Pair Programming Stinks

What smells in your environment and what you can do about it.

Someone on your team has a keen sense of smell. Let’s call him Martin. Martin is annoyed by the smell of popcorn, can't stand scented deodorant and loathes air fresheners. Febreeze is sheer torture. He buys unscented laundry detergent. Only certain dryer sheets will do. Perfume gives him a headache. Baby powder makes his eyes itch, as does some hand soap. He is allergic to newsprint. Wintergreen to him is air pollution. Juicy Fruit and smelly feet make him nauseous. He can’t concentrate in the presence of these distractions.

Someone on your team smells. Let’s call him Andy, or maybe we’ll call her Andi. It’s his shoes. It’s her perfume. A little cologne. He smokes. She smells like the coffee shop she stopped by before work. His jacket smells like the bar he went to for lunch or the curry they have at home. The poor girl has halitosis and periodontal disease. Andy will wear the same shirt a few times between washings. Andy’s got gas.

Of course he can't smell this. He is used to it by now. He has, after all, been living with the smell for twenty years. It started gradually, innocently enough. It stnunk up on him. No one has ever told her to lay off the perfume. No one has told him about his smell. If he is aware, he doesn’t know how to fix it.

Few people have all of Andi’s smells or Martin’s sensitivity, but their conditions do exist in many forms and to varying degrees. It likely affects someone on your team. In a pair programming environment, these things hinder effectiveness. This isn’t just an unfortunate personal problem for Andy or Martin. It's part of your team; it’s now your problem. We who are leaders must address this issue. The benefits of pair programming are worth the effort.

Here are some tips you can share with your whole team:

• Many smells are caused by genuine medical conditions that require a doctor’s or dentist’s attention. Make an appointment.

TOP

• Use and share breath mints, but this should not be the 1st and only thing done for your breath. Sugarless gum can be effective since it stimulates saliva production more so than mints, and saliva combats bad breath. But remember that not everyone likes wintergreen and Juicy Fruit. Stick with cinnamon and mint.
• Chewing on a sprig of mint works as does a simple drop of lemon juice.
• Drink more water.
• Don’t be embarrassed to brush your teeth at work. Be a trend setter. Also brush your tongue.
• Flossing every day is mandatory for those on a pair programming team. Brushing your teeth is important, but the smell is coming from the rotting gunk that only floss will remove.
• Many companies provide a mouth wash dispenser in the restrooms. If yours doesn’t, you could ask them to or provide your own. However, the ADA says that most mouth washes do not have a lasting effect and recommends the other solutions as more effective.

TO BOTTOM

• Wear different shoes, ones that breathe better. Try shoes that you can slip off for a few minutes every hour to air out before the smell starts. But consider this carefully because removing your shoes could make matters worse.
• Air out your shoes over a vent each night -- be creative. Rotate your shoes. Don't wear any one pair of shoes more than twice per week.
• Change your socks during the day. Take a fresh pair with you each day or leave a few fresh pairs at work. But don’t leave the used ones lying around.

• Buy new socks. Try wool socks. Throw away the nylon socks. Try a thicker pair of socks. Start wearing socks if you normally don't.
• Stop wearing socks if you normally do. That is, try flip flops or sandals to avoid the whole sock/shoe airing out problem.
• Use an odor absorbing insole.
• Wash your feet with antibacterial soap every morning. Completely dry your feet after showering, particularly between your toes. Use a hair dryer. This has the added benefit of preventing athlete’s foot.

• Use foot powder on your feet. Use foot powder in your shoes. For those who have never used it, it might not have occurred to you that you can sprinkle some powder in your shoe, shake it around, put your toes in the shoe, sprinkle powder on your toes, put your foot in the shoe, and wiggle it around before putting on your socks. That really gets a good coating on everything. But note that this could backfire. You could end up smelling too much like foot powder. You want just enough to tackle one odor without introducing another. Try different brands. The sprays weren’t effective for me.

AND IN BETWEEN

• Wear deodorant, but preferably unscented.
• Wear a clean t-shirt under your golf shirt every day. Under ideal conditions you may be able to wear a pair of pants a couple times between washings, but make sure you keep count.
• Gas. Yeah. I’m just going to refer you to the National Institutes of Health.

Before you dismiss this as stuff everyone already knows, remember that we programmers are a peculiar lot. I’m not so proud to think that I don’t need to be reminded of these things.

ADDRESS IT

Set a good example. Let it be known that you are trying to turn over a new leaf. Get it out in the open.

Decide whether you can address this collectively. If there are many scent wearing individuals, consider an email to the organization asking everyone to refrain from wearing cologne and scented hand lotion. “Please keep smells as neutral as possible to help those with allergies.” It would help to switch to hypoallergenic hand soap in the wash room at the same time.

Otherwise, confront the issue with Andi one-on-one. Be direct and speak in a kind and helpful way. Most people are glad to know. The conversation may be uncomfortable for both of you, but just as he will thank you for pointing out food stuck in his teeth or something stuck to her dress, he will eventually appreciate your sincere desire to help.

Of course, the repugnance might not be a person at all, but an old chair or the carpet. I’ve seen a small leak in the restroom impact the offices on the other side of the wall. I’ve seen messy eaters leave spilt food on the carpet. Get down on your knees and smell. Wait until everyone is out of the office if you must; get someone from facilities to do it if you can. But if you are a leader in the organization, the environment is your responsibility.

SMELL YA LATER

Someone on your team has a keen sense of smell. Someone on your team smells. If you aren't the first person, think about it. You may be the second.

Use Chemical Hand Warmers for Toes?

I have been using chemical toe warmers in my cycling shoes for for a while and really love them. They are just the thing to keep your toes warm. I've been using the Grabber brand which are thinner than the little Hotties brand. (Just bookmark that link. Little Hotties is not something you want to google for.)

I picked up 8 pair of the Grabber toe warmers for $11 from www.joessports.com (12/2008). That's not a bad price, but it's just enough for me to make sure I really need them before opening up a pair. So I was tempted when I heard that Costco was selling a box of 40 pair of hand warmers plus 3 pair of toe warmers for $16 (1/2010). Any time I can get something for a third of the price, I'm all for it.

Well, you do get what you pay for. The little Hotties are great hand warmers, but they are less than ideal as toe warmers. They are the thickest of the three products shown here. I was able to put this over my toes and ride without thinking too much about them. But the flatter product is better. I'm not sure how the hand warmers would feel under my toes. Haven't tried it. Not sure I want to.

The toe warmers also have an adhesive backing which helps you get the warmer where you want it and keeps it there. And, they are larger, which helps spread the heat better over your toes.

Bottom line: Chemical hand warmers are a cheap and usable substitute for toe warmers, but they are not as enjoyable or effective.

My Chaffed Butt, Chamois Cream Review

There comes a day when a bicyclist discovers first hand the need for chamois cream. I have found myself in that situation. But if you are really frugal like me, you aren't eager to spend tens of dollars on a tube of something that you've never tried before.

My advice is to seek out some free samples, try what you have around the house, and ask your friends if you can try some of whatever they have. It's not a bad idea to search the Internet to see what other people say, but that wasn't terribly helpful to me since most of the reviews cover just one product: "I use product x on my tush and like it." It wasn't clear whether they tried any alternatives and why the other stuff was not as good. Cycling Coach Levi posted a great introduction to chamois and chamois butter but likewise did not give a detailed comparison of the products he mentioned. So that's what I try to do here. This is my first stab at a multi-product review.

For those of you who just want me to tell you what to buy, I'll go ahead and spill the disappointing beans and say that it seems that different solutions work for different people and everyone has their favorite. You might as well stop reading here and start trying stuff. For you analytical types who are interested in the experience report, read on.

Criteria
I was hoping to find a cheap solution that worked. A real value. But since my comfort on long rides is valuable to me, a product that actually works trumps cheap. My approach was to try the solutions lying around the house and those I was able to easily get free samples for. I didn't try to get samples of all options. I've been told to try Assos and Boudreaux's Butt Paste and Nubütte but I haven't gotten any.

Warning: 
 Graphic Details. Some of the following may not be suitable for young children or anyone else.

I've tried Paceline Chamois Butt'r and thought it worked fine. I had picked up a Paceline
sample at a BRAG Spring Tune-Up ride. Like many of the solutions, it's feels yucky in your shorts. Or, it does for a short time. Once it warms up and soaks in you forget about it. I don't remember its scent, which is a good thing. It's a little thicker than hand lotion, as are all of the products reviewed here.

Back in August I rode with some friends from Smyrna to Anniston, a 96 mile bike ride. My fanny faired none too well. I forgot to apply chamois cream before the ride and had a badly chaffed behind by the 60 mile point. That's about where we stopped for lunch and Bob O'Neal let me use some of his Bag Balm. Didn't seem to help, but perhaps it was too late. It also didn't smell good, but then what should I expect out of a product to rub on your rump?

The planned return trip  from Anniston back to Smyrna was the next day, so I was glad to see the Walmart next to our hotel. I didn't expect them to have any cycling specific solution to my suffering, but they did have Udderly Smooth Udder Cream. I slathered it on my hindquarters but the second day of riding was more painful than the prior. I believe the damage was already done so I can't say for sure if the cream would have prevented the problem the first day. The pain persisted for three days after.

The Udderly Smooth Udder Cream is cool and very slippery. It feels colder than most when you apply it to your posterior. It smells a little like sun block or cold cream. It's smell is mild, which is a plus for me since I am sensitive to smells. Perfumes and mediciney smells clog my sinuses and make my eyes itch.

In September I tried Balmex Diaper Rash Cream for the MS 150 on the 60  and 100 mile routes. The Balmex worked fairly well, but not perfectly. I still had hot-spots and felt the need to reapply it often. Balmex is thicker, stickier and feels drier than the Udder Cream and all of the other products here. It's very difficult to wash off your hands, something to consider on a long ride where the you may not have good hand washing opportunities. Balmex has a mediciney smell; an unmistakable diaper rash ointment aroma.

I had some Desitin Creamy diaper rash ointment on hand but chose to not try it. It is just about as thick as the Balmex and, after the Udder incident, I wanted something thick. Balmex and Desitin are waterproof, which is great on your bum but that makes it difficult to wash off your hands. Desitin has a more mild smell than Balmex. Perhaps the main reason I chose Balmex that time is that Desitin and Aquaphor and many other products you likely have lying around your house contain petrolatum (petroleum jelly). I've heard a few warnings about this ingredient clogging your pores, not washing out of shorts, and possibly breaking down the petroleum-based fabric in your Lycra/Spandex shorts. I don't know if any of that is true, so I recklessly perpetuate the rumor here.

The folks at Sportique heard of my plight (because I told them) and they were kind enough to send me a sympathy sample of their Century Riding Cream. I did a couple half centuries in November and December and used the Sportique, but the true test was the full century to Cedar Town for a snack and ride back. That was fantastic. A great trip, good friends and a nice meal.

On the way back we stopped for a break. I was hurting. Mainly my left knee and my buttocks. But the pain was in the gluteus maximus, the muscles in the rear, rather than a rear end rash. Nevertheless, as is the custom when stopping for a bio break, I applied a new layer of the Sportique. I'm not saying it was the Sportique, but that break gave me a second wind and I rode strong to the end. I had no rash that day or the next.

The Sportique is nice and thick. You know that wet feeling of rubbing on some hand lotion but not rubbing it in all the way? I got that feeling with the other products, but not as much with this one. Not sure if it's because it's thicker or because it has some kind of warming agent in it or something else. It doesn't feel as wet or yucky in my pants.

A Bicycling Magazine review says it smells like cinnamon. I wish! It smells like a medicine cabinet. It has two of my least favorite scents, eucalyptus and wintergreen. It smells like some kind of combination of those and the other 40 ingredients. That wouldn't be so bad if it was just on my derrière, but it's impossible to wash the smell off your fingers.

Sportique claims antifungal and antimicrobial ingredients. Assos claims to prevent bacterial and fungal infections. I saw no such claims for the other products.

So there you have it. I've come to think the chamois specific products have the edge, but I'd like to give Udderly Smooth another shot. If smell is not an issue for you, I'd recommend the Sportique. If it is, give Paceline a try. 

Question for you:
If you have tried more than one chamois cream, what have you tried and why is one better than the other?

No More Weak Commitments

The core members of any church do most of the work. They are dependable, faithful and visible to the nominating committee. They serve in many areas. They can become overwhelmed and become less effective. They begin to drop the ball.

Yet we on the nominating committee or in positions of leadership in the church are also afraid to ask for a real commitment from those that aren’t yet in the core. We bring in lots of workers to staff the Nursery, Children’s Church, or what have you with the promise that “It’s only one hour per month.” Then we wonder why workers don’t show up for duty. None of them feel important or committed. And of course it's a burden to coordinate many workers.

There are likely people serving in your Nursery that would like to own another ministry like Children's Church or the special needs ministry but will not sign up because they already serve in the Nursery.

Why do we do this to ourselves? We should have our core church members serve in fewer places but increase their commitment to those areas in which they serve. We should have the rest of our members do likewise. No more weak commitments.

Tell me what you do. How do you solve this? Do you limit the number of roles a person can play?

Job one and Job two

Reading Job earlier this week was scary. The first two chapters tell of God being proud of Job (Joeb), a man of great integrity. But Satan, the adversary and accuser, tells God that Job honors God only because of Job's great wealth and material blessings. God then allows Satan to strike down Job's wealth and children, but Job continued to honor God.

So the accuser tries again by saying Job will curse God if you take away his health. God allows Satan to strike Job "with terrible boils from head to foot. Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes." Ugh! But Job remained faithful to God.

Put your name in for Job's when you read that passage. Frightening. I commented about this on FaceBook and a friend replied "But the ending is good. :-)" Yeah, but the process to get there was painful. Job's family, wealth and blessings are restored more abundantly than before, but what a devastating trial to have to go through.

Through the process Job and his friends learn a few things about God. One take-away for me from Job's story is that when you improve your walk with Christ you become a target for Satan. God allows certain things to happen to you so that the Glory of God can be shown through you, as was the case with Job. Yes, I know, I should want to be part in glorifying God. But how much am I willing to sacrifice to do so? Will I still praise God like Job when I lose my job in a down economy? I will, but is my health and my family next to be stricken? If so, how will I respond then?

Another take-away is that God uses adversity to correct and purify his followers, to make us stronger. I do want to become closer to God so I pray that He will remove any unwholesome thing from my life. But do I love God so much that I'm willing to go through even a fraction of Job's trials if that's what it takes? When I ponder this, my prayers are filled with conflict and fear.

At least I have peace in knowing that these trials are temporary and that through my belief in Christ I and my family have eternal life.

Cold Weather Cycling

Let me encourage all you fair weather riders to get out there and ride. Don't let the cold scare you off. With a little know how, and a few simple layers, you can ride comfortably in cold weather. See, I've done the research for you. I've braved the chill and learned from a few mistakes. And so I present to you what I wear in cold weather.

You will, of course, want to make adjustments for differences in your metabolism and in whatever clothing you have. I at times still have second thoughts before going out in the winter, but once I get out there I'm always glad that I did.

Give me your feedback on this. Maybe I can make some improvements to my table.

	below 22º	22º to 28º	28º to 35º	35º to 40º	40º to 45º	45º to 50º	50º to 55º	55º to 62º	62º to 65º	65º to 75º	70's and up
shoes	?	booties	booties	booties	booties	booties	booties	booties or toe warmers	booties or toe warmers?	just shoes	just shoes
socks	?	warmest socks and chemical toe warmers.	warmest socks and chemical toe warmers.	warmest socks, such as wool or Defeet Blaze	warmest socks, such as wool or Defeet Blaze	warmest socks, such as wool or Defeet Blaze	warm socks, such as Defeet Blaze	good socks, like Defeet Blaze or Ultimax	good socks, like Defeet Blaze or Ultimax	good socks, like Ultimax	thin, cool socks
pants	2 layers: long pants and polyster outer wear	2 layers: long pants and shorts and knee warmers?	long and short	long	long	long	shorts and knee warmers	short	short	short	short
jacket	vest with mesh back as wind-breaker.  Try microfleece?	vest with mesh back as wind-breaker	vest with mesh back as wind-breaker	vest with mesh back as wind-breaker	Might want something for a windbreaker.
shirt	4 layers	4 layers	3 layers	3 layers	3 layers	2 or 3 layers, particularly if it is windy or wet.	2 layers: a thin or sleeveless jersey underneath a long sleeve jersey	1 layer: long sleeve jersey (or maybe short sleeve with arm warmers)	2 layers: both short sleeves	1 layer: short sleeve	1 layer: short sleeve
arms	?	2  layers	2  layers	2  layers	2  layers	1 layer	1 layer	1 layer	none	none	none
gloves	?	thick hunting gloves or lobster mitts - (My hands do well after the 1st 2 miles)	thick hunting gloves or lobster mitts	mid-weight or thick hunting gloves or lobster mitts	fingered bycling (or mid-weight hunting gloves)	fingered, bycling	fingered, bycling	fingerless	fingerless	fingerless	fingerless
head	?	2 layers: balaclava over headsweat; +helmet cover?	2 layers: balaclava over headsweat;	1 or 2 layers: balaclava over headsweat;	1 layer: headsweat (or balaclava)	1 layer: headsweat;	skullcap or headsweat;	skullcap	skullcap	none	maybe skullcap for sweat
eyes	?	glasses	glasses	glasses	glasses	glasses	glasses	glasses	glasses	glasses	glasses

WINDCHILL STATEMENT: Decide for yourself whether to take windchill into account. I used to, but don't do it as much any longer.

There's nothing really special here. I mention only a couple specific products in the table just to give you an idea of what I mean when I say something like "good socks". I otherwise try to stay away from mentioning specific products. The idea is that you can ride in the winter with very little special gear. There is no need to go search out the product I use. With that said, let me give some explanation of some of the items in the table.

• My booties are just neoprene booties (shoe covers) with a fleece inner liner that you can get in many different brands.
• I mention two kinds of toe warmers. In the 30s and below, I'm talking about chemical toe warmers such as the Grabber brand. These are thin pads you stick in your shoe. They produce heat when you take them out of their wrapper. Simply wonderful. I don't care for two pair of socks. Too thick. Use the chemical toe warmers. It's worth it.
• In the lower 60s, however, when I mention toe warmers, I'm talking about simple, light shoe covers. Maybe they cover just the toe. Maybe they cover the whole shoe. But I'm thinking of something lighter and cooler than booties.
• When I say "long pants" I'm referring to what is probably a mid-weight tight. Mine is one of the Performance brand tights, but any brand will do.
• "Base layers" are great if you have them. If you don't just wear multiple regular old jerseys. I did that for a while. But I now prefer using a product actually positioned as a base layer. They are often a little thicker, maybe more snugly fitting. I have a sleeveless crew and also a long sleeve base layer.
• My balaclava is old, plain and thin. Nothing high-tech about it. That's why I double up with that and a headsweat when it is freezing. If it warms up while I'm riding, I can remove a layer. If you have something thick or high-tech, doubling up might not be necessary.
• I mention hunting gloves because that's what I had lying around. The fancy lobster mitts I subsequently bought are no better. Try to use what you have before you spend money on more stuff. I found that my fingers were cold only when I didn't have the rest of me fairly well covered. If my toes are hurting, my fingers are going to have sympathy pains. If I take care of my head, my core and my toes, my fingers will be fine.
• I haven't found a jacket that breathes well enough. A jacket that traps any moisture at all is going to be a real problem for you. Anyway, I haven't found that I've needed a jacket, even when the temp is down in the 20s. Just layer on the other stuff. If you already have a vest with a mesh back, that would make a great wind breaker. By all means, use it. If you don't, then slip a couple sheets of newspaper up under your outermost jersey. That worked for me for a long time.
  

Disclaimers: For all of this I'm assuming the pavement is dry. Also, I'm a roadie, so I don't know if this applies to mountain biking.

Making Sunday School Work

I'm terribly interested in making Sunday School work for my church. Through these small groups we should:

• invite people to learn about Jesus,
• discover the great truths of the Bible and faith stories of believers, and
• connect with each other through fellowship and ministry.

Simply doing stuff together outside of church enables all three of these things to happen. It sounds so simple. Then why is it so hard? It seems that we're all too busy. Or too spread apart. Or can't get a baby sitter. Or can't afford one. Or it's too hard to set something up. Or maybe we just don't care as much as we should... because we don't do stuff together often enough.


Don't get me wrong. My church is just fantastic. There is something going on in every age group almost every month. My friends are great. But it does take some amount of assistance to keep it going and keep it improving.

There are a couple excellent booklets you can buy for $1 each from LifeWay, but they are also free downloadable. The first is the The 3D Sunday School -- invite, discover, and connect. The sequel is I-6 Invite: A Six-Lane Strategy Toward an Inviting Sunday School. From there you can get the links for the Discover and Connect booklets.