More than One Right Way

In testing, we often focus on there being one right way to do something. This may be known as the "happy path" where you know a particular test scenario works when all the input parameters are exactly right. Then we charge off the happy path into the dark unknown, where we expect to find bugs. But as this Lifehacker post reminded me, sometimes there's more than one right way to do something.

This video (http://lifehacker.com/5311002/open-a-banana-like-a-monkey) shows how to open a banana from the bottom. This was a bit of a shock to me, as I've been using the stem of a banana like a pull tab my whole life. It's actually easier & cleaner to do the method shown in the vid. Either approach works, but they're both right.

When you're creating your test plans, take a few minutes and think about how many happy paths may exist. They'll help you create more thorough test cases and help you uncover more interesting bugs.

What goes down, must come up

I have to admit, I'm a soda junkie. Pepsi's my preferred beverage, but I love Jolt, Coke, Mountain Dew (especially the World of Warcraft varieties), root beer and a bunch more. But I've learned the hard way that it's a *very bad* idea to have a Pepsi at arm's reach while doing a demo. The reason? Carbonation makes you burp , and depending on how much you drank, you may be burping a lot. A second issue is that odd 'quasi burp', where your throat constricts because you can feel a burp coming, but it doesn't. Either of these makes you look less than professional, and you don't want to have various bodily noises distracting people from the message you're trying to deliver.

So, avoid the carbonated beverages for about 30 mins before you give a presentation. Have a bottle of room temperature water handy in case you need a drink. (If the water's too cold, it can constrict your throat, and that's a whole different problem. )

Once you've given your killer, burp-free presentation, crack open a Pepsi for me!