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Does Not Compute

July 23, 2007

During a workplace discussion today it occurred to me just how much the computer landscape has changed over the past 15 years or so. The discussion centered around the efficient creation of content and its transfer from author to distributor to consumer.

As it Should Be

Ideally, all three parties should be able to use any mutually accessible format. That way (assuming the integrity of the transfer medium) there is nothing lost as the data changes hands. In our particular case, however, the medium basically dictates the form in which we distribute our content. Since HTML is the language of the Web, that is the format in which we distribute our content.

Now here is the part where nodding heads and murmurs of encouragement were replaced by expressionless faces and stony silence: It seems reasonable that we should receive our content as HTML. Better yet, XML. XML converts easily to HTML, and as an added bonus it's much more machine friendly than HTML and is practically universally supported.

The Sad Truth

My line of thinking during this argument came down to this: Right now, our workflow puts the onus on people to do a certain amount of work with the assistance of computers. Wouldn't it be more efficient to let a computer do the work? Certainly a person would have to create the content no matter how the information is subsequently handled, but why should a person handle it once it's been created?

15 years ago a computer was a machine that could handle more information faster and more accurately than a person. While this is still true today, it has, ironically, become a rather archaic definition. Computers are now faster, more capacious, and more prevalent than they were 15 years ago, and while they can do more, we're allowing them to do less.

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New Safari

The blogosphere is abuzz with the news that Apple has released a public beta of Safari 3. More to the point, this is the first version of Apple's in-house Web browser that is available for Windows. Naturally I had to get it.

I've used Safari before, mostly for testing purposes, and always found it to be a vast improvement over Internet Explorer on any platform. There is, however, one major problem, in my opinion. When Safari encounters a JavaScript error, it fails silently, as it should, but finding out what went wrong is like pulling teeth.

Fortunately, like Firefox, Safari comes with a JavaScript console which can be found (among a couple of other nifty options) under the Debug menu. Unfortunately, the debug menu is hidden by default. Still, instructions for revealing the Debug menu on Windows are pretty simple.

  1. Go to: %APPDATA%\Apple Computer\Safari\Preferences.plist
  2. Insert: IncludeDebugMenu
  3. Start Safari.

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System Management Center

It seems silly to hate a word. Words are, after all, only symbols for the meanings they convey. Of, course, it also seems silly to hate the meanings behind words; meanings and ideas only serve to make our lives richer. That said, there are a few words which have gained a stranglehold in contemporary corporate language, and I am fast learning to hate them all.

Any Place

Manage. System. Center. You can't seem to take two steps in the corporate world without tripping over one or more of these words. The word center, in particular, has gotten incredible mileage. I can't help it. I see "center" and wonder: center of what?

There was a time (I think) when "center" was a place that was of great importance (central!) to the accomplishment of some activity. Gradually the term has been watered down to the point where it really just means "place". If you don't believe me, just look at all the gymnasiums and ballparks that are being called "fitness centers and "rec centers".

A Collection of One

I suppose one could define "system" as an entity comprised of a number of coordinated parts. The definition is nothing if not vague, and it has inspired a whole host of rubber bands, vaccuum cleaners and canned protein shakes advertised as "exercise systems", "cleaning systems", and "weight-loss systems". In my opinion, if your exercise system consists of a large rubber band (or a giant net, or a plastic step) and an instruction book, it is not a system.

The Worst Offender

Center and system are badly overused, but the most ubiquitous and abused word on corporate lips is manage, and all its derivatives.

Traditionally, a manager has been an individual, entrusted with extraordinary responsibility, and empowered to make decisions on behalf of others. Here too, the definition is vague enough that when computers came along, many of the operations and tasks requiring special priviliges were labeled managerial (or administrative).

Now, it seems, any application or device that creates, edits, deletes, and generally organizes anything is called a maganger. Can't we just call it a download monitor? A photo organizer? Perhaps even a bookmark tracker? It seems highly unlikely. In the meantime I think I'll go fiddle around in the System Management Center.

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