Top Down Thinkers

Today I got to thinking about top down thinkers. I'm a top down thinker. I design before I configure. I write specs before I write code. I write outlines before I write text. I'm the author of Top-Down Network Design, so all this comes as no surprise, no doubt. :-)

When I'm learning a new system, I like to hear the big picture first and then iteratively learn about the nuts and bolts. If a manager gives me a task and I don't understand how it fits into the overall project, I may get bored and/or confused and, I must admit, I may not do my best work. I like to understand architectures, interactions, dependencies, messaging between system parts, and so on, before I dig into a single component or task.

I think a lot of engineers work like I do, but I've also worked with many who prefer to work in a bottom up fashion. They develop the pieces first and then build them up into a working system. What about you? How do you work best?

And, speaking of top down thinkers, I love convertible cars and am a big fan of We-Envision.com's new Top Down Envi iPhone app. The picture above is a screen shot from the app. I also recommend my iCertify app. How's that for an awkward segue? :-) iCertify is a set of flash cards that will help you study for the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) exam.

Are you a Cisco Networking Academy student, by any chance? In honor of the school year starting, I lowered the price for iCertify to $2.99. Get it now before the price goes up!

I remember terrific Fall days when I was a college student, riding in cars with boys (convertibles, of course), lugging books along. These days you can just bring your iPhone and study for your CCNA in your top down car. Enjoy!

Movie Review: 500 Days of Summer, one to miss

I depart from my normal topics to review a movie. I'm so mad that I wasted an hour on it that I'm writing a review! I tried to post it on Yahoo Reviews but it said I had already posted a review. I'm so sick of buggy websites, as sick of them as I am of dumb movies. Anyway, here's the review...

If you like Hallmark greeting cards, IKEA furniture, and humdrum fashions, you might like 500 Days of Summer.

I found the movie boring, visually unappealing (except for the cute actors), and messily directed. It jumped from romantic comedy, to faux documentary, to a feeble attempt at Woody Allen-like dialog about the futility of happiness. The characters were irritating and uninteresting. The office scenes were typical office dullness, not worthy of being in a movie. The scenes of LA were laughable. Why pretend that LA is a hustling big city with a vibrant downtown, decent public transportation, and old architecture? The real LA has its charms: sprawling suburbs, Eichler houses, fast cars and 10-lane freeways, beaches, lots of sunshine and palm trees, gorgeous people with tans and scantily-dressed strong bodies. It's dumb to pretend it's something else.

We don't learn much about the lead female character other than she's quirky. She likes to yell obscenities in public and Ringo Starr is her favorite Beatle. The fact that she likes Ringo Starr says a lot. He was mediocre (compared to John, Paul, and George). This movie is mediocre. The lead male character is a bit more interesting but not much. His little sister may have had the best lines but the actress didn't enunciate and I couldn't understand them.

I hardly ever walk out of movies, but I wanted to leave this one pretty quickly. My husband wanted to stay, but, after an hour, he wanted to walk out. By that time, I was slightly curious whether the characters would finally make a commitment and/or demonstrate personal growth as expected in character-based movies. But, nanh. Not interested enough to stick around. I walked out with him.

Let me guess. The boy dumps his job writing greeting cards and becomes an architect. The girl goes back to Michigan and raises chickens. They each find true love with someone else, but they keep in touch via Twitter.

iCertify iPhone app for CCNA study: Version 3.0

Apple just shipped a new version of my iCertify iPhone app for Cisco certification. I added 40 new questions. These questions test your speed. Flash cards are an efficient and effective way to learn. With iCertify, you can learn what's really on the test from a certified pro who knows.

The iCertify CCNA flash cards now include 240 questions. (By the way, 240 is a good CCNA number to know. What would the CIDR notation be if 240 were the last octet in a subnet mask, e.g. 255.255.255.240? What would the block size be? How many hosts would be allowed? What is the address of the first host on the first subnet and what's the broadcast address? Assume subnet zero is allowed.) Did you answer those questions with nanosecond latency? If not, I have the product for you: iCertify!

So, seriously, why should you spend $5 on iCertify when you could spend that on a cold beer?

• All content is developed by an experienced pro with a lifetime career of networking experience.
  
• Content is honed from use in real classrooms, not copied and pasted from all those other study materials that you already have.
  
• Flash card format makes your brain work quickly with immediate feedback.
  
• CCNA is one of the most sought-after certifications, recognized by employers around the world.
  
• With your CCNA, your salary will be so high you'll be able to afford that $5 beer, and a $50 book and a $3000 class! (That's what I charge for my publications and classes.)
  
• It's a fast-paced, competitive world. Learn quickly. Learn exactly what you need to know.

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iCertify is an independent product, not sponsored by, endorsed by, or affiliated with Cisco Systems, Inc. Cisco, Cisco Systems, and CCNA are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries.

Drying sheets outside: A lost technology?

Recently I've been trying to dry our sheets outside after I wash them. This seems like the right thing to do environmentally, not to mention that it's 106 degrees here and the gas dryer would make the house even hotter. Heating up the house should be saved for important things like fresh blackberry pie-baking (we have a billion blackberries in our yard) and, well, things that are related to the sheets that I won't describe on this G-rated blog. :-)

It turns out that I'm inept at drying the sheets outside. Last time I did it, birds pooped on my beautiful, clean sheets. This time I dragged one of the clean sheets across the dirty deck by mistake. Plus, as you can see from the picture, I don't have a clothesline, just a rickety drying rack. Once, the wind blew it over! Would a clothesline work better? How would I get it high up enough so the sheets wouldn't drag on the deck? Even folded, our California King sheets are huge. (My husband is 6 ft, 3 inches. We have a big bed.) If the clothesline were high up enough, how would I reach it? Plus, is a clothesline really strong enough to hold wet sheets? Do you drape them over it or try to use clothes pins? Are the pins strong enough?

Well, as you can see, I'm at a loss. The technology for drying sheets outside is a lost technology. I said to my husband, too bad I can't ask my grandmother or great-grandmother. They certainly knew how to dry sheets outside. He suggested we ask his grandmother. She is still with us, at 103 years, and could indeed advise us. She has taught us many homemaking skills over the years, including how to make pie crust for our blackberry pies, split-second cookies, and chopped liver. Thank-goodness for grandmothers.