Genii Weblog


Civility in critiquing the ideas of others is no vice. Rudeness in defending your own ideas is no virtue.


Mon 5 Apr 2004, 09:55 PM
Ahh, doesn't the mere word give you palpitations?  Well, in honor of the reckless pursuit of standards, I am working to make sure that GeniiSoft.com follows standards, lots of them.  Specifically, if our Midas Rich Text LSX can generate valid, accessible HTML, our website should be able to use valid, accessible HTML.  I started the process with the W3C HTML Validator.  The old website had problems - a bunch of problems, but with a bit of work, I eliminated them all, and now our main website page is officially valid, with HTML 4.01 Transitional.
Valid HTML 4.01!
 
Feels good.  I am having a bit of trouble with the other pages, since the validator objects to the <noscript> tag, although I can't figure out exactly why.  They should all be valid fairly soon.  The next step is WAI - the Web Accessibility Initiative standard.  This is tougher, since almost everything is up to the user to decide.  I tried out Bobby as well, which is a great tool, but again, accessibility is more of a goal than a standard.
 
So, on to other standards.  Why, you ask?  Don't ask?  Haven't you been listening?  J2EE.  XML.  Java.  Standards are where it's at.  Standards are the cats meow.  Without standards, we would be... individuals.  Oh, well, never mind that.
 
Next standard, Atom feed validation.  What is an Atom feed?  See here.  Wow, that was easy.
[Valid Atom]
 
Man, we are on a roll.  OK, who has another validation to try out?  C'mon, bring 'em on.

Copyright © 2004 Genii Software Ltd.

Mon 5 Apr 2004, 03:00 PM
I have just started publishing this blog in Atom format (at atom.xml for those who care).  I have no idea what the value is, but I am irritated by the number of searches for atom.xml, so I thought I might as well give whoever they are what they were looking for.

Anybody know the inherent value?  It doesn't look like a lok of Domino bloggers have hopped on that bandwagon, but maybe they have and I just didn't notice.

Copyright © 2004 Genii Software Ltd.

Mon 5 Apr 2004, 08:55 AM
OK, it is not as bad as ordering a peanut butter sandwich, but I do have a bit more dating advice for the clueless, courtesy of my daughter.  She is (still) dating a boy (yes, the same boy), and they went out to a restaurant last night.  She has continued to work on his "date-readiness", but there are still some gaps.  The latest anecdote has to do with tipping.

"He couldn't figure out the tip for a $20 dinner", she tells me, "He had to pull out his cellphone which has a tip calculator."

Ouch!  Now, not figuring out a tip is not a total RLM... unless you are dating a National Merit Scholar... and unless she is also a bit of a princess, I'm afraid.

So here's the advice.  A tip should be at least 10% (so, for $20, that is $2, no tip calculator necessary), and probably no more than 20% (unless you really want to impress a princess, so, for $20, that is $4).  Still, this may be too complex for this particular guy, so here are a few rules of thumb:

Possible tip calculation #1) Just leave $3.  If the bill is $10, you are generous, but can also afford it.  If the bill is $40, you are cheap, but since you have never spent over $30 on a dinner for my daughter, you are safe.

Possible tip calculation #2) Double the tax.  This is a tricky one.  Since tax in this state is 8%, doubling the tax is 16%, which is between 10% and 20%.  Tricky, eh?

Possible tip calculation #3) Divide the bill by 5.  OK, this was the suggestion from my son, who goes to state math competitions, so don't take it too seriously.  I certainly wouldn't take this approach.

Possible tip calculation #4) Divide the bill by 10, then add a buck or two.  Even I can divide by 10 (just move that little period one to the left.  If you are European, you might want to move the comma instead or the tip could be a bit too generous).

Possible tip calculation #5) Find someone else to date.  That, I am afraid, was my daughter's first suggestion, although the future of this occasional dating advice category may ride on her relenting.

If all of these seem too complex, invite her to eat at your place, where no tipping is required.  If you have to pull out your cellphone, use it to call 1-800-HOT-DATES, as that is where your next date is coming from.  'Nuf said.

Copyright © 2004 Genii Software Ltd.