Dan Q

Kind: Reposts

I just had the most awesome day. Just wanted to share with you guys.

This self-post was originally posted to /r/MegaLoungeVI. See more things from Dan's Reddit account.

[this was originally posted to a private subreddit]

So I just had an amazing day. Let me tell you about it:

  • Doughnuts: There were doughnuts left in my office. Free doughnuts are the best doughnuts.
  • Victory: After three years of bureaucracy, a couple of years of fighting, months of planning, and weeks of testing, I’ve finally finished a project I assigned myself shortly after I started my job: upgrading our web servers to modern, powerful ones. It may not sound like much, but when you’re working against hundreds of years worth of academic red tape in a very traditional institution, this is a great victory.
  • Car: I finished making arrangements for my family and I to get our new car: orders have just gone to the factory now, and it should be built for us by early November.
  • Dating: At lunchtime, I went out for a drink with a lovely lady I’ve been dating recently, and we had a wonderful time. Her kid just started school and this – coupled with her imminent house move (just as soon as she and her husband can find somebody to buy their flat!) – are likely to eventually mean that we can see more of one another (right now we only see one another about once a fortnight).
  • Cycling: Cycling home on a beautiful clear evening, Grooveshark pretty much read my mind and played exactly the music that I felt like I needed to celebrate such a fabulous day. I made great time… and as I bombed down the final streets back to my house, I did so to the sounds of Queen’s Driven By You, which was exactly what I needed.
  • Others: I got home to find that everybody else had had a great day too: my partner had just had her first half-day back at work after her maternity leave, and it had gone very well, her husband had been commended for his pioneering social media work at his workplace, and even the baby was happy and cheery (despite having skipped a nap).

So yeah – I had a flipping marvellous day. And my first thought upon getting home (and grabbing a celebratory beer) was to tell the awesome people of /r/MegaLoungeVI about it. Hi, guys! How’s your week going so far?

Repost posted at UTC on .

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Looking for red phone boxes in Oxford. Can you help?

This self-post was originally posted to /r/oxford. See more things from Dan's Reddit account.

I’m trying to index the location of red telephone boxes in Oxford, for a project I’m doing. I’m especially interested in ones outside of the city centre (it’s easy to find the ones on Broad Street, High Street, Parks Road, St. Giles, etc.). If you’re aware of any, or if you’re e.g. willing to keep your eyes open for them on the way to and from work/class/wherever for the next couple of days, I’d really appreciate it. Also happy to throw Reddit Gold at people who are particularly helpful.

Want me to send you a reminder in a few days, once you’ve been looking for them? Leave a comment, and I’ll PM you a few days later. Want to know what the project is? Find a box for me that I haven’t got on my list, and I’m happy to PM you the details.

Thanks!

Repost posted at UTC on .

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Somebody put a toad ON this rug, and we’ll go meta.

This link was originally posted to /r/rugtoad. See more things from Dan's Reddit account.

The original link was: http://i00.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/1092570622/Free-shipping-hot-sale-cute-most-fashion-65x45cm-frog-shape-bedroom-kitchen-bathroom-are-floor-living.jpg

[the image attached to this post originally came from http://i00.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/1092570622/Free-shipping-hot-sale-cute-most-fashion-65x45cm-frog-shape-bedroom-kitchen-bathroom-are-floor-living.jpg but since seems to have disappeared]

Repost posted at UTC on .

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Programming Is Not Math

This is a repost promoting content originally published elsewhere. See more things Dan's reposted.

When I learned to program, back when dinosaurs walked the earth and the internet had no cats, there was an idea: if you were good at math, you’d be good at programming. I was great at math as a kid, but perhaps because I didn’t like it much, no one steered me towards programming. I…

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Cache that REQUIRES two people: should I explain why it requires two people before they set out, or not?

This self-post was originally posted to /r/geocaching. See more things from Dan's Reddit account.

Hi, Founditt!

Next month, I expect to launch a multicache with a twist: it requires two people to go to two different waypoints at the same time in order to determine the coordinates of the final stage – it’s not physically possible for one person to do it alone (even if they go to one waypoint and then to the other).

I’ll be saying all of this on the cache page, of course. But I’m worried that some people might try to do it alone, and then get frustrated when they realise the reason that it’s not possible to do it alone. I’m considering explaining on the cache page exactly how I’ve made it impossible to do by yourself, but I’d rather not do this if I don’t have to: I think that the cache will be more interesting and exciting if you don’t know why you need two people until you’re in-the-field.

What do you think? If you saw a cache with a description like that in the first paragraph, explaining that you needed you and a friend to simultaneously visit two waypoints (and explicitly stating that there was no way to solve it by yourself), would you believe it? Or would you set out by yourself anyway?

tl;dr: a multicache description says that you need to go to a waypoint and send a friend to a different waypoint, at the same time, but doesn’t tell you why until you get there – do you believe it?

EDIT: Wow; this has gotten popular. Once the cache is in place and people have begun finding it, I’d be happy to make a post here explaining how I did it. In the meantime, if you’re outside of the UK and want a few more teaser details, drop me a PM. If you’re inside the UK, or travel here often, then keep an eye out for the launch of GC591VV – “You Can’t Do It Alone!”.

Repost posted at UTC on .

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Six Tiny Months

On Monday, Tiny turned 6 months old. For half a year now, I’ve been a parent. It still feels pretty weird to call myself that, though. Parent is a word that conjures up a mental image of someone strong, nurturing, patient, and above all who knows all the answers. In many ways, I feel more like I’m discovering life alongside my daughter than guiding her along the path.

…

Being out-and-about with a baby is a whole different experience. Strangers will strike up a conversation – and, more amazingly still, I don’t usually mind. Tiny is such a blessing that I can’t begrudge others a few minutes of cooing. The biggest difference isn’t other people, though.

…

Ruth’s just written about her first six months of being a parent. It’s worth a read.

Repost posted at UTC on .

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