T-SQL Anti-Patterns: SELECT *

This next anti-pattern is another pet peeve, though not as bad as ANSI-89 join syntax.  This one is using SELECT * in queries.  For ad hoc queries that you just run to gather diagnostics, SELECT * isn't necessarily too bad.  As far as line-of-business work goes, however, it's a bad idea for a couple of…

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New series ahoy!

So, after the Rockstar series attracted no attention (not that I thought it would), I've decided to start one in which I briefly review various excellent board games I've player. No ranking, no set schedule, just quality writing (I hope) about quality games. I will say that classics (backgammon, checkers, chess, Chinese checkers, Go/Othello/Spot [if…

Ranking Rockstar, #1: Red Dead Redemption

The game so excellent that it got a fucking Oscar nomination for one of its songs. To me, this is the pinnacle of Rockstar -- brilliant gameplay mechanics, a world that while not the biggest, still feels full, and the ability to play poker, cheat, and shoot the other guy when you get caught. Even…