Blog of Rob Galanakis (@robgalanakis)

Archive for October, 2014

If you hear “perception is reality” you’re probably being screwed

I was once told in a performance review that “perception is reality.” I was infuriated, and the words stuck in my mind as the most toxic thing a manager could say to an employee. I have avoided writing about it, but the “This American Life” episode about Carmen Segarra’s...

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Technical debt takes many forms

Most people are familiar with “technical debt” in terms of code or architectural problems that slow down development. There are other forms of technical debt, though, that can be overlooked. Dead Code: There are endless “dead code as debt” scenarios. You have a “live” function that is only used...

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PracticalMayaPython: RuntimeError: Internal C++ object (PySide.QtGui.QStatusBar) already deleted.

TLDR: If you get that error for the code on page 163, see the fix at https://github.com/rgalanakis/practicalmayapython/pull/2/files In August, reader Ric Williams noted: I’m running Maya 2015 with Windows 7 64-bit. On page 163 when we open the GUI using a Shelf button, the GUI status bar does not...

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High performance, poor morale, and the Niko-niko calendar

I was introduced to Niko-niko calendars by Max Webster at Niko Niko. Basically, they are a way of tracking a team’s mood over time. At the end of the day, team members put in a smile/frown/whatever face indicating their mood. You can see when people were happy or sad...

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