sex life isn't like an asymptote?", taunts one guy to Gilda.
"My sex life is not", says Gilda taking the bait. "I have sex all the time. There are plenty of guys who find me attractive. I had sex just the other night with my roommate, and we were watching BG together".
"What's BG?" asks some other person in the room.
"You don't know BG?", Gilda is bouncing up and down again. "Battlestar Gallactica. We had sex watching TV. Battlestar Gallactica is the only show you can watch with the possibility of sex afterward."
"How come the more I watch TV, the less sex I have?", says the same person. I think TV is another asymptote, away from sex. The more TV I watch, the less chance I have of getting any."
"Then TV isn't an asymptote", I say, "because TV you attain. Sounds like TV is a stopping function. When you flip the TV switch on, your sex life switches to off." I've joined their conversation. It's mind-numbing in a peaceful sort of way, keeps me awake enough in the early morning. The more I tell myself I'm above their conversation, the more I can focus on my writing. This is good for me, otherwise I'd have a hard time finding the will-power to focus.
"Not for me," insists Gilda.
I heave a big sigh, "I have a huge stopping function".
"What are you talking about?", says Gilda coming into the next door cubicle room where I'm sitting.
"I love that we're friends, and I love talking to you, but I'm a writer. I need some conflict, climax, a resolution. I can't just hang out and talk with an alien from another planet, well planetary satellite, all the time. Readers won't go for that. They need tension. Here's a question for you. 'With all your travels, what makes you stay here in San Francisco? What are you hoping to find?'"
"First of all, I have no intention of staying here with you", Gilda said. "I haven't decided if I want to stay. If I find a place agreeable, I'll stay. But if I find a place agreeable, I might leave because I'm tired of it being so agreeable."
"What would you like to find here?", I persisted.
"Ideally, I'd like to find a solution to the blighted eyes problem back home, that makes us virgins have to wear these earrings all the time, that keeps us from getting a good night's sleep because they're too bumpy. If I found that, I could take it back home, and our teams of interplanetary agricultural researchers could stop their never ending travels.", Gilda said.
"What's the blighted eyes problem?", I asked.
"Since we are all made of materials close to potatoes, we had a problem of black spots. These black spots could eat up our bodies, killing us. It turned out it was caused by spots on potatoes that grew underground, transmitting messages to each other, and in so doing caused blights on our bodies. The only solution was to destroy all the tubers, but we needed them for food, so we couldn't do that. Finally we discovered a ritual involving 2 virgins. The ritual interfered with tuber eye signals, and allowed us to get rid of our spots. After that, virgins had to wear tracking earrings, so one could be found at a moment's notice to perform the ritual wherever & whenever it was needed. We're also branded with identifying tattoos, part of the retrieval/identification method." Gilda looked meaningfully at my tattoos.
The guy from the couch was peeking through a crack in the wall where Gilda and I were talking. We'd forgotten other people could hear us. "So you're an alien?" he asked. "I knew it! I want to have sex with an alien!" he said jumping up from the couch where he was laying on his back. Simultaneously there was a general rustle, everyone was hurrying forward for a look. As the couch guy passed through the doorway slamming it shut behind him, faces pressed chins and noses against the door's glass.
It was a small room, all white surfaces, no windows except the tiny one in the door filled with faces. Gentle reader, I should not now describe a sordid scene; better, with my writing skills, I can provide a quick exit from the situation. Gilda took one of her earrings out of her ear, and between a pixel orbiter switch on a plasma display, or as we earthlings call it 'a blink of an eye', the intergalactic wardens from Gilda's planet came and fetched her, because to her home planet she was still viewed as property. During the hubbub that followed, I quickly escaped through the crowd and out onto the street.
Somehow the word "asymptote" comes up in conversation. One guy admits he doesn't really know what an asymptote is. Gilda bounces up and down. What? You don't know? It's when something converges but doesn't quite get there. It's when you have a theoretical limit, that's never attained except at infinity, the limit itself is the asymptote.
"So", one guy from the couch pipes in, "an asymptote is like my sex life?"
"I wouldn't call sex an asymptote", says Gilda.
I roll my eyes, such infantile conversation. I see what they're trying to do, fish for goods on each other's sex lives. Maybe get to hear a juicy story. If one's lucky, find out that so-and-so has a crush on you. And if it's really one's day, that so-and-so will happen to be there in the room, and one thing will lead to another.
"Don't tell me, your sex life isn't like an asymptote?", taunts one guy to Gilda.
"My sex life is not", says Gilda taking the bait. "I have sex all the time. There are plenty of guys who find me attractive. I had sex just the other night with my roommate, and we were watching BG together".
"What's BG?" asks some other person in the room.
"You don't know BG?", Gilda is bouncing up and down again. "Battlestar Gallactica. We had sex watching TV. Battlestar Gallactica is the only show you can watch with the possibility of sex afterward."
"How come the more I watch TV, the less sex I have?", says the same person. I think TV is another asymptote, away from sex. The more TV I watch, the less chance I have of getting any."
"Then TV isn't an asymptote", I say, "because TV you attain. Sounds like TV is a stopping function. When you flip the TV switch on, your sex life switches to off." I've joined their conversation. It's mind-numbing in a peaceful sort of way, keeps me awake enough in the early morning. The more I tell myself I'm above their conversation, the more I can focus on my writing. This is good for me, otherwise I'd have a hard time finding the will-power to focus.
"Not for me," insists Gilda.
I heave a big sigh, "I have a huge stopping function".
"What are you talking about?", says Gilda coming into the next door cubicle room where I'm sitting.
"I love that we're friends, and I love talking to you, but I'm a writer. I need some conflict, climax, a resolution. I can't just hang out and talk with an alien from another planet, well planetary satellite, all the time. Readers won't go for that. They need tension. Here's a question for you. 'With all your travels, what makes you stay here in San Francisco? What are you hoping to find?'"
"First of all, I have no intention of staying here with you", Gilda said. "I haven't decided if I want to stay. If I find a place agreeable, I'll stay. But if I find a place agreeable, I might leave because I'm tired of it being so agreeable."
"What would you like to find here?", I persisted.
"Ideally, I'd like to find a solution to the blighted eyes problem back home, that makes us virgins have to wear these earrings all the time, that keeps us from getting a good night's sleep because they're too bumpy. If I found that, I could take it back home, and our teams of interplanetary agricultural researchers could stop their never ending travels.", Gilda said.
"What's the blighted eyes problem?", I asked.
"Since we are all made of materials close to potatoes, we had a problem of black spots. These black spots could eat up our bodies, killing us. It turned out it was caused by spots on potatoes that grew underground, transmitting messages to each other, and in so doing caused blights on our bodies. The only solution was to destroy all the tubers, but we needed them for food, so we couldn't do that. Finally we discovered a ritual involving 2 virgins. The ritual interfered with tuber eye signals, and allowed us to get rid of our spots. After that, virgins had to wear tracking earrings, so one could be found at a moment's notice to perform the ritual wherever & whenever it was needed. We're also branded with identifying tattoos, part of the retrieval/identification method." Gilda looked meaningfully at my tattoos.
The guy from the couch was peeking through a crack in the wall where Gilda and I were talking. We'd forgotten other people could hear us. "So you're an alien?" he asked. "I knew it! I want to have sex with an alien!" he said jumping up from the couch where he was laying on his back. Simultaneously there was a general rustle, everyone was hurrying forward for a look. As the couch guy passed through the doorway slamming it shut behind him, faces pressed chins and noses against the door's glass.
It was a small room, all white surfaces, no windows except the tiny one in the door filled with faces. Gentle reader, I should not now describe a sordid scene; better, with my writing skills, I can provide a quick exit from the situation. Gilda took one of her earrings out of her ear, and between a pixel orbiter switch on a plasma display, or as we earthlings call it 'a blink of an eye', the intergalactic wardens from Gilda's planet came and fetched her, because to her home planet she was still viewed as property. During the hubbub that followed, I quickly escaped through the crowd and out onto the street.
Riding Muni in San Francisco
On a trolley car - hobart building, then orpheum theater. The outlines out of the corner of my eye look familiar. I hear a mulato man talking on the telephone. He's telling his girlfriend he doesn't think he can continue living with her because he's not used to kids, and he doesn't think he can take the responsibility. He sounds charming while he's saying all this like he really thought about it and he really cares, but at the same time what he's saying is that he doesn't care enough to give up his life, as it is.
Owl service 2am. A woman at the bus stop gyrates energetically, pulling her hair up into a high ponytail. A middle-aged white man in a black hat & trench coat is next to her, his face is down like he's disavowing he knows anything about what's happening on that street corner. A taxi pulls up. I see her face. Her body looked young, but her visage is haggard, marred by red spots & scars. The hooker and her john get in the taxi & take off. The #14 arrives. A group of 3 interconnected hispanics get on the bus at the same time as me. I wait for them to speak Spanish to each other, but once on the bus they ignore each other. Seated in front of me, a black woman with high cheekbones can't stop admiring her own refelection in the window. She cocks her head different ways, tips her stocking cap, smiles and waves at herself the whole way down Mission.
Riding muni - disjointed events in a time series.
Owl service 2am. A woman at the bus stop gyrates energetically, pulling her hair up into a high ponytail. A middle-aged white man in a black hat & trench coat is next to her, his face is down like he's disavowing he knows anything about what's happening on that street corner. A taxi pulls up. I see her face. Her body looked young, but her visage is haggard, marred by red spots & scars. The hooker and her john get in the taxi & take off. The #14 arrives. A group of 3 interconnected hispanics get on the bus at the same time as me. I wait for them to speak Spanish to each other, but once on the bus they ignore each other. Seated in front of me, a black woman with high cheekbones can't stop admiring her own refelection in the window. She cocks her head different ways, tips her stocking cap, smiles and waves at herself the whole way down Mission.
Riding muni - disjointed events in a time series.
Pictures from China
Cao Xueqin's Story of the Stone is set in Suzhou. I'm walking in a garden in Suzhou now. Wait, look. There it is! The scene: A bright but penniless orphan named Yu-cun is staying at his host's house, when he looks out the window and sees a servant girl working in the garden. She happens to look up and see him. That glance inspires him to write poems of hope and desire. The poems convince Yu-cun's host to lend him money to take the examinations for Royal Service. Once Yu-cun enters the Palace and becomes a Magistrate, he searches for the servant girl named Lucky from the garden, to ask her to marry him.
Will this girl glance back at this boy? Will he be inspired to write poems from that glance? Will her name be Lucky?
Suzhou Garden
Another scene, this one set in Tongli.
Portico of Dreams
Other Pictures: Gardens, Water, Pagodas, Misc.
Will this girl glance back at this boy? Will he be inspired to write poems from that glance? Will her name be Lucky?
Another scene, this one set in Tongli.
Other Pictures: Gardens, Water, Pagodas, Misc.
photo gallery - some wines I enjoyed in 2008
Cliff Lede Cinnamon Stardust 2005, Stag's Leap District, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, very dark rich complex berries with hints of cinnamon, good sipping wine, purchased at winery in Yountville, CA, around $90
Cliff Lede 2005, Diamond Mountain single vineyard, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, dark rich berries with herbal nose and hints of sage and eucalyptus, purchased at winery in Yountville, CA, around $80
St. Magdalena Südtirol – Alto Adige 2007, DOC Santa Maddalena Classico Huck am Bach (located in Bolzano ITALY), Schiava (90%), Lagrein (10%), biodynamic no sulfites, aromatic fruity ruby red, pair with charcuterie, purchased at Terroir Wine Bar in SOMA San Francisco, around $20
AOC Crozes-Hermitage (26600 Tain L'Hermitage i.e. Cotes du Rhone FRANCE), Domaine du Colombier Cuvée Gaby 2005, Syrah mostly, Marsanne next and Roussane 15%, THE STINKIEST BARNYARD EVER! Pairs nicely with Grayson (a stinky soft cow's milk VA cheese at Cowgirl Creamery), purchased from Raphael Knapp, http://www.intvin.com
Wilson Winery 2005, Dorothy's Vineyard single vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, 100% Syrah, dark tannins with light aromatic fruity taste and gamey nose, good sipping wine or pair with meat, purchased at winery in Dry Creek Valley, CA, around $35
AOC Madiran(located in Corbère Abères F64350 i.e. Hautes-Pyrenées Sud-Ouest FRANCE), Chateau Peyros Vieilles Vignes 2003, 60% Tannat, 40% Cabernet Franc, dessert red wine, pairs well with blue cheese, purchased from Raphael Knapp importer in San Francisco, http://www.intvin.com
AOC Ste Croix du Mont (J.M. Tinon, Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, i.e. GirondeBordeaux FRANCE), Chateau la Grave Ste Croix du Mont 1998, 90% sémillon, 10% sauvignon blanc, dessert white wine, pairs well with almond biscotti, purchased from Raphael Knapp importer in San Francisco, http://www.intvin.com
What my RSS says
Opening my RSS Feed today, saw that Agile Testing had a new update:
* Grab the nearest book.
* Open it to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
* Don’t dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.
My result:
Don't become obsessed about saving every last yuan; being charged more than locals and getting ripped off from time to time is almost inevitable.
--The Rough Guide to China, 5th ed. April 2008
* Grab the nearest book.
* Open it to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
* Don’t dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.
My result:
Don't become obsessed about saving every last yuan; being charged more than locals and getting ripped off from time to time is almost inevitable.
--The Rough Guide to China, 5th ed. April 2008
A Tiny Step Forward
Step one is accomplished: C-Corp set up in Seattle. Just have to make sure net profit (revenue - business expenses) stays under $50K/year (15% Federal tax or 25% on < $75K). That should be easy.
I've already got my high-level domain and accompanying email.
Next step: Plan the "annual meeting" and other official papers I have to file. Maybe I should add my boyfriend and his glass business to the C-corp so he can get his business expenses deducted too. Maybe I should set up an LLC too, in case I really do make money. I can make my C-corp a managing member of the LLC and "pay" them for their management services. Well, first I have to make the money...
I've already got my high-level domain and accompanying email.
Next step: Plan the "annual meeting" and other official papers I have to file. Maybe I should add my boyfriend and his glass business to the C-corp so he can get his business expenses deducted too. Maybe I should set up an LLC too, in case I really do make money. I can make my C-corp a managing member of the LLC and "pay" them for their management services. Well, first I have to make the money...
Protecting Yourself
Given the economic times, I decided it would be wise to be more pro-active about protecting myself from consumer credit fraud. Here's what I did, it really didn't take that long, and I feel a lot better now.
1. Request free annual credit report. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/freereports/index.html
2. Request a credit freeze. Not for the faint of heart. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/credit-freeze.html for info. Basically you have to request the freeze separately from each credit bureau. $10 each, except TransUnion.
* Equifax: https://www.freeze.equifax.com/Freeze/jsp/SFF_PersonalIDInfo.jsp
* Experian: https://www.experian.com/consumer/cac/InvalidateSession.do?code=FREEZECENTER
* TransUnion: https://annualcreditreport.transunion.com/fa/securityFreeze/indexProcess
3. Stop unwanted junk mail. See http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt063.shtm for advice.
* Stop prescreened credit offers for 5 years: https://www.optoutprescreen.com/?rf=t
* Stop telemarketing calls by registering your phone number: www.donotcall.gov
* Register your address with Direct Marketing Association (DMA)'s delete list: https://www.dmachoice.org/dma/member/initLogin.action
* Register your email address with Direct Marketing: http://www.ims-dm.com/cgi/optoutemps.php
* Write a personal opt-out letter to DMV, Department of Elections
1. Request free annual credit report. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/freereports/index.html
2. Request a credit freeze. Not for the faint of heart. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/credit-freeze.html for info. Basically you have to request the freeze separately from each credit bureau. $10 each, except TransUnion.
* Equifax: https://www.freeze.equifax.com/Freeze/jsp/SFF_PersonalIDInfo.jsp
* Experian: https://www.experian.com/consumer/cac/InvalidateSession.do?code=FREEZECENTER
* TransUnion: https://annualcreditreport.transunion.com/fa/securityFreeze/indexProcess
3. Stop unwanted junk mail. See http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt063.shtm for advice.
* Stop prescreened credit offers for 5 years: https://www.optoutprescreen.com/?rf=t
* Stop telemarketing calls by registering your phone number: www.donotcall.gov
* Register your address with Direct Marketing Association (DMA)'s delete list: https://www.dmachoice.org/dma/member/initLogin.action
* Register your email address with Direct Marketing: http://www.ims-dm.com/cgi/optoutemps.php
* Write a personal opt-out letter to DMV, Department of Elections
Government Spam
Recently while I switched from T-mobile to iPhone's AT&T, I chose to get a brand, new cell number rather than keep my old cell number. The reason was I had given my T-mobile number when I registered to vote and my mobile number had since been registered in the Elections Department database and become the object of much annoying political phone spam. I got SMS messages and phone calls from political campaigns at all hours of the day and night. It was absolutely unbearable, and such volume like nothing I'd ever experienced before. It was an annoying intrusion on my privacy too. (Also, the old street address where I registered was getting a ton of paper political junk mail. So much, that my friend asked me to *please* change the address where I registered because she couldn't stand the pile of junk political mail.)
My current boyfriend is the type who can't imagine doing anything illegal. He was appalled when I said I would contribute to a cause only if I could give a fake phone number. I didn't want that political spam on my cell phone again. He said it was illegal to donate to a political campaign and not give your real, actual phone number. I said OK, I won't donate then, because I refuse to give my real phone number to anything having to do with an election again. Then my boyfriend said "Why don't you give your time to the campaign instead? You could volunteer to make campaign calls for them."
What has the world come to? Everyone is either the brunt of political spam or is expected to generate it? And who's that? It looks like the government that's on their high horse saying legal spam must have an easy way for the receiver to opt out? Apparently those are the legal spam rules, unless it's the government that's generating the spam.
This election has been the worst ever in terms of invasion of privacy and illegal spam. Woah there government, don't start thinking you can do whatever you want à la Nixon: "If the President [or future President] does it, it's not illegal".
My current boyfriend is the type who can't imagine doing anything illegal. He was appalled when I said I would contribute to a cause only if I could give a fake phone number. I didn't want that political spam on my cell phone again. He said it was illegal to donate to a political campaign and not give your real, actual phone number. I said OK, I won't donate then, because I refuse to give my real phone number to anything having to do with an election again. Then my boyfriend said "Why don't you give your time to the campaign instead? You could volunteer to make campaign calls for them."
What has the world come to? Everyone is either the brunt of political spam or is expected to generate it? And who's that? It looks like the government that's on their high horse saying legal spam must have an easy way for the receiver to opt out? Apparently those are the legal spam rules, unless it's the government that's generating the spam.
This election has been the worst ever in terms of invasion of privacy and illegal spam. Woah there government, don't start thinking you can do whatever you want à la Nixon: "If the President [or future President] does it, it's not illegal".
GTAC 2008
For me it was about 3 main lessons:
LESSON #1: If your tests don't run fast enough, they won't be able to run frequently, i.e. they won't be useful
LESSON #2: Mock out layers below what you want to test, to make tests run faster. Now you've got a lot more "small" tests that just test 1 layer at a time, e.g. web client separately, application code separately. Caveat: watch out for no integration between modules
LESSON #3: Write smaller number of end-to-end tests, maybe 15 or 20, even for a large project
Some useful things I learned:
- heatmap tools (where can I get one?) show graphically which code modules have the highest cyclomatic number. These are the ones you want to focus on!
- STAF Automation Framework (XML, Python, Java) http://staf.sourceforge.net/
- Data generators http://www.generatedata.com, http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/
- freshmeat.net, search projects for software testing, logs, etc.
- Functional UI test tools: Selenium (html), Canoo Webtest (htmlUnit), FEST (java swing)
- Behavioral testing: easyb (Groovy, RSpec)
- Load & performance testing, read paper for ideas http://edms.cern.ch/file/925013/3/EGEE-Grid-Cloud.pdf
- Designing the Software for testability will help both developers & testers. Guideline is SOCKS (Simpler components, Observable states, Control, Knowledge of expected result)
- Code review tool - http://www.review-board.org/
- Testing equipment? Try http://www.fanfaresoftware.com/products/howItWorks/index.aspx
- Model-based testing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model-based_testing
- Mock objects: check each language for implementation details (java, ruby http://mocha.rubyforge.org/)
two Hendriks from Sweden
LESSON #1: If your tests don't run fast enough, they won't be able to run frequently, i.e. they won't be useful
LESSON #2: Mock out layers below what you want to test, to make tests run faster. Now you've got a lot more "small" tests that just test 1 layer at a time, e.g. web client separately, application code separately. Caveat: watch out for no integration between modules
LESSON #3: Write smaller number of end-to-end tests, maybe 15 or 20, even for a large project
Some useful things I learned:
- heatmap tools (where can I get one?) show graphically which code modules have the highest cyclomatic number. These are the ones you want to focus on!
- STAF Automation Framework (XML, Python, Java) http://staf.sourceforge.net/
- Data generators http://www.generatedata.com, http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/
- freshmeat.net, search projects for software testing, logs, etc.
- Functional UI test tools: Selenium (html), Canoo Webtest (htmlUnit), FEST (java swing)
- Behavioral testing: easyb (Groovy, RSpec)
- Load & performance testing, read paper for ideas http://edms.cern.ch/file/925013/3/EGEE-Grid-Cloud.pdf
- Designing the Software for testability will help both developers & testers. Guideline is SOCKS (Simpler components, Observable states, Control, Knowledge of expected result)
- Code review tool - http://www.review-board.org/
- Testing equipment? Try http://www.fanfaresoftware.com/products/howItWorks/index.aspx
- Model-based testing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model-based_testing
- Mock objects: check each language for implementation details (java, ruby http://mocha.rubyforge.org/)
two Hendriks from Sweden
Charleston
I just finished taking the walking tour from H.P. Lovecraft's "An Account of a Visit to Charleston" (1930). There was only a fuzzy photocopy of the hand-written map. Based on street orientation & my counts of city blocks from peninsula edge to edge, I reconstructed it over my free tourist map.
H.P. Lovecraft apparently visited Charleston in 1930 but then never actually got to use his hand-drawn map, because he died in 1937 without visiting Charleston again. With his vivid imagination, I imagined him walking around those dark, narrow, still streets, imagining what Edgar Allen Poe would imagine. Near Queen & Archdale streets, a woman emerged from a house with her dog on a leash. Was that really a dog or perhaps an alien creature she was secretly keeping captive in her house? Near Tradd & Church, a brick house sat, particularly far-set from the street at the end of an overgrown walkway behind a locked, high iron gate. A boy with a sheltered and stern upbringing, who lived in the almost hidden house, could his body harbor an alien fungus, that was quietly adapting to its human host, unruffled by infrequent and fleeting trips into sunlight by this boy? Hmm.
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