2017 Norwegian Parliamentary Election.

We’re getting closer to the 2017 Norwegian parliamentary election. If you haven’t already voted in advance, make sure you get your ass to a polling place on Monday. You can find everything you need to know about the election on the official Valg 2017 (Norwegian version) site.

The most important thing you need to know is where your polling place is located, and that you don’t need the polling card you got in your mailbox a while back. All you need to bring is a valid picture ID. So if you’ve somehow managed to misplace the polling card, you can still vote! Why the voting officials are still spending millions on sending people something they don’t actually need must be the very definition of a dysfunctional bureaucracy.

Even if you can’t find a party that speaks to you1, there’s not reason to stay at home on election day. Go to a polling place and leave a blank vote. In Norwegian elections, blank votes are invalid and discarded, but they are counted towards the total number of votes. This means that your protest vote makes a difference, because the election statistics will show how many people gave a blank vote.

If you still decide not to vote, at least have the decency to shut the fuck up about everything political that happens in the future – if you abstain from voting, you also yield your right to complain. If you can’t quite get your head around that, please consult this helpful chart by Cyanide & Happiness.

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September One-liners.

It’s been a while now, but here are some new one-liners for September:

  • I’m saving my abstinence for marriage.
  • Relationships are easier if one of you is a cake.
  • I’ll show you mine if you show me tequila.
  • I called roadside assistance, but they didn’t want to hear about my problems unless it had to do with my car.
  • I thought reverse psychology was when you made your therapist cry.
  • Happy 10th birthday to your dating profile pic.
  • The best part about working in an office is that if you ever forget that you got a haircut, someone will definitely point it out to you.
  • Told my wife I wanted our kids every other weekend and she reminded me that we’re married and live together, so I’d have to see them every day.
  • I put the “sexy” in Dyslexic.
  • Please go play with your brother. That’s basically the reason we had him.
  • I’m typically attracted to guys who look like I’ll need therapy after dating them.
  • 70% of our planet is covered in water, the other 30% is covered in idiots.
  • So apparently RSVP’ing back to a wedding invite “maybe next time” isn’t the correct response.

C# for Java Developers, Part I.

If all the planets align correctly, and World War III doesn’t break out, I might be dabbling in C# within the next 12 months. But I’m a hard core Java developer. How do I effectively learn C# while at the same time staying sane? Here’s my quick and dirty C# for Java Developers guide.

C# (pronounced see sharp) first appeared in the year 2000, 5 years after Java. It’s currently at version 7, which was released in March this year. The language is similar to Java in many ways, but it’s also very different. Both Java and C# are typed statically and strongly, object orientated, use curly braces to define scope, and semi colons to indicate line endings. While they have similar syntax, the C# syntax differs enough from Java that it might look a bit confusing to a long time Java developer at first sight.

The structure of this guide is as follows: Each hand picked topic consists of three sub sections. One code sample from each camp, and then some quick bullet points that cover what I consider the most important takeaway from the particular subject. All code you see is also available in the C# for Java Developers GitHub repository.

A word of warning: I’m writing this guide as I learn C# myself, so don’t except everything to be 100% accurate. Consider reading this as a way to kick start your own C# adventure.

Without further ado, let’s jump in the deep end of the pool.

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Airbnb Review: Alexis’ Cottage, Honfleur, France.

Are you looking for a place to stay in Honfleur, France? We spent a week in Alexis’ cottage this summer, and here’s what you need to know about the place.

Because love knows no borders, the entire family went to France for a wedding this summer. After the wedding, we joined the happy couple, and their toddler, in Honfleur by the French North coast. To find a place we – 7 people – could all stay at a reasonable price, we used Airbnb. We decided on Alexis’ cottage, also known as “Nafsica’s cottage”, just outside (1092 Chemin du Petit Saint-Pierre) of the Honfleur city center.

The cottage lies secluded behind a locked gate. A short driveway takes you to the cottage’s parking space, which has room for three cars – four if you’re a bit adventurous. You’ll have access to a huge garden with lots of open space, more than large enough for family football matches. In the garage, you’ll find some games for the kids, and a coal based barbecue grill. Inside the house, Alexis was kind enough to leave us a bottle of wine, and a little food, which was great because we arrived on a Sunday when most stores are closed.

The cottage sports everything you’ll need: Kitchen, living room, dining room, 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (two with bathtubs and toilets, one with a shower), and 2 separate toilets. The bedrooms will house a total of 7 adults, 1 child, and 2 infants. In short, this place has room for everyone, and then some. It also has high speed wireless internet, because let’s face it, you have to share pictures of your vacation on Facebook.

Sounds like the perfect place, doesn’t it? Well, there’s more.

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911 Operator.

In PlayWay‘s job simulator 911 Operator you answer phone calls. How can that possibly be entertaining?

You might remember the adventure game slash job simulator This is the Police by Belarusian developer Weappy Studio. I reviewed the game late last year, and while it was interesting for a while, it started to feel like a chore after a few hours. This is the Police had two major gameplay elements. You managed resources as a police dispatcher by day, and growing your retirement slush fund by night. Now Polish developer PlayWay has taken police dispatcher element of This is the Police, and turned it into a game of its own; 911 Operator.

911 Operator builds further upon the basic features of This is the Police’ basic dispatcher mini-game. You’re managing all three branches of the emergency services: The police, the fire department, and the ambulance service. You also have to handle vehicles, staff and equipment, assign teams, and make sure the teams have the equipment they need to deal with every situation effectively. Through your 12 hour work shift, you have to use your available units as effectively as possible, while juggling both reported incidents and incoming 911 calls.

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