Code to Joy: a User's Guide

The recent jJava post was written intentionally for April Fools, but wasn't really intended to fool people per se. There are several parodies on here, and jJava may well re-appear.

I've come to realize that first-timers (and possibly loyal readers) may not understand where some posts are coming from. This post is an aside from the usual work, and is a reference: a user's guide, of sorts.

Inspiration

A major influence on this blog is the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. Though Dilbert is pure genius and The Far Side is wonderful, C&H is the best. The writing is exquisite and the ideas are often profound.

However, what I love most about C&H are the various themes: the snowmen, Spaceman Spiff, and especially the big Sunday, colour editions drawn as a different, adult comic (e.g. where Calvin is a T-Rex).

The point is: if you read a book of C&H, you never really know what might appear on the next page. But when you encounter a familiar theme, the experience is doubly wonderful.

Themes

This blog certainly does not compare to the brilliant C&H. Nor does it even have comics: that's Eric's bag.

The influence of C&H is that I hope repeat readers will have a similar experience: not knowing what will come next (serious vs satire), and recognizing familiar themes. (Weiqi Gao's Friday Quiz is a great example.)

That said, here are some emerging themes (beyond the usual geek stuff):

Newswire

Anything from the CtJ Newswire is going to be a parody: look closely at the city in the header. I'm not trying to fool you. Hopefully, even though the post isn't serious, it will still share some kind of insight.

Stickers

I get bored in bars and I get bored writing standard blog-fare: the sticker posts are pure rebellion -- and fun (especially on vacations). Almost all subjects are strangers.

True, most subjects are female (hey, I'm a single, straight guy in a bar), but I try my best to keep things equal. The intent is solely to combine geek stuff and nightlife. Photoshop is never used.

The CodeToJoy Nation

Any mention of HQ, "our hero", or general ego-centrism is simply to spice up the text.

The CodeToJoy Nation is an ongoing attempt to 'franchaise' readers of the blog and enhance the sense of community.

Outrage

I rarely blog in anger. This is a rant-free zone. I rant enough in real life and there is enough grousing on the Web, n'est-ce-pas?

Any 'outrage' is going to be mock outrage. Usually, it is a theatrical spoof of envy/vanity (a la Daffy Duck) that a friend (usually Eric, Weiqi, or Alex) is getting more hits on a given day.

For example, I'm still trying to figure out how Weiqi gets correspondents. What a scam!

The Upshot

HTH ! Thanks for visiting.

Oh, by the way: rediscover Calvin and Hobbes.

When we are only bounded by our imaginations, it's a Magical World.