38: Blame the Monkey
Embedded12 Feb 2014

38: Blame the Monkey

Producer Chris White (@stoneymonster) and Elecia discuss some insurmountable problems and some strategies for approaching them.

  • Google it (or look on Stack Exchange).
  • Explain the problem to someone else… even if they aren't there (use a stuffed animal or write a really detailed email, anticipating potential questions).
  • Draw a picture (system/subsystem architecture or code block diagram or a doodle).
  • Make sure you are running what you think you are, start over from a blank slate, making no assumptions about how your hardware is programmed.
  • Identify and verify your assumptions about the all the pieces involved.
  • Get scientific: define the problem, create a hypothesis, run an experiment, record the results. Small steps! Also: get methodological and write everything down.
  • Return to first principals: how is this supposed to work?
  • Revert to last known good and diff to find the cause of a new issue.
  • Logging functions: they take time but can lead to a better trace, better picture.
  • Make it reproducible: there is information in the solution if you can find the steps to repro. Step by step, reduce the steps until you can nab it in the act. Remove the voodoo.
  • Avoidance: accept the bug (it's a feature!) and go on.
  • Sleep, go for a walk, or work on something else.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(572)

525: Some Sort of Metal

525: Some Sort of Metal

Dr. Tom Williams spoke with us about robots, ethics, teaching, and books. Then we talked about mines, umpires, water, and more books. Tom is the author of Degrees of Freedom: On Robotics and Social J...

14 Mai 1h 3min

524: This Isn't a Movie

524: This Isn't a Movie

Nathan Jones spoke with us about hardware security, motivation, conference talks, and writing. Nathan wrote an in-depth series of posts about the benefits of superloops vs RTOS: You Don't Need an RTOS...

16 Apr 1h 14min

523: Bad Experience With Donuts

523: Bad Experience With Donuts

Chris and Elecia chat about Leapfrog toys, things they like, large company politics, awards, and open source governance.  The Toy Story 5 Trailer with LilyPad toy which is suspiciously similar to the ...

2 Apr 1h 10min

522: The Information Is In Poop

522: The Information Is In Poop

Sonia Grego speaks with us about a topic no one likes to talk about, but could be used to monitor personal dietary health and widespread disease outbreaks. Toilets! Sonia leads Duke University's Smart...

6 Mar 54min

521: Are You The Tiny Domino?

521: Are You The Tiny Domino?

Kenneth Finnegan entertained us with stories about accidentally contributing to the internet's ability to network. Wondering how the internet works? All those terms about IPv4, IPv6, BGP, OSPF, CDN an...

20 Feb 1h 3min

520: All Sorts of Interesting Facts About Teeth

520: All Sorts of Interesting Facts About Teeth

Chris and Elecia apologize, discuss uses and abuses of chatbots, reach out to an uncertain manager, try to help someone out of their professor's draconian rules, and extol the joys of reading.  Chabot...

6 Feb 58min

519: The Password Is All Zeros

519: The Password Is All Zeros

Mark Omo and James Rowley spoke with us about safecracking, security, and the ethics of doing a bad job. Mark and James gave an excellent talk on the development of their safecracking tools at DEF CON...

23 Jan 1h 6min

518: Nothing We Can Do About Frogs

518: Nothing We Can Do About Frogs

James Cameron spoke with us about programming for and operating a large telescope. The show is a blend of astronomy, engineering on the fly, and weird lady bug habitats.  The Anglo-Australian Telescop...

9 Jan 1h 8min

Populært innen Vitenskap

fastlegen
tingenes-tilstand
jss
dekodet-2
rekommandert
forskningno
sinnsyn
villmarksliv
liberal-halvtime
rss-paradigmepodden
rss-nysgjerrige-norge
rss-zahid-ali-hjelper-deg
tidlose-historier
rss-inn-til-kjernen-med-sunniva-rose
kvinnehelsepodden
rss-rekommandert
nordnorsk-historie
fjellsportpodden
rss-lundqvist-podden
vett-og-vitenskap-med-gaute-einevoll