DEC 27
we’re reading on screen, we’re clicking through a document page by page. Why? Why would we want to replicate one of the worst features of print? I’m concerned that the word “book” in “ebook” implicitly limits where we think we can go.
DEC 26
Seriously, what’s it going to take to get people to stop misusing the word “believe”? If you think homosexuality is a sin, then you think that it exists, and therefore you absolutely believe in it. I’m usually sanguine on the way that words shift meanings, but in this case, I have to protest. People are using the word “believe” instead of the more accurate words “approve” or even “accept”, because they want cover for their bigotry. They hope the word “believe” puts their bigotry into the Religion Zone, therefore above criticism. Well, I say fuck that. If you’re going to be a bigot, fucking own it.
One of the oddest comments on Inverting the Pyramid came from a US reviewer who expressed surprise that 140 years of tactical history seemed to have produced nothing more sophisticated than moving a player a little bit forward or back, and speculated on the impact an American football offensive or defensive coach might have on football. I would suggest that the anarchic nature of football, the lack of set-plays to be replicated and practised, militates against the sort complex pre-rehearsed moves he was talking about.
I find this especially interesting, since ultimate strategy falls in between soccer and football. Ultimate is broken up into individual points, allowing for more more football-esque tactics, but within each point, there’s room for improvisation like in soccer.
DEC 16
This “R2” moniker has gained favor in Redmond in the last few years as a way of saying, “It’s the same software, honest! We’ve nailed on some bits to the side.” It’s supposed to appeal to IT departments that are allergic to disruptive changes.
It goes both ways; versioning and product descriptions are definitely influenced by marketing depending on what’s wanted. A big update seems a lot safer when served as an incremental bump in the product, and a small update can look more impressive by revving the actual version number.