This article makes me want to HURT people

I just saw an article on Digg called 60 Performance and Optimization Tips for your Website. The title looked cool enough, so I clicked on the link.

I was treated to intelligent observations like:

"Use a quality NIC"
"Reduce the use of global variables"
"Avoid throwing exceptions" (!)
"Enable buffering"

The first one of that bunch, "Use a quality NIC", is so vague as to be useless. It doesn't say a thing thing what sort of features we should look for, mention specific cards, or even a specific vendor.

The second one about global variables, is good advice but fails to tell WHY we should not use globals. (Hint: it has to do with conserving the global namespace and writing modular code) I don't believe in "voodoo" -- I'm not going to do/not do something because someone that is supposedly in a position of authority says so. I want to know details, dammit.

Avoiding throwing exceptions? I'd sure like to know what kind of crack of the author is on. But, since he didn't elaborate on why exceptions should not be thrown, I can only speculate his reasons for saying that. Perhaps he meant to say, "make sure you have code that catches all exceptions so that the user doesn't see a traceback if there is an error".

And finally, "Enable buffering". Sure, it's a good idea because it causes more efficient use of disk and network resources, but again, the author fails to tell us this.

The end result is a guide that has some good advice, but completely fails to educate the beginner programmer. What a terrible waste.

SEPTA, and the "war on terror"

So, I took this picture at Market East Station in Philly tonight:



I was going to make some snide remarks about how IKEA is really just a front for Furniture Porn, but then something interesting happened at the station.

A "service manager" approached me, and wanted to know what I was taking pictures of. So I told him. Rather than go back to his desk and look at some hot chair-on-chair action, he proceeded to tell me how I am not allowed to take pictures of the trains or the engineers. (Apparently conductors are fair game, though. Sucks to be them!)

This is just abusurd.

Searching for "septa trains" on Google Images gives 153 matches, most of them rather high resolution, too. If I were a terrorist, would I really have have to spend the time to take pictures when there are so many readily available? Do they really think I'm going to crash a train into a building? Newsflash: trains move in two directions and two directions only. Forward and reverse. They do not fly! These trains are also powered by electricity, cutting the electricity will not (and has not in the past) disrupt service for residential and business customers.

The more I think about the "war on terror", the more I think it is a bunch of crap. It seems to me that it is being used as a justification for "those in charge", be they Republican, Democrat, Federal, State, or Local governments, or even some second shift Service Manager at Market East Station in Philadelphia to go on an ego trip and try to tell others what to do.

You know what the best part is? I've taken pictures in that station before. And nobody said anything to me. In fact, the picture that I just linked to was taken just above Track 4, Section B. There is a straight line of sight from the customer service desk just 50 feet away! Then there's this picture too. Taken from the same location as the previous picture. Even with a date and time right in the picture. I wonder where the Service Manager was then!

I've also taken pictures in 30th Street Station. And no one seemed to care.

So why the inconsistency here? Were the security people not paying attention to their cameras the last times I took pictures? Was this Service Manager just on an ego trip trying to act all tough so he could impress his superiors? You tell me.

I think the original point I was trying to make was this: question authority, but don't expect it to know either. If you are told to not do something that is not an obvious danger or infringing on anyone's rights (or a lawful order from a police officer), you should politely ask why it is not allowed. What is the security risk? Who or what is being put in jeopardy?

I wish I had the balls to ask that to the service manager earlier tonight. Sadly, the first thing that jumped into my mind was fear of being arrested if I showed anything less than 100% compliance. Well, I can still follow up with an email to SEPTA, and that should be fun too.

Feel free to discuss and/or criticise me in the comments.

In closing: