From: khaines@...
Date: 2006-09-02T04:23:04+09:00
Subject: Re: When clever is stupid [RANT]

On Sat, 2 Sep 2006, David Vallner wrote:

> Here, have a cookie. A Cookie of Clarity. It has extra doses of golf urge 
> repellent.

But is it a tasty cookie?  Maybe with a little chocolate (preferably 
dark)?  Or maybe some almond and vanilla?  Hmmm.

> Usually, the problem is the "clever" solution was stupid since the start. I

Yeah.  That's my point, using my own stupid code to demonstrate.  It was 
bad code from the very beginning, both because it's not immediately clear 
what it does and because, as a couple other people demonstrated, it's not 
even as clever as it could be for all its ugliness.  I am sure I felt a 
moment of self satisfaction when I wrote it, though.  A passing thought 
of, "Yeah, that's great.  Look at that."  I don't know.  Maybe the oxygen 
level was a little low in my office that day, maybe the winter winds were 
howling a bit too much, or maybe I had skipped lunch that day.  Who knows.

But it sure was a horrible piece of code to come across this morning.


Kirk Haines