2007.09.21
Side geek/engineering note, and I'm not sure if it will even be useful to the geek/engineers who stop by... my group at work has a strict "code review" rule. The code for each check-in should be reviewed by at least one other person. Previously, the reviewee would fire up the Eclipse "synchronize with repository" (or "stink-ronize with suppository" as one quipped-- one of those unfortunate turns of phrase that you can never, ever totally leave behind) and click through and describe the changes.
As a group, we found it goes much better if the reviewer "drives", rather than the reviewee. Otherwise it's far to easy for the reviewer to be a passive, minds-off viewer, and by setting the pace the reviewer can ensure his or her own understanding of what the changes are.
Crazy Eddie of the Moment
For some reason Crazy Eddie has resurfaced twice in my personal memepool... for those who weren't in the greater New York area in the 70s and 80s, he was the frenetic spokesman for "Crazy Eddie" consumer electronic stores. He'd go on and on about how crazy his prices are for 30 seconds, then end with "our prices are IN-SANE". (During that time when "Crazy" Eddie Antar fled to Israel to escape fraud charges, one of my schoolmates quipped "wow, turns out Crazy Eddie was crazy after all." I think the store chain later merged into "The Wiz", and the confusion is heightened by the slogan "Nobody Beats the Wiz" becoming the chain's name, probably when some executive thought "huh, maybe 'urine' isn't the best theme for promotional purposes.")
So the first link was a where are they now feature, along with Wendy, Mikey, Little Debbie, etc. I was tremendously disillusioned to find out that Crazy Eddie the actor was distinct from Crazy Eddie the owner. I had always assumed they were one and the same... the character didn't scream "professional actor".
Then Slate had a piece on The "Crazy Eddie" economy, saying that even the iPhone knockdown price is not just the "repeal of the nerd tax" but an unfortunate sign of a jittery economy, willing to risk long term stability for a short term gain.
By far, my favorite take on the whole "insanity in consumer retail" shtick is this old Tom the Dancing Bug comic featuring "Crazy Morty". Here's what Morty's Doctor has to say about his Crazy Prices!:
"It's true. Morty Zimmerman is clinically insane, yet somehow operates a chain of 'stores,' such as they are. If you were able to find something of use to you, and were actually able to successfully conduct a transaction, you would probably pay a price wholly unrelated to the value of the item you purchased."Good times.