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spoiler alert -- answer is below
Opened Chrome Dev console and ran the following.
var x = 'garbage' / 10;
x
NaN
x != x
true
x !== x
true
typeof(x)
"number"
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Awesome 
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How about int ?
private static System.Random randy = new System.Random() ;
int foo { get { return ( randy.Next() ) ; } }
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Or DateTime:
DateTime foo { get { return DateTime.Now; } }
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Down (with Inchworm Action)
===================
Down in the boondocks used to be called sawbones about it's a long, long way to Tippecanoe and paddle boy he watched Sesame Street with Kermott the Hoopoe wrote the Raven maniacronymphomaniacrophobia good guy wireless Paul is dead KenneD. H. Lawrence Taylor Sheriff of Mayberry pie is not just 3.14etc. any more's law-abiding dong the witch is it live or is it memorhesus monkeys to the Kingdom and dumbo Derek and the Dominoes is growingwie Malmsteenager in Love on the Roxanne you don't have to turn it up and down
modified 11-Sep-15 12:47pm.
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I am constantly trying to have metaphors to explain to business people what building software is, and why failures happen, and why having it sooner is NOT better than having it right.
I usually use hiring an architect to design a new building. Having to ask all the right questions about how it will be used, who will be using it (giants or little people, special needs, etc) all impact the design. And those decisions need to be made early. (ignoring waterfall vs. agile debates here).
Recently, I stumbled across someone looking for a "package" to run their shop. They wanted us to tell them which package they should go with, but we were there on an initial meeting. We told them it would be a horrible idea to proffer an opinion knowing so little about what they do, and about what they SHOULD be doing better.
After the meeting, I was pondering how to explain this to them.
So, I thought of the concept of saying. What you have now is a PLAY. You know all the scenes, the lines, the roles, the players. Now, to get to the next level, you need a Musical Score to accentuate that play, and allow people to be more engaged with what they are doing.
Don't you think, before the Music is written, that the Musicians should read/watch the play?
Should understand the meaning of the "Parts"?
Should know the entire story?
Should have a clue where the sequel might go?
I am curious about feedback to this line of thinking?
Does this make sense as a way to get people to understand that the final piece, if done well, adds extreme value, and if done poorly, by people who do not understand, will produce a poor result.
Just loading up Van Halen songs and playing them may be great for the one manager who loves Van Halen, but honestly, is that what they need?
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... music comes from hydrogen bombs ...
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Yeah it's kinda like that.
Software projects are never complete they just have to be shipped at some point.
Audio mixes are never complete They also have to be shipped at some point.
In both instances, the engineer is left holding an unfinished issue list while sales / marketing run off with the "product" because there are boat slip dues and such that need to be paid up.
There is an old adage that goes:
In the life time of any project there is a time to shoot the engineer and go into production.
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Excellent response! +5
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
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Yeah, that's the one. I heard it from an old bit slice firmware guy I worked with in the 80s.
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Kirk 10389821 wrote: I am curious about feedback to this line of thinking?
Using architecture, to build a house, is more common. It also gives an impression that it is harder to change the basement as building moves on.
Lots of places choose speed over quality and security. If you want to continue building your Skyscraper on those two first floors that are made of paper, you will probably need to do some little adjustments. And yes, you can pick a random deadline. Means it success will become equally random 
If you cannot say that you would love to own such a skyscraper, then maybe it is time to stop accepting those kind of "buildings". They're not buildings, they're accidents waiting to happen.
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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Trying to be a programming rockstar  
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The most common question a customer asks is...
"I need software that does [insert 2 minute description here].. How much will that cost me?"
I usually use the building analogy, even though I really want to reach across and slap them senseless.
If it's not broken, fix it until it is
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Hand them a book with cross-word puzzles, where some puzzles cannot be completed due to missing parts of the page.
Ask them if they can give you an estimate on how long they need to complete it. Tell them you need a better deadline and a price-estimate.
No, that is not being rude. That is being honest. I'm going to call this new thing "ethics", and maybe write a software-development-methodology around it that sells some books.
Bastard Programmer from Hell
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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When talking about what I do (coding), I usually use a cooking reference.
I say that I am the person who creates the recipe, and the computer is the "person" who follows the recipe.
Using the music metaphor, we are the composer and the band (or orchestra) will follow the score to play the music.
I'd rather be phishing!
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..first I want something with violins. And then Freddy Mercury singing a duet with Micheal Jackson.
Then canons. Can you do canons? They're a must-have, otherwise the project will fail. Then it needs two green transparent parallel lines in the form of a cat. I'll tell you the rest when you start playing, I need to hear it before I know what comes next 
Bastard Programmer from Hell
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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ROTFLMAO
So you have met some of my prospects!
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Quote: Don't you think, before the Music is written, that the Musicians should read/watch the play?
Quote: Just loading up Van Halen songs and playing them may be great for the one manager who loves Van Halen, but honestly, is that what they need?
Off topic a little, but I watched a movie where the music clearly had no relation to the story or the plot line or even the current action and I wondered if it had been picked from the director's MP3-player favorites list!
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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Kirk 10389821 wrote: I am curious about feedback to this line of thinking?
Seems reasonable except that your forgot the part where the director of the play is going to want to hear the music before the curtain goes up the first night. And probably make changes.
Not to mention that if the director changes the play then they must tell the composer about that.
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i think it is a poor analogy because the musical score isn't packaged, its suitability is a personal thing (one man's meat and all that).
I, too use the building analogy often - it is something concrete (intended) that people can get their heads around and understand that building a basement carpark after the 6th story is added might be more expensive than starting off with it!
If it is an off-the-shelf package you could use off-the-peg clothing - you moight know of a marvellous suit brand that would suit (intended) the guy perfectly - but if you don't know he's got one leg, has just lost 40kg after being ill and has a colostomy bag, the tailoring requirements will outweigh the costs of the suit.
similarly, with a bespoke suit, as the customer you'd kinda want to be measured first - and if you intend to wear it to the office you might get a different suit than if you wanted to wear it while windsurfing.
Also with clothing you can discuss that, while the look is really up to the client (although your experienced eye can make recommendations), the fit and functionality needs to be designed in.
PooperPig - Coming Soon
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Again, I usually use the building metaphors.
But I have to say, clothing metaphors are attractive (pun intended).
Interesting. I have to think about that a bit, but It is much easier than Music Score, and different enough from Building, that it fits (not intended) the idea, especially comparing existing products to each other. (you can use this open source, and custom tailor it, SAP and continuously discover new clothing/seasonal lines that have to be fitted, ...)
Worth posting the question just to get this...
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Kirk 10389821 wrote: Worth posting the question just to get this
Thanks!
Need to look around the room first in case someone is already wearing your example
PooperPig - Coming Soon
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From experience, especially with SMEs, the play/music score example is not going to make much impact, most of them have not seen or thought about a play since primary school!
Stick with the building, ALL of them understand a building they are sitting in one and use one every day.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
RAH
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