Would Sherlock Holmes make a good developer?

13 August 2010 //
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I’ve been very impressed recently with the BBC series Sherlock, the modern take on Sherlock Holmes. What had impressed me the most is that it wasn’t spoon-feeding television – you had to keep watching, and keep alert to figure out what was going on. There were also the helpful “pop-ups” during the program – such as when Sherlock received a text message or phone call you knew who it was from (rather than the script writers having to work it in somewhere).

So what has Sherlock got to do with software/web development? How different would it be if developers were more like Sherlock? Or how would Sherlock be as a developer?:

  1. He wouldn’t stop until the project was completed – even to the point of obsession.
  2. Bypass all protocol (managers) to get it done.
  3. If customers were wrong, he would tell them. Almost treat them like fools. Almost.
  4. If someone asked how he did things, he would tell them. Does he keep any secrets?
  5. Was Sherlock bothered by money/fees?
  6. Although he looks like he’s not doing anything, he’s constantly thinking and processing.
  7. Work on bite size chunks to complete the whole.
  8. If you have a sidekick (Martin Freeman was brilliant as Watson), give them jobs to do too. They may seem like mundane jobs, but they’re helpful to the overall project.
  9. Work quickly. Time is not on your side.
  10. Remain focused.

Have I missed any other traits? Would Sherlock make a good developer? He’d get on peoples nerves (point 3. above), yet people seemed to like and respect him. Maybe there are times when some of the above are required, and other times when they’re not. What do you think?

How do you worship a God who is holy?

4 July 2010 //
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This morning, Mandy and I went to the church we used to be members of because some friends were having their newest baby dedicated and we promised we would go. The Pastor of the church is preaching a series based on the characteristics of God, and this morning the sermon was called “God is Holy”. He explained what this means – God is separate and God is sinless, and this should affect how we approach Him in worship. The Bible verses used started with Leviticus 10 (two of Aaron’s sons were killed because they offered sacrifices which they shouldn’t have) and Leviticus 11:44, 45 (“Be holy for I am holy”), which is quoted in the New Testament in 1 Peter 1:16.

The application to us is that we approach God with reverence and awe. There should be joy too, but mostly reverence and fear. God is holy, so you can’t approach him unless you are doing it the “way it should be done” (the words are mine, but the attitude is prevalent in most traditional churches today). That leads to the impression that worship should be subdued (no drums then!), cautious (not daring to enter His presence), and not the way it’s done at some other churches today.

I agree with him in part, though I think it’s slightly misleading. I’ve not done a count (maybe I should) but for every time verses are used to convey that we should approach God in a reverent way, I’m convinced there are 10 more that say we should approach Him with joy, singing, clapping, noise, dancing, tambourines … you get the picture. The Psalms are full of praise and worship that is more lively, full of joy (I mean, really full of joy), and certainly very loud. Yes God is holy, but He wants us to celebrate who He is and what He has done. Yes, we are to fear God, but thank Him that He’s gracious to us. There are times to marvel at His character, but the majority of our worship, I believe, is to celebrate how He transforms lives (in particular my life).

Think about when you were aged 6. Would you rather go to your dad in reverence and fear, ask to sit on his lap, and be too scared to move in case He told you off (for not doing it the “way it should be done”!), or would you rather run to your Dad, jump on His lap, tell Him how great He is, how much you love Him and thank Him for all he’s done for you. I know which I prefer, and I’m thankful I go to a church that celebrates this.  We have a lot to celebrate, a lot to be thankful for, and a lot to marvel at. We don’t need to fear entering the presence of God, as if we shouldn’t be there. We should delight to go into His presence because it’s been bought for us. It’s this delight and joy from being with God that is missing from so many churches/Christians.

SQL Server Compact Edition Reference in Visual C# 2010 Express

2 July 2010 //
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When trying to connect to a SQL Server Compact Edition (CE) database through code using Visual C# 2010 Express, you will need to use the System.Data.SQLServerCE reference. However, this reference will not appear if you project is targetting the .Net 3.5 framework.

What you need to do is change your project to target .Net 4, then the SQLServerCE reference will appear in the References list.

(This probably doesn’t happen if you attach the database as normal using the wizards. However, as I prefer to hand-code everything, this wasn’t an option for me).

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