El Gersius de blog... digo al revés

Por qué me gusta tanto el VGA Planets

Realmente no es tanto el juego como los jugadores. Llevo algunos años jugando con una panda de españoles y argentinos, y las partidas son divertidísimas. Para muestra, el siguiente mensaje en la lista de correo de la partida:

Manga de cagones trolos chupatrozos, en el turno 10, cunpliendo la consigna, yo ataque a Peron, de acuerdo a lo que todos decian. Le tome la unica puta nave que vi en el horizonte 2D de nuestro universo... y el resto? nada... manga de travestidos disfrazados de moyano... ya no les creo nada... ahora en el turno 20, Peron puede transitar libremente entre mis planetas (no en ellos) y fuera de mis campos minados, joder!

Y las hostilidades aún no han comenzado... pronto empezarán las explosiones

Aviso CRUCIAL a todos los programadores

Si programáis cualquier aplicación de edición de lo-que-sea, de modo que el usuario pueda guardar un trabajo de horas en archivo, os recomiendo:

1. No utilicéis el carácter '!' para abrir el menú
2. No utilicéis la secuencia "gfttttt" para salir sin guardar los cambios.

Una de mis gatas se paseó el otro día por el teclado, y la secuencia que escribió no fue otra que:

¡gfttttt

... que hubiera resultado mortífera si hubiera estado usando un programa con las características anteriores. Así que ya sabéis, "NO al ¡gfttttt". Creo que voy a hacer una historia de estas del facebook para que la gente se haga admiradora...

Maravillosas Fortune Cookies #20

Y para celebrar tan magno regreso (y de paso desmentirme), procedo a transcribir una maravillosa fortune cookie que puede resumirse en: más vale 10 buenos que 150 mediocres. Y qué razon tiene...

It is a very humbling experience to make a multimillion-dollar mistake, but it
is also very memorable. I vividly recall the night we decided how to organize
the actual writing of external specifications for OS/360. The manager of
architecture, the manager of control program implementation, and I were
threshing out the plan, schedule, and division of responsibilities.

The architecture manager had 10 good men. He asserted that they could write
the specifications and do it right. It would take ten months, three more
than the schedule allowed.

The control program manager had 150 men. He asserted that they could prepare
the specifications, with the architecture team coordinating; it would be
well-done and practical, and he could do it on schedule. Furthermore, if
the architecture team did it, his 150 men would sit twiddling their thumbs
for ten months.

To this the architecture manager responded that if I gave the control program
team the responsibility, the result would not in fact be on time, but would
also be three months late, and of much lower quality. I did, and it was. He
was right on both counts. Moreover, the lack of conceptual integrity made
the system far more costly to build and change, and I would estimate that it
added a year to debugging time.
-- Frederick Brooks Jr., "The Mythical Man Month"

Regreso del exilio

Después de encadenar dos proyectos en Portugal y dos aquí, pero en Alcobendas (lo cual es contradicción a la vez que una gran verdad), Gersius regresa, y con él, su blog vuelve a bullir de actividad. Y punto, no pienso escribir nada más por el momento.

Maravillosas Fortune Cookies #19

Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.
-- Winston Churchill

Next to being shot at and missed, nothing is really quite as
satisfying as an income tax refund.
-- F. J. Raymond

MARAvillosas Fortune Cookies #18

A computer without COBOL and Fortran is like a piece of chocolate cake without ketchup and mustard.

P.D. Fortune cookie con dedicatoria

Everything2

Seguramente os sonará lo del tío que apostó dinero a que Hamilton sería campeón de F1; he aquí un artículo de 2004 de alguien que predijo la presidencia para Obama.

Es de uno de mis sitios favoritos, Everything2, donde se puede leer de todo, como prueba, en el enlace a continuación veréis dos artículos bien distintos

Obama en Everything2

...

Ya sé lo que quiero que me regalen la próxima ocasión señalada (Navidad, Reyes, cumpleaños, etc):

Obama, con un par

Hello, Chicago.

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

We are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.

A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen. McCain. Sen. McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.

I congratulate him; I congratulate Gov. Palin for all that they've achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady Michelle Obama.

Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the new White House.

And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I am grateful to them.

And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best -- the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.

To my chief strategist David Axelrod who's been a partner with me every step of the way.

To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.

It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.

It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.

This is your victory.

And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me.

You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime -- two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.

Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.

There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.

There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.

I promise you, we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem.

But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years -- block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.

This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.

It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.

Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.

In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.

Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.

Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.

As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

To those -- to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

That's the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.

Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves -- if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.

This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

La España de charanga...

La España de charanga y pandereta,
cerrado y sacristía,
devota de Frascuelo y de María,
de espíritu burlón y de alma quieta,
ha de tener su mármol y su día,
su infalible mañana y su poeta.

El vano ayer engendrará un mañana
vacío y ¡por ventura! pasajero.
Será un joven lechuzo y tarambana,
un sayón con hechuras de bolero;
a la moda de Francia realista,
un poco al uso de París pagano,
y al estilo de España especialista
en el vicio al alcance de la mano.

Esa España inferior que ora y bosteza,
vieja y tahur, zaragatera y triste;
esa España inferior que ora y embiste
cuando se digna usar de la cabeza,
aún tendrá luengo parto de varones
amantes de sagradas tradiciones
y de sagradas formas y maneras;
florecerán las barbas apostólicas
y otras calvas en otras calaveras
brillarán, venerables y católicas.

El vano ayer engendrará un mañana
vacío y ¡por ventura! pasajero,
la sombra de un lechuzo tarambana,
de un sayón con hechuras de bolero,
el vacuo ayer dará un mañana huero.

Como la náusea de un borracho ahito
de vino malo, un rojo sol corona
de heces turbias las cumbres de granito;
hay un mañana estomagante escrito
en la tarde pragmática y dulzona.

Mas otra España nace,
la España del cincel y de la maza,
con esa eterna juventud que se hace
del pasado macizo de la raza.

Una España implacable y redentora,
España que alborea
con un hacha en la mano vengadora,
España de la rabia y de la idea.

-- Antonio Machado

Manifiesto: el peligro de las mayorías (I)

Parece claro que la inteligencia de masas adolece de sinergia negativa; cuanto mayor es el número, menor es la inteligencia media.

Una vez desaparecida la inteligencia individual, sólo prevalecen las ideas básicas; los matices desaparecen. Y eso es peligroso porque existen ideas que, sin matices, tienen un aspecto -bueno o malo-; pero con matices se invierten.

Un ejemplo de esto es el uso de la violencia. Está claro que toda persona que se considere decente está en contra del uso de la violencia. Sin matices, la idea está clara. Pero introduzcamos un matiz: ¿darle un cachete a un niño desobediente puede considerarse violencia? Aquí la cosa ya no está tan clara, porque hay muchos tipos de cachete y de desobediencia. Para mí está claro que por una desobediencia grave, un cachete no es ningún delito. Es más, una desobediencia grave se merece un buen cachete. Y que nadie se engañe: cuando un crío hace algo malo, y lo sabe, no se traumatizará por un cachete, y aprenderá para la próxima vez.

Tomemos la idea sin matices, hagamos una ley con la misma y... ya no se pueden dar cachetes a niños desobedientes. ¿Es un avance? Preguntad a los padres que hoy no pueden controlar a sus hijos porque en su día no supieron pararles los pies.

Otro ejemplo: hay que facilitarles las cosas a los estudiantes. Esta idea, tomada sin matices, parece buena. Pero encierra un peligro: la facilidad a corto plazo ayuda, pero propicia la debilidad. No lo digo yo, es una verdad universal que hasta los mecanismos más básicos de la vida siguen. ¿Cómo tener unos brazos fuertes? No ahorrándoles esfuerzos. Así que para formar personas competentes, las facilidades son la peor receta. No he venido a hacer amigos, conteste en cierta ocasión a una jefa de estudios que me acusó de ser inflexible con mis alumnos.

Este tipo de ideas que perdieron los matices se han ido convirtiendo poco a poco en leyes y discursos cuyo resultado hoy sufrimos: un sistema educativo que yo trataría de evitar; sin embargo la ley no me lo permite. Por ello, si me toca, lo mejor será vivir en un sitio no masificado donde tenga visibilidad de lo que a mi prole se le enseña para poder complementar su educación académica. De la educación en sí me ocuparé personalmente; y para quien lo pueda estar pensando, se equivoca: no trataré de construir un clon.

Maravillosas fortune cookies #17

Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.

Maravillosas fortune cookies #16

Memory fault -- core...uh...um...core... Oh dammit, I forget!

Profesiones favoritas

... hay una serie de trabajos que me gustaría tener incluso más que el que tengo. El primero que me viene a la mente: presentador de guías Pilot

Personajes favoritos: Maurice Minifield

... de Doctor en Alaska, o Northern Exposure que es el nombre original de la serie.