Curious Creature

And people complain that Java has too many web frameworks…. Now we hear of yet another web framework for Ruby. There is Rails, Merb, Camping, Waves, and I assume others. Funny how the Ruby space is becoming so crowded with web frameworks. And here I always thought Rails was perfect but this guy says in the interview that he was running up against limitations of Rails. I could swear Rails was going to solve everything….

I’ve been reading the Hg book today and have found that merging between branches is a much different operation than with CVS or Subversion and much easier. I’m really glad to see this and want to take an even better look at Mercurial by using it a bit. Maybe thats why Tor didn’t talk about it at all in the Posse podcast…there really isn’t much to it

So the guys were discussing version control systems and Joe was talking about SVN. Tor was talking about Mercurial. The only thing they were talking about was stuff that, quite frankly, really doesn’t matter all that much because any revision control system is going to allow check-ins, etc. Obviously thats the point Joe wonders how dangerous is it to use Mercurial since you’re not checking in to a central repository. You might lose something! Joe…just a note that the same thing is true of SVN if you don’t bother checking in your code

But all this really doesn’t get to what I think is the most important point: what is the merge model like in Mercurial? In SVN when you are merging changes from branch to branch (and in branches I’m including trunk) you have to be really careful with making sure you’re getting the revision numbers right. This is no better than CVS. Sure SVN does most things better than CVS but in this important case it does nothing to make the process better.

I have yet to read about how merging happens in Mercurial. I wonder if you have to track revision numbers as in SVN.

At work we’re looking at Accurev which has a pretty smart model for merging changes. Obviously any merge is going to require some careful checking when you have multiple changes from multiple people to the same area of code but Accurev makes the rest of the process much easier. They use the idea of streams, which are sort of a combination of an SVN branch with workflow attached, and when you merge code you are promoting it to streams higher in the hierarchy. You still have to worry about overlapping code areas, no way around that, but you don’t have to worry about tracking revision numbers.

Now if we could finally get off of CVS….

Wow. Where have I been? Whole Foods is ditching plastic shopping bags! My last post on this subject received quite a bit of attention (I got a nod in the New York Times…near the bottom). At that time I never would have expected this given their response to me. I’m really glad to hear they’ve come to their senses.

R-

You’re almost ready to start real school. I can’t believe how fast you’re growing. Today watching you play games on the computer I was amazed because you’ve gone from needing my help with everything to just plunging in and trying to figure it out yourself. You still needed a bit of help but that is to be expected. Never be afraid to ask for help kiddo. People sometimes are ashamed to ask for help, like it shows some kind of weakness. There is no weakness in acknowledging that you can’t possibly know everything. There is lots of wisdom in that, not weakness.

You’re also starting to want to learn to read on your own. We just picked up a book and CD called “Danny the Dinosaur” by Syd Hoff from the library. You listen to the CD and follow along in the book. I can tell you’re excited to learn to read. You love having stories read to you and I’m glad that love of reading is something you seem to have. It’s a great way to spend time.

B-

You’re amazing me with your ability to speak and you’re picking up words at an incredible rate even if you can’t quite pronounce all of them yet I know what you’re saying and that is all that matters. Your personality amazes me every single day. You’re so unlike me in that respect and that is just wonderful. I hope you stay that way always. I know that I used to be more like you when I was a kid. I’ve changed a lot as I’ve gotten older and not in a good way. I’m still a pretty good guy and fair but I could use some work

I’ve watched one hell of a lot of political coverage so far this political season and I just can’t do it. I’m completely burned out. Especially after watching a debate that was a repeat of the last one, just longer. No more until March 4th and after that day I’m not watching another bit until the Democratic candidate is announced.

Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing.

From the National Post an opinion piece that wants us to think that because some places are experiencing colder-than-normal weather (or getting more snow than usual) that global warming doesn’t exist. How many times do these people need to hear that global warming means wackier weather? If we have warmer than usual weather in summer what does that mean?

But if environmentalists and environment reporters can run around shrieking about the manmade destruction of the natural order every time a robin shows up on Georgian Bay two weeks early, then it is at least fair game to use this winter’s weather stories to wonder whether the alarmist are being a tad premature.

Actually environmentalists and environment reporters aren’t shrieking about single events like the one mentioned. They’re shrieking about trends. And based on the fact that most climate scientists agree that there is global warming the shrieking is warranted.

I just can’t figure out why these people don’t understand the premise that global warming trends mean more extreme weather..including *cold* weather.

Oh and the best part? We can’t listen to the scientists and their talk of ice core samples and all that other scientific stuff. But we can rely on records from 1350-1850 about the Little Ice Age.

The last time the sun was this inactive, Earth suffered the Little Ice Age that lasted about five centuries and ended in 1850. Crops failed through killer frosts and drought. Famine, plague and war were widespread. Harbours froze, so did rivers, and trade ceased.

Certainly those records are more accurate.

I’m getting very close to trying to start up a discussion group about local food here in the Chicago area. I was thinking about trying to get something going at the local library for starters. I’m just getting to the point where I want to try to do something more to get the word out there about eating as locally as possible and the benefits that action provides on so many levels.

I most definitely am not a public speaker but I’m not sure how else I’m supposed to move beyond just eating locally myself. I know that helps but I just feel the need to do more. Pollan, Kingsolver, etc. have been very inspiring and I want to give something back.

Ideas are welcome

B and R:

I wish so much that you could understand the times we are living right now. Never before have I experienced anything in politics like what I am seeing happen right now here in the United States.

My first voting opportunity was in 1988. I had just turned 18 and I was pretty excited by that (my guy, Michael Dukakis, lost but thats beside the point) but in the elections I’ve been able to participate in since then nothing has ever been as exciting as watching Barack Obama right now.

It’s hard for me to describe how proud I am of this man and America when I watch him give speeches. People have felt let down by their country and the President. People have desperately wanted change but have felt powerless to do anything about it. Between the war in Iraq, a bad (but Democratic) Congress, a bad economy, etc. it’s been rough. Obama has been changing those feelings among a lot of people and it’s amazing to see.

People are excited. They’re watching the debates on TV. They’re talking about whats going on. More and more people are getting involved in the political process because they finally feel like someone truly worth voting for is in front of them and damned if they’re not going to grab on to that and hold on for dear life. I know how they feel and I suspect this is what it was like for your Grandma K. when John F. Kennedy was elected.

There is just an electric feeling around Obama. The man gives phenomenal speeches and I’ve found myself tearing up during several of them because it feels like he is speaking directly to me. Everyt time I’ve voted for President the decision has been about who is the lesser of two evils. If Obama wins the nomination it will be the first time in my adult life that hasn’t been true and I’m really looking forward to that day.

I hope in your lifetimes there will be someone this exciting again that you will feel proud to vote for. I know that the past 7 years I’ve had really mixed feelings about our country and the direction it has been headed but this man makes me feel proud to be an American again.

I was listening to a news report about the beef recall today and the person doing the story stated that the whole thing might call into question the safety of the food system. Gee you think so? I would have though the tainted spinach might have done that. Or any of the other recalls of food in the past.

What the hell are people thinking?