Mixing work with pleasure the IBM redbook way

This is arguably the funniest title for a manual that I have seen for a long time.

Family Planning and Application Development
TeamConnection Unleashed


You can find it in the IBM redbooks catalog 
as SG26-2008

C programming standards and guidelines

While tidying some files I found what appear to be my notes from a project status meeting, held exactly 11 years ago today.
Under the item marked AOB 4. I found this entry.

We only have one C programming book so we've decided to use it for our programming standards and guidelines. Of course, some of our code needs bringing up to standard.

And the name of the book? ... Obfuscated C and other mysteries

Magnetic Golf poetry - first attempt

having  finished  his  work  for  the  bank,
his  golf  swing  developed  a  shank
"the  reason  it  missed
is  you  have  a  weak  wrist."
what  you  need  is  a  jolly  good  w**k


squeeze on The Gripp II that you got for your birthday.
See also www.magneticpoetry.com

Peanuts revisited - the best is yet to come

On my final day at IBM a large group of people gathered round me for a farewell presentation. I'd had one of these before, twenty years earlier, and all I could say was "marvellous this and marvellous that". Not wanting to look ill prepared I wrote some notes down of things I wanted to say.
As it happened, I was ill prepared; my notes were in a pad in my bag and my bag had gone walkabout.

Anyway, what I said was a slightly different version of the Charlie Brown and Linus story.

In an age where marriage is no longer for life (I divorced in 200n), and where a job is no longer for life, I've recently learnt that only life is for life... and life is for living.

I remember a Peanuts cartoon where Linus (7) and Charlie Brown (9) are leaning over the picket fence considering life.

Linus asked "Do you think there's one day on your life that's better than any other?" Charlie Brown replied "There must be." Linus paused then said "Suppose you've already had it".

Well the chances are that if I've already had the best day of my life then it was while working for IBM.

But deep in my heart I know that I'll hope it will be in the future.

I mean, I've never had a hole in one.

 

Thanks for my card and gifts

It's been two weeks since I retired from IBM. Would you believe that I've been so busy that I've hardly had any time to read the messages in my leaving card or play with the gifts... apart from the tankard of course. That's had a couple of outings in front of Sky Movies, always when the sun's been over the yard arm; never
during the afternoon matinee.

I've had one attempt at creating a magnetic golf poem.
And I dropped all the pieces from the pyramid rectangle game.
But I cheated when I put them back into the box.

The juggling diabolo has been spinning off and bouncing round my office.
I haven't yet introduced it to my unicycle. Early days yet.

Some of your messages in the card and in your email responses have also brought back fond memories of work and, more importantly play.
Thanks particularly to:

• Karen H for "speed wrong answer Trivial Pursuit"
• Dave G. for the "Frappe Frappe" joke
• Woody and Jon I. for some more items for the SB list
• Max S. "getting stitched up at QA"

And some answers:

Andy B (the one with the Dave Gorman DVD). I've completed all 100 levels of Boxworld at least twice

Ian D. I'm definitely going to keep on Bobbing Wide.