A Tool To Help You Estimate - Kind of

I think of Estimation is a necessary evil, but an evil all the same.  I read something once to the effect of, and unfortunately I'm paraphrasing as I can't find the original, "An estimate should inform a decision. If it is not informing a decision you should ask yourself why you're estimating in the first place." I can't remember where I read it, or who to attribute it to, but the premise resonates with me.  I've stuck the original quote up at work and bring it up if I'm asked for a frivolous estimate.  Obviously I don't feel the need to look at it, which implies that I'm not asked for frivolous estimates all that often.

Given how I feel about estimates (evil) I was greatly amused by this comic from Commit Strip the other day. It reminded me of a small app that I wrote, when I was first starting out developing software, to randomly generate estimates for me.  The original was crude but it gave me a laugh.  I've made a less crude version and published it to my sandbox here.  I hope someone else can get some enjoyment out of it.

If you're looking for another distraction I greatly recommend Commit Strip.

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