Every Developer Must Know!
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Just had an interview over the phone to test my C# knowledge, plus general IQ, and for the latter I was asked the following unusual question: The metallic sewage lids that sit on public roads - provide three reasons why they are round-shaped. At first, I couldn't believe I was asked something like this, though I did answer in the end :) Leave it for you guys to torture yourself. Enjoy ;) And what was your most unusual question during an interview as a software developer?
Stupid, stupid questions that tell more about the (elephanting smart-arse) person asking than answering. I know they are supposed to be about how you get to the answer rather than the answer itself but I'd rather ask 'Tell me about a project you were involved in that really excited you' and see how enthusiastic they become. That'll tell you far more than an inane question that you may already happen to know the answer to. :mad:
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me
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Because the openings they cover are round, obviously :)
Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in?
Author of the Guardians Saga (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels)that was the first and obvious answer that I gave instantly, the trick is to give the other two reasons correctly.
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Just had an interview over the phone to test my C# knowledge, plus general IQ, and for the latter I was asked the following unusual question: The metallic sewage lids that sit on public roads - provide three reasons why they are round-shaped. At first, I couldn't believe I was asked something like this, though I did answer in the end :) Leave it for you guys to torture yourself. Enjoy ;) And what was your most unusual question during an interview as a software developer?
Answers here.
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Just had an interview over the phone to test my C# knowledge, plus general IQ, and for the latter I was asked the following unusual question: The metallic sewage lids that sit on public roads - provide three reasons why they are round-shaped. At first, I couldn't believe I was asked something like this, though I did answer in the end :) Leave it for you guys to torture yourself. Enjoy ;) And what was your most unusual question during an interview as a software developer?
Ah, your interviewer has read the Microsoft guide to interviewing people. This is a common MS (BS) question. I posed it to a friend of mine, who is a highways engineer, once and got a very detailed answer back. Part of it is to with the fact that road surfaces tend to be curved and can flex in changing temperature conditions. A circle is an ideal choice becase the strain of the changes is spread evenly round and doesn't put an unnecessary strain on one area - which would cause it to deform and break. BTW - not all covers are round. There are rectangular and square ones, and there's even one place in America where it's triangular.
*pre-emptive celebratory nipple tassle jiggle* - Sean Ewington
"Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos
CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier
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that was the first and obvious answer that I gave instantly, the trick is to give the other two reasons correctly.
Heh... Ok... You really want more? 2a) The company commissioned a study as to which shapes would be most appropriate for "Plugging up a hole in the street", and after spending millions (In present day, inflation-adjusted dollars), they were given the reply, "Uh, make it round" OR 2b) Some guy in marketing said people like round things better than square things OR 2c) Someone flipped a coin to choose between square and triangular, then looked at the coin itself and got a great idea. 2d) The company contracted to smelt the covers quoted a lower price for "Round" than "Square" (Only one of the above can apply, of course - Unless it was a government agency, in which case it was probably several of them happening simultaneously in different departments, none of which had any idea what the others were doing) As for #3... Umm.... I'm out of jokes. :-D
Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in?
Author of the Guardians Saga (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels) -
Ah, your interviewer has read the Microsoft guide to interviewing people. This is a common MS (BS) question. I posed it to a friend of mine, who is a highways engineer, once and got a very detailed answer back. Part of it is to with the fact that road surfaces tend to be curved and can flex in changing temperature conditions. A circle is an ideal choice becase the strain of the changes is spread evenly round and doesn't put an unnecessary strain on one area - which would cause it to deform and break. BTW - not all covers are round. There are rectangular and square ones, and there's even one place in America where it's triangular.
*pre-emptive celebratory nipple tassle jiggle* - Sean Ewington
"Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos
CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier
Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
there's even one place in America where it's triangular.
And in Bermuda (according to Wikipedia). :-D
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Heh... Ok... You really want more? 2a) The company commissioned a study as to which shapes would be most appropriate for "Plugging up a hole in the street", and after spending millions (In present day, inflation-adjusted dollars), they were given the reply, "Uh, make it round" OR 2b) Some guy in marketing said people like round things better than square things OR 2c) Someone flipped a coin to choose between square and triangular, then looked at the coin itself and got a great idea. 2d) The company contracted to smelt the covers quoted a lower price for "Round" than "Square" (Only one of the above can apply, of course - Unless it was a government agency, in which case it was probably several of them happening simultaneously in different departments, none of which had any idea what the others were doing) As for #3... Umm.... I'm out of jokes. :-D
Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in?
Author of the Guardians Saga (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels)Nice try, though none are correct. By the way, I already know all the right answers, so not really asking here, it's for yourself to enjoy answering it genuinely, i.e. before trying to Google it up ;)
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Just had an interview over the phone to test my C# knowledge, plus general IQ, and for the latter I was asked the following unusual question: The metallic sewage lids that sit on public roads - provide three reasons why they are round-shaped. At first, I couldn't believe I was asked something like this, though I did answer in the end :) Leave it for you guys to torture yourself. Enjoy ;) And what was your most unusual question during an interview as a software developer?
Vitaly Tomilov wrote:
And what was your most unusual question during an interview as a software developer?
Do you have a disability, because, you know, we don't offer healthcare? [Actually happened. I was going through a recruiter who confirmed they were offering healthcare immediately after I left the interview.]
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Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
there's even one place in America where it's triangular.
And in Bermuda (according to Wikipedia). :-D
That's what you get when Barry Manilow edits Wikipedia.
*pre-emptive celebratory nipple tassle jiggle* - Sean Ewington
"Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos
CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier
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Vitaly Tomilov wrote:
And what was your most unusual question during an interview as a software developer?
Do you have a disability, because, you know, we don't offer healthcare? [Actually happened. I was going through a recruiter who confirmed they were offering healthcare immediately after I left the interview.]
Oh yeah, and that one classy by Mr. Burns - We also do not have any money, in case you wonder ;)
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Nice try, though none are correct. By the way, I already know all the right answers, so not really asking here, it's for yourself to enjoy answering it genuinely, i.e. before trying to Google it up ;)
Vitaly Tomilov wrote:
I already know all the right answers
All of them? But the list is probably endless: you could keep coming up with plausible reasons as to why the most common manhole cover shape is round. Here's one: they're round because they're cut from round stock. As good an answer as any other.
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me
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Stupid, stupid questions that tell more about the (elephanting smart-arse) person asking than answering. I know they are supposed to be about how you get to the answer rather than the answer itself but I'd rather ask 'Tell me about a project you were involved in that really excited you' and see how enthusiastic they become. That'll tell you far more than an inane question that you may already happen to know the answer to. :mad:
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me
mark merrens wrote:
Stupid, stupid questions that tell more about the (elephanting smart-arse) person asking than answering
Yep, tells you that they aren't very smart. Also tells you that if that person has been in charge of hiring for a while then there is no more than a random chance that the other developers know what they are doing.
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Stupid, stupid questions that tell more about the (elephanting smart-arse) person asking than answering. I know they are supposed to be about how you get to the answer rather than the answer itself but I'd rather ask 'Tell me about a project you were involved in that really excited you' and see how enthusiastic they become. That'll tell you far more than an inane question that you may already happen to know the answer to. :mad:
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me
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Just had an interview over the phone to test my C# knowledge, plus general IQ, and for the latter I was asked the following unusual question: The metallic sewage lids that sit on public roads - provide three reasons why they are round-shaped. At first, I couldn't believe I was asked something like this, though I did answer in the end :) Leave it for you guys to torture yourself. Enjoy ;) And what was your most unusual question during an interview as a software developer?
Quote:
And what was your most unusual question during an interview as a software developer?
He wanted to know what he would find in my car at that moment. I guess he was just testing to see if I was organized and clean all the time.
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
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Just had an interview over the phone to test my C# knowledge, plus general IQ, and for the latter I was asked the following unusual question: The metallic sewage lids that sit on public roads - provide three reasons why they are round-shaped. At first, I couldn't believe I was asked something like this, though I did answer in the end :) Leave it for you guys to torture yourself. Enjoy ;) And what was your most unusual question during an interview as a software developer?
round shape... 1. is easy to manufacture as you don't have to make precise machines to remove the excess of metal that comes out of a foundry. 2. makes it easier to position (you can put it without worries). 3. makes it impossible to make it go into the hole. 4. has no sharp edges. 4.1 it is easier to go inside / outside without being harmed. 4.2 if the lid is not well placed the sharp edges won't harm wheels. 5. the hole is round so the lid must be round. 6. it gives you the right opening for less material (are of circle = PI*r2 square = side2 so a 100 radius circle has an area of 31415 +/- and a 200 side square has an area of 40000. Which gives a good entrance with less material. 7. makes it much easier to make the hole than making it square. 8. you are 100% free to put the stairs at any angle of the hole, if you would do holes square you would have to put the hole under at a specific position (unless it would be round which I don't know). 9. oh yes, I asked it to my wife and has told me that it must be in that way... and I believe her. There are plenty of reasons keep in mind that you've not asked for valid reasons... you could have answered whatever you would have wanted...
[www.tamautomation.com] Robots, CNC and PLC machines for grinding and polishing.
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Vitaly Tomilov wrote:
And what was your most unusual question during an interview as a software developer?
Do you have a disability, because, you know, we don't offer healthcare? [Actually happened. I was going through a recruiter who confirmed they were offering healthcare immediately after I left the interview.]
wizardzz wrote:
Do you have a disability, because, you know, we don't offer healthcare?
I'm pretty sure that it's 100% illegal according to non-discrimination laws to ask such a question in the USA and most of Europe, possibly other areas. Most companies realize that if they don't hire you and they asked a question like that, it opens them up for a discrimination lawsuit. Yikes! I hope you walked out of that interview.
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wizardzz wrote:
Do you have a disability, because, you know, we don't offer healthcare?
I'm pretty sure that it's 100% illegal according to non-discrimination laws to ask such a question in the USA and most of Europe, possibly other areas. Most companies realize that if they don't hire you and they asked a question like that, it opens them up for a discrimination lawsuit. Yikes! I hope you walked out of that interview.
Yeah, I laughed and asked if he was seriously. I didn't answer, and left shortly after. This was the CTO. I didn't contact the EOE people because after doing research, there is nothing much I would get out of it. The Chicago Trading world is small- I didn't want to get blacklisted, I found a job immediately.
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Yeah, I laughed and asked if he was seriously. I didn't answer, and left shortly after. This was the CTO. I didn't contact the EOE people because after doing research, there is nothing much I would get out of it. The Chicago Trading world is small- I didn't want to get blacklisted, I found a job immediately.
It was decent of you to take the high road. A C-level exec asked you something like that... oh dear, that doesn't say much for their company!
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Just had an interview over the phone to test my C# knowledge, plus general IQ, and for the latter I was asked the following unusual question: The metallic sewage lids that sit on public roads - provide three reasons why they are round-shaped. At first, I couldn't believe I was asked something like this, though I did answer in the end :) Leave it for you guys to torture yourself. Enjoy ;) And what was your most unusual question during an interview as a software developer?
If I ever win the lottery I'm going to go to job interviews just to say the sorts of things that we all want to say - and then walk out. Question: Why are manhole covers round? Answer: Because manholes are round. Wanna see mine? Question: Why are manhole covers round? Answer: Round? I always thought they were flat. Question: Why are manhole covers round? Answer: To make them easier to steal. Ya can wheel 'em up a tiny ramp right onto the back of your truck. Ask me how I know. Question: Why are manhole covers round? Answer: Apple has a patent on squares. Question: Why are manhole covers round? Answer: Opps, I thought this was an interview for a programming job. My mistake. By the way, if your road crew is looking for some guy to hold the "Slow" sign I've got a retarded brother who would be a perfect fit. Question: Why are manhole covers round? Answer: I'm leaving now. I'm going to go find the guy currently interviewing for a job on a road crew... the guy who was just asked a question about recursion... and we are going to go have drinks and talk about dopey interview questions.
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Just had an interview over the phone to test my C# knowledge, plus general IQ, and for the latter I was asked the following unusual question: The metallic sewage lids that sit on public roads - provide three reasons why they are round-shaped. At first, I couldn't believe I was asked something like this, though I did answer in the end :) Leave it for you guys to torture yourself. Enjoy ;) And what was your most unusual question during an interview as a software developer?
Not having looked at the other posts here are my answers. #1 Mettallic sewage lids are very heavy so making them round means that one does not need to carry them, one can roll them along the road. #2 Being round they do not need to be lined up in any particular position when they are placed over the hole in the ground. #3 Being round they are structurally stronger when a heavy vehicle passes over them.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens