FFURG's December Casting Call Announced

Grok Headline matches for FFURG's December Casting Call Announced

FFURG's December Casting Call: Vintage
Power of the Force

FFURG's December Casting Call: Vintage
Power of the Force 12/25/2003 02:05 AM
For the entire month of December, FFURG has had a month-long vintage customs celebration honoring the beginning of the Star Wars custom craze. This celebration is capped off by the Vintage Power Of The Force Casting Call which displays any and all customs made in the vintage Kenner action figure medium, representing characters not directly found in the Original Star Wars Trilogy. With 90 vintage customs from 33 customizers including submissions from G. Glassman, Paul Hruby, Mike Miller, Tyler Pugmire, and John Thorman, this Casting Call is sure to delight anyone who is ever picked up a vintage Kenner Star Wars toy.

FFURG's January Casting Call Announced

FFURG's January Casting Call Announced 01/09/2004 09:55 PM
FFURG's January Casting Call has been decided, and it's going to be based on the star of the Classic Trilogy...Luke Skywalker.

FFURG's February AND March Casting Calls
Announced

FFURG's February AND March Casting Calls
Announced 01/19/2004 05:04 AM
FFURG announces the next two months' Casting Calls, one that takes "fan-fiction" to a whole new level, and one that has been requested for years.

FFURG's March Casting Call

FFURG's March Casting Call 03/08/2004 11:04 PM
StarWars.com has recently added new podracing avatars for their Hyperspace members, which is as good a reason as any to remind all customizers of FFURG's March Casting Call for customs of Pod Racers, a follow-up to 2002's Podrace Arena theme. Any of the daring pilots from The Phantom Menace, the Episode I Racer or Racer's Revenge video games, or just from your own imagination will be accepted...and if you want to go and make your own pod racer as well, they'll gladly be accepted too! Deadline is March 26th, 2004.

FFURG's November Casting Call: Admiral
Daala

FFURG's November Casting Call: Admiral
Daala 11/06/2003 04:59 PM
November's Casting Call featuring customs of Admiral Daala is now live! With a dozen artists showing off 13 different takes on this popular character from the Expanded Universe. Click on the logo above to check them all out. Look for an announcement for December's Casting Call very soon!

A "Trading Spouses" casting call!

A "Trading Spouses" casting call! 03/19/2005 02:53 AM
Bring us your wealthy, your lesbian, your tattooed masses! You'll go on TV, win a lot of money, and lose only a small sliver of your soul.

MoveOn in on-line casting call

MoveOn in on-line casting call 07/03/2004 02:17 AM
globetechnology.com Jul 3 2004 6:10AM GMT

Stallone Joins 'Contender' Casting Call
(AP)

Stallone Joins 'Contender' Casting Call
(AP) 05/17/2004 10:36 PM
AP - Sylvester Stallone stepped into the ring Monday and, though wearing jeans and long-sleeve shirt, struck a blow for his upcoming TV series "The Contender."

Vacuum casting machine features
ultra-fast casting speed and simple
maintenance

Vacuum casting machine features
ultra-fast casting speed and simple
maintenance 06/04/2004 05:05 PM
Topcast Engineering� TVC vacuum casting machine offers new features for a wide range of metal alloys: Ultra fast speed, simple and fast maintenance, cheap graphite crucible, low inert gas consumption, fully programmable. [PRWEB May 29, 2004]

eGain Announces Conference Call for
Quarter Ending December 31, 2004

eGain Announces Conference Call for
Quarter Ending December 31, 2004 02/01/2005 09:05 PM
Market Wire Jan 31 2005 1:44PM GMT

Dell Canada plans to hire 500 employees
for a new call centre in Edmonton, the
company announced Monday

Dell Canada plans to hire 500 employees
for a new call centre in Edmonton, the
company announced Monday 07/19/2004 11:21 PM
Sympatico Jul 20 2004 3:25AM GMT

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah
Marshall: December 21, 2003 - December
27, 2003 Archives

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah
Marshall: December 21, 2003 - December
27, 2003 Archives 12/24/2003 12:40 AM
finds a real nugget .. points out .. blunts

talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2003_12_21.html#002338
track this site | 4 links

Casting a Global Net

Casting a Global Net 04/02/2005 09:20 AM
InternetRetailer.com Apr 2 2005 1:00PM GMT

Casting About For Some Clone Wars
Art

Casting About For Some Clone Wars
Art 03/19/2003 10:25 PM
The Fan Club is looking for a bit of Clone Wars fan art for possible inclusion in a future Banta Tracks....

Casting out getters and setters

Casting out getters and setters 12/17/2004 06:33 PM

Python Is Not Java by Phillip J. Eby (via Ned) is the most useful article on programming I've read in ages. If you have any interest at all in either language, go and read it. It's all good, but the part that really struck a nerve for me was this:

Getter s and setters are evil. Evil, evil, I say! Python objects are not Java beans. Do not write getters and setters. This is what the 'property' built-in is for. And do not take that to mean that you should write getters and setters, and then wrap them in 'property'. That means that until you prove that you need anything more than a simple attribute access, don't write getters and setters. They are a waste of CPU time, but more important, they are a waste of programmer time. Not just for the people writing the code and tests, but for the people who have to read and understand them as well.

Writing getters and setters in Java has always bugged me, but I've never quite been able to articulate the reason until now. Python's property syntax (and Ruby's similar attr_reader and attr_writer methods) are so much more elegant that writing those things by hand, or even auto-generating them with Eclipse, leaves a nasty taste in my mouth.

BrainLoaf pod casting coming soon

BrainLoaf pod casting coming soon 02/01/2005 10:12 PM
I just finished recording my first pod cast. I will post it soon. In the meantime, checkout www.ipodder.com to read up on podcasting. And download the app that will subscribe to pod casts

Celebrity Casting For LOTR

Celebrity Casting For LOTR 07/26/2004 09:20 AM

Type-casting: how to make your own fonts

Type-casting: how to make your own fonts 05/16/2004 08:38 PM
ZDNet May 17 2004 0:35AM GMT

A Scanner Darkly casting continues

A Scanner Darkly casting continues 05/11/2004 10:37 AM
Richard Linklater has lined up quite a list of stars for his Hollywood adap tation of Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly. So far, Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson, and Rory Cochran have signed on to join (gulp) Keanu Reeves in the lead as an undercover cop with drug-induced schizophrenia. Link (Thanks, Dave!)

Web Casting - The Future of Online
Education

Web Casting - The Future of Online
Education 06/24/2004 10:44 PM
WebDevInfo Jun 25 2004 2:43AM GMT

Casting the Net for Best Fish and Chip
Shop (Reuters)

Casting the Net for Best Fish and Chip
Shop (Reuters) 06/22/2004 12:40 PM
Reuters - The hunt began on Tuesday to find the maker of Britain's best fish and chips -- the nation's favorite take-away meal.

Virtual Loot Evolves Casting Calls -
Agents Flock to FunHi.com

Virtual Loot Evolves Casting Calls -
Agents Flock to FunHi.com 07/06/2004 03:03 AM
FunHi members enjoy being immersed in a street savvy game of exclusivity, glamour and competition. Adding a designer innovation around entertainment casting, FunHi now offers its elite members an online diversion that captures the drama of a televised talent show. [PRWEB Jul 6, 2004]

"2005 WEBBY AWARDS NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED
- You Vote for the Best Websites -
Winners announced in May 2005"

"2005 WEBBY AWARDS NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED
- You Vote for the Best Websites -
Winners announced in May 2005" 04/15/2005 11:41 PM

Voice Browser Call Control: CCXML 1.0
Last Call Published

Voice Browser Call Control: CCXML 1.0
Last Call Published 04/30/2004 10:43 AM
2004-04-30: The Voice Browser Working Group has published a Last Call Working Draft of Voice Browser Call Control: CCXML Version 1.0 including major updates. CCXML, the Call Control eXtensible Markup Language, provides telephony call control support for VoiceXML and other dialog systems. Comments are welcome through 28 May. Visit the Voice Browser home page. (News archive)

Apple Q3 conference call analyst call --
live updates

Apple Q3 conference call analyst call --
live updates 07/14/2004 04:52 PM

New Pay-Per-Phone Call Lead System
Empowers Partners to Ensure Clients
Charged Only for Successful Call Leads

New Pay-Per-Phone Call Lead System
Empowers Partners to Ensure Clients
Charged Only for Successful Call Leads 03/17/2005 03:01 AM
Developer of ZiffTalk and Click4Advisor �click-for-talk� platforms launches ZiffLeads, first independent Pay-Per-Phone Call Lead platform, to target partners who want to offer online advertisers, local and national, a more Flexible and Reliable Phone Call Lead generation and measurement product. [PRWEB Mar 17, 2005]

Retiring Mandela Says 'Don't Call Me,
I'll Call You'

Retiring Mandela Says 'Don't Call Me,
I'll Call You' 06/01/2004 10:44 AM
Reuters via Wired News Jun 1 2004 3:11PM GMT

Dell to Hold International Strategy
Conference Call With Analysts; Call to
be Webcast Live at www.dell.com

Dell to Hold International Strategy
Conference Call With Analysts; Call to
be Webcast Live at www.dell.com 04/05/2005 02:02 PM
Business Wire Apr 5 2005 5:23PM GMT

Virtual Call Centre Provider Offers
Unique Chance to Win a Call Centre from
CallCentreVoice.com

Virtual Call Centre Provider Offers
Unique Chance to Win a Call Centre from
CallCentreVoice.com 03/17/2005 04:13 AM
i-CALL (a Division of Call Centre Recording Ltd) is pleased to announce �The launch of a fantastic new sponsorship agreement between i-CALL.co.uk and CallCentreVoice.com� [PRWEB Mar 17, 2005]

Las Vegas, Nevada-World Series of Poker
Comes to Hollywood - New Hollywood
Motion Picture "Lucky You" Scheduled for
Casting and Filming in Hollywood and Las
Vegas, Soon

Las Vegas, Nevada-World Series of Poker
Comes to Hollywood - New Hollywood
Motion Picture "Lucky You" Scheduled for
Casting and Filming in Hollywood and Las
Vegas, Soon 03/14/2005 05:55 PM
Drew Barrymore and Eric Bana are set to star in "Lucky You" at Warner Bros. Story revolves around struggling singer (Drew Barrymore)who hooks up with professional poker player (Eric Bana)as he collides with his estranged father at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. The casting company for the movie is currently seeking poker players and dealers for the film. Details and application forms are available on the front page of www.PokerConnection.net [PRWEB Feb 15, 2005]

1 December

1 December 12/02/2003 12:39 AM

Do something about it.

December 06, 2004

December 06, 2004 12/19/2004 03:24 PM

Tamir Nitzan tries to explain.

First, the word he mentions (pronounced "davka") has a couple of different meanings, depending on context. But the slang meaning he refers to can loosely be translated to "in spite". For example - "why won't you let your little sister have the toy?" Answer: "davka" (embodying "I won't give her the toy BECAUSE she wants it so much").

As for the expressions (pronounced "rosh katan" - little head, vs. "rosh gadol" - big head). This expression comes from the IDF, and as most military language, doesn't quite translate into normal language. A "rosh katan" (literally "little head", and I actually think it is the original expression which derived most likely from "pinhead", the contrast later came in as a complement) is someone that does exactly what he's told. For instance, someone might be told to clean the barrel of their rifle. A "rosh katan" will strictly clean the barrel, perhaps leaving it useless because the trigger mechanism has sand in it, whereas a "rosh gadol" will clean the entire rifle and lubricate it so it's ready for use and doesn't rust. Another example: you tell a soldier to "go notify so-and-so that we will be ready for inspection at 1600". By 1700 you're curious, so you ask him "did you notify?". His answer might be "well I called his office and left a message". A "rosh gadol" would likely say: "I called his office but got his voice mail, so I left a message. I called back an hour later but still got voice mail, so I called his cell phone and left a message there too. I tried him again an hour after that and he assured me he will be here by 1600. I called him again 20 minutes ago and he said he was on his way but stuck in traffic" (a real "rosh gadol" would have notified his C.O. of all this without being asked of course).

Let me elaborate here... this is exactly right. Rosh katan is sometimes used in parts of the former British Commonwealth as labor action referred to as "work to rule." For some reason you can't go on strike, so you very carefully do your job exactly as prescribed, in a cussedly literal-minded way. "You told me to clean the toilet. You did not say to tell you when I was done. Therefore in accordance with your instructions I cleaned the toilet and stayed there in the toilet room waiting for further instructions." Someone who is working to rule can always demonstrate that no matter how many orders you give someone, they can probably make themselves 100% useless while still obeying every order you give them. This passive-aggressive behavior is quite frowned upon in the Israeli army where the slang rosh katan (small head) describes it. However, it is often one of the only ways to resist authority in a system which is likely to penalize direct disobedience with swift and harsh penalties.

For example, if I assign a bug to a developer I expect them to:

1. reproduce the bug
2. if it's not immediately reproducible, make a good faith effort to figure out why it's happening to me instead of just assuming that I'm doped up on anti-allergy medication and hallucinating it
3. find the root cause
4. do some searches to see if the same errors were made elsewhere in the code
5. fix them all
6. test the fix
7. think about whether this bug might be causing serious implications for a customer who needs to be told about the fix
8. etc.

That's the Rosh Gadol behavior. Possible Rosh Katan behaviors would be

1. resolved-not-repro. You can always get away with this once without even trying to repro the bug, because later you can pretend you didn't understand the bug report.
2. without even reproing the bug, make a change to the source code that seems like it would fix it and resolve it as fixed. If it wasn't, I'll catch it when I close the bug, right? And if it's really still broken, surely another tester will find it.

Rosh Gadol of course is quite the opposite: taking initiative and doing what is desired, not what is requested. Eric Sink alluded to it, in the difference between programmers and developers.

Back to Tamir.

Lastly there's MSF. The author's complaint about methodologies is that they essentially transform people into compliance monkeys. "our system isn't working" -- "but we signed all the phase exits!". Intuitively, there is SOME truth in that. Any methodology that aims to promote consistency essentially has to cater to a lowest common denominator. The concept of a "repeatable process" implies that while all people are not the same, they can all produce the same way, and should all be monitored similarly. For instance, in software development, we like to have people unit-test their code. However, a good, experienced developer is about 100 times less likely to write bugs that will be uncovered during unit tests than a beginner. It is therefore practically useless for the former to write these... but most methodologies would enforce that he has to, or else you don't pass some phase. At that point, he's spending say 30% of his time on something essentially useless, which demotivates him. Since he isn't motivated to develop aggressively, he'll start giving large estimates, then not doing much, and perform his 9-5 duties to the letter. Project in crisis? Well, I did my unit tests. The rough translation of his sentence is: "methodologies encourage rock stars to become compliance monkeys, and I need everyone on my team to be a rock star".

Exactly true. Daniel on the discussion group found a classic quote from Herman Wouk's Caine Mutiny:

"The Navy is a master plan designed by geniuses for execution by idiots. If you're not an idiot, but find yourself in the Navy, you can only operate well by pretending to be one. All the shortcuts and economies and common-sense changes that your native intelligence suggests to you are mistakes. Learn to quash them. Constantly ask yourself, 'How would I do this if I were a fool?' Throttle down your mind to a crawl. Then you'll never go wrong."

The trouble with MSF is that it starts with a group of successful developers, who are successful because they are resourceful, intelligent, experienced, well-meaning, and have plush private offices with doors that close, and then attempts to claim that if impose some of their "best practices" on your team of unskilled developers, you will achieve the same results. It's like Daniel Boulud selling a manual to McDonald's fry cooks. "Out of potatoes? Try Yams. Throw in a bit of rosemary. Toss and serve with a lime-basil aioli dipping sauce. Yum." It's just Best Practices, right?

December Builder.com top 10

December Builder.com top 10 01/07/2003 02:47 PM
CNET Jan 7 2003 1:02AM ET

December 03, 2004

December 03, 2004 12/19/2004 03:24 PM
See that little picture of the books on the left hand side? It used to be 42,241 bytes long. 34,885 of those bytes were in a useless "application block" that some photo editing program put there. Thanks to Dennis Forbes, who posted an explanation and a free utility to remove the unneeded bloat, it's now only 7354 bytes.

ham (2 December 2002)

ham (2 December 2002) 12/03/2002 06:53 PM
[5 pm | 4 pm] When bad ideas go wrong The Aventis website doesn’t work in Mozilla, which is a lucky break for Mozilla users, who’ll be

joy (27 December 2002)

joy (27 December 2002) 12/27/2002 11:37 PM
[8 pm] Joy.

The December Builder.com top 10

The December Builder.com top 10 01/04/2003 01:58 AM
CNET Jan 4 2003 1:02AM ET

December 04, 2004

December 04, 2004 12/19/2004 03:24 PM

I just ordered a copy of The Great Eskimo Vocabulary Hoax, which, among other things, debunks the stories about how Eskimos have lots of words for snow.

Now for the bit that only Hebrew speakers are going to understand.

No matter how debunked Whorf is, I'm still convinced that Israelis are more likely to do things דווקא, simply because they have a word for it. And I have been forced to write entir e essays simply because I cannot find any other way to convey to English speakers the difference between ראש גדול and ראש קטן. All I wanted to say was that methodologies encourage ראש קטן and I need everyone on my team to be ראש גדול.

To someone who has never learned Hebrew it takes me two or three books to explain that. M SF is a fraud–an attempt to consolidate all the ראש גדול things Microsoft programmers do in a set of rules which are supposed to work if you force ראש קטן bizonim to implement them. And it’s never going to work.

I have been trying to translate this simple concept to English for years and am just about ready to give up. The Joel on Software award for excellence in technical translation will go to the person who can best express the preceding two paragraphs in English!

December 17, 2004

December 17, 2004 12/19/2004 03:24 PM

Mer cury News: “Accounting rule makers handed down long-awaited final guidelines Thursday that will force companies to deduct the value of billions of dollars of employee stock options from reported profits starting in mid-2005.”

Here's some old discussion of what this means.

The old Silicon Valley hands are unhappy with the general concept of expensing stock options, and one reason they often give for this is the difficulty of figuring out the value of stock options. But anybody in the investment industry, and indeed, anyone with a rudimentary understanding of financial accounting knows that accounting for the value of an illiquid asset is always a problem yet something you always have to do anyway, and just because the value of stock options changes over time or because it is not possible to fix exactly does not mean it shouldn't be accounted for consistently.

Grok Description matches for FFURG's December Casting Call Announced
GrokA matches for FFURG's December Casting Call Announced

FFURG's December Casting Call Announced

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