Software is too expensive to build cheaply...

Picked up my copy of Head First Design Patterns today (I'd ordered it in a couple of weeks ago). So far I'm loving it.

Martin Fowler wrote about the Call Super smell. This occurs when you are allowed to override a method in a parent class, but you must (as opposed to can) call the parent implementation in your method.

I know what Jeff Atwood is complaining about here. It can be really hard to track down a decent programming keyboard these days.

Update: I actually found one: the Belkin Wireless Keyboard. Amazingly enough, I found it at Big W, for only AU$60. I'm a little dubious about the wireless factor (I just know the battery will die some day when it's really inconvenient), but it's a nice responsive keyboard, and the keys are where they should be. The bundled wireless mouse will be a good "pairing mouse" as well - the fact that it doesn't have a cable is a real plus for a pairing mouse, and means I can keep using my trackball

Des Traynor did a little post about how languages are not all the same, and Jeff Atwood jumped in with a C# version. Java came out looking really bad at 15 lines for a simple program, but frankly, the reason isn't because of Java; it's because of the coding styles used.