(4) 10 Programmers

Ten young programmers began to work online,

One didn’t pay for Internet, and then there were nine.

Nine young programmers used copies that they made,

But one was caught by FBI, and then there were eight.

Eight young programmers discussed about heaven,

One said: “It’s Windows 95!”, and then there were seven.

Seven young programmers found bugs they want to fix,

But one was fixed by the bug, and then there were six.

Six young programmers were testing the hard drive,

One got the string “Format complete”, and then there were five.

Five young programmers were running the FrontDoor,

The BBS of one was hacked, and then there were four.

Four young programmers worked using only C,

One said some good about Pascal, and then there were three.

Three young programmers didn’t know what to do,

One tried to call the on-line help, and then there were two.

Two young programmers were testing what they’ve done,

One got a virus in his brain, and then there was one.

One young programmer was as mighty as a hero,

But tried to speak with user, and then there was zero.

Boss cried: “Oh, where is the program we must have?!”

And fired one programmer, and then there were FF.

(5) What if dr. Suess wrote a manual?

If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port,

And the bus is interrupted as a very last resort,

And the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort,

Then the socket packet pocket has an error to report.

If your cursor finds a menu item followed by a dash,

And the double-clicking icon puts your window in the trash,

And your data is corrupted ’cause the index doesn’t hash,

Then your situation’s hopeless and your system’s gonna crash!

If the label on the cable on the table at your house,

Says the network is connected to the button on your mouse,

But your packets want to tunnel on another protocol,

That’s repeatedly rejected by the printer down the hall,

And your screen is all distorted by the side effect of Gauss,

So your icons in the window are as wavy as a souse,

Then you may as well reboot and go out with a bang,

’Cause as sure as I’m a poet, the sucker’s gonna hang!

When the copy of your floppy’s getting sloppy on the disk,

And the microcode instructions cause unnecessary risk,

Then you have to flash your memory and you’ll want to RAM your ROM.

Quickly turn off the computer and be sure to tell your mom.

POP QUIZ I

How modern are you?

1. If you were able to have any car you wanted, what would you buy?

a) I’d buy a restored vintage car that might become a collector’s item.

b) I’d buy a newly built car with all the latest technology.

c) I wouldn’t buy a car because I don’t like them.

2. What is your attitude to new scientific developments?

a) They are brilliant. They help to make the world a much happier and better place.

b) We know enough about science now. We should stop interfering with nature.

c) Some things are good. Some things are bad.

3. How do you speak?

a) I use a lot of new words, slang and catch phrases from the television and magazines.

b) I use exactly the same words and phrases as my parents.

c) I use a few new words because they are useful for what I want to say.

4. Which of the following do you think is the most enjoyable?

a) Playing virtual reality computer games.

b) Going to a disco club that plays music from the '60s and '70s.

c) Listening to techno music.

5. Which of the following would be your preferred way of finding out information?

a) I like looking up in a book.

b) Surfing the Internet or using a CD-ROM is the best way.

c) Watching a video is best.

6. You go to a friend’s house. His mother works, earning a lot of money, and his father stays at home, cooks and cleans. What is your reaction?

a) Nothing. It doesn’t matter who works and who cleans. It is the 21^st century.

b) A bit surprised. It seems a bit strange because it is unusual.

c) The poor man. Cooking and cleaning is a woman’s job.

7. Which of the following types of books or films do you prefer?

a) Historical ones.

b) Anything romantic.

c) Contemporary ones about modern day things.

8. If your computer were six years old and worked perfectly well, which of the following would you do?

a) I’d buy a brand new one so I could have new technology.

b) I wouldn’t do anything. I’d be happy with it. New technology is just gimmicks.

c) I’d secretly hope it would break, despite the fact that I didn’t need a new computer.