The Old New Thing

July 2007 - Page 2 of 5 - The Old New Thing

Seattle to Portland (STP) 2007 trip report, part 1 of 4: Seattle to Spanaway

July 24, 2007 Jul 24, 2007 07/24/07
Raymond Chen
Note: I found some other riders who blogged their experience on the STP, and I've slipped in links to some of the more interesting ones. All statistics are approximate. Prologue Biking to and from work the Monday before STP, I noticed that I had more saddle discomfort than usual. Could it be residual effects from that training ride? Am I ...

Just because you say something in my presence and I don't raise an objection doesn't mean that I agree

July 24, 2007 Jul 24, 2007 07/24/07
Raymond Chen
This is a sneaky trick that people try to pull occasionally. They'll say something while I happen to be present (either physically in person or virtually by adding me to an email conversation) and see what my reaction is. If I don't say anything, then they assume that I agree with whatever it is they said. Just to make it official: Just ...

Tips for doing the Seattle to Portland (STP) in two days: What I learned in 2007

July 23, 2007 Jul 23, 2007 07/23/07
Raymond Chen
Two weekends ago, I participated in the 28th annual Seattle to Portland bicycle ride, wherein I joined up with 8999 of my closest friends for a friendly ride through western Washington and Oregon. Earlier this year I provided tongue-in-cheek bad advice for preparing for STP. Today I restore the balance with proper advice. This was my first ...

The real cost of compatibility is not in the hacks; the hacks are small potatoes

July 23, 2007 Jul 23, 2007 07/23/07
Raymond Chen
Commenter Myron A. Semack asks how much faster Windows would be if you took out the backward compatibility stuff. Myron is so anxious about this that he asked the question a second time. Asking a question twice typically counts as a reason not to answer it, but since I had already written up the answer, I figured I'd post it anyway. Oh ...

Apparently some people consider this a vacation; I consider it insane

July 20, 2007 Jul 20, 2007 07/20/07
Raymond Chen
One of the little cards that came in the STP information packet is an advertisement postcard for Epic Cycling Climbs of France. For $3299 (+airfare) you receive the "privilege" of cycling up the Alpe d'Huez and other notorious mountains. I'm sorry. If I'm going to go up l'Alpe D'Huez you're going to have to pay me, not the other way around...

Screwing the computer parts back together is the most dangerous step

July 20, 2007 Jul 20, 2007 07/20/07
Raymond Chen
I had removed the cover from one of the computers in my office in order to upgrade one of its hard drives (from 20GB to 200GB, woo-hoo). The hard drives are kept in a removable cage, so first I had to unscrew the cage, then unscrew the drive from the cage, then swap in the new drive. Of course, you don't screw everything back in until you've ...

Food products that are offenses against nature: Fast Franks

July 19, 2007 Jul 19, 2007 07/19/07
Raymond Chen
My colleague (who posts under the pseudonym Cloudy Starlight) tipped me off to some wonderful products which made me just stare at the screen agape, unable to express my, um, awe. I'll focus on one of the products today; the others will have to wait for another day. First, let's suppose you've got a hankerin' for a hot dog. Your adventure ...

If you read any book about traditional weddings in Russian history, there must be a fight

July 18, 2007 Jul 18, 2007 07/18/07
Raymond Chen
You can buy a fake vacation for $500 or shell out $300 to $400 for a fake brawl at your wedding. "If you read any book about traditional weddings in Russian history, there must be a fight," said Alexander Yermilov, 22, who recently made a living at it. If you're looking for counterfeits, fakes, and forgeries, Moscow's your place. Assuming ...

Why is the limit of window handles per process 10,000?

July 18, 2007 Jul 18, 2007 07/18/07
Raymond Chen
If your program runs haywire, you will find that it manages to create about 10,000 window manager objects and then the system won't let it have any more. Why stop at 10,000? The first answer is "If you have to ask, you're probably doing something wrong." Programs shouldn't be creating anywhere near ten thousands window manager objects in the ...