Comments aren’t part of the example

Unless you are reading a book about writitng good code ( I recommend Code Complete by Steve McConnell ) the comments in the code are not there to show you good commenting practice. I could rant on and on how code should be self documenting and be able to be read like a good book but my main complaint with comments in most example code is stuff like this:

// define variable a as an integer and set it to 5
var a:int = 5

Now when you are learning about defining and setting variables this comment is important and that is why this comment is in example code. Unfortunately, I see this all too often in code I’ve had to debug. Code that is straight forward doesn’t need to be commented. In case you don’t know, comments like that in real world code scream amateur and/or I just copied this from the internet somewhere. Moving forward, you might want to make your code as straight forward as possible so you don’t need to comment it.

Best Practices are rarely in example code

Recently I was reading a book on AJAX programming that was trying to show how to use a simple service written in PHP.  To do this they had two input fields in a form where you entered numbers.  The javascript would then send the values of those two fields to a simple PHP webservice that divided the numbers then returned the results. After that the results were parsed to show the answer on the screen.  For the purpose of the book, which was to show how you could use a webservice without being overloaded with other code, this is okay.  In real life, you should just divide the numbers using javascript and leave the webservice out of it.

Also, if you read books and blog posts word for word the authors know that what they are doing isn’t meant for prime time so they will leave a caution warning ( possibly with a cartoony icon ) letting you know this. Please heed their advice if it is there, but since it usually isn’t just realize that example code probably isn’t the best way to handle the problem domain it seems to be solving.

My oh my!

This next section is about a pet peeve of mine, the use of the word “my” in example method and variable names.  For instance, I sometimes run across code like the following:

var myName:String
function myClickHandler( event:Event ):void{
...
}

Unlike the previous examples, I don’t think the reasoning behind this convention in example code is strong enough to even use it there. The reason I don’t like this convention is the readability of code that has to use it .  Using the myName variable as an example, which code appears cleaner and easier to read?

if( employee.myName == 'Jeff' )

or

if( employee.name == 'Jeff' )

I think you’ll agree that the second example, without the redundant prefix is cleaner and easier to read.

The code doesn’t always work

Anyone who has ever tried to copy or [GASP!] cuts and pastes example code has probably figured out that there is a high probability that it won’t work.  There are several possibilities for this from editors who think they know better to code that was only written in a text editor but not tested or even an errant copy and post from the author’s IDE that forgot a semi-colon.

This isn’t a problem in the way that the previous items are a problem with example code. Though it would probably be better if it didn’t occur, its better just to know that your chances of perfectly working code are 50/50. In fact, non-working example code can be a good thing to debug. Especially when you consider a majority of your programming career ( or hobby for that matter ) will probably be taken up with debugging code that you swear should work.

What else?

While the heading for this section might make you think I’m going to discuss the overuse of if-else statements I’m really asking for your opinions on example code.  Am I off base?  Do you have your own issues with example code? Perhaps you want to discuss the overuse of if-else statements in example code or maybe you’d like to see more of them.  Please, comment below and let me know.

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BMI is a bogus measurement

However, despite the reality that BMI is a bogus measurement I decided to get real on my personal situation. While I used to be a professional wrestler and a personal trainer, I have been 5 years retired from both and my fitness level is that of a social media game developer( my current profession ) but my eating habits have not changed enough to compensate. So right now I am sitting at 240 pounds which is considered obese by the BMI measurement for a 6 foot tall person.

On the flip side, 220 pounds is the top end of the overweight label for my height and 180 is the top end for the normal range. Its interesting to note that 180 pounds was my weight in High School, probably when I was most active without trying to add muscle. I know that 220 is realistic as I was about 225 when I wrestled. However, is 180 realistic?

Getting real about the numbers

Let’s go through the numbers, keeping in mind I don’t actually know my bodyfat percentage right now.
If I’m at 30% body fat ( which is high for a man but definitely believable ) than I have 168 pounds of lean body mass and if I could somehow lose the weight without losing muscle mass ( a very difficult task – though attainable ) then I would be at 7% body fat. 7% body fat is pretty low, especially for a social media game developer. Am I willing to lose muscle mass, is it still that important to me?

The truth be told, I could have a higher or lower body fat than 30%. If it is higher, 180 could be attainable without losing muscle. If it is lower then I can just kiss some of that muscle goodbye if I want to hit 180.

Do I even want to try?

Do I want to try for 180? That’s a big goal. If I get to 180, will I have done it in a healthy way that I can continue for the rest of my life?

The answer is yes, I do want to make the journey toward 180 pounds and I’m going to use this blog to take you all along the journey with me. I say journey because I know that is more important than the destination. I might find a fork in the path along the way that is better for me and I will share that if I get there. For now, I have a destination and I just have to look through my old maps ( old personal training books ) and possibly get some new ones ( apps for my phone have helped in the past ).  I guess one of those forks will come when I have to decide if losing muscle mass is worth it to me.

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Speaking of the first day, so far that’s all I have gotten through. Sure, I listened and watch parts of the sessions from days 2 and 3 as they were happening live but its taken until now for me to have the time to actually study the first 3 sessions from day 1. As of last Friday, all 9 sessions are available online as video on demand for people who signed up for the conference. So, if you missed this conference in real time you can still get more than your registration fee out of these videos.

As someone who still considers himself a novice magician, I gained loads from the first day( and even the first session) with speeches, performances and presentations form the likes of Lennart Greene, Barry & Stuart, Ponta the smith, Apollo Robbins, Gaetan Bloom, Max Maven and many more.

While I gained a lot from everybody, I gained the most from a magical duo I hadn’t heard of before – Barry & Stuart. They had a first day speech entitled, “Everything We’ve Learned So Far” [Registration Required]. What drew me in the most was an idea that their presentation kept dancing around and they summed up in one of their final bullet points as:

If you want to subvert your art, you need to first learn your craft.

While I have never come across as much of a rebel who would want to subvert much of anything, I do have this constant need to make things my own and I latched on to many of their ideas. Barry and Stuart are 2 young guys who have worked hard and created a niche and name for themselves in magic. And while there are many performances from day 1 I’d like to show my readership ( Ponta the smith’s performance in session 1 comes to mind ) – I don’t have access and permission to do that. So, I’ve looked up an entertaining video of Barry and Stuart for my magical and muggle readership alike. Enjoy.

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The second lecture followed a show by none other than Jeff McBride, my favorite magician. His show was more amazing in person than any recording I had seen, even if it was in a more intimate setting than a Masters of Illusion taping. In fact, the intimate setting and the fact that I’d seen some of these before made the show better. I had the chance to see, well…nothing. The routines and effects which I was unaware of how he accomplished them left me still unaware – though very entertained. Much of the audience were magicians and I can say that we were all entertained. He actually did sorcerer’s apprentice on stage with a teenage magician and it came out quite funny without deviating much from any time I’ve seen it performed on video.



As if that show and the following lecture weren’t enough I was lucky enough to be part of a 4 hour ( turned into 4.5 hour ) master class taught by Jeff Mcbride the following Sunday. In this class I was able to get a little taste of what it must be like at Mcbride’s Magic and Mystery School out in Vegas. I learned a lot from this master class and I feel very lucky that I was able to attend.

However, this post is not about me gloating that I got to see my magical hero in person and learn from him. Instead I want to teach a lesson I learned from the weekend. If you want to learn to be a master you need to seek masters to learn from. For some that means making it out to Vegas to attend a Master Class at the Magic and Mystery School. For others it means heading to South America to learn from Juan Tamariz ( mentioned several times by Jeff ).

It may not be ( or at least it may not seem ) possible for you to do any of this right now. However, thanks to the power of the internet, the Magic and Mystery school can come to you. Now there is a Virtual Magic and Mystery school available for you to learn from the masters. I’m not sure how long they’ll be doing this but you can sign up for a free trial and get a free lesson in magic from Jeff to see how the system works.

However, the following video proves ( if you don’t speak chinese at least ) that magic, and the language of “holy crap that’s insanely awesome”, doesn’t require much more than body language to convey its message. Watch and be amazed…watch more and be amazed more..keep watching its worth seeing all of it

You may have noticed I kept this post very short. This is on purpose. The other post this week is my Wednesday Warrior post and this clip will be a great source for a topic.

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1. I have a lot to get done to move to another city so I’m going to have to take a break from blogging.
2. I have been blogging too frequently to put the quality in I would like.

So, for the next couple weeks I’m going to take a break from my scheduled blogging times. When I come back I’m reducing the amount of scheduled posts to 2 a week. I will do this by staggering the posts. So one week I will do a Just Another Magic Monday post along with a Flash Friday post. The following week will consist of a Sunday Funnies post and a Wednesday Warrior post.

Hopefully this change will allow for me to put more time into my blog posts. At the same time, it should help me to continue to post even when certain major events occur.

So, until I am settled – adieu.

The Grandfatherly Heart

Grandfather Sky, the grandfatherly heart, isn’t that different in relationship to the father metaphors than the relationship between grandfathers and fathers ( and sons for that matter ). Grandfather Sky is the father metaphors at new stage of life. Where the father metaphors are still about providing for family and community through (great) work, Grandfather sky is about providing for family and community through wisdom.

Beyond just sharing its own wisdom, the Grandfatherly Heart is also about taking in the wisdom of youth – be that the sons or be that the fathers. The Grandfatherly Heart knows enough to know that there is much he doesn’t know. Thus, Grandfather Sky, learns from youth as much as they teach the youth.

My Own Experiences

In reading this chapter again I remember a conversation I had with my step-father in law regarding his relationship with my sons. I couldn’t ask for a better grandfather figure in my sons’ lives than him and I was telling him how much I appreciate him. He D’Artagnan and Draegan so much time and I know when I come home I often don’t have the focus or energy to give the same amount of myself to them as he does. He just smiled and told me it was the same for him with his kids. He reminded me, I have to drum up the energy every day and he only has to do it when we come to visit. His energy, his heart is not only a gift to my sons but it is a gift to me as well.

Then there are the projects. Both my step father in law and father in law spend time doing projects with my kids. Often woodworking projects, something they are both good at and I have no experience in. I so appreciate their passing down of wisdom to the boys. That is the Grandfatherly Heart giving freely, not so much wisdom, but love of a craft.

My Inner Grandfather

Rather than wait the many years until I, possibly, become a literal grandfather I decided to take a look at what this metaphor means for me right now. Often the modern versions of the father looks at their actual work as the way they define themselves. The grandfather, on the other hand, now looks at their family, their communities and their contributions as the way they define themselves. There is also the difference in relationship to death. The grandfatherly heart is much more aware of death, and accepting of it. It is, after all, a natural part of life and they know enough to see it for what it is. In this way Grandfather Sky is connected to the Hunter-Gatherer who just sees death as and extremely natural part of life. In a recent national geographic article on the Hazda, they have only begun to bury their dead in recent decades after pressure from governments. Instead they just let nature take its course. It takes a bit for my modern mind to even deal with that – even though it makes perfect sense.

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Many of my past Just Another Magic Monday posts have shown off card manipulators as I learned about some of them. However, recently I posted about Go Magic Go and the Royal Road to Card Magic. I did this because I’ve decided to make 2010 a magical year for me and those are the tools I am using myself to gain some magical confidence. The Royal Road to Card Magic isn’t a book about card manipulation even if it does have some utility flourishes. Instead, it is a book about good old fashioned card magic.

For many people, card magic is the reason they think they don’t like magic. Since card magic is so easy for people to get started at, many people learn the tricks but don’t learn how to really perform them.  Without the performance a trick is just a trick and rarely, if ever, entertains. Thank goodness for my pro wrestling background, I already understand this fact.

Card magic can be extremely entertaining though. In the hands of the right performer, a simple deck of cards can be all someone needs to entertain any group of people. In the magical world many would say that Bill Malone is one of the best card magic entertainers there is. I only learned about him while talking with an old friend about my new journey into magic. In the following video Bill Malone does a lot of magic, but you may not even notice it because the routine is so entertaining.

Enjoy Bill Malone’s – Sam the Bellhop

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Eliza Coupe on Scrubs

I love flight of the conchords. I also love Scrubs. I am also a fan of comedy and the french language. These 4 things came together in the first season of Flight of the Conchords. Watching season 9 of Scrubs, where Eliza Coupe plays Dr. Denise Mahoney I am constantly thinking about “A Kiss Is Not A Contract.”

Definitely No Sugar

Of course, the number one song and video for me from the series is Foux De Fa Fa. If you ever took French in high school and have forgotten everything since this should be pretty funny for you. If you are a francophile with a sense of humor( like myself ), enjoy.


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