Performing CPR on this blog ~4 years after its death. You may ask why, and I will respond with a y!?
Too much water has flowed under the bridge since the last update, and it would be injudicious to attempt a longish post now. Better to ease into the flow than forcing myself to write one long post, feel drained, and let this rot again.
Optimization is fascinating topic – the process of identifying potential areas for improvement in an existing system, identifying possible approaches to bring about the improvements, and observing the actual improvements in the system after implementing the changes gives me a wonderful feeling. One of the best projects I’ve worked on involved optimizing the boot up time of a Linux based digital still camera – I managed to bring this from nearly 50 seconds to just over 2 seconds.
Anyway, this post is not about technical stuff. Today morning P,D,S and me went for a brunch buffet, and here (in the most unexpected of places) I was fortunate enough to observe some “optimization” techniques practiced by the patrons. So here it is : The list of the top four optimization techniques that could be used at a buffet queue.
4. Jumping the queue: Approach the buffet with a plate that already has food, say, two idlis. Pretend to have come to just refill the sambhar or chutney, so skip the queue and go straight to sambhar. Once done, nonchalantly backtrack, grab some dosas/vadas and walk off.
3. Teamwork: Works when you have a friend. If the friend goes for a refill before you do, wait till he reaches the food, hop across to him (with a plate) and grab what you need. Done !
2. Multicore: Similar to 3, except, there is no friend. Just take 2 (or more) plates with you.
And now, the winner. This is the best technique I’ve seen till date, and its simplicity and originality blew my mind ! It is
1. Non-stop eating: Stand in the queue, take what you need, go back to the end of the queue and start eating. No time wasted behind slow coaches, no time wasted walking back and forth between food and table, no danger of missing any refill !
(Note: I feel rusty ! I am not happy the way this post has come out, yet, its a start).
Inspired by Grider’s comment, this blog is alive again, after being in a suspended state for almost an year. What has happened since the last post ?
I own a netbook now, after my laptop stopped working
I finished my MBA, and started working again
Moved from Kingston to Ottawa, and then to Toronto
Went Bungee jumping
Flew a 4 seater cessna
Drove 1000+ kms in two days once
More later…
A simple list of the day’s highlights:
And the best of the lot…..
Techno Babble 