Logical Loops: Look Before You Leap

The classic Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote saga gets a programming twist! The Road Runner (left) uses a while loop that checks the condition before running, so he stops safely at the cliff edge. Meanwhile, our poor Coyote friend uses a do-while loop that checks the condition after execution—meaning he'll always run at least once... right off that cliff.

This is basically the difference between looking before you leap and leaping before you look. After 15 years of coding, I still occasionally make this mistake and then stare at my monitor with the same expression as that coyote.