For a long event like this (which I’ve no experience with), I really want to bring everything I need but nothing more so I’ve completed a gear-test run as a final “big run” before the event next Friday. It was very useful, no injuries and I learned a lot. Here’s the rundown.

I planned about 10 miles with fully loaded pack just to see how it’d go. 4 bricks, 2 liters of water, cell phone and food. For food I packed some GU gels, Clif bars, PowerBar Energy Bars. Total pack weighed 30lbs. Heavy.

I wanted to run in our local wildlife reservation but I didn’t want to drive home muddy, wet and sweaty. So I did something I’d never done before which is run to the reservation. It’s about 4 miles each way.

I set out and decided I needed some lower-body PT so another crazy move: I lunged all the way down a neighboring street. By now my neighbors are used to the crazy Irish guy who lives on the hill so they pretty much took no notice but this is not something I’d do in my native Dublin, down Collin’s Avenue for instance. This killed my legs but felt great and highlighted the need to do more in this area.

The Reservation is great. Within about 5 minutes on the trail you’re completely cut off from the rest of the world. It’s a real adventure. This time around I had my pack and Irene had just blown through the area so it made it that much more of a discovery to see what the damage was. Trees were down, creeks were flooded, some creeks were completely blocked so although I was running as much as possible I had to break into a fast hike in many cases.

The elevation is all over the place, sometimes the trail is level, sometimes veering down, sometimes you’re climbing over a 100 year old oak tree, sometimes you’re jogging straight up for 200′. It’s pretty fun.

Overall my body held up OK but there was no way I could’ve stayed running for the full duration. The whole run took over 3 hours, 11.5miles total and by the end I was alternating between running/hiking/running/hiking. My shoulders, quads and hamstrings were shredded even today my collar bones are still bruised.

Nutrition-wise I think the PowerBars worked well for me, Clif Bars not so much. The gels I probably will skip aswell. I wished I would’ve brought some salted Almonds or something as despite drinking plenty of water I think my body was completely depleted of all salt so I wasn’t absorbing anything. Next step is to track down some Perpetuem powder and see what that does mixed in with my water. I’ll try some ShotBloks and 5-hour energy between now and the challenge.

Mentally was really tough. The first 4 miles were just me psyching myself out thinking of all possible coupons that I couldn’t possibly carry in addition to the pack I was hauling. Then when I got into the Reservation I hit another mental wall thinking “what the eff is wrong with me? trying to run through a frickin’ hurricane stricken forest with a 30lbs pack”. Just pure determination, a bit of stupidity and a bit of “when are you ever going to do this again type thinking” got me through. Good lessons.

So I think/I hope the work is done. We have less than a week to go. I’ll do some light runs this week but I don’t think I can do much more. Need to lean on my team now and hope for an injury-free night. Either way it’s going to be an adventure. I’ll post my final “load-out” before the challenge and a debrief afterwards…Should be a night to remember.

+ The picture in today’s post is of “The Endurance”, look it up, you won’t be disappointed.

The challenge is less than a month away now and things are getting “real”. I’m trying to increase my training but it is so hard to find the time. I’m also cautious to avoid injury. The last thing I would want is a tweak or a pull right around now. There’s no way I am NOT doing this event.

But am getting ahead of myself. What is the Goruck Challenge? You can find a video at the bottom of this page and details here: http://goruckchallenge.com/nyc-911/. The New York event is a special instance of the Goruck Challenge to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. We have our own event page and even our own special Patch! No doubt we’ll have our own blend of the challenge to earn that patch.

So far my training has been a mixture of swimming, running, some weighted runs and working out. I have created my own version of a WOD: Stand at a pullup bar, drop to a pushup (do a burpee), then add an extra pushup, then back up to standing and do a dead-hang pull up. Do this 50 times for time. I haven’t kept accurate times as it’s hard enough just to finish but so far I can do this in under 15 minutes. I’ve also been doing some 5km rows on the Concept2 machine. Typically around 22 minutes. Just trying to increase my overall conditioning.

The other day I added the 4th brick to the pack. I’ve arranged these side-to-side in a long lozenge in an effort to keep the weight as close to my back as possible. My bricks needed some personality so with the addition of smiley face, Mr. Happy was born. I also added my new Camelbak to the pack. Water weighs about 2lbs per liter. I added 2 liters. The whole pack weighed about 25lbs altogether.

The weight of this pack was a definite shock but it felt OK. Before setting out I did some chins on the bar and it was rough. The straps dig into your shoulders so all the upper body I’ve been doing has helped but I have a ways to go. I also need to work on lunges and overall leg strength as the pack throws off your balance and gait significantly.

It was about 85F and I ran a solid 6+ miles in about 80 mins without gassing. I added pushups every half mile but canned those after about 3 miles as I really wanted to finish. The first mile or two was really not that bad. But the shine wore off FAST.

You realize *crap* I’ve signed up for 12 hours of this, maybe 15 miles of this. And this is not even the full weight. We’ve got to carry logs, coupons, other people aswell! Then you start to psych yourself out thinking about the big picture instead of small manageable steps.

It’s a mental game.

I started to realize what it means to be in your own “private hell”. When you’re running with a pack like this all you want to do is stop and take a nap. Every step of the way it’s dragging you down. It’s hard to get into any kind of rhythm and you’re constantly thinking about the pack, the weight, how much farther, and so forth. It reminds me of when I first started running (having been a smoker for many years). I really struggled then and am struggling now. I expected this. It’s part of the process and it’s all about putting in a “new level”, setting a new bar mentally. Not easy.

I am starting to think about packing and gear. This run drove home the importance of traveling light and I’m going to be going over things with a fine-tooth comb. So far I have purchased a hydration bladder (Camelbak 2liter) and a headlamp (Petzl Tikka 2). I need to try different foods as some of those high-carb sport things and Gels/Gu cause me to spike and then bonk badly.

So there’s work to be done and in a way the challenge has already started.

It sucks, but it’s a glorious type of suck. Embrace the suck.

If you’re interested I mapped the run here [LINK].

I was staying at the Fairmont which sits on top of “Nob” Hill (this type of name could only exist in America). This is one of the steeper hills in San Fran, something I would realize later.

I dropped the bags, ate a Cliff Bar and set off with my cell phone in hand, $20 in my shoe in case of emergency and my RoadID on my wrist. The hotel desk clerk said it was 3 miles to the bridge and she’d have towels and water ready when I got back. I told her I’d be back in an hour.

The plan was to run across the bridge if I could, but I couldn’t tell if I’d be able to get up on the actual bridge or not. I figured I’d find out one way or the other. I turned right out of the hotel and am immediately hit with a view of Alcatraz off in the distance, how cool is that. I ran down towards the touristy part of SF, streets are straight but the pavement is busted up quite badly from roots and the steep incline. The incline is no-joke about 40-45 degrees on Nob Hill, pretty unbelievable in parts.

I’m jogging along, images of Steve McQueen, Dirty Harry, Bullitt, fastback Mustangs dancing through my head. It’s awesome.

I’ve gone about 2 miles and am down in the Marina, it’s nice, really sunny, I’m feeling good. I see the bridge off in the distance and ask someone if I’m on the right track. They say “yeah but it’s a bit of a ways, about 3 miles”. I’m thinking OK, we can at least get to the base of the bridge but maybe not up onto it. I’m down low at this point and the bridge looks completely unattainable.

So I run on and cross into Crissy field which is next to the bridge and all of a sudden I realize why no one’s running here, there’s a 20 mile an hour head wind blowing sheets of sand and gravel into my face. There are some foolish people walking but they are going the opposite direction and are all wearing hooded sweatshirts. I should’ve stayed on the road that runs parallel to the park. I’m convinced they all think I’m mad.

I stop and ask a couple of ladies wheeling prams (away from the wind) how to get up to the bridge and they direct me to a bike path that leads up to it. Now I’m sorted. With knowledge that the bridge is attainable I settle down into a rhythm.

I get up on the bridge and find it’s littered with tourists, all miserable. It’s freezing up here. The weather so far has been sunny but once you get up on to the bridge you’re in the clouds and the wind is blowing a gale. The tops of the bridge supports are not visible due to the fog/clouds. It’s fairly dizzying. I run into the center of the bridge and the wind has got to be 20-30mph in the middle. The bridge itself is 1.7 miles across and almost 750 feet above the water. The railings are not that high, you could EASILY vault over and drop to your death. I can see parasail surfers far below and they look like tiny dots. I’m not that bad with heights but this is making me dizzy. There are less folks in the middle and for good reason, most folks turn back before getting there.

I make it all the way to the Marin County border which is the base of the 2nd tower (the north side) then head back. At this point I’m ready to get off the bridge. It’s just too cold and windy. I head back and narrowly miss some cyclists who haven’t been on a bike in a while. Once I get back to the marina I start to warm up again. I jog through San Fran and eventually turn up Mason street which I now realize is a near-vertical climb all the way back to the hotel. Feck it. Head-down and a few mins later I’m home. 1hour 52mins 12.6 miles on a Cliff bar and some airline food.

If you get the chance I highly recommend this run, don’t be a tourist and hire a bike. It’ll be easier but you’ll miss a lot of the sights and experience. Jogging in this case is the way to go.

Separate topic: This Independence day I completed my 2nd run w/bricks. Read about the first here [LINK]. This time around was a LOT easier on my shoulders. I have been working on those. I did still end up with some fairly deep cuts into my collar bones where the ruck straps run but not as bad as first time around. I think mentally the fear/intimidation of running with bricks is still greater than the difficulty. It’s effing difficult, there’s no doubt. It feels like you are being pulled to the ground with every step. Like there’s a small child trying to pull you to the ground. But I think it’s an even worse mental game, especially leading up to the run itself. That’s something I aim to change.

In 1994 or ’95 I once chain smoked 18 cigarettes in a recreation room on D.C.U. campus as a sort of a dare/bravado on my part. Fast forward 16 years I can run a half marathon without dying and enjoy spectacular scenery from one of the world’s iconic locations. I’m glad I quit. Enjoy the pics:

In researching TM I’d heard of the GoRuck Challenge [LINK] – 15-20 MILES. 8-10 HOURS. GOOD LIVIN’.

“Inspired by the most elite training offered to Special Forces soldiers and led by Green Berets, the GORUCK Challenge is a team event and never a race. Challenge cadre build each class into a team through collective conditions of mental and physical exhaustion. Classes are small, camaraderie is high, smiles are plentiful, and teamwork is paramount.

You and your fellow Challenge takers all wear GORUCK backpacks throughout the Challenge. Yes, your bags will be weighted down with bricks, but if the Challenge were easy you wouldn’t sign up. In fact, the greatest hurdle is signing up. We are proud that the pass rate is over 98%.

You won’t know the route but it showcases the best of every city. Think of it as a guided tour. The miles don’t disappear on their own, and 8 to 10 hours can feel like a lifetime. Welcome to our version of good livin’. “

The next event in NYC will be on 9/9 at 19:00 and I’ll be running with a Radio Ruck and 4 bricks. The weekend will commemorate the 10th anniversary of Sept 11th and we aim to start and finish at a Brooklyn firehouse so it should be a rare experience. I’ll be running with memories of my friend and co-worker Steve Weinstein who died in Tower 1 whilst working for Marsh and McLennan [LINK]. I only knew Steve a few years but we had some great conversations and he was someone I looked up to and respected a great deal.

After that long lead-in I must now share some notes from my first training run *with bricks* which happened yesterday. I typically will run 6-7 miles two to three times a week as a means of relaxation. I run slow, about 8:30/9mins pace. I’ll visit the gym twice on a good week, sometimes 3 times and sometimes miss it altogether. The past month I’ve been focusing on pushups and chinups. I attempted my first “Murph” WOD last Friday and did not finish. I bonked on the chinups managing only 40 out of a required hundred.

On Sunday I took three bricks from the back yard and taped them together. I then wrapped that in a towel, taped that and threw it in a backpack. I also threw in 32oz of water and weighed the whole ensemble. I was expecting the scale to ring up a big number as this felt really heavy but no, only 20lbs total. So I warmed up w/pushups/chins and squats then I set off.

Within 100 yards I realized this additional weight and the way it is distributed (flopping about on your back) really messes with your gait. I live in a VERY hilly neighborhood so it took me a while to figure out how to run with the pack. I also will normally run with a predominantly fore-foot strike, very little heel. With the backpack I found a heel strike is really almost essential.

After about a mile I was into a rhythm and got over the initial embarrassment of running with a backpack. Let’s face it, you look like a complete maniac running down the road with a 20lbs ruck on your back.

After 2 miles I had to pull over and grab the water out of the pack. I was starting to gas and the water was sloshing like crazy. I carried that for the rest of the way. Not having the water in the pack helped a lot and I got back in a rhythm. The terrain was fairly hilly so this was a tough-ish run even without the pack. It was also 85 degrees so I was feeling the #goodLivin.

After about mile 3 I was into a decent rhythm and tried distracting myself mentally. This worked and for a while I went into a running “trance” and almost forgot about the pack. By this time the pack was starting to cut into my collar bones but I’d expected this and just kept on going. It actually wasn’t as bad as I’d expected. I was feeling good and even de-toured about 1 mile to check out an open house along the way.

I Last 800 feet is a solid 400 foot vertical climb which I have done many times, the pack didn’t effect this as much as I thought it might. Overall about a 6mile run and I survived. It took about 70 minutes. This was hard. Not something I’d do every day. I think I’ll try this every two weeks or so and slowly work up to 4 bricks.

On the plus side my GoRuck class has organized itself on email and Facebook and all seem like really good people who’re really supportive and encouraging so I’m definitely looking forward to September.

Short answer: I highly recommend Tough Mudder. It was the absolute most fun I’ve had in a long time. I came away with a wide variety of scrapes, a mild sunburn and an adrenaline high that lasted well into mid-week.

Long answer: We had a 10AM start time on Saturday so we showed up in PA the night before. The morning of I met a number of good-natured burly men in the hotel breakfast area, they were already giddy so I knew we were into something good here.

By way of preparation I had run a bunch of trails, mostly about 9-10 mile distance over fairly rough terrain in the local nature reservation. I had also focused on chinups and some upper body so I went in feeling fairly good. Nothing crazy.

The morning-of we drove to the pre-determined parking lot, TM was very well organized with text messages related to parking lots telling us which lot was filling up so we had no trouble figuring out where to go. A shuttle bus took us from the parking lot to Bear Creek.

Once we got there we registered with the pre-signed death waiver (which is extremely severe, you basically have no rights whilst on the course). All participants are required to write their number on their forehead in permanent marker. Funnily enough I got sun-burnt but the ink came off leaving only my number emblazoned on my forehead in non-pink skin. Funny funny.

The race got started and for the first couple of hundred yards I thought this is a piece of cake. We ran down the hill, through some small bit of mud, then back up the slope towards the top of the mountain. On the way they blasted us with water, folks were already walking and we hadn’t even gone a half a kilometer.

The top of the hill we walked under a cargo net. By now I’m getting a bit bored and thinking this is off to a slow start. Next up we slid down the other side of a small hill and then on through some small woods. Finally came to the tubes. I’m still sparkling clean at this point so got down in the mud and made some mud angels.

Turns out the tubes were full of sharp rocks which cut my knees and shins to pieces. Things were getting interesting. Then a couple-mile jog through the woods and I think we came out on our first water station. No need for water yet but folks are guzzling it down. Onwards through the woods and we come out at the lake.

Right before the lake was a mystery obstacle which was a dunk tank full of red-hot habaneros. Fool hardy folks were eating them on the spot. I jumped in, immediate pain from all the cuts, then onwards over a 12 foot wall. The walls as it turns out were fairly easy as there’s a foot-hold about 3 feet up. If you’re 6′ or over you can just stand there and hoist yourself up and over. One unfortunate soul fell from the top of the wall down the other side but thankfully was not hurt.

Next up another cargo net. I came across a worm in the mud to which some smart ass jersey girl replied “a worm? in the mud? You think?”. Delightful. Camaraderie? Next up about a 15 minute wait in line for the “walk the plank” obstacle. I’m not sure what the wait was like for the Sunday group but here there were a few places where folks were really bunching up.

We climbed the platform, yelled at the water and jumped in. This was the worst obstacle by far. The waiting was cold, the platform was high and the water was absolutely frigid. I hit the water and immediately starting swimming for the edge with the singular thought in mind that if I don’t get out of here I’m going to die. It was serious business but we loved it.

Directly after this was the Twinkle Toes, again loads of people waiting. The TM folks walked down the line and said if you want to bypass the obstacle by jumping in the water to run up and go ahead. So that’s what we did. It was warmer than shivering in the line.

One more water obstacle next, the Rope Bridge thing. This one we just jumped in the water, held the bottom rope and sort of under-water traversed the thing. It was freezing. I jumped out and tried some Bear Grills push ups. These warmed me up for 10 seconds but since every piece of clothing is wet it doesn’t matter.

Onwards for a 3-4 mile run through the woods along some very narrow trails. This bothered me as there were plenty of folks who would steam past then a hundred yards up the same folks would be stood on the side waiting for their buddies and catching their breath. Few seconds later they’d steam past again. Frustrating.

We got to the top of the hill very slow. The trail was so narrow you had to run single file, the trees were too thick for the sun to warm us and folks were really just walking along. If I had been able to run at a decent pace I could’ve been done sooner and warmed up to boot. Maybe better to go in the 9AM group in future.

Top of the hill marked the beginning of the “Muddy Mile”. A set of trail with 4 foot trenches dug every 20 yards. The trenches were lined with tarp held down by huge jagged rocks. This spoiled the fun as you couldn’t just jump in for fear of breaking an ankle (something many people did unfortunately). The end of the muddy mile had one big long trench with poles across which required the runner to dive under to pass. This meant you were now freezing once again. By now we were at mile 8 and still having fun.

Next up the Monkey Bars. I was most nervous about this one but it turned out to be no problem. You really can’t swing monkey-style across these as you’ll pull your shoulder out of their sockets. My advise is to take a half-chinup style grip and just dance across one hand at a time. It’s really not that hard. Monkey bars were shut down after we crossed them due to someone falling off and breaking their leg in three places. I guess the water underneath was not deep enough. I’m glad I got to do them though.

The remainder of the race was mostly running the slopes up and down. Most folks were walking by now but I tried to keep a steady trot going, mostly to stay warm and avoid cramping. The log carry, suspended cargo net and the big wall thing was another place where folks got bunched up. One more broken leg at the inverted V-Wall apparently as someone slid down straight-legged. Bad idea.

Things I would change? The main thing I’d love to see would be to eliminate queuing at the obstacles. This just sucked the fun out of it. It also made it easier as you could just catch your breath at each obstacle. I’d like to have been able to just blast along at a reasonable pace to make the thing aerobically challenging. By the time we were done we’d probably spent over 90 minutes just standing in place. Not fun.

Overall this was a well organized event. If you’re in reasonable shape with some friends to help you along you should have no trouble. Keep your knees bent and apply sunblock BEFORE your apply your number on your forehead.

Would I do it again? Absolutely, in a heartbeat.

This past weekend I tried my hand at Kirigami. Kirigami is like Origami but cutting is allowed. Typically take one sheet of paper but you can combine multiple pieces as in unit-Origami.

This a cheap past-time and a lot of fun. I recommend a good cutting board, a fresh Xacto, some graph paper and plenty of quiet. I was going to publish up the patterns for these but I think that’d spoil it for the reader.

Here are some photos of the pieces I’ve cut and models I’ve folded. I find the animals far more challenging but not as mathematical or as satisfying.

Consider the tool you’d be using to determine the answer could potentially be skewing the results, e.g. your mind if insane may not give the right answer.

So the question is relative. You need a frame of reference. An objective third party perhaps, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist. A neurologist could verify the physical construction of your brain but that will fall short in validating how the mind executes.

And what does it mean to be sane? Again, a relative question.

I once postulated that sanity is a spectrum, that we are all insane, only to differing degrees. For some reason my sister took great offense to this. For whatever reason this was not a realization she was comfortable with. Perhaps the notion challenged a set of beliefs she had long held.

Typically we refer to someone as sane if they are of sound and reasonable mind. On that basis I would argue that almost the entire world is insane since almost all of us have some part of our lives which are purely 100% irrational.

Personally I used to think that if I found a penny, picked it up, spat on it (my grandmother added that part), then put the spit-laden copper disc in my pocket that I would be blessed with good luck. What a nut job?

Some people believe that eating meat, especially pork, on a particular day of the week will somehow anger the trans-dimensional being that created the entire universe, 93-billion light years across. 93 billion light years and yet there is a special place for pigs. Amazing.

Others believe that you can effect the salinity (salty-ness) of your body just by thinking about it [Link]. Sort of a mind-over-kidney power. Incredible.

Members of the Flat Earth Society believe well that the Earth is a flat disc: [Link]. You and I might think that’s a parody, but unfortunately no, these people exist and are very dedicated folks indeed.

What do all these examples have in common? A lack of rationality. The lack of deductive reasoning, evidence based judgment and thinking in life “technically” leads to…insanity and unfortunately in extreme cases severe harm [http://whatstheharm.net]

There aren’t that many definitions but according to Wikipedia, Alfred Korzybski [link] put forth that a person is sane if their actions match what is going on in the world around them. Personally I don’t think this helps since it assumes a sort of cultural sanity which the individual is falling in line with.

A Sane person is expected to make rational decisions. Rational decisions might be classified as those based not on sensory input but on deductive reasoning, “logic” as Mr Spock might say.

Do the actions I take match what is going on around me? Sometimes. But is that worth striving for? History is full of folks who buck the trend, from Salvadore Dali to Oskar Schindler. Perhaps these are all mad? or maybe a thin line between madness and genius.

Consider the case of the recent mummies unearthed after 500 years atop a volcano in northwestern Argentina: [LINK].

Here were three children as young as six years old, who trekked for days to the top of this volcano. There they were ritually murdered, as a sacrifice to the mountain in the hopes it would bring good weather and prosperity to the region. Imagine the thoughts through their minds as they walked for days to the top of the hill. Imagine their parents grief. This all made sense in terms of the rules of the day.

I wonder 500 years ago, did anyone ever pause to consider the rationale behind this act. Did anyone ever question “wait a minute, how do I know this will work?”. Did anyone ever ask “where’s the evidence that the volcano god wants me to do this”? Or were they acting purely on faith in what could be considered an act of madness?

The children would have likely have been selected months prior for this “honor”. The idea must have stemmed from a single individual. Someone, at some point in that tribe raised their hand and said “we need to kill a child in order to save the harvest”. And everyone went along with it.

I’m naive but it would have been quite useful to have an absolute test for sanity, or just a test for rational thinking. When the witch doctor first suggested sacrifice, he could have been run through the test, failed, and tragedy avoided.

It’s doubtful we will ever develop a test for sanity. 500 years later, much of what we do day-to-day is devoid of rational, evidence based thinking. What have we learned?

The first problem with a framework is the requirements. Since frameworks tend to be non-functional in nature they are difficult for a business analyst to nail down and typically they need to be spec’d out by someone who understand the technology.

This is the honeymoon period, when the idea has no form. Everyone loves the idea of a framework. Once code starts being written however, that’s when the cracks start to appear.

There is a trick to building application frameworks. The trick is knowing when to stop. You have to have a very clear delineation of where the framework stops and where the application developer’s job starts. Too much on one side and the framework adds little value, too much on the other and it tries to be all things to all people. Neither is good.

Jeff Atwood claims that all abstractions are failed abstractions, meaning at some point you run into a problem where the abstraction generates worse results (code) than if you were to implement using the underlying layer itself. The example he gives is with LINQ and SQL. This is not uncommon and I’ve also seen this with Hibernate and SQL. You can very easily generate the worst explain plan in history with a naive developer who’s new to hibernate.

Abstractions are typically born out of a need to do more with less (classic problem of engineering). How to churn out more business functionality with less effort, money and or skill? This leads to a useful metric which is when the actual effort spent to use your abstraction layer equals or exceeds what it would take were you to use the underlying technology itself then you’re better off just coding it without the framework.

The corollary to this is when the Framework takes more effort to code than the sum of the effort it will save. When you can take 1 smart developer for a week and have him write something that’ll save 10 developers 1 week each, then you have a good case to build a framework.

Conversely if it’s going to take more effort to code something than the effort you’ll save the efficiency-gain argument is lost. You might still have a chance but you need to make a different argument e.g if the framework will somehow ease the maintenance or performance or governance burden of the code overall then perhaps you can still make the case for an abstraction.

It’s almost always better to avoid writing code if you can. The second you write code and roll it out, you are now on the hook to maintain that code.

Another thing developers LOVE to do is to write “wrappers”. I hate wrappers. Just one extra step between me and chocolate. I think people like wrappers because they sound benign enough (it’s just a “thin wrapper”) and yet they allow the framework developer take all the credit for the underlying component, as if they’d written that themselves. If you write a framework that’s built on a product you are typically tied to the product upgrade path, a burden not to be taken lightly, even if it’s a “thin wrapper”.

Regarding Extensibility; you can never anticipate the depth of developer’s creativity. That’s a nice way of saying you’ll never figure out all the kludgy ways developers will try to use your framework. The only option is to leave room for extensibility. Live and let live. Developers hate to be backed into a corner and if your framework is to be adopted it must allow many other flowers to bloom.

Lastly, I have only ever seen a framework work when it has been steered by one person with an end to end vision. Design by committee does not work. Peer review is fine but ultimately you need a Benevolent Dictator who must steer the ship and determine if the framework is to succeed or fail. If a shared vision can be achieved this is ideal, with multiple people all following the same path. But this is rarely achievable. It’s sort of like asking Picasso to have Rembrandt and Warhol finish his painting.

If we can leave Frameworks for a minute, Code Generators are another type of abstraction (or destraction) and yes code gen is cool. I can still remember the first time I got Lex and Yacc to draw a circle on the screen or the first time I reflected a class. Fun. But in the end you need a code generator that’s smart enough to handle all your corner cases in order to justify its existence. Code generation is useful for quick-win type situations but if you go beyond basic CRUD operations and screens it becomes very difficult to build the intelligence into the generator.

Frameworks, Code Generation and Abstractions tend to attract architects. This is generally not a bad thing but beware what Joel Spolsky refers to as “architect astronauts” [LINK]. If you get into the business of developing frameworks you’re going to run into these people. They’re like moths drawn into the cold-neon glow of the framework. They get close but never close enough to contribute in real terms. Mostly they just make noise as they rap against the window.

In summary, I’m pro-framework and pro-code generation but only to the point where it holistically makes sense. Here’s the formula I use:

if (effort to build the abstraction) + (effort to train developers) + (effort to maintain abstraction) < (effort saved by using the abstraction)
AND
You can design the abstraction to be extensible
AND
You can’t find something on the market that’s already covering this space
THEN…
go ahead and build it.

What makes a watch special? Different things to different people I suppose but for it it’s the complexity of the movement, the history of the company, the engineering behind it or the overall uniqueness factor.

I’m offering a list of watches, off-the-beaten path which provide both a conversation piece as well as great engineering.

If you must own only one watch, make it an Omega Seamaster [LINK]. Omega had the first watch on the moon, the official timekeeper of the Olympics and of course the choice of James Bond. The James Bond Seamaster would not be my choice due to styling but there are plenty of Seamasters out there, most notable are the Aqua Terra, the Planet Ocean and the GMT, all gorgeous in my opinion and all work well as a dress watch too.

The next make I would add to the collection would be IWC. The International Watch Company. These tend to be more expensive (and more exclusive) than Omega but IWC makes a truly special watch.  You will rarely see someone wear an IWC.

A couple of models in the IWC line to take note of would be the Portofino Automatic, the Portuguese Automatic, or probably best known for their “Big Pilot” watch (worn by John Mayer) but that’s huge, I would look at the Mark XV or XVI.  Bear in mind these would not be a watch I would wear every day.

Crossing into Germany next pick would be the MeisterSinger (http://meistersinger.net/). MeisterSinger are a relatively new watch maker having been in business since 2001 but they make a really nice watch.  The majority of their models are single-handed, no second hand or minute hand. They do have a few complications but overall make a really clean watch and with only one hand folks will undoubtedly notice it.

Sinn is considered the quintessential German sports watch; they pack some ridiculous engineering into their watches including a custom method of hardening the case and making the steel scratch resistant, a movement that doesn’t need lubrication, they even fill some of their cases with a silicone oil that resists compression enabling the watch to descend to 12,000 meters without cracking.  I like the 656 or 756 or how about the klassik?

Lastly I came across Fred Dingemans. Fred is a unique watchmaker, turning out only 12 models a year, each a variation on a handful of designs he makes and for a very reasonable price. Fred makes as much of the watch as possible himself, including the crown, case, clasp, glass, hands and face. This is a watch that money doesn’t get (very similar to a Ferrari Dino). You have to earn this thing. I reached out to Fred who replied almost instantly and the current waiting list is 8 month. I am very tempted to place an order.

There are a lot of worthy watches out there, so enjoy your hunt. Just don’t pick one of those cookie cutter Rolex’s or Tags.

Or how about “Sacculina”, the mind-control barnacle? [LINK]

“Upon finding a host crab, a female Sacculina will crawl over the crab’s surface until she finds a chink in the armor: a joint. She then ejects her protective shell, reducing herself to a gelatinous blob, and invades.

Inside the host, the parasite grows long, root-like tendrils throughout the crab’s body…… she renders the crab infertile, and creates a small opening in the crab’s back that will allow a male Sacculina to make residence there. Soon the crab is filled with millions of Sacculina eggs and larvae, and like a zombie, the crab cares for these eggs and larvae as though they were its own, losing all interest in mating. When a male crab is infected, the parasite alters its physiology and behavior to be female, to better care for the Sacculina’s young.”

Imagine such a thing happening to a human? You’d essentially be powerless within your own body!

And lastly, the parasitic worm “Leucochloridium paradoxum” which infects snails. The snails eat worm eggs, the eggs grow inside the snail and …

In the snail’s digestive gland the miracidia change into cercaries and produce sporocystes, long tubes that can contain several hundred cercaries.

One or several of these tubes stretch until into the snail’s tentacles and begin to pulsate in there. The obvious colour and the sporocystes’ movement attracts birds that hack for the snail’s tentacles. The bird rips off the snail’s tentacles which cannot be withdrawn because of the sporocystes tubes inside.

Inside the bird’s digestive tract the cercaries change into the parasite’s adult stage, which then reproduces sexually and lays eggs. Thos are distributed by the bird to infect further snails, which closes the generation cycle.

So what does this tell us? What nugget of wisdom can be extracted from these disgusting and unnerving examples of the natural world?

Nobody cares for the snail as its getting eaten alive.  No one sheds a tear when the crab is slowly infested and paralyzed by tentacles.  The karma of the universe does not go out of balance whilst the snappers’ tongue is being eaten out of its mouth.

Life is ruthless. Life does whatever works. Life does not care and it’s going to mow you down if you’re not careful.