Uruguay's President

Some snippets from this great news story about Uruguay's President

"I'm not the poorest president. The poorest is the one who needs a lot to live," he said. "My lifestyle is a consequence of my wounds. I'm the son of my history. There have been years when I would have been happy just to have a mattress."

"My country is not particularly open. These measures are logical," he said. "With marijuana, this is not about being more liberal. We want to take users away from clandestine dealers. But we will also restrict their right to smoke if they exceed sensible amounts of consumption. It is like alcohol. If you drink a bottle of whisky a day, then you should be treated as a sick person."

"Contemporary politics is all about short-term pragmatism. We have abandoned religion and philosophy … What we have left is the automatisation of doing what the market tells us."

New rules for Formula 1

There are many aspects of our culture that can be called flamboyant, lavish and egregiously wasteful; yet we just love them. Take "Formula 1" for example. The amount of fuel these cars burn and the amount of cash their manufacturers spend to design and manufacture them, is shocking. But like many others I am a huge fan of Formula 1 races. Almost inhuman speed, unimaginable power, glamorous look and the sound that literally shakes you to the core - what's there not to like. Despite the guilt of burning so much precious fuel, I would definitely want to be in one of these super cars.

So this morning, it was very satisfying to read the news about the new F1 rules and the motive behind them. The new rules require the teams to use different engines in the cars (V6 instead of V8). There are more restrictions on the total fuel they can use and the rate at which they can use them. There is more emphasis on use of electric motors (2 instead of 1), or what's called the "Energy recovery system". What's most notable however is the motive behind these new restrictions.

The idea is to bring F1 into line with cutting-edge road-car technology, and to stimulate research and development in that area. The name of the game is efficiency - using much less fuel to generate the same performance. The idea is to increase fuel efficiency by as much as 40%.

This is a way of channeling the competition of a sport towards the betterment of our society. The new feats of engineering happen when they are pushed to the limits and then some more. Then over time they become commonplace and part of everyday life - in this case improving the car we drive to the shopping mall.

It gives some meaning to our celebration of Formula 1.

Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice

The other day I was reading a book on Mechanical engineering. The introductory chapter of the book had sections with terms like "engineering responsibility", "professionalism", "ethics". In traditional engineering disciplines these terms have been significant, because the product you design may directly harm or kill someone. In Software engineering however these aspects haven't been imprinted on the minds of practitioners of this profession.

I was glad therefore to see this link on Hacker News today: Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice

Here's the quoted short version:

The short version of the code summarizes aspirations at a high level of the abstraction; the clauses that are included in the full version give examples and details of how these aspirations change the way we act as software engineering professionals. Without the aspirations, the details can become legalistic and tedious; without the details, the aspirations can become high sounding but empty; together, the aspirations and the details form a cohesive code.
Software engineers shall commit themselves to making the analysis, specification, design, development, testing and maintenance of software a beneficial and respected profession. In accordance with their commitment to the health, safety and welfare of the public, software engineers shall adhere to the following Eight Principles:
1. PUBLIC - Software engineers shall act consistently with the public interest.
2. CLIENT AND EMPLOYER - Software engineers shall act in a manner that is in the best interests of their client and employer consistent with the public interest.
3. PRODUCT - Software engineers shall ensure that their products and related modifications meet the highest professional standards possible.
4. JUDGMENT - Software engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their professional judgment.
5. MANAGEMENT - Software engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance.
6. PROFESSION - Software engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profession consistent with the public interest.
7. COLLEAGUES - Software engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.
8. SELF - Software engineers shall participate in lifelong learning regarding the practice of their profession and shall promote an ethical approach to the practice of the profession.

Something's Missing

When autumn comes, it doesnt ask.

It just walks in, where it left you last.

And you never know, when it starts

Until there's fog inside the glass around your summer heart

Something's Missing - John Mayer