Pictures from Ivan's birthday party

Here are some links to pictures from Ivan's birthday party filtered by pictures of the Feygins. For all the pictures, visit: http://www.innaromanenko.com/Client-Galleries/Ivans-Birthday

Understanding IQueryable

Something to think about when writing Linq expressions...

IQueryable Can Kill Your Dog, Steal Your Wife, Kill Your Will To Live, etc.

If <insert the name of your software organization> were a furniture company

Management: "Team: we have 500 nails we need to hammer in a week to finish this bookcase. We have 5 tools and with a rejection rate of 10%, each tool has to hammer 11 nails per day! It's an achievable goal! Our clients are waiting!"

Tool 1: "But we only have two hammers. The others are screwdrivers and a jig-saw."

Tool 2: "But we don't even have shelves yet. "

Management: "First, every tool is going to have to contribute to the team effort! 11 nails per day! Evening & weekends, if necessary! Second, the client needs the bookcase now! We can deliver shelves in a service pack release."

One week later...

Management: "First of all, let me congratulate Hammer Harry & Hammer Howard. You guys rocked! You hammered an average of 25 nails/day! You will get bonuses! And you, Jigsaw Jake, had a respectable 12 nails per day! However, Screwdriver Sam and Screwdriver Sally--you only hammered 4 nails/day with a rejection rate of 5 nails/day! I don't know how this is even possible, but you will need to step up your game!"

Eight weeks later...

Management: "Ok team we've finally delivered the bookcase to the customer, but they said it's unusable without shelves. With Jigsaw Jake on disability due to his drive mechanism being damaged from all the hammering, we need the rest of the team to step up! Screwdriver Sam and Screwdriver Sally--since you had such a low velocity on the previous project, you do the sawing! And Hammer Harry & Hammer Howard--you drive the screws in!"

World Cup quarterfinals predictions

Ok... I've gone on record as saying soccer is boring to watch, but I can't help myself but make World Cup quarterfinals predictions:

1. Ghana v. Uruguay. So long last African team. Uruguay wins big--beef beats yams any day.

2. Netherlands v. Brasil. Huge upset, the Netherlands will win due to the awesome cheer-leading of the orange crew and a generous helping of Bavaria beer and sparking huge riots in Brasil, who take soccer way too seriously.

3. Argentina v. Germany. Diego Maradona and his coked-up posse will take vengeance on the Germans, who won't know what hit them. However, chronic nosebleeds will prevent them from playing better than a pee-wee league team from Naperville in the semis.

4. Paraguay v. Spain. As much as i'd like to see two *Guays in the semis, too many breaks for yerba maté for the Paraguay players will cause approximately the same result as when the two countries met in the 16th century.

Sparkling Wine Buying Guide

So a friend of mine asked me if I could recommend a great sparkling wine in the $30 range. Here was my answer to her....

Before we start here are some terms to understand:

Sweetness level
1. Brut: The driest sparkling wine; this is the one to buy.
2. Extra-dry: off-dry (a little sweet). Only drink with spicy food.
3. Demi-sec: semi-sweet. Just say no, except for dessert with a pungent cheese.
4. Sec. Never get this.

Grapes
1. Blanc-de-blancs: Only the Chardonnay grape is used
2. Blanc-de-noirs: Only Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier is used.

Fermentation Styles (not applicable to Champagne, where all wines are fermented in the same style by law)
1. Method Champenoise: the same method as used in Champagne
2. Method Traditionelle: Slightly inferior to method Champenoise, but can still produce great sparkling wines
3. Anything else: any American sparkling wine not labeled "Method Champenoise" or "Method Traditionelle" should NOT be drunk.

Perhaps any sparking wine discussion should start with what NOT to buy. Lets first go to the Champagne region of France, and look at the top producers by volume:

(DO NOT BUY THESE)
Moet & Chandon
Veuve Cliquot
Perrier Jouët
Mumm
Taittinger
Krug

These guys, except for their top and most expensive bottlings, are expensive brand-driven mass-produced industrial products not worth seeking out. Sometimes even their most expensive bottlings are crap.

Here are some well-known brands that have some decent mid-range production. Typically they have smaller volume and more commitment to quality as opposed to brand:

(CONSIDER THESE)
Ayala
Bollinger
Deutz
Louis Roederer
any producer with the name "Heidsieck" in it (there are 3)
Pol Roger
Pommery


Now having said that, the best Champagne will be from mom-and-pop unknown wineries.

See http://www.wineexpo.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=44&Itemid=205

Wine Expo is the greatest Champagne store in California (and probably the entire West Coast), and everything that these guys sell has been pre-tasted and pre-selected for a high quality/price ratio.

Looking at the list of fantastic champagne, however, it's hard to find something in your $30 range. So we can reduce our standards just a little and look at some of these very good bottles in your range:

http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=100189
http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1009551
http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1002262
http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1034207
http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1022709

Now that we have considered Champagne, lets look at American sparking wine. Although it won't have the chalky minerality, fresh-baked-sourdough yeastiness, or the bracing raciness of French Champagne, American sparklers can have brighter floral aromas, deeper fruit flavors, and a zestly, refreshing acidity, usually at a fraction of the cost.

My favorite is Korbel Natural Brut:

http://www.korbel.com/Natural.aspx

It's cheap (~$15-17), delicious, and made from estate grapes.

Their Brut, Bland de Noirs, and Rose selections are even cheaper, delicious, and easy to find in any grocery store.

Another cheap and delicious wine producer is Domain Ste. Michelle.

My personally favorite is the Blanc-de-blancs: http://www.domaine-ste-michelle.com/wines/blancdeblancs.html

Some other very good American sparkling wine producers:

Domaine Carneros
Gloria Ferrer
Iron Horse
J


Alex

Two interesting articles

Two interesting, relevant articles I found while browsing the joelonsoftware.com archives over lunch:

Open-plan offices are making workers sick

and

Thanks or No Thanks about employee bonuses.