9PM: End of the World

I went to check the weather on weather.com today. I like their hour-by-hour feature. Unfortunately, today it gave me some odd information:
So 8PM: Thunderstorms; 9PM: world ends?

Really Simple Development With Git

Once you've got your hot new app up on GitHub, you want to work on it, but you're used to the Subversion world of update-code-test-update-commit. What does a good code cycle look like in Git?

My friends, I tell you I have the answer. And it's simple.

1. git checkout -b nifty_name_for_nifty_new_feature
2. git pull [repository [branch]]
3. for each submodule of interest: cd path/to/submodule; git pull
4. [code code code]
5. [test test test]
6. git add files/related/to/commit
7. git commit -m 'nifty feature done'
8. take 5 minute break to feed puppy or check roast in oven
9. git checkout master
10. git merge nifty_name_for_nifty_new_feature
11. git branch -D nifty_name_for_nifty_new_feature
12. git push

This keeps all development in tight little branches. The branches only exist locally, and go away when the feature makes its way to master. Happiness. Especially when teammates ask you to stop working on nifty_feature and fix acts_as_pointy_haired_boss. In that case, I recommend "fixing_bug_12345" as the branch name; that helps you remember what the branch does after you get back from the really boring meeting on how you can sell more purple pleather pants to Auckland this year.

Thank You For Arguing

I bought Jay Heinrichs' Thank You For Arguing last summer, but never got around to more than glancing at it. I've been reading it at pretty much every chance over the past few days, though. It's absolutely fantastic!

One of the main theses of the book seems to be that people shouldn't think of rhetoric as manipulation, and Jay even does little sidebars to point out when he's using techniques within the book to convince you of his points, but I still can't help but feel manipulated. Ah well, it doesn't stop me from wanting to practice my rhetoric more.