Thursday, September 27 2001

Simson Garfinkel : Kooks and Terrorists

"The question we face, then, is a simple one: is it possible to prevent future incidents of terrorism by systematically monitoring all potential terrorists and imprisoning them before they can strike? And, if so, are such measures worth the cost?"

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developerWorks : Reading and writing Excel files with Perl

I can say, from experience, that the Spreadsheet::* modules are a wonk's best friend if you work in a Normal Office. I am not particularly well suited to the Normal Office enviroment and have actively worked to avoid it. Last year, though, it came to pass and, on my first day, I was given a quick glimpse of what was to come. I went to a meeting to discuss the UI for a website. The site was frames-based and after being made to understand that it was too late to change, I piped up and said, "Well, we atleast need a print button to spawn a new window for the main frame." Not exactly rocket science, eh?. The response to the inevitable desire of Joe User to create a hard-copy of a webpage? Oh, we can just email them a Word document. Only later did I come to understand the strange and twisted relationship people have with their spreadsheet software... see also : The Perl Journal on Spreadsheet::WriteExcel and Integrating Perl into Microsoft Office Innards

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Me : Perlblog

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The dict-ified dictionary.com word of the day is forcible

| source : web1913 | Forcible \For"ci*ble\, a. [Cf. OF. forcible forcible, forceable that may be forced.] 1. Possessing force; characterized by force, efficiency, or energy; powerful; efficacious; impressive; influential. How forcible are right words! --Job. vi. 2?. Sweet smells are most forcible in dry substances, when broken. --Bacon. But I have reasons strong and forcible. --Shak. That punishment which hath been sometimes forcible to bridle sin. --Hooker. He is at once elegant and sublime, forcible and ornamented. --Lowth (Transl. ) 2. Violent; impetuous. Like mingled streams, more forcible when joined. --Prior. 3. Using force against opposition or resistance; obtained by compulsion; effected by force; as, forcible entry or abduction. In embraces of King James . . . forcible and unjust. --Swift. {Forcible entry and detainer} (Law), the entering upon and taking and withholding of land and tenements by actual force and violence, and with a strong hand, to the hindrance of the person having the right to enter. Syn: Violent; powerful; strong; energetic; mighty; potent; weighty; impressive; cogent; influential. | source : wn | forcible adj : impelled by physical force especially against resistance; "forcible entry"; "a real cop would get physical"; "strong-arm tactics" [syn: {physical}, {strong-arm}]

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