I’ve been temporarily assigned to the build team at work to help create a stable system for assembling test and customer deliverables. It’s a fun project to work on, but most of the system is written in Ruby, a relatively new language that is basically the Perl programming language in new clothing. By new clothing I mean that it has a dressed up syntax that I guess makes people feel warm and fuzzy inside, but from what I’ve seen that is the only substantive difference.
I’ve heard a lot of people grumble about Perl, how hard it is to do this, or how complicated it is to do that… or how frustrating it is that there are a dozen different ways to accomplish the same thing. I will usually respond with a quiet and condescending smile while they rant. Honestly I just don’t understand what they are whining about – Perl is one of the greatest languages ever created because of its flexibility. I suppose that those who gripe about it have likely not worked with it enough to see its beauty and power. And I suppose that for those people it is necessary to have another language that is almost exactly the same thing, but with a “simpler” syntax that draws the lines of acceptable code more clearly in the sand.
A pity if you ask me, but I will acquiesce. I will learn the Ruby syntax and follow the more rigid rules. A lot of people have built their identities, their careers, and even their religions on the Ruby language so there must be something to it.
We just won’t tell them that “that something” is really Perl!
I’d buy you a green dress, but not a real green dress that’s cruel!
I wonder how many people haven’t thought about what they’d do if they suddenly came into a large amount of money? It seems like everyone I know has a favorite phrase that begins with “When I win a million dollars I’ll…”, and ends with some philanthropic deed or sometimes a perfectly selfish deed that they aspire to perform. I think it’s a natural human trait to dream of some future fortune, and I’m sure that everyone at some time in their lives has done it. Probably several times.
Me? Yep I’ve done it too. And if said event should really happen (I mean when said event happens) I am determined to not be like the majority of people in that situation who, because of poor financial sense, lose it all. The first thing I would do is pay off my home, and YES I KNOW that I’d be giving up an excellent tax deduction but I WON’T BE PAYING ANY INTEREST EITHER! If for some reason I really wanted to give my money away to the leeches and shit of society I would take out a HELOC. Simple as that.
Next thing I’d do is sock most of the rest away for education and retirement… for my kids. Without a house payment I could work pretty much anywhere and still improve my standard of living, in fact I’d probably start working for myself from home. Maybe dedicate myself more to private investigations and contract software development.
Oh, and the most important thing I would do when that magical day comes: I would tell no one. I can’t imagine anything decimating my financially secure future quicker than a hundred relatives asking for loans or new cars or homes, etc… But that doesn’t mean I’m a prick and wouldn’t help out my family, it just means that I’d do it on my terms – not theirs. If enough remained of my fortune after securing my own family’s future I would absolutely look into the best way of helping out my extended family.
And of course I’d have to build an ice arena, and a ball park, and buy some decent socks and maybe find a hat that fits my big head, and… some dijon ketchups, bwahahaha!