On a recent work trip I managed to get some photos of this beautiful place. Unfortunately I only had 2 hours to take photos.

Trying to check in some code I kept on receiving this:

Unable to PUT new contents for ##some path##.  [403, #0]  
Could not prepare to write the file  [500, #200014]  
Base checksum mismatch on '##some file##'n   expected:  4a5d17918bddd2c52c396f9b604fb3e9n     actual:  b138c1fa977c20bd4898362ef1ab6558n  [500, #200014]  

Also, the checkin was extremely slow. Turns out I had to upgrade my local client of svn to 1.8.8 and upgrade the repository. Reloading IntelliJ was the final fix.

A while ago I wrote about my new Longines mechanical watch. As much as I loved it, it seems like my only fear came true - the watch cannot keep accurate time. Since I've bought it it has been in for repairs twice now. Both instances it started running slow. I am not talking about 15 seconds per day slow - more like 10 minutes in a week. If you are to rely on your watch for accurate time, clearly this is a huge issue.

Trouble is most watch aficionados detest quartz watches with a passion. They create this perception that a watch has to be mechanical to have any value. Luckily I don't give a shit what other people think.

Most watch manufacturers will have both mechanical and quartz watches in their lineup. This makes it easier to find a combination of a well made watch with the accuracy inherent in a quartz movement. Personally I think these watch assholes are just full of it. Don't get me wrong - I love the idea behind a purely mechanical watch. Technically such a watch can last forever as long as it is well maintained. Most quartz based watches will fail after several decades due to the crystal and other electrical components not being repairable. That said, unless you intend to pass down this watch to your descendants, I see no reason why this should make quartz watches inferior. Just as I would not drive the same car for the rest of my life, I will get tired of my watch long before it stops working.

You spend hours preparing for a photo shoot. You make sure your camera is in perfect working order. You know your subject through and through, the environment your subject finds itself in, behaviour etc. Using techniques perfected during the past decade, you approach your subject with the intent of capturing all those glorious photons bouncing off its surface.

Casual photographers and armchair critics call this photography. They also call it photography when you take snapshots with your cellphone while walking past some landmark in a tourist town - not even bothering to stop. Clearly there is a difference between the two activities.

It is thus no surprise why I become livid when I show people photos I took, only to hear the despicable comment

Have you ever just stared in amazement at the stupidity of our pathetic attempts at maintaining security? I would estimate 80% of all applications that I install on servers specifically state that you should disable your anti virus protection before installing it. It is like a stranger knocking at your front door, asking you to unlock the door for the night. Seriously?