Brooks' law

Brooks' Law stated adding manpower to a late software project makes it later, and the bearing of a child takes nine months, no matter how many women are assigned.

Explanations

One reason for the seeming contradiction is that software projects are complex engineering endeavors, and new workers on the project must first become educated in the work that has preceded them; this education requires diverting the resources already working on the project, temporarily diminishing their productivity while the new workers are not yet contributing meaningfully. Each new worker typically must "ramp up" in this way with not only one, but multiple engineers who must educate the new worker in their area of expertise in the code base, day by day.

Another significant reason is the communication overheads increase as the number of people increase. The number of different communication channels goes up as the square of the number of people; double the number of people and you get four times as many different conversations. Everyone working on the same thing needs to keep in sync, so as you add more and more people, they spend more and more time trying to find out and keep up with what everyone else is doing.

Something to That Effect

Let's start this morning by learning a new phrase -- Something to that effect, or, words to that effect. This phrase simply means something like that just mentioned.

Look at these easily-understood example:

She said she wouldn't be available until after three, or something to that effect.

I was told to keep out of the house -- or words to that effect.

Zoe's New Hairstyle

It looks pretty with most of her hairs sliding down to the right while pursing her mouth in the shape of an anus. In the dim light, an acne is visibly clear on her forehead, which seems to express great unpleasure and wants to escape out of her skin. XD

年华似水 梦过无痕

Why did I install a Chinese title for this post? The reason behind this is I'm now emotional than I used to be. Maybe it's because the time is getting close, close to my first, as well as my last, marriage. My excitement beggars description at this very moment.

I will soon traverse my teenage land and reach an entirely new ground. I will soon start my family, with my lover Zoe. Dennisboys will soon become Dennismen. (BTW: Why plural? 0_o)

I'm ready. =)

House is a Pain in Ring's Neck

Dialogues bewteen Ring and Zoe

[13:51:15] !﹏··▼··﹏Zoe 说： 你觉得那房子如何？

[13:51:28] !﹏··▼··﹏Zoe 说： 发错人了。。。

[13:51:37] !﹏··▼··﹏ Ring 说： ......

[13:51:51] !﹏··▼··﹏ Ring 说： 我对房子不敢奢望。。。

[13:52:02] !﹏··▼··﹏ Ring 说： 我对天桥底感兴趣

[13:52:20] !﹏··▼··﹏Zoe 说： 赶紧去book一个 听说最近房源紧俏

[13:52:30] !﹏··▼··﹏ Ring 说： 8是吧。。。

[13:52:36] !﹏··▼··﹏ Ring 说： 天桥底都紧？

[13:52:54] !﹏··▼··﹏Zoe 说： 是啊 是啊 像天河立交 中山立交这种在市中心的 更是

[13:53:04] !﹏··▼··﹏ Ring 说： 我又不贪图市中心。。

[13:53:28] !﹏··▼··﹏Zoe 说： 那你看中了哪个？

[13:53:54] !﹏··▼··﹏ Ring 说： 我又不看中了。。。我觉得挖个洞就得

[13:54:16] !﹏··▼··﹏Zoe 说： 随便挖个洞 那叫坟

[13:54:18] !﹏··▼··﹏ Ring 说： 不过又没钱买铲喔。。。

[13:54:20] !﹏··▼··﹏ Ring 说： 靠

[13:54:23] !﹏··▼··﹏ Ring 说： 是啊

[13:54:28] !﹏··▼··﹏ Ring 说： 坟好！

[13:54:38] !﹏··▼··﹏ Ring 说： 清净

[13:55:01] !﹏··▼··﹏Zoe 说： 晚上还可以把邻居拉起来 搓麻将

[13:55:28] !﹏··▼··﹏ Ring 说： 邻居家的纸车也能借来开开。。。

Funny but cynical... This dialogue was a direct reflection of how houses were outrageously-priced in China, even talented CEO Ring regarded them unaffordable.

Powers That Be

"Powers that be" refers to the people who are in authority.

Take a look at the following examples:

The powers that be have decided to send back the immigrants.

I have applied for a license, and the powers that be are considering my application.

Bodice Ripper

This word baffled me today during my regular reading over internet. A quick look into the dic fed me the answer: bodice ripper is a work of popular fiction characterized by scenes of unrestrained romantic passion, 煽情小说 in Chinese.

Another category that I want to mention is scapist literature, indulging in or characterized by escapism.

Got a Notebook

Well, a new BENQ notebook is sitting on my desk now. Still trying to adapt to this newly-gained gadget. I'm kinda all thunbs now. The first thing I need to overcome is try not to hit the wrong key as the notebook keyboard is vastly different from the desktop keyboard.

Anyway, I'm lovin' it. Thanks Zoe!

Undo Send

Oops, hitting the "Send" button too soon? Give yourself a grace period of a few seconds to cancel sending, then edit your message before sending again.

This is a new feature available in Gmail Labs, a small leap forward, so to speak. I found it functioning very well based on some preliminary tests. Now we are granted the power to virtually "eat words" by undoing rash messages. Nice move!

My Adsense Account Died

Don't tell me our world is peaceful! It's definitely not! My adsense account died today for some stupid reason. I shot at a Google customer representative, Ruthu the poor guy, with some fiery language, but to no avail. They refused to take any action to reduce my losses. My dollar has all disappeared into thin air in just a single day, possibly done by a few mouse clicks in the back-end.

Hails to Google. You are the winner!

Making Real Money in Unreal Places

Play Money, a documentary claims to reveal the darkest side of virtual economy, economy that exists in online game only. I will surely pay close attention to this nameless filming project, to see what they could possibly unearth from the underground industry. Hope I will see some fresh insight on this site soon, though there is nothing much on it right now. =)

Pump Priming

Now in the midst of an economic crisis, a word is heard more and more.

Here is an excerpt of a piece of news online:

"But optimists saw fresh hope in the more forward-looking investment data that China might pull out of its swoon faster than other major economies thanks to the government's pump priming and galloping credit growth."

Pump priming = Government action taken to stimulate the economy, as spending money in the commercial sector, cutting taxes, or reducing interest rates.

Mafia Game Photo Gallery

Obviously, the photographer needs to improve her skills... but luckily, some funny moments were recorded intactly by amateurish camera-gal & born-killer Sophia.

Adsense Generator

A very funny site that claims to generate proof of making huge money through Google Adsense. A way to fulfill your vanity during this tough time. Well, you love virtual money and imaginative fame, don't you? =D

Click to enlarge

Zoe's Interview

Zoe SMSed me today during her first interview in a year. She questioned me a barrage of English-to-Chinese and Chinese-to-English translations.

Here is my trouble-shooting list:

放映机 = projector

遥控 = remove control

待机状态 = idle state

指示灯交替变色 = indicator light alternating between colors

on-board = 车载的

datapath = 数据通道

graphics card = 显卡

upscale = 高级的

portion = 部份

utilize = 利用

Grass Mud Horse

Grass Mud Horse, aka 草泥马 or 羊驼, has become nothing but a phenomenon in China, thanks to her unheralded debut on a Chinese website in January 2009. Look at the picture! How cute the creature is!

Nasal Mucus from a Black Hole

This is a recountal of something that happened when one day me and Zoe were on our road home. That was another usual knock-off, me and Zoe experienced something very amusing. The whole fun centered around my nose. Skipping a sea of weird details, the major amusement was I accidentally sneezed out a long string of nasal mucus which didn't scare but amuze Zoe to her death! -_-

Zoe, do you still have this memory stored in your unstable brain?

The Last Dialogue @ UE

[16:02:28] Dennis says:

Hi, Eric.

Today is my last day @ UE.

I don't want to do the routine of saying "best wishes to u...a rosy future... or the likes.", instead, I'd like to point out your "weakness" as my final gift to an ironman who had spiritually lived in me during these years.

ur IQ is at a climax, this is inarguably true, but one thing is for certain, sometimes Eric language is provocative and taunting. This might not be a weakness in ur eyes, but anyway, i bring it up here. 8-)


[17:57:18] eric says:

Point taken. :P

There's no goodbye for us. Just a career move. Wish you all the best!

Gallery of UE Military Training

These photos are momentous. They are archaic, but forever in my mind. I found them resting quietly in my harddisk tonight and upon seeing them, momeires sprouted out, emotions welled up, and most of all, my love to Zoe erupted in a ferocious and endless way.

Mafia Game at Nancy's Home

A bunch of fantastic guys gathered for Mafia game tonight, and we made some twists to the game this time, adding two new roles, Mine and God. God has the power to silence a gamer, be it killer or cop, while Mine is a very dangerous role, anyone who tries to kill it would be killed instantly with no mercy.

Well, there was also a laughingstock during the party, Ring deliberately put a furry bear on his head, which was used to heat legs during winter. OMG...

Photos will be posted days later! Stay tuned!

Do Not Trust Percentages

Percetages fool you every day in news report in a very subtle and unconscious way. Now let's sharpen our eyes and pull ourselves out of the fog of statistics and covert percentages into something real numbers.

First let's check out three abstract headlines.

Bacon increases your risk of colorectal cancer by 20%.

Two units of alcohol a day reduce the risk of heart disease by about 17%.

Ok, so what does 20% and 17% indicate respectively? Let's remove the mask of percentages and see what are behind them.

About five people in every 100 have colorectal cancer in a lifetime, and if all 100 eat three extra rashers of bacon every day... that rises to about six, so this translates to about one extra case in every 100 people.

Now in the second case, about 32 in every 100 women have coronary heart disease in a lifetime, if all 100 drink roughly two units of alcohol every day... that falls to about 27, about five fewer cases in every 100 women.

So, depending on the story, 20% can equal one person, while 17% can be the equivalent of five people.

Don't think percentages, think real numbers.

Real-Life Testimonials

Now customers are way sharper and cannier than years ago. You can no longer fool them by some fake or informal testimonial like before, as they have outgrown all of those tricks.

So it's now time to come to realize that textual testimonial couldn't make it anymore. However, this Pennsylvania-based lawn care company has displayed a juicy real-life testimonial panel in an impressive way. Now close your eyes, and take a few minutes to think of real-life testimonials in your business, and leverage them cordially to fascinate your potential prospects.

Militarized

Things are happening. Punching in and lunching are now a test of discipline.

Militarism is gaining ground.

Will this hard-line policy work well for our company? Time tells.

African Migrants

This picture is not Photoshop-altered. It is real. Depicting a scene of African migrants heading home on a crammed truck. Next time when you are complaining a packed tube or crowded bus during rush hour, try to gain solace by looking at or reminding yourself of this pic.

Life is easier if you learn to compare something inferior around you. =)

Erotic Ads and Man's Desire to Sex

Erotic banners popping up and down during your surf, AV gals revealing their full breasts to entice your clickings, these were common tactics employed by online game advertisers, until a recent blanket ban by state department. The sweeping ban was yet another attempt by Chinese government to cleanse the internet, after erotic ad banners creeping rampantly all over the cyberspace.

If something existed for such a long time prior to a forced ban, it must have been efficient to some degree. There would be no supply at all if the market demand is zero. And, that is the point.

Sex-thirsty netizens are everywhere. In a word, sex is the nature of man. You should not really blame a man for his strong sex desire, for it is a bulit-in characteristic that exists even long before birth. Sounds inconceivable? It's a mere fact.

HSBC Down 11% in One Minute, Anchor Cried

This is phenomenal. An anchor cried during live report over a significant mark-down of HSBC stock. I'm not a stock trader because my money have to be saved for a new house with my would-be-fiancee. I want a stable life and don't want to risk my asset and drive my adrenaline to the climax. Stock trading has been prevalent in China in recent years, ascribed to a false perception that it was an easy way to fetch money. But in fact, was it? You know, there is no such a thing as an easy dollar.

I believe in down-to-earth stance and have been sticking to a conservative investiment portfolio. You may poke fun at my conservatism, but at least I don't need to cry over spilled-out money in any treacherous trading games.

Mafia Game Again

This Sat. me and Zoe spent a couple of hours on Mafia game with some of the old buddies. This time around we added two new roles, namely, doctor and crypto-cop. I did very well in game one as a cop, and finally rooted out all the killers and brought the justice side to a victory. Poor Zoe blundered, as usual, recklessly uttering a cry during the course of killing someone, and got caught instantly.

It has been a great game. As my UE days are numbered, I will truly cherish every moment spent with you guys.

Newspaper Online

This site is simply amazing! A huge collection of up-to-date newspaper, and most of all, they are all FREE! Now you can literally read everything you like with some clicks on your mouse. I don't know whether the site is legal or not, but it really serves as a media pool for those paper-loving guys, like me.

Hope it will stay in my bookmark perpetually...

Outstanding Staff Award

This is an honor that will never be erased from my head.
I will remember this moment and move on with a stylish good bye to UE.

King of The Kicker

Dennis is showing you what Chinese kung fu is. With a quick side kick, he toppled LJC in an eye-goggling fashion.

The Storm is Coming Around

Finally, my direct boss lost its post, after a stormy meeting, in which he got smacked relentlessly by CEO David. I did feel a bit surprise facing this outcome.

Today's friend would be your enemy tomorrow in this cruel business world. David now trusts no-one, except himself and a "karma boy", which turned out to be Issac. Pooh...

The whole company has literally come to a grand halt, with broken gears strewn all over the place and lowered morale felt in every single dept. Before David is a huge mess that will take him a hell lot of time to solve, if solvable anyway.

I've been working for UE in the past three years and saw its burgeon, growth, half-death, ups and downs, turns and twists... etc. And I've finally realized, from its agonizing lessons, why management talents are so critical to a big corp. Want to run a corp? Do it after arming yourself with adequate management skills, if you want to avoid an escapable doom.

Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You

If I had to live my life without you near me,

The days would all be empty,

The nights would seem so long,

With you I see forever oh so clearly,

I might have been in love before,

But it never felt this strong,
Our dreams are young,

And we both know they'll take us where we want to go,

Hold me now,

Touch me now,

I don't want to live without you,

Nothing's gonna change my love for you,

You ought know by now how much I love you,

One thing you can be sure of,

I'll never ask for more than your love,

Nothing's gonna change my love for you,

You ought know by now how much I love you,

The world may change my whole life through,

But nothing's gonna change my love for you,

If the road ahead is not so easy,

Our love will lead the way for us,

Like a guiding star,

I'll be there for you if you should need me,

You don't have to change a thing,

I love you just the way you are,

So come with me and share the view,

I'll help you see forever too.