Comments for Where Worlds Collide http://www.kalyr.com/weblog The blogs of Tim Hall Thu, 23 May 2013 11:20:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Comment on Assigning Priority to Bugs by Jokin http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/testing/assigning-priority-to-bugs/comment-page-1/#comment-28418 Jokin Thu, 23 May 2013 11:20:27 +0000 http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/?p=7401#comment-28418 We use the word 'Bug' for all bugs, deviations, misunderstandings, fluctuation of reality... whatever, just bug. We have a queue of bugs, 20 bugs with open status right now. We have 5 developers in our company, every week one of them has the support role, he deals with troubles from production and fixes bugs from the list, the support role iterates so all of them are aware of production pains and about existing bugs. And that's it. As the tester over here, I do believe in what Antony Marcano (http://antonymarcano.com/blog/) once said about bug logs being a hidden technical debth backlog. We could go faster, if every week this support dev was doing new features, but then we would not be doing better. We use the word ‘Bug’ for all bugs, deviations, misunderstandings, fluctuation of reality… whatever, just bug.
We have a queue of bugs, 20 bugs with open status right now. We have 5 developers in our company, every week one of them has the support role, he deals with troubles from production and fixes bugs from the list, the support role iterates so all of them are aware of production pains and about existing bugs.

And that’s it.

As the tester over here, I do believe in what Antony Marcano (http://antonymarcano.com/blog/) once said about bug logs being a hidden technical debth backlog.

We could go faster, if every week this support dev was doing new features, but then we would not be doing better.

]]> Comment on Cassettes? Why? by Mike Foley http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/music/cassettes-why/comment-page-1/#comment-28352 Mike Foley Wed, 22 May 2013 05:13:38 +0000 http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/?p=7373#comment-28352 I buy vinyl LPs, and then play them on my record player. The quality of pressings these days is much higher than back in the 1980s, and is my format of choice for sound quality. Some bands have stated publicly that the vinyl editions are the definitive versions of their albums. The Flower Kings, Neil Young, and Jack white I buy vinyl LPs, and then play them on my record player. The quality of pressings these days is much higher than back in the 1980s, and is my format of choice for sound quality. Some bands have stated publicly that the vinyl editions are the definitive versions of their albums. The Flower Kings, Neil Young, and Jack white

]]> Comment on Cassettes? Why? by Tim Hall http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/music/cassettes-why/comment-page-1/#comment-28332 Tim Hall Tue, 21 May 2013 21:58:20 +0000 http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/?p=7373#comment-28332 Number of people I know who buy expensive vinyl LPs from indeoendent bands and don't actually have a record player to play them on. Back in the 80s hardly anyone I knew bought pre-recorded tapes. We'd all buy vinyl and then tape it. Number of people I know who buy expensive vinyl LPs from indeoendent bands and don’t actually have a record player to play them on.

Back in the 80s hardly anyone I knew bought pre-recorded tapes. We’d all buy vinyl and then tape it.

]]> Comment on Cassettes? Why? by Mike Foley http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/music/cassettes-why/comment-page-1/#comment-28330 Mike Foley Tue, 21 May 2013 21:51:22 +0000 http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/?p=7373#comment-28330 I am an audio geek, and can see no reason to buy cassettes. Vinyl, played back properly, is still a valid way to enjoy music, whereas the prerecorded tape was always a nasty thing, both in terms of sound and packaging. Having said that, making a mix tape was much more fun than compiling a playlist, and if the equipment was good enough the results were perfectly listenable. Far better than prerecorded tapes, and iTunes purchases. I agree it's cool to own nice things, rather than a download, but please buy the CD or LP! Unless of course those 2 formats are not hip enough.... ;-) I'm off out to find a Cylinder Player, then I'll be ahead of the pack for the next hip thing! I am an audio geek, and can see no reason to buy cassettes. Vinyl, played back properly, is still a valid way to enjoy music, whereas the prerecorded tape was always a nasty thing, both in terms of sound and packaging. Having said that, making a mix tape was much more fun than compiling a playlist, and if the equipment was good enough the results were perfectly listenable. Far better than prerecorded tapes, and iTunes purchases. I agree it’s cool to own nice things, rather than a download, but please buy the CD or LP! Unless of course those 2 formats are not hip enough…. ;-)

I’m off out to find a Cylinder Player, then I’ll be ahead of the pack for the next hip thing!

]]> Comment on Nightfall by Michael Orton http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/sf-and-gaming/kalyr-rpg/nightfall/comment-page-1/#comment-28323 Michael Orton Tue, 21 May 2013 19:56:22 +0000 http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/?p=7325#comment-28323 I'm happy for the character sheets to be incomplete, but I would appreciate sheets showing the attributes which actually activated during the scene. Better yet with a commentary explaining how they came into play. I’m happy for the character sheets to be incomplete, but I would appreciate sheets showing the attributes which actually activated during the scene. Better yet with a commentary explaining how they came into play.

]]> Comment on Fake Geek Girls by Tim Hall http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/sf-and-gaming/sf/fake-geek-girls/comment-page-1/#comment-28321 Tim Hall Tue, 21 May 2013 19:17:11 +0000 http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/?p=7376#comment-28321 I think there's an unstated and unacknowleged "It's so obscure you've never heard of it" exclusivity to it. Geeks and Hipsters are two different tribes, but I think there's something of the same mindset at work. Do geeks despise hipsters because they remind them of what they don't like about themselves? I think there’s an unstated and unacknowleged “It’s so obscure you’ve never heard of it” exclusivity to it.

Geeks and Hipsters are two different tribes, but I think there’s something of the same mindset at work. Do geeks despise hipsters because they remind them of what they don’t like about themselves?

]]> Comment on Fake Geek Girls by Serdar http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/sf-and-gaming/sf/fake-geek-girls/comment-page-1/#comment-28314 Serdar Tue, 21 May 2013 17:51:32 +0000 http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/?p=7376#comment-28314 I don't get the whole "Fake Geek" thing, period. Why do we insist on a barrier-of-entry test for something that's supposed to be inclusive anyway? I don’t get the whole “Fake Geek” thing, period. Why do we insist on a barrier-of-entry test for something that’s supposed to be inclusive anyway?

]]> Comment on Cassettes? Why? by Serdar http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/music/cassettes-why/comment-page-1/#comment-28311 Serdar Tue, 21 May 2013 14:48:12 +0000 http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/?p=7373#comment-28311 And even vinyl's merits are largely due to misperceived inferiorities about digital recording. I got the lowdown on this from a guy who was an audio engineer during the early days of digital, who put it this way: the early D/A technology, outside of the studio, was indeed terrible, so it was no surprise that many people decided vinyl was inherently superior (never mind the surface noise or the warping or the destructive playback...). I used to have a long, deeply-researched post about this, but it apparently vanished. And even vinyl’s merits are largely due to misperceived inferiorities about digital recording. I got the lowdown on this from a guy who was an audio engineer during the early days of digital, who put it this way: the early D/A technology, outside of the studio, was indeed terrible, so it was no surprise that many people decided vinyl was inherently superior (never mind the surface noise or the warping or the destructive playback…). I used to have a long, deeply-researched post about this, but it apparently vanished.

]]> Comment on Cassettes? Why? by John P http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/music/cassettes-why/comment-page-1/#comment-28304 John P Tue, 21 May 2013 12:37:01 +0000 http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/?p=7373#comment-28304 Is this because of the BBC article (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22533522) about the subject? What I noticed was the sidebar which said that 70% of the cassette sales resulted in a download to go with it. As they speculate, maybe this is because people want the cassette not as a source of music but as something physical to have instead of just a load of bytes. A display of media is perhaps more subtly satisfying than just waving an iDrone around. It's a bit like ebooks, they are easy and convenient but you can't swat files with them ... :-) Is this because of the BBC article (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22533522) about the subject? What I noticed was the sidebar which said that 70% of the cassette sales resulted in a download to go with it. As they speculate, maybe this is because people want the cassette not as a source of music but as something physical to have instead of just a load of bytes. A display of media is perhaps more subtly satisfying than just waving an iDrone around. It’s a bit like ebooks, they are easy and convenient but you can’t swat files with them … :-)

]]> Comment on What are the chances? by Tim Hall http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/rants/what-are-the-chances/comment-page-1/#comment-28279 Tim Hall Mon, 20 May 2013 20:50:52 +0000 http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/?p=7322#comment-28279 The problem with austerity is they're trying to pay off the debt too quickly, and it's shrinking the economy and thus the tax base, with the result that the debt isn't actally being reduced at all. This is precisely what everybody said would happen, but George wouldn't listen. The problem with austerity is they’re trying to pay off the debt too quickly, and it’s shrinking the economy and thus the tax base, with the result that the debt isn’t actally being reduced at all. This is precisely what everybody said would happen, but George wouldn’t listen.

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