Eating my own dogfood

[andrewducker]

This is a phrase used by programmers to mean they are using their own software.  This _always_ causes improvements in the software, becaust it exposes the programmers to the things they have to go through in order to use it, driving them insane until they work out a way to improve it.

In this case, it refers to the fact that I just hoovered the living room for the first time in about a year.  Leading me to the following conclusions:
1) The hoover is a big pile of shit.  It's an upright, and the bristles on the bottom don't even spin!
2) Even with the nozzle attachment it's still pretty shit, and has about the same level of suction as my 80 year old grandmother.  Who is dead.
3) Even when cleaned as well as possible the carpets are pretty bad too.

Which has just lead me to buy an Electrolux Z7118 / Cycloniclite Cylinder Cleaner.  This has cleaned out most of my budget for this month, but it looks like a worthwhile hoover, and was half the price of a Dyson, so I'm not going to complain too much.

Carpets may have to wait a month or two...

Comments

[drjon.livejournal.com]

> ...it's still pretty shit, and has about the same level of suction as my 80 year old grandmother. Who is dead.

Hey man, that must suck.

[green-amber.livejournal.com]

Do you know how much i donàt want to think about your dead gran sucking?!

[andrewducker]

How about licking?

[andrewducker]

She was, after all, a fan of ice cream

[green-amber.livejournal.com]

Ooh -- LICK!

Well I was in an ice cream parlour earlier (only type of cafe open in Geneva apparently!)

I could have given you my old hoover which aso doesnàt work but was probably better than YOUR old hoover which doesnàt work :)

[robhu.livejournal.com]

Why not get a Roomba? http://www.irobot.com/consumer/product_detail.cfm?prodid=18

I have one (it's actually cleaning as I type) and its fantastic!

[andrewducker]

Largely because it cost me £70 to buy a hoover - if I _had_ £200 I'd be tempted.

[spaj.livejournal.com]

You gotta be careful with Dysons. We got a DC14 top of the line Dyson for about £180. I've seen a DC07 for £200, and a DC04 for £169 (reduced) at Tesco's.

People buy the brand name, rather than making sure they've got the most up to date of them all.

Also, if you'd like, I can bring the Dyson round some day, and hoover. It tends to pick up a lot more than a normal hoover (even your spangly new Electrolux!)

:)

Adam

Are you challenging Me?????

[andrewducker]

We'll have to have a clean-off :->

[broin.livejournal.com]

You sir, are a loon.

How often do you hoover? Once a year, if that? Jeebus!

[andrewducker]

Thankfully both Ed and Erin are a lot tidier than me...

[code-delphi.livejournal.com]

I've never heard the phrase "eating my own dogfood" in the programming context; perhaps it's unique to Britain? It is wonderfully appropriate, however.

Nice vacuum cleaner (Australian for "hoover"), though I wouldn't be surprised to see something that looks like that strapped to the back of a spacesuit...

[andrewducker]

I certainly heard it from Americans. And a quick search shows it in use in the US, Canada and Sweden.

And the space-suited-ness is a _good thing_

[channelpenguin.livejournal.com]

I'm a programmer and a Brit and *I've* never heard the phrase in my life. I think Mr Ducker is mistaken about its currency....

[code-delphi.livejournal.com]

I certainly heard it from Americans. And a quick search shows it in use in the US, Canada and Sweden.

I guess it's just never gotten down under... perhaps due to the original Mad Max, where there's a scene towards the beginning where Mel Gibson is eating from a can of (old) dog food. Maybe there's a cultural blindspot as a result... %-)

And the space-suited-ness is a _good thing_

I can't argue with that!

[andrewducker]

It's not a brit phrase! It's one I've heard almost exclusively from US programmers! I never claimed it was British.