Explicitly and without apology a marketing vehicle MaryMaryQuiteContrary

Time to play Friday Free Stuff!

Check out what we've got for a prize package this week...

• There's a handy-dandy "go kit" containing 13 gadgets. I'm not actually sure what they're for but most have USB thing-ies and some are spring loaded. I saw something similar in that magazine you find in airplane seat backs. I remember it being expensive in the magazine.
• A stainless steel coffee mug
• A t-shirt
• A signed copy of the world's greatest computer joke book -- JOTD by techno celeb extraordinaire who also happens to be my close personal friend, Hershel Remer.
  

Quick thing before we get into how to win the prize package:  Did you know that in just about a week's time, Solaris 10 was downloaded nearly half a million times? Found out about that in Jonathan's blog.

Back to the free stuff...

I'm kind of struggling this week, people....I can't figure out what the criteria ought to be for giving this prize package away.

(I'm in a serious world of hurt since the Puzzler has been on vacation for so long... no pressure or anything.)

And so I'm taking the easy way out. Post a comment and tell me why I should give this prize package to you. I'll choose the winner (my favorite comment) early next week.

bon weekend!

mary

p.s. you know the standard disclaimer...

We're going to have fun today, people!

Time to start giving away stuff!

Please join me in congratulating Phil Chambers, Nadine Pincho and James!



They are the grand prize winners and each get a t-shirt, a hat, a frisbee and an exclusive limited-edition Java pin (it was all the rage in Olympic Village this summer; I'd better not see them on ebay).

You might recall the challenge on this one was to score lower on the Nerd Quiz than I did


(I found out about the Nerd Quiz on Java Addicts.)

James used some creative tactics to get to a score of zero. All's fair in Love and Friday Free Stuff -- that's what I always say.

But that's not all, folks.

Free Stuff is the brand promise of MaryMaryQuiteContrary. (and as i've personally participated in a brand workshop, I am an expert in these kinds of things)

And soooooo.....

EVERYBODY who played along on this one gets a Java t-shirt (!)



(a substantial shipment of them fell off a truck; that's me modeling; like the new hair cut?)

Oh happy, happy day!!

But wait, there's even more. 

You might recall that we also happen to have this fabulous prize package on the table for the person who told me about the most neat-o Java thing out there...



Balakumar .M (A Java Passionate Programmer) wins! (he told me about a whole bunch of them)

Wait a minute... wasn't there something about a brand promise????

EVERYBODY's a winner on this one too, people! You all get t-shirts too...



can you even believe it? be still my beating heart.

And to top all that off... it's Friday today!

That means more chances* to win* stuff coming to you in a brand new Friday Free Stuff later today.

:-)

shift. reload.

mary

*These aren't contest. I don't do contests. I give away stuff that I personally own to people I chose. I pay for shipping with stamps that I buy at the post office. Kiss, Kiss.

pop quiz: What do Greg Papadopolus and I have in common?

A. an ethnic heritage
B. a passion for blogging
C. an employer
D. All of the above

:-)

It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to my new favorite blogger, Sun CTO Greg Papadopolus.


He's in fast company.

(get it? ;-)

mary

JavaOne organizers want to hear from you.

Tell them what you want to see in the Desktop/J2SE track at this year's JavaOne conference (June 27-30 in San Francisco).

Feel free to also mention that you'd reallly love to see Mary Smaragdis' BOF submission accepted.

(to pull a Kathy Lee on you)

or not.

either way, check out the survey.

mary

Not exactly.

But it will be in the October 4-6 timeframe.

Java Puzzlers : Traps, Pitfalls, and Corner Cases
by Joshua Bloch, Neal Gafter

I guess now we know what the puzzler's been doing all this time...

:-)

mary

two of my favorite bloggers hooked up in Australia this week for a little fine dining and conversation.



James Gosling (right) meets Matt Quail (left)

Wouldn't it have been nice to have had a seat at that table in the oh-so-fancy restaurant. .

Let's get real.

Best I could hope for is fly on the wall.

A girl can dream, can't she?

(happy) sigh.

mary