There was a question posed on Techwr-L that asked about how to specify that text is new.
Rick Stone started out the following idea by proposing creating styles. To flesh that out a bit more, here's a simple example.
I have Body-Text defined as this in my CSS file:
p.Body-Text
{
font-size: 1em;
font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;
margin: 1.5em 6.5em;
}
I would create Body-Text_release_whatever and define it as:
p.Body-Text_release_whatever
{
font-size: 1em;
font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;
margin: 1.5em 6.5em;
color: yellow; <== replace "yellow" with whatever color you want. } For a brand new paragraph, you'd have: [p class="Body-Text_release_whatever"]Blah blah blah.[/p]
And then assign all the changed text that style.
If you need text within a paragraph, do something like this:
.release_whatever
{
color: yellow; <== replace "yellow" with whatever color you want. }
So, for a paragraph with changed text, you'd have:
[p class="Body-Text "]Blah blah blah [span class="release_whatever"]this is new info[/span] and that's why the Earth is flat.[/p]
You may have to define something for each of your CSS styles, but as long as you're religiously applying styles for each change in text, you can manage it.
Then, after "release whatever" is cut, you'd edit your CSS file to 'up' the version and do a find and replace, looking for "release_whatever" and apply your regular styles. OR, totally removing the tags.
An additional option would be to NOT get rid of the "release_whatever" style. You would go to your CSS file and make two simple changes.
First, for your p style, you would remove the color from the style definition.
p.Body-Text_release_whatever
{
font-size: 1em;
font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;
margin: 1.5em 6.5em;
color: yellow; <== remove this }
Second, you would change your span style to not be yellow.
.release_whatever{color: yellow; <== replace "yellow" with whatever color your other text normally is }
Doing things this way would mean that you could easily come up with a list of changes that were made for a specific release. When the specific release was no longer "new," you would remove the color attribute that made it stand out and it would look exactly like your other text.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Neighborhood Gossip & Knitting
My neighbors and I were outside the other night and the subject of attendance at Carver-Hawkeye Arena came up regarding the men's team. My neighbor told me that when he was listening to a men's basketball game the other night, the radio announcer noted that women brought knitting to the games and were doing so while watching the game.
Not during 1/2 time or during timeouts - knitting during the entire game.
Tickets for the game that night was ~$22 for a ticket, plus $5 for parking, and usually, $9 for concessions if you get a hot dog and Coke.
Someone paid ~$40 to go to the arena and knit.
Granted, with our disgraceful display last night v. WI, fine. I wouldn't have wanted to see it all either.
However, that's not the way I attend games. We stay until the end - and stood through the women's 3 OT victory over PSU. When I took my 10 year-old son to a men's game against MSU, we were down 12 with ~2:00 left. People starting leaving. Isn't the game of college basketball 40 minutes long? My son made me proud when he started saying, very loudly, "Where are you going? The game's not over?!?"
Some have said that people leave early to get ahead of the traffic, which can be bad due to the area's layout. However, we stayed until the end of the game and wow - traffic went very swiftly. I guess I shouldn't complain about people leaving early.
Not during 1/2 time or during timeouts - knitting during the entire game.
Tickets for the game that night was ~$22 for a ticket, plus $5 for parking, and usually, $9 for concessions if you get a hot dog and Coke.
Someone paid ~$40 to go to the arena and knit.
Granted, with our disgraceful display last night v. WI, fine. I wouldn't have wanted to see it all either.
However, that's not the way I attend games. We stay until the end - and stood through the women's 3 OT victory over PSU. When I took my 10 year-old son to a men's game against MSU, we were down 12 with ~2:00 left. People starting leaving. Isn't the game of college basketball 40 minutes long? My son made me proud when he started saying, very loudly, "Where are you going? The game's not over?!?"
Some have said that people leave early to get ahead of the traffic, which can be bad due to the area's layout. However, we stayed until the end of the game and wow - traffic went very swiftly. I guess I shouldn't complain about people leaving early.
14 Years Later... The Question is "Would I dive into the Source Code Pool Willingly?"
It was a busy night. We tend to follow specific shows that, unfortunately, all end up being on Thursday.
1) Survivor (Survivor: Tocantins - The Brazilian Highlands was produced in 2008 and will premiere on February 12, 2009. We have a Survivor pool @ work and I have Debra Beebee, 46, Middle School Principal. I hope she wins so I win the pot.)
2) ER (9-10)
3) the Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice cross-over event (8-10)
4) TNA wrestling ... (8-10)
It started out as a busy day on Techwr-L as well. List member David Downing asked whether software documenters should learn to read code. He wrote that:
One reason programmers tend to make bad documenters is that they think in terms of the mechanics of the program, rather than in terms of the tasks the end user needs to perform. [A] technical writer who starts reading code might start thinking this way as well.
This is my take on it. I am cruising online and I find a CD review of Metallica's "Death Magnetic" CD. As I read it, I can't help but notice that the reviewer has a mastery of the band's material. I read explanations that describe how track such and such is very similar to track such and such on their previous release. I read about chord progressions in track "This" being similar to track "That" on their second release. By reading the review, I -trust- the reviewer's opinion because they are able to explain, in-depth, how the current CD is either better, the same, or worse, than previous releases. The writer is able to pick the important details and eliminate the fluff or irrelevant aspects of the release. They tie the review in a neatly wrapped present. It is easy to read & tells you everything you need to know about the release in order to decide whether or not to purchase it.
Now, apply that to tech writing. I'm reading online Help and read a paragraph that talks about a "Processing" option. The explanation goes into the depths of what is processed, what files are processed, how the files are changed, where you will see evidence that the process updated something, etc.
In the first example, did the reviewer have access to the Metallica release as it was being recorded or to the early demos - the source code? Probably not. They were able to write meaningful prose by fully understanding where the release fit into the big picture.
The same is true in software doc. I do not believe you must have access to the source code in order to fully understand the software. I need to understand what the software does and how it does it, but do I have to read the source code to learn that? Not if I have access to the programmers and SMEs who wrote the source code or designed the source code.
Reading source code would be one tool in your toolbox for writing meaningful doc. This is a touchy subject for me. My mentor @ job #1 was very set in her ways that tech writers did not belong in the source code any more than programmers belonged in doc "source code" files. If there was a question about how something worked, you should ask the programmer. One day, I was instructed to ask the programmer for the valid values for a field. I went to the programmer to ask him. He showed me how to go into the source code - in display mode - and what to search for in order to find the info I needed to write my doc. My mentor's face turned red when she saw what I was doing. "You do not want to be responsible for messing up their code!" she told me. I didn't tell her that I was in display mode - that I couldn't update anything - but I don't think that would have mattered to her.
The problem with asking the programmer, though, is that sometimes the programmer knows what they are doing and sometimes they are just doing what they are told to do so your mileage may vary. Yesterday, I was creating the UI for a new menu option that generates a report that is sent to a 3rd party. I saw the 3rd party referred to as both "APPLES" and "Apples" so I asked how that company should be referred to on the menu option. I asked the programmer who had added the menu option. She said, "I don't know. I've seen it both ways." She suggested asking a trainer, who happened to be gone yesterday. In the meantime, I asked a 2nd programmer, who googled the name and found reference after reference of "Apples." I made the menu option say "Apples." This AM, the trainer wrote back that it should be "APPLES."
The point? There are always multiple opinions in regards to everything that comes up. If reading source code helps you do your job, by all means, read the source code. In my 14 years of experience - today is my 14 year anniversary of my first day @ job #1 - it is not essential.
1) Survivor (Survivor: Tocantins - The Brazilian Highlands was produced in 2008 and will premiere on February 12, 2009. We have a Survivor pool @ work and I have Debra Beebee, 46, Middle School Principal. I hope she wins so I win the pot.)
2) ER (9-10)
3) the Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice cross-over event (8-10)
4) TNA wrestling ... (8-10)
It started out as a busy day on Techwr-L as well. List member David Downing asked whether software documenters should learn to read code. He wrote that:
One reason programmers tend to make bad documenters is that they think in terms of the mechanics of the program, rather than in terms of the tasks the end user needs to perform. [A] technical writer who starts reading code might start thinking this way as well.
This is my take on it. I am cruising online and I find a CD review of Metallica's "Death Magnetic" CD. As I read it, I can't help but notice that the reviewer has a mastery of the band's material. I read explanations that describe how track such and such is very similar to track such and such on their previous release. I read about chord progressions in track "This" being similar to track "That" on their second release. By reading the review, I -trust- the reviewer's opinion because they are able to explain, in-depth, how the current CD is either better, the same, or worse, than previous releases. The writer is able to pick the important details and eliminate the fluff or irrelevant aspects of the release. They tie the review in a neatly wrapped present. It is easy to read & tells you everything you need to know about the release in order to decide whether or not to purchase it.
Now, apply that to tech writing. I'm reading online Help and read a paragraph that talks about a "Processing" option. The explanation goes into the depths of what is processed, what files are processed, how the files are changed, where you will see evidence that the process updated something, etc.
In the first example, did the reviewer have access to the Metallica release as it was being recorded or to the early demos - the source code? Probably not. They were able to write meaningful prose by fully understanding where the release fit into the big picture.
The same is true in software doc. I do not believe you must have access to the source code in order to fully understand the software. I need to understand what the software does and how it does it, but do I have to read the source code to learn that? Not if I have access to the programmers and SMEs who wrote the source code or designed the source code.
Reading source code would be one tool in your toolbox for writing meaningful doc. This is a touchy subject for me. My mentor @ job #1 was very set in her ways that tech writers did not belong in the source code any more than programmers belonged in doc "source code" files. If there was a question about how something worked, you should ask the programmer. One day, I was instructed to ask the programmer for the valid values for a field. I went to the programmer to ask him. He showed me how to go into the source code - in display mode - and what to search for in order to find the info I needed to write my doc. My mentor's face turned red when she saw what I was doing. "You do not want to be responsible for messing up their code!" she told me. I didn't tell her that I was in display mode - that I couldn't update anything - but I don't think that would have mattered to her.
The problem with asking the programmer, though, is that sometimes the programmer knows what they are doing and sometimes they are just doing what they are told to do so your mileage may vary. Yesterday, I was creating the UI for a new menu option that generates a report that is sent to a 3rd party. I saw the 3rd party referred to as both "APPLES" and "Apples" so I asked how that company should be referred to on the menu option. I asked the programmer who had added the menu option. She said, "I don't know. I've seen it both ways." She suggested asking a trainer, who happened to be gone yesterday. In the meantime, I asked a 2nd programmer, who googled the name and found reference after reference of "Apples." I made the menu option say "Apples." This AM, the trainer wrote back that it should be "APPLES."
The point? There are always multiple opinions in regards to everything that comes up. If reading source code helps you do your job, by all means, read the source code. In my 14 years of experience - today is my 14 year anniversary of my first day @ job #1 - it is not essential.
Knew, I thought
One of the greatest and underrated heavy metal songs of all time is "I Thought I Knew it All," a song on the Megadeth 1994 release Youthanasia. Rarely does heavy metal get it right. This song has good vocals, a good riff, thoughtful lyrics, solid drums, and an overall, well, positive vibe about life.
I Thought I Knew It All
Somewhere there's a reason
Why things go like they do
Somewhere there's a reason
Why somethings just fall through
We don't always see them
For what they really are
But I know there's a reason,
Just can't see it from this far
Maybe I don't like it, but I have no choice
I know that somewhere, someone hears my voice
I thought I knew it all
I thought I had it made
How could it end this way?
I thought I knew
Somewhere there's a reason
Why things don't go my way
Somewhere there's a reason
That I cannot explain
Just like the change of season,
Just may not be my turn
But I know there's a reason,
The lesson's mine to learn
I Thought I Knew It All
Somewhere there's a reason
Why things go like they do
Somewhere there's a reason
Why somethings just fall through
We don't always see them
For what they really are
But I know there's a reason,
Just can't see it from this far
Maybe I don't like it, but I have no choice
I know that somewhere, someone hears my voice
I thought I knew it all
I thought I had it made
How could it end this way?
I thought I knew
Somewhere there's a reason
Why things don't go my way
Somewhere there's a reason
That I cannot explain
Just like the change of season,
Just may not be my turn
But I know there's a reason,
The lesson's mine to learn
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
More Touring Woes
This is Opeth's concert tour:
Wed 05/06/09 Chicago, IL House Of Blues
Fri 05/08/09 Omaha, NE Sokol Auditorium / Underground
Sat 05/09/09 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
HELLO!?!? How do you get from Chicago, IL, to Omaha, NE?!? You drive through Iowa?!? Why couldn't they have added Iowa City or Moline, IL, or Des Moines, IA, or Cedar Rapids, IA, to their tour? They have a free night - Thursday, 05/07/09.
But, actually, I'm kind of glad they are not playing in Iowa. 05/07/09 is my wife's birthday. Even if they were playing, I would not miss her birthday to see Opeth.
Wed 05/06/09 Chicago, IL House Of Blues
Fri 05/08/09 Omaha, NE Sokol Auditorium / Underground
Sat 05/09/09 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
HELLO!?!? How do you get from Chicago, IL, to Omaha, NE?!? You drive through Iowa?!? Why couldn't they have added Iowa City or Moline, IL, or Des Moines, IA, or Cedar Rapids, IA, to their tour? They have a free night - Thursday, 05/07/09.
But, actually, I'm kind of glad they are not playing in Iowa. 05/07/09 is my wife's birthday. Even if they were playing, I would not miss her birthday to see Opeth.
C v JS
BAMM!!!
That thud was the revelation by my friend Phil that Joe Satriani - guitar legend - is suing Coldplay because Coldplay has a song that sounds a lot like Satriani's song. For a technical breakdown of this issue, here's a guy who may or may not know a lot about the guitar. Remember, I'm a drummer - look up to the top of this blog for a reminder - so my guitar theory is zilch. Here's a summary:
|
Joe Satriani is suing Coldplay for music plagiarism for the Verse section of their song, "Viva La Vida," - claiming that the Chorus of his 2005 song, "If I Could Fly," has the same; melody, harmony & rhythm.
Satriani's Lawsuit states, "substantial original portions," of his 2005 instrumental piece, "If I Could Fly," were copied. The copyright infringement suit was filed in Los Angeles federal court on December 4. Satriani has asked for:
1). A Jury trial.
2). Damages.
3). Profits from Viva La Vida.
|
So I thought, "Enough guitar mumbo jumbo! Where's the double bass?" So I found this:
and called it a wrap.
That thud was the revelation by my friend Phil that Joe Satriani - guitar legend - is suing Coldplay because Coldplay has a song that sounds a lot like Satriani's song. For a technical breakdown of this issue, here's a guy who may or may not know a lot about the guitar. Remember, I'm a drummer - look up to the top of this blog for a reminder - so my guitar theory is zilch. Here's a summary:
|
Joe Satriani is suing Coldplay for music plagiarism for the Verse section of their song, "Viva La Vida," - claiming that the Chorus of his 2005 song, "If I Could Fly," has the same; melody, harmony & rhythm.
Satriani's Lawsuit states, "substantial original portions," of his 2005 instrumental piece, "If I Could Fly," were copied. The copyright infringement suit was filed in Los Angeles federal court on December 4. Satriani has asked for:
1). A Jury trial.
2). Damages.
3). Profits from Viva La Vida.
|
So I thought, "Enough guitar mumbo jumbo! Where's the double bass?" So I found this:
and called it a wrap.
SDLC
From Techwr-l today:
From: CL T
"Agile/XP is one of those "things" you either DO or do not. It doesn't work"half-assed". Stories are the key to everything.
Documentation is simply one of the stories. As for the writer being left out of the loop? That's why I always advise "get your foot in as many doors as early as possible". Even though TechWriters have been around a while, there still seems to be a need for Training. Companies, developers, engineers, managers, etc. need to know how to work with us from time to time. Documentation and knowledge of products does not appear by magic or osmosis."
Really? I wholeheartedly agree.
Got an e-mail today from my (cool) manager about a project that is coming up. She forwarded the requirements doc to everyone in the dept. Not more than two hours later, I got an e-mail message from a Support Team Lead, asking if there was any doc for the same project. Now, this project isn't even in programming yet - as far as I know - so there is nothing to document. I've often imagined having doc ahead of programming - instead of being 1000+ hours behind, but that's crazy!
From: CL T
"Agile/XP is one of those "things" you either DO or do not. It doesn't work"half-assed". Stories are the key to everything.
Documentation is simply one of the stories. As for the writer being left out of the loop? That's why I always advise "get your foot in as many doors as early as possible". Even though TechWriters have been around a while, there still seems to be a need for Training. Companies, developers, engineers, managers, etc. need to know how to work with us from time to time. Documentation and knowledge of products does not appear by magic or osmosis."
Really? I wholeheartedly agree.
Got an e-mail today from my (cool) manager about a project that is coming up. She forwarded the requirements doc to everyone in the dept. Not more than two hours later, I got an e-mail message from a Support Team Lead, asking if there was any doc for the same project. Now, this project isn't even in programming yet - as far as I know - so there is nothing to document. I've often imagined having doc ahead of programming - instead of being 1000+ hours behind, but that's crazy!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Red Rag Top to Queen to LOG
I am not a country music fan - I don't own more than a handful of country CDs and I can't even think of any right now - but I like this song.
https://youtu.be/ mUARa-bsh5U - Red Rag Top by Tim McGraw
I've also rediscovered my passion for Queen. The best lyric in "Killer Queen" is "To avoid complications / she never kept the same address." Love it.
But then, of course, I got distracted. Lamb of God is coming out with their new studio release in March - less than 1 month away!
Two Masses Never Hurt Anyone & Big Shot
I am going to Mass for the second time this weekend today @ 11. Megan spent the night at a friend's house so I am picking her up @ 10 and then taking her to 11 Mass. We went last night to 5:15 and, of course, I jammed out by playing. We played "Sing of the Lord's Goodness" and it's in 5/4. I spent much of my spare time trying to get more familiar with the rhythm of that song and when we played it, I was the most comfortable I've ever been playing in 5/4. I wasn't mimicking the piano rhythm - I was actually playing closer to what Joe Morello did in "Take Five." I also played well with the other songs - it was a good gig.
We have always liked the original "Beethoven" movie. I have seen the 1st sequel, and that was okay, but then I lost track of it. There's a brand new movie out and we rented it last night. It started out really lame, but eventually, tied into a story about making a movie about a dog. The movie was first going to be about a white foo-foo dog, but that dog gets dog napped so they hold an open audition. Beethoven wrecks the set and the director and producer love it. That sets up a plot line where the movie is going to be about Beethoven. What eventually happens is that the film becomes a film about filming the very first Beethoven movie.
I still fell asleep because I was tired but that's beside the point.
We have always liked the original "Beethoven" movie. I have seen the 1st sequel, and that was okay, but then I lost track of it. There's a brand new movie out and we rented it last night. It started out really lame, but eventually, tied into a story about making a movie about a dog. The movie was first going to be about a white foo-foo dog, but that dog gets dog napped so they hold an open audition. Beethoven wrecks the set and the director and producer love it. That sets up a plot line where the movie is going to be about Beethoven. What eventually happens is that the film becomes a film about filming the very first Beethoven movie.
I still fell asleep because I was tired but that's beside the point.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
List & Not *my* Good-bye, but one I have to Acknowledge
My list @ work is 108 entries long with 1000 hours. I am now scheduled through the week of 7/27/09. Keep in mind, though, that schedule does not include any UI development time.
As a matter of fact, I did not work on documentation for more than a few minutes this week as I worked feverishly to get the update out the door. I burned 49 x 3 CDs on Friday, plus put labels on all of them. Then my manager and I assembled them into envelopes to go out the door.
I spent the last part of the day releasing UI changes and trying to get organized. On Monday, I have UI changes to make that have to be released on Friday, 2/13. I also have to prepare for the next update's 'cut' of help which won't have much more in it than what is done now.
We all got an e-mail message yesterday, stating that one of our fellow employees is no longer an employee. My ex-co-worker and I had been working together for the 10 years I've been at my employer. Previously, he worked with me at my first TWing job. He was in Sys Admin then and, to date me, he'd be excited because he freed up a few more MB so that my Windows 3.1 PC would run a bit faster. He was scheduled to receive his 10 years of service recognition last night but since he was dismissed, he didn't come. I am bummed that I won't see him @ work. I hope he lands on his feet. I had lunch with him in the break room on Thursday and, over the years, we went to lunch several times. Prayers are being offered for him.
I'm taking my godson to Planet X today. I am to leave my house by 9 and it's 8:05. Should be a good day. I will be gone from 9-3:30. Tonight is 5:15 Mass, followed by supper. Tomorrow, it seems hard to believe, but the only thing on the schedule is Alex's basketball practice from 6-7.
Gotta go.
As a matter of fact, I did not work on documentation for more than a few minutes this week as I worked feverishly to get the update out the door. I burned 49 x 3 CDs on Friday, plus put labels on all of them. Then my manager and I assembled them into envelopes to go out the door.
I spent the last part of the day releasing UI changes and trying to get organized. On Monday, I have UI changes to make that have to be released on Friday, 2/13. I also have to prepare for the next update's 'cut' of help which won't have much more in it than what is done now.
We all got an e-mail message yesterday, stating that one of our fellow employees is no longer an employee. My ex-co-worker and I had been working together for the 10 years I've been at my employer. Previously, he worked with me at my first TWing job. He was in Sys Admin then and, to date me, he'd be excited because he freed up a few more MB so that my Windows 3.1 PC would run a bit faster. He was scheduled to receive his 10 years of service recognition last night but since he was dismissed, he didn't come. I am bummed that I won't see him @ work. I hope he lands on his feet. I had lunch with him in the break room on Thursday and, over the years, we went to lunch several times. Prayers are being offered for him.
I'm taking my godson to Planet X today. I am to leave my house by 9 and it's 8:05. Should be a good day. I will be gone from 9-3:30. Tonight is 5:15 Mass, followed by supper. Tomorrow, it seems hard to believe, but the only thing on the schedule is Alex's basketball practice from 6-7.
Gotta go.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
100 Mile Day
I drove 100 miles today.
My day started with driving Megan to her derm appt in Coralville.
Then I drove to Regina to drop her off.
Then I drove to work in CR.
Worked from 9-ish to 12-ish
Then I drove to Swisher to drop off our taxes.
Then I drove to the banks by Westdale to do some business.
Then I drove through the BK drive-thru.
Then I drove back to work by 1-ish.
Worked from 1-5.
Then I drove to North Liberty to get Megan's prescription.
Then I drove to Trendz in IC where the kids and Karen were getting their haircuts.
Then I drove Alex back home.
That is when I checked the trip gauge and saw that I had driven just over 100 miles today. I know this because I put gas in the truck this AM and reset the trip tracker gizmo.
Now I am home for the evening. Finally.
Alex is going to bed @ 8. Grey's and Private Practice have a crossover episode, but ER is new too. I'm voting ER.
Work has been such that I haven't felt compelled to sit in front of a PC @ night. It is crazy busy. There have been some 'victories' as far as assembling the Mass Release that I need to complete tomorrow.
I got the install and update .exe files created and the bulk of stuff for one of the other CDs. I walked through the .exe files that are on the CD with my manager watching so she could see the correct files are being distributed. We also verified that the version in the documentation matches the version of the software that is slated to go on the CD.
I have 3 CDs x 49 to make. I use a 7 tray CD burner. I have the 49 CDs for each CD broken out. I have all the CD labels printed and all of the memos that have to be sent with the CDs printed.
Tomorrow, I need to assemble all three CDs - I'm waiting for my co-worker to finish some work so I can do some final prep for it and burn one of the CDs.
I am hoping that by noon, all CDs are burned. Then, I will need to put the CDs into envelopes and get the packaging done. Then we deliver them to the Front Desk, who ships them out.
If there is still enough time in the day, I may actually get to work on some documentation. It's not likely, though. I have other things that have a higher priority - mainly cleanup from the update that needs to be done - that will take at least a couple of days next week. I will not get 40 hours to work on doc unless I work additional hours, which may need to be done.
The only thing is, though, that the next release's online Help is to be cut 2/13/9. Those of you paying attention to this blog know that I have work scheduled out to June. And I'm going to get it all done by Friday, 2/13/9. I'm not counting on it. There is no way to get nearly 800 hours of work done within 120 hours, though. The 120 comes if you consider 5 days x 24 hours.
So that's not going to happen. It's 7:00, I'm hungry, and posting this.
My day started with driving Megan to her derm appt in Coralville.
Then I drove to Regina to drop her off.
Then I drove to work in CR.
Worked from 9-ish to 12-ish
Then I drove to Swisher to drop off our taxes.
Then I drove to the banks by Westdale to do some business.
Then I drove through the BK drive-thru.
Then I drove back to work by 1-ish.
Worked from 1-5.
Then I drove to North Liberty to get Megan's prescription.
Then I drove to Trendz in IC where the kids and Karen were getting their haircuts.
Then I drove Alex back home.
That is when I checked the trip gauge and saw that I had driven just over 100 miles today. I know this because I put gas in the truck this AM and reset the trip tracker gizmo.
Now I am home for the evening. Finally.
Alex is going to bed @ 8. Grey's and Private Practice have a crossover episode, but ER is new too. I'm voting ER.
Work has been such that I haven't felt compelled to sit in front of a PC @ night. It is crazy busy. There have been some 'victories' as far as assembling the Mass Release that I need to complete tomorrow.
I got the install and update .exe files created and the bulk of stuff for one of the other CDs. I walked through the .exe files that are on the CD with my manager watching so she could see the correct files are being distributed. We also verified that the version in the documentation matches the version of the software that is slated to go on the CD.
I have 3 CDs x 49 to make. I use a 7 tray CD burner. I have the 49 CDs for each CD broken out. I have all the CD labels printed and all of the memos that have to be sent with the CDs printed.
Tomorrow, I need to assemble all three CDs - I'm waiting for my co-worker to finish some work so I can do some final prep for it and burn one of the CDs.
I am hoping that by noon, all CDs are burned. Then, I will need to put the CDs into envelopes and get the packaging done. Then we deliver them to the Front Desk, who ships them out.
If there is still enough time in the day, I may actually get to work on some documentation. It's not likely, though. I have other things that have a higher priority - mainly cleanup from the update that needs to be done - that will take at least a couple of days next week. I will not get 40 hours to work on doc unless I work additional hours, which may need to be done.
The only thing is, though, that the next release's online Help is to be cut 2/13/9. Those of you paying attention to this blog know that I have work scheduled out to June. And I'm going to get it all done by Friday, 2/13/9. I'm not counting on it. There is no way to get nearly 800 hours of work done within 120 hours, though. The 120 comes if you consider 5 days x 24 hours.
So that's not going to happen. It's 7:00, I'm hungry, and posting this.
Monday, February 2, 2009
On Expanding our language...and a Passion for Clarity
John Garison wrote this on Techwr-l today in response to Stuart Burnfield, who wrote:
I don't really see that. I'm talking about the case where a company has decided to invent or adapt a small set of terms, presumably for marketing reasons. If they have a bunch of products called SnogWrite, SnogDraw and SnogHelp, reams of brochures about how they're all SnogTastic!(TM), and posters on every bus stop in the country saying "Snog Me!", do you go along with snoglets or do you argue that applets is the industry-standard term?
Back in the day, we not only had to define, but explain how to docertain new terms and actions like Click, Double-click, Right-click,Drag, Drop, and Mouse-over. The same thing happened 75 years ago whenthe phone company went away from operators handling every call tocustomers being able to dial their own (using, gasp, a rotary dial) andthey had to introduce new terms and teach people what a dial tone was,what a busy signal was, and what a ring tone was.
Are these jargon? At one time they were. Now they are common parlance.
We are still in the early days of computing yet, and new technologyappears almost daily. Some of it is more widespread than others. I wouldventure to say that some of Mr. Pogue's (let's follow the NYT StyleGuide here) complaints are valid, others (dialog) are borderline. Anynew technology is going to either require new terms or re-use existingterms often in a way that is equally confusing. We need to adapt. Weneed to go through a learning process where outliers have some troublewith new words and features.
So how do we handle this?
Rule one: Know your audience. We as technical authors can usually assumea higher standard of expertise in our readers than Mr. Pogue can in hisreadership. He writes for a general public audience. many of hisreaders, but not all, will know what dialog means. In the audiences Iwrite for, they all know. If they didn't. I'd consider some sort ofonline glossary of terms where they could find out what I mean.
It's that, or this scenario:
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, "itmeans just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less.""The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so manydifferent things.""The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master - that's all."/Through the Looking Glass./
I enjoy reading the posts from Sarah Stegall, a member of Techwr-L. Recently, it seems like she has hit the nail on the head regarding issues that arise for discussion. When Stuart Burnfield commented
Merriam-Webster has an entry for "fraudster", but even if it were a made-up word, your company has every right to invent it
Sarah jumped in with this rant:
No, it does not. The English language does not belong to one company, it belongs to all of us. No one person or body of persons has the right to arbitrarily re-define words, make up words, or change words. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING that I have encountered in more than a dozen years in this business pisses me off more than the arrogance of marketing departments that freely and obliviously play hob with a thousand year old language--of which they are, largely, ignorant.
I have risked my job more than once, refusing point blank to mangle my native tongue in order to suit the whims of a marketing director who can't even spell. He does not have the right to re-configure this language. If anyone does, poets do. Nobody else.
Don't bother arguing with me on this point. On anything else, we can agree to disagree, but on this one I am not rational.
Sarah
Locked, loaded and ready to rock
The passion is admirable.
I don't really see that. I'm talking about the case where a company has decided to invent or adapt a small set of terms, presumably for marketing reasons. If they have a bunch of products called SnogWrite, SnogDraw and SnogHelp, reams of brochures about how they're all SnogTastic!(TM), and posters on every bus stop in the country saying "Snog Me!", do you go along with snoglets or do you argue that applets is the industry-standard term?
Back in the day, we not only had to define, but explain how to docertain new terms and actions like Click, Double-click, Right-click,Drag, Drop, and Mouse-over. The same thing happened 75 years ago whenthe phone company went away from operators handling every call tocustomers being able to dial their own (using, gasp, a rotary dial) andthey had to introduce new terms and teach people what a dial tone was,what a busy signal was, and what a ring tone was.
Are these jargon? At one time they were. Now they are common parlance.
We are still in the early days of computing yet, and new technologyappears almost daily. Some of it is more widespread than others. I wouldventure to say that some of Mr. Pogue's (let's follow the NYT StyleGuide here) complaints are valid, others (dialog) are borderline. Anynew technology is going to either require new terms or re-use existingterms often in a way that is equally confusing. We need to adapt. Weneed to go through a learning process where outliers have some troublewith new words and features.
So how do we handle this?
Rule one: Know your audience. We as technical authors can usually assumea higher standard of expertise in our readers than Mr. Pogue can in hisreadership. He writes for a general public audience. many of hisreaders, but not all, will know what dialog means. In the audiences Iwrite for, they all know. If they didn't. I'd consider some sort ofonline glossary of terms where they could find out what I mean.
It's that, or this scenario:
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, "itmeans just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less.""The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so manydifferent things.""The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master - that's all."/Through the Looking Glass./
I enjoy reading the posts from Sarah Stegall, a member of Techwr-L. Recently, it seems like she has hit the nail on the head regarding issues that arise for discussion. When Stuart Burnfield commented
Merriam-Webster has an entry for "fraudster", but even if it were a made-up word, your company has every right to invent it
Sarah jumped in with this rant:
No, it does not. The English language does not belong to one company, it belongs to all of us. No one person or body of persons has the right to arbitrarily re-define words, make up words, or change words. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING that I have encountered in more than a dozen years in this business pisses me off more than the arrogance of marketing departments that freely and obliviously play hob with a thousand year old language--of which they are, largely, ignorant.
I have risked my job more than once, refusing point blank to mangle my native tongue in order to suit the whims of a marketing director who can't even spell. He does not have the right to re-configure this language. If anyone does, poets do. Nobody else.
Don't bother arguing with me on this point. On anything else, we can agree to disagree, but on this one I am not rational.
Sarah
Locked, loaded and ready to rock
The passion is admirable.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
More Work = GOOD = Slippery Slope of Stuff
Work continues to be a ride of epic highs and lows. On the high side, I am comfortable with the MSI fix and have been testing it daily on my PC to make sure it still works. So far, so good.
Outside of work, my father gave me his Canyon truck and we are going to take my car to a place that will give us $200 for it. In a sign that my mother is growing older, she is not going to drive anymore. We went to the Johnson County court house yesterday morning and the truck is now mine.
I will miss the car as it was my grandma's and I will miss thinking of her each morning when I get in. I will not miss the lack of heat, air conditioning, the driver's side window not working, the 'check oil,' 'check gages' 'brake,' and 'anti-lock brake' lights lighting up when I start it up. I will not miss the dome lights not working. I will not miss the lack of a door opener face on the driver's side. The Canyon is a sharp truck and I am grateful to replace the car with a vehicle that is as sharp as it looks. The truck has a blue book value of $14000, so it's a tremendous gift.
On the low side, work continues to be crazy. Any project I get this upcoming week gets scheduled for the week of 6/29. That's five months behind in work. Yes, it's job security, but at the same time, it's absolutely crazy. As I was telling our friends last night, I am trying to do two jobs at once. The reality is that 6/29 is even later because, unfortunately, I will not work on much documentation this week. We are going to send out the Mass Release of our software and there is work for that I must do. I also have to work on some UI changes and get those out the door by Friday. There are enough of them that I cannot safely wait until Wednesday or Thursday to begin working on them - I need to start on Monday.
Super Bowl prediction? I think the Steelers will win. Not that I want them to, but that's my gut instinct. I think that both teams had good seasons and, maybe, the Cardinals are hungrier for a title because no one expected them to be where they are now. Do I really have a strong feeling for either team? No. Most of my friends are talking about Kurt Warner. He is originally from Iowa and worked his way up to where he is now. He is a Christian and has followed his principles to arrive where he will be tomorrow.
I took Alex to the Iowa v. MSU game on Thursday night. Iowa got clobbered and today they play @ IL. I expect another clobbering in Champaign. Tough year for the team. Just wait until next year...
Started watching "The Dark Knight" last night but fell asleep. Karen thought the Joker was creepy. Not a kid movie at all.
Alex has work to do - a report about Dr. Seuss - and that is the objective for the morning.
Outside of work, my father gave me his Canyon truck and we are going to take my car to a place that will give us $200 for it. In a sign that my mother is growing older, she is not going to drive anymore. We went to the Johnson County court house yesterday morning and the truck is now mine.
I will miss the car as it was my grandma's and I will miss thinking of her each morning when I get in. I will not miss the lack of heat, air conditioning, the driver's side window not working, the 'check oil,' 'check gages' 'brake,' and 'anti-lock brake' lights lighting up when I start it up. I will not miss the dome lights not working. I will not miss the lack of a door opener face on the driver's side. The Canyon is a sharp truck and I am grateful to replace the car with a vehicle that is as sharp as it looks. The truck has a blue book value of $14000, so it's a tremendous gift.
On the low side, work continues to be crazy. Any project I get this upcoming week gets scheduled for the week of 6/29. That's five months behind in work. Yes, it's job security, but at the same time, it's absolutely crazy. As I was telling our friends last night, I am trying to do two jobs at once. The reality is that 6/29 is even later because, unfortunately, I will not work on much documentation this week. We are going to send out the Mass Release of our software and there is work for that I must do. I also have to work on some UI changes and get those out the door by Friday. There are enough of them that I cannot safely wait until Wednesday or Thursday to begin working on them - I need to start on Monday.
Super Bowl prediction? I think the Steelers will win. Not that I want them to, but that's my gut instinct. I think that both teams had good seasons and, maybe, the Cardinals are hungrier for a title because no one expected them to be where they are now. Do I really have a strong feeling for either team? No. Most of my friends are talking about Kurt Warner. He is originally from Iowa and worked his way up to where he is now. He is a Christian and has followed his principles to arrive where he will be tomorrow.
I took Alex to the Iowa v. MSU game on Thursday night. Iowa got clobbered and today they play @ IL. I expect another clobbering in Champaign. Tough year for the team. Just wait until next year...
Started watching "The Dark Knight" last night but fell asleep. Karen thought the Joker was creepy. Not a kid movie at all.
Alex has work to do - a report about Dr. Seuss - and that is the objective for the morning.
Follow-up
It seems the members of Techwr-L are a sensitive bunch. If *anyone* suggests that there is something wrong with *any* TWer, the razors come out. My comment below is just an observation. How can you criticize a group of people for one thing and then, while criticizing them, do it? It doesn't make sense, to me, and erases their credibility.
-----Original Message-----
From: Me
Anyone else notice the humor in using "aggrandizement" in a paragraph that criticizes writers that do not bother "to fish for a plain-English word"
-----Original Message-----
From: CL T
One paragraph from this is especially true.
FROM THE DESK OF DAVID POGUE
Tech Terms to Avoid
"Why tech writers use so much jargon, I don't know. Maybe it's
self-aggrandizement; they want to lord their knowledge over everybody else.
Maybe it's laziness; they can't be bothered to fish for a plain-English
word. Maybe it's just habit; they spend all day talking shop with other
nerds, so they slip into technospeak when they write for larger audiences."
http://tinyurl.com/dhmaoe
-----Original Message-----
From: Me
Anyone else notice the humor in using "aggrandizement" in a paragraph that criticizes writers that do not bother "to fish for a plain-English word"
-----Original Message-----
From: CL T
One paragraph from this is especially true.
FROM THE DESK OF DAVID POGUE
Tech Terms to Avoid
"Why tech writers use so much jargon, I don't know. Maybe it's
self-aggrandizement; they want to lord their knowledge over everybody else.
Maybe it's laziness; they can't be bothered to fish for a plain-English
word. Maybe it's just habit; they spend all day talking shop with other
nerds, so they slip into technospeak when they write for larger audiences."
http://tinyurl.com/dhmaoe
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Productivity Gains
A question was asked regarding how to write goals to show that you have had productivity gains.
On Wed, Jan 28, 2009 at 11:37 AM, Geoff Hartwrote:
One really good solution that you haven't a hope in Hades of implementing would be the following:
"If we made the interface more intuitive (for example, by using user-centered design combined with usability testing and by embedding help and affordances in the interface), we could reduce the amount of documentation required by 20%. That would have obvious implications for productivity."
I nearly spit out the Pepsi in my mouth.
On Wed, Jan 28, 2009 at 11:37 AM, Geoff Hart
One really good solution that you haven't a hope in Hades of implementing would be the following:
"If we made the interface more intuitive (for example, by using user-centered design combined with usability testing and by embedding help and affordances in the interface), we could reduce the amount of documentation required by 20%. That would have obvious implications for productivity."
I nearly spit out the Pepsi in my mouth.
Let's just drive *THROUGH* that IA state....
More bands, on tour, skipping Iowa. SuidAkrA has these Midwest dates:
03/18/2009 Riot Room - Kansas City, MO
03/19/2009 Station 4 - St. Paul, MN
03/20/2009 Pearl Room - Mokena, IL
03/21/2009 Peabody’s - Cleveland, OH
03/22/2009 Blondie’s - Detroit, MI
Clutch has these Midwest dates:
Feb 15 2009 @ The Canopy Club Urbana, Illinoisw
Feb 17 2009 @ The Majestic Theater Madison, Wisconsin
Feb 18 2009 @ The Double Door Chicago, Illinois
Feb 19 2009 @ The Vogue Indiannapolis, Indiana
Meanwhile, Lotus has these dates:
March 31 Vogue Theatre Indianapolis, IN
April 1 The Crofoot Pontiac, MI
April 2 The Canopy Club Urbana, IL
April 3 Majestic Theatre Madison, WI
April 4 Vic Theatre Chicago, IL
April 5 The Intersection Grand Rapids, IL
What the heck is wrong with playing in Iowa?!? Disturbed knows where the good fans are: IOWA!! Disturbed will be joined on the 38-city, nine-week trek, which kicks off March 20th in Madison, WI, by Killswitch Engage on the main-stage, as well as Lacuna Coil, Chimaira, and other acts to be announced on the second stage.
March
20th Madison, WI Alliant Energy Center (Feb 6th @ 3PM)
21st Waterloo, IA McCelroy Arena (Jan 31st @ 10AM)
April
1st Wichita, KS Hartman Arena (Jan 31st @ 10AM)
May
2nd Detroit, MI Cobo Arena (Feb 13th)
3rd Cleveland, OH The Wolstein Center (Feb 27th @ 3PM)
5th Columbus, OH Value City Arena (Mar 6th @ 3PM)
6th Peoria, IL Peoria Civic Center (Feb 6th @ 3PM)
8th Minneapolis, MN Target Center (Jan 30th @ 3PM)
****9th Des Moines, IA Balloon Classic Field (Feb 21st) *****
10th Green Bay, WI Resch Center (Jan 31st @ 10AM)
12th Lacrosse, WI Lacrosse Center (Jan 30th @ 3PM)
13th Evansville, IL Roberts Stadium (Jan 31st @ 10AM)
*****15th Council Bluffs, IA Mid America Center (Feb 21st @ 10AM) *****
16th Chicago, IL Charter One Pavilion (Jan 31st @10AM)
03/18/2009 Riot Room - Kansas City, MO
03/19/2009 Station 4 - St. Paul, MN
03/20/2009 Pearl Room - Mokena, IL
03/21/2009 Peabody’s - Cleveland, OH
03/22/2009 Blondie’s - Detroit, MI
Clutch has these Midwest dates:
Feb 15 2009 @ The Canopy Club Urbana, Illinoisw
Feb 17 2009 @ The Majestic Theater Madison, Wisconsin
Feb 18 2009 @ The Double Door Chicago, Illinois
Feb 19 2009 @ The Vogue Indiannapolis, Indiana
Meanwhile, Lotus has these dates:
March 31 Vogue Theatre Indianapolis, IN
April 1 The Crofoot Pontiac, MI
April 2 The Canopy Club Urbana, IL
April 3 Majestic Theatre Madison, WI
April 4 Vic Theatre Chicago, IL
April 5 The Intersection Grand Rapids, IL
What the heck is wrong with playing in Iowa?!? Disturbed knows where the good fans are: IOWA!! Disturbed will be joined on the 38-city, nine-week trek, which kicks off March 20th in Madison, WI, by Killswitch Engage on the main-stage, as well as Lacuna Coil, Chimaira, and other acts to be announced on the second stage.
March
20th Madison, WI Alliant Energy Center (Feb 6th @ 3PM)
21st Waterloo, IA McCelroy Arena (Jan 31st @ 10AM)
April
1st Wichita, KS Hartman Arena (Jan 31st @ 10AM)
May
2nd Detroit, MI Cobo Arena (Feb 13th)
3rd Cleveland, OH The Wolstein Center (Feb 27th @ 3PM)
5th Columbus, OH Value City Arena (Mar 6th @ 3PM)
6th Peoria, IL Peoria Civic Center (Feb 6th @ 3PM)
8th Minneapolis, MN Target Center (Jan 30th @ 3PM)
****9th Des Moines, IA Balloon Classic Field (Feb 21st) *****
10th Green Bay, WI Resch Center (Jan 31st @ 10AM)
12th Lacrosse, WI Lacrosse Center (Jan 30th @ 3PM)
13th Evansville, IL Roberts Stadium (Jan 31st @ 10AM)
*****15th Council Bluffs, IA Mid America Center (Feb 21st @ 10AM) *****
16th Chicago, IL Charter One Pavilion (Jan 31st @10AM)
Getting rid of the Office ribbon
Grahame is a member of the HATT list that I respect. I do not share his distaste for the Ribbon interface, but the sites he lists below may be worth exploring. After nearly a year with Word 2007, I'm doing okay.
From: Grahame Fuller
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 4:03 PM
Subject: [HATT] OT-ish: Getting rid of the Office ribbon
After being forced to use Office 2007 for a while now, I am just about ready to shred the ribbon into little pieces and grind it into the carpet.
Googling reveals a variety of add-ons and techniques for customizing it or returning to the classic menus and toolbars, e.g.:
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customization/CustomizeRibbon.htm
http://rondebruin.nl/ribbon.htm
http://www.addintools.com/english/menuoffice/
Before I try these, I was wondering whether anybody else on this list had tried them or any others?
Thanks,
gray
From: Grahame Fuller
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 4:03 PM
Subject: [HATT] OT-ish: Getting rid of the Office ribbon
After being forced to use Office 2007 for a while now, I am just about ready to shred the ribbon into little pieces and grind it into the carpet.
Googling reveals a variety of add-ons and techniques for customizing it or returning to the classic menus and toolbars, e.g.:
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customization/CustomizeRibbon.htm
http://rondebruin.nl/ribbon.htm
http://www.addintools.com/english/menuoffice/
Before I try these, I was wondering whether anybody else on this list had tried them or any others?
Thanks,
gray
Monday, January 26, 2009
Don't Judge me by the Title
I admit I was reluctant to look at this website: http://barackobamaantichrist.blogspot.com but after reading the header of this site - where the owner talks about this cult mentality of following our newly elected leader, I gave it a bit more attention. I DO NOT endorse of the website.
MP3 Kingdom II & Never Enough
Here's an atypical night. It's before 8 PM and I'm sitting @ the PC.
Karen is watching "The Bachelor."
Megan doesn't (apparently) have any more homework so she took our bedroom and is watching Disney Channel.
Alex missed 13 words (out of 25) on his spelling list tonight so I cut him a break and have him writing each word 5 times, instead of 10.
Me? I'm sitting @ MP3 Kingdom, charging each kids' MP3 player and passing time until "24" begins @ 8.
Work was okay. I did a lot of user interface design today. I am starting to get more comfortable with designing the UI and making the Windows interface for our software. The underlying green screen keeps getting fuller and fuller so it becomes a regular challenge to design the panel to where the new field makes sense.
On my commute up I-380 today, I heard a song by a band called Five Finger Death Punch. The song is called "Never Enough." As I listened to it, and reflected on the lyrics, I tried to pick out a person or group of persons that I could take these words as a rally cry of sorts, like I did with the Staind song "For You" and the Linkin Park song "Numb." Both of those songs were motivational, to me, as I struggled to navigate through relationships that I can honestly say have repaired themselves. So, for once, I do not feel angry with anyone. It's kind of an odd feeling. Things are okay. Really. My wife, kids, and I are doing fine & the majority of my other relationships have not hit any recent snags. In fact, those that used to cause me to internalize their words and find fault in them... I don't feel that way anymore. I am in a better place than I was even a year ago. There's more calm, even considering the 90+ list of projects to do @ work, than in previous years.
Now, I have to say, this band's bass player is one scary guy. He's the one with the long beard and the mohawk.
I'm so fed up with everyone around me
(No one seems to care)
I'm just so far gone and nothing's gonna change
(I'll never be the same)
It's always do this, do that,
Everything they want to
I don't want to live that way
Every chance they get their always
Pushin me away
[Chorus:]
It's never enough
No it's never enough
No matter what I say
It's never enough
No it's never enough
I'll never be what you want me to be
It's all so messed up and no one ever listens
(Everyone's deranged)
I'm just so f up and I'm never gonna change
(Wanna lay it all to waste)
Their always say this, say that,
Nothing that you want to
I don't want to live that way
Every chance they get their always
Shovin me aside
[Chorus]
I'm Done
[Bridge:]
In the end we're all just chalk lines on the concrete
Drawn only to be washed away
For the time that I've been given
I am what I am
I'd rather hate you
For everything you are
Than ever love you
For something you are not
I'd rather you hate me
For everything I am
Than have you love me
For something that I aint
It's never enough
It's never enough
No matter what I say
It's never enough
No it's never enough
No matter who I try to be
It's never enough
No it's never enough
No matter how I try to taste
It's never enough
Never never enough
I'll never be what you want me to be.
This band has played in Iowa recently and now that I associate a killer song like this one with them, I regret not seeing them in concert.
Karen is watching "The Bachelor."
Megan doesn't (apparently) have any more homework so she took our bedroom and is watching Disney Channel.
Alex missed 13 words (out of 25) on his spelling list tonight so I cut him a break and have him writing each word 5 times, instead of 10.
Me? I'm sitting @ MP3 Kingdom, charging each kids' MP3 player and passing time until "24" begins @ 8.
Work was okay. I did a lot of user interface design today. I am starting to get more comfortable with designing the UI and making the Windows interface for our software. The underlying green screen keeps getting fuller and fuller so it becomes a regular challenge to design the panel to where the new field makes sense.
On my commute up I-380 today, I heard a song by a band called Five Finger Death Punch. The song is called "Never Enough." As I listened to it, and reflected on the lyrics, I tried to pick out a person or group of persons that I could take these words as a rally cry of sorts, like I did with the Staind song "For You" and the Linkin Park song "Numb." Both of those songs were motivational, to me, as I struggled to navigate through relationships that I can honestly say have repaired themselves. So, for once, I do not feel angry with anyone. It's kind of an odd feeling. Things are okay. Really. My wife, kids, and I are doing fine & the majority of my other relationships have not hit any recent snags. In fact, those that used to cause me to internalize their words and find fault in them... I don't feel that way anymore. I am in a better place than I was even a year ago. There's more calm, even considering the 90+ list of projects to do @ work, than in previous years.
Now, I have to say, this band's bass player is one scary guy. He's the one with the long beard and the mohawk.
I'm so fed up with everyone around me
(No one seems to care)
I'm just so far gone and nothing's gonna change
(I'll never be the same)
It's always do this, do that,
Everything they want to
I don't want to live that way
Every chance they get their always
Pushin me away
[Chorus:]
It's never enough
No it's never enough
No matter what I say
It's never enough
No it's never enough
I'll never be what you want me to be
It's all so messed up and no one ever listens
(Everyone's deranged)
I'm just so f up and I'm never gonna change
(Wanna lay it all to waste)
Their always say this, say that,
Nothing that you want to
I don't want to live that way
Every chance they get their always
Shovin me aside
[Chorus]
I'm Done
[Bridge:]
In the end we're all just chalk lines on the concrete
Drawn only to be washed away
For the time that I've been given
I am what I am
I'd rather hate you
For everything you are
Than ever love you
For something you are not
I'd rather you hate me
For everything I am
Than have you love me
For something that I aint
It's never enough
It's never enough
No matter what I say
It's never enough
No it's never enough
No matter who I try to be
It's never enough
No it's never enough
No matter how I try to taste
It's never enough
Never never enough
I'll never be what you want me to be.
This band has played in Iowa recently and now that I associate a killer song like this one with them, I regret not seeing them in concert.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Just Don't Spend that $7.50 All in One Place
You can go here http://prowrestling.about.com/b/2009/01/25/royal-rumble-2009-recap-and-results.htm if you want to know who won the 2009 Royal Rumble match.
My in-laws, wife, and I went to the Riverside Casino on Saturday for my favorite mother-in-law's birthday. Gambling is not really my thing. I mean, I don't mind it, but I think there are other things I could spend my money on that would have a longer term benefit for me. But since I was there, I went to the blackjack table and laid down my $20. I got a blackjack early on and that gave me my $7.50 in winnings. I won a couple of hands, lost a couple of hands and ended up at $7.50 ahead. There were two 20-somethings that came and joined the game and I took that as a sign to go. I went with my wife to watch her play the slots and then grabbed a beer and went to the giant bar in the center of the casino and watched college basketball until it was time to eat lunch.
After lunch, I returned to the comfy chair, had a couple more beers until it was 4:30, which was our agreed upon time to leave. I stopped at the cashier and got my $27.50 back - my original 20, plus my 7.50 winnings - and walked out.
Am I anxious to return? No, not really. Looking ahead, the only thing that would willingly get me to the casino again is seeing Heart. Yes, Ann & Nancy Wilson's band Heart is playing there on a Friday night - an outdoors concert in June. It would be a fantastic first concert for the kids is what I told Karen. Tickets are $35 so for the three of us, it's $105, plus tax. And while it would be gorgeous to be outside on a Friday night, it could rain and be miserable. I think it's one of those 'wait and see' things that if the forecast is good, go, but if it's not good, stay home.
Oddly, this upcoming week is not looking too crazy. There's a new 24 tomorrow night and I still haven't watched the first 4 episodes on tape - and starting it now at 10:45 is not an option. Wednesday is a Dudes game - the 4th out of 7 we play. If we lose Wednesday, we will not have a winning record. I know this is only 4th grade basketball, but who wants to lose all their games? Not me. I'd like to be a winner. So, hopefully, the 10 team members pass the ball, score when they shoot, and put together 36 minutes of basketball. I think the team we play Wednesday can be beaten - it's just a matter of executing it.
Other than that, not a lot going on this week. Maybe something will present itself.
My in-laws, wife, and I went to the Riverside Casino on Saturday for my favorite mother-in-law's birthday. Gambling is not really my thing. I mean, I don't mind it, but I think there are other things I could spend my money on that would have a longer term benefit for me. But since I was there, I went to the blackjack table and laid down my $20. I got a blackjack early on and that gave me my $7.50 in winnings. I won a couple of hands, lost a couple of hands and ended up at $7.50 ahead. There were two 20-somethings that came and joined the game and I took that as a sign to go. I went with my wife to watch her play the slots and then grabbed a beer and went to the giant bar in the center of the casino and watched college basketball until it was time to eat lunch.
After lunch, I returned to the comfy chair, had a couple more beers until it was 4:30, which was our agreed upon time to leave. I stopped at the cashier and got my $27.50 back - my original 20, plus my 7.50 winnings - and walked out.
Am I anxious to return? No, not really. Looking ahead, the only thing that would willingly get me to the casino again is seeing Heart. Yes, Ann & Nancy Wilson's band Heart is playing there on a Friday night - an outdoors concert in June. It would be a fantastic first concert for the kids is what I told Karen. Tickets are $35 so for the three of us, it's $105, plus tax. And while it would be gorgeous to be outside on a Friday night, it could rain and be miserable. I think it's one of those 'wait and see' things that if the forecast is good, go, but if it's not good, stay home.
Oddly, this upcoming week is not looking too crazy. There's a new 24 tomorrow night and I still haven't watched the first 4 episodes on tape - and starting it now at 10:45 is not an option. Wednesday is a Dudes game - the 4th out of 7 we play. If we lose Wednesday, we will not have a winning record. I know this is only 4th grade basketball, but who wants to lose all their games? Not me. I'd like to be a winner. So, hopefully, the 10 team members pass the ball, score when they shoot, and put together 36 minutes of basketball. I think the team we play Wednesday can be beaten - it's just a matter of executing it.
Other than that, not a lot going on this week. Maybe something will present itself.
MP3 Kingdom
In our house, we have two PCs, plus my mother's laptop (don't get too excited as the laptop has Windows ME on it). The PC I'm sitting at is the only one in the house with an Internet connection. Sitting here is like sitting high atop a mountain looking down. On one side of the mountain is the aforementioned laptop, which is mainly used by the kids to play games, and on the other side is the kids' main PC. This PC has Windows 98 on it and no Internet connection. It is used primarily for playing "Roller Coaster Tycoon II" and that's about it. Sometimes "Free Tetrix" gets fired up as well.
So, when my daughter or son want additional MP3s on their players, they have to wait for me to do it for them because I don't trust that they will do it right. Hence, this PC is like a MP3 kingdom.
Time for 11 Mass so I'm out.
So, when my daughter or son want additional MP3s on their players, they have to wait for me to do it for them because I don't trust that they will do it right. Hence, this PC is like a MP3 kingdom.
Time for 11 Mass so I'm out.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
More Word 2007 Hate
There has been a long and involved thread on the Word-PC list that has been, for the most part, anti-Office 2007. The complaints about it have made a lot of sense to me, especially Don Funkhouser's comments below:
This is the very reason why Office 2007 is such a poor piece of software. Anyone who was fairly proficient with previous versions of Word in the past could sit down at a computer with a newer version and within a very short time be productive. Sure there were changes with each new release, but the bulk of it remained close enough to the previous version that re-training wasn't necessary for most users. This all stopped with 2007 and that's why it will never gain a strong enough foothold. Even a hard core WordPerfect user (except for the die hard WP5.x Dos users) could sit down at previous versions of Word and be productive. Even users who have been trained extensively on 2007 aren't nearly as productive as they were with previous versions, and I doubt that very many of them ever will be. It isn't that they don't want to, it's that the abysmal format of 2007 prevents them from doing so. There is a reason why a fairly standard Menu system was adopted by most better software programs (and I can't believe that I am going to classify Microsoft programs as 'better' since most are inferior second tier programs at best) and that was to keep the learning curve to a minimum. Microsoft has always pushed that gentleman's agreement concerning anything to do with standards, but they went way overboard with 2007.
Office 2007 was a mistake from the get go and will remain so until the ability to return to normal "Standardized" menus is returned to the user. And I don't consider having to pay extra for what should have been included in the package to begin with as acceptable.
I think with every piece of software, even if you've used previous versions, you have to adapt. Should Microsoft allowed you to show the old menus? Maybe. They have a track record of that because you could have "Classic" XP instead of the fancy UI. But... here's the thing. With every new version, I'd bet that there are fundamental coding differences that must happen. When you have to support the old version, you probably cannot take advantage of the technology you are switching to which, I'd imagine, Microsoft felt they needed to do.
What I find interesting is that other software tools I use - mainly thinkng of Snag-It - have adapted the Office 2007 look and feel. And know what? I like the new UI. I used a reference guide on the MS site where it tells you where stuff is in Word 2007 by clicking a menu option in Word 2003 and then it shows you where it is in Word 2007.
Yesterday, I got an e-mail from a Word 2003 user. He was on a tight deadline and said, "I cannot find where to change the font color. Can you help me?" This is in Word 2003, the version before the UI redesign, and there was a user who couldn't find how to change the font color. I directed him to Format ==> Font. Word 2003 is not the perfect UI that some - not Don above - would have you believe.
I've been using Word 2007 for nearly a year - I think 3/1 is when I got my current PC at work. I am using Word 97 at home (sheepish grin) and will continue to do so until I get a new PC - which I don't see happening for a few yers as my XP box works fine. There is a marked difference between Word 2007 and Word 97 and anytime I write music reviews at night, after writing end-user documentation during the day in Word 2007, I'm reminded of the differences!
This is the very reason why Office 2007 is such a poor piece of software. Anyone who was fairly proficient with previous versions of Word in the past could sit down at a computer with a newer version and within a very short time be productive. Sure there were changes with each new release, but the bulk of it remained close enough to the previous version that re-training wasn't necessary for most users. This all stopped with 2007 and that's why it will never gain a strong enough foothold. Even a hard core WordPerfect user (except for the die hard WP5.x Dos users) could sit down at previous versions of Word and be productive. Even users who have been trained extensively on 2007 aren't nearly as productive as they were with previous versions, and I doubt that very many of them ever will be. It isn't that they don't want to, it's that the abysmal format of 2007 prevents them from doing so. There is a reason why a fairly standard Menu system was adopted by most better software programs (and I can't believe that I am going to classify Microsoft programs as 'better' since most are inferior second tier programs at best) and that was to keep the learning curve to a minimum. Microsoft has always pushed that gentleman's agreement concerning anything to do with standards, but they went way overboard with 2007.
Office 2007 was a mistake from the get go and will remain so until the ability to return to normal "Standardized" menus is returned to the user. And I don't consider having to pay extra for what should have been included in the package to begin with as acceptable.
I think with every piece of software, even if you've used previous versions, you have to adapt. Should Microsoft allowed you to show the old menus? Maybe. They have a track record of that because you could have "Classic" XP instead of the fancy UI. But... here's the thing. With every new version, I'd bet that there are fundamental coding differences that must happen. When you have to support the old version, you probably cannot take advantage of the technology you are switching to which, I'd imagine, Microsoft felt they needed to do.
What I find interesting is that other software tools I use - mainly thinkng of Snag-It - have adapted the Office 2007 look and feel. And know what? I like the new UI. I used a reference guide on the MS site where it tells you where stuff is in Word 2007 by clicking a menu option in Word 2003 and then it shows you where it is in Word 2007.
Yesterday, I got an e-mail from a Word 2003 user. He was on a tight deadline and said, "I cannot find where to change the font color. Can you help me?" This is in Word 2003, the version before the UI redesign, and there was a user who couldn't find how to change the font color. I directed him to Format ==> Font. Word 2003 is not the perfect UI that some - not Don above - would have you believe.
I've been using Word 2007 for nearly a year - I think 3/1 is when I got my current PC at work. I am using Word 97 at home (sheepish grin) and will continue to do so until I get a new PC - which I don't see happening for a few yers as my XP box works fine. There is a marked difference between Word 2007 and Word 97 and anytime I write music reviews at night, after writing end-user documentation during the day in Word 2007, I'm reminded of the differences!
Crap job
With regards to my friend in the previous post, there are definitely bad jobs and then there are crap jobs.
More Chaos in this Economy
I had lunch with a friend of mine. We worked together 10 years ago - started at the same time where I am now. We've maintained our friendship since he left because we both like good music, have wives and children, and think along the same lines on a lot of things. He has had multiple jobs since he left - the number doesn't really matter. He's been laid off from previous jobs and consistently is always looking to better himself.
Our conversation yesterday was a lot about where he is now. He works for a company that sounds like a hellhole. He absolutely hates it, but he feels powerless to do anything about it. He is doing work he hasn't been trained to do, every one else is too busy to help him, and he's being evaluated on work he can't do efficiently. The working conditions are awful. He desperately wants to return to his former job but b/c he left, came back, left, came back, his former manager won't talk to him about coming back.
So, in this economy, what do you do? This site says to put on your game face. I think the problem with the whole article, though, is summed up in this line:
"An economy in recession isn't new and won't last forever, she notes, so people shouldn't worry excessively. But they shouldn't be surprised if they are unhappy in a job, and may have to simply hunker down and take it."
Just accept that you're in a crap job and live with it? What kind of hope can be found or motivation in that kind of statement?
I often felt kind of helpless in the conversation yesterday. In my career, I really haven't hated any job I've had. Listening to my friend, I've been lucky in that regards. My career history has been marked with long stays at employers.
I liked working @ the Spring House restaurant in Cedar Rapids and was there 7 years.
I worked @ a toy store in the warehouse and as the "industrial maintenance engineer" for ~3 years. While I didn't like my boss in the summer of 1990, in hindsight, I learned a lot from him.
I worked as a telemarketer for 3 months. That was my shortest stay. I got to talk to different people. My boss was a female dog who I didn't click with at all but I also think she was going through personal stuff of her own. I don't think it was my fault.
I left there to go to a different company as a temp. I never went back to the telemarketing firm, though I had made that arrangement in case the temp situation didn't work. I was a temp from 11/92-2/95.
From there, I went to my first tech writing job. I was there 3 years.
I left there to join a different software company and stayed there 9 months. That was to work with a college buddy of mine and my first exposure to online Help. I would have gladly stayed there longer except we used to sit around the lunch table and wonder if a check from a client would come in so payroll could be met. I was shifted from tech writing to data entry and I guess that kind of made me worry.
I left that company at the right time because everyone else abandoned ship shortly after I left.
I've been where I am now for 10.5 years. I like what I do. There's challenges, of course, like the MSI issue (that is SOLVED!!!! YEAH!) and there are little bumps in the road that come up. Overall, though, I like what I do and I like the people I work with. On Thursday, I talked to a client about some issues she was having. On Friday, I sent her a long e-mail message with a summary of what I had found out about her issues and she said:
I have reviewed your other items on my issues and I understand. I look forward to seeing the proposed resolutions on those outstanding solutions when they are available. Thanks so much. It’s been a pleasure working on this with you.
Not to toot my own horn too loudly, but that's a very nice ego stroke.
I did go through some more of the projects that showed up in my inbox and, actually, brought home a lot of folders to go through. From those folders, I expect my to list to top 100. Seriously. I left with 88 items on my list. I was just reviewing the folders and I have, easily, 12 more items to add to my list. I will process those folders later this weekend so that I know exactly what I'm dealing with on Monday.
This upcoming week should be interesting. The update that was to be shipped by the end of the week may be pushed back due to some final changes to the system. A project was sent to QA on Friday that has 45 hours of testing associated with it. It's number 80 on my list. Should be interesting to see how this all goes down.
But back to my friend. He said that he had been praying a lot lately, asking for answers to his situation. I hope he gets an answer and I hope that he finds his way through this chaotic time in his life. Something perfect is waiting for him and, I think, it is only a matter of time before it presents itself to him.
Our conversation yesterday was a lot about where he is now. He works for a company that sounds like a hellhole. He absolutely hates it, but he feels powerless to do anything about it. He is doing work he hasn't been trained to do, every one else is too busy to help him, and he's being evaluated on work he can't do efficiently. The working conditions are awful. He desperately wants to return to his former job but b/c he left, came back, left, came back, his former manager won't talk to him about coming back.
So, in this economy, what do you do? This site says to put on your game face. I think the problem with the whole article, though, is summed up in this line:
"An economy in recession isn't new and won't last forever, she notes, so people shouldn't worry excessively. But they shouldn't be surprised if they are unhappy in a job, and may have to simply hunker down and take it."
Just accept that you're in a crap job and live with it? What kind of hope can be found or motivation in that kind of statement?
I often felt kind of helpless in the conversation yesterday. In my career, I really haven't hated any job I've had. Listening to my friend, I've been lucky in that regards. My career history has been marked with long stays
I liked working @ the Spring House restaurant in Cedar Rapids and was there 7 years.
I worked @ a toy store in the warehouse and as the "industrial maintenance engineer" for ~3 years. While I didn't like my boss in the summer of 1990, in hindsight, I learned a lot from him.
I worked as a telemarketer for 3 months. That was my shortest stay. I got to talk to different people. My boss was a female dog who I didn't click with at all but I also think she was going through personal stuff of her own. I don't think it was my fault.
I left there to go to a different company as a temp. I never went back to the telemarketing firm, though I had made that arrangement in case the temp situation didn't work. I was a temp from 11/92-2/95.
From there, I went to my first tech writing job. I was there 3 years.
I left there to join a different software company and stayed there 9 months. That was to work with a college buddy of mine and my first exposure to online Help. I would have gladly stayed there longer except we used to sit around the lunch table and wonder if a check from a client would come in so payroll could be met. I was shifted from tech writing to data entry and I guess that kind of made me worry.
I left that company at the right time because everyone else abandoned ship shortly after I left.
I've been where I am now for 10.5 years. I like what I do. There's challenges, of course, like the MSI issue (that is SOLVED!!!! YEAH!) and there are little bumps in the road that come up. Overall, though, I like what I do and I like the people I work with. On Thursday, I talked to a client about some issues she was having. On Friday, I sent her a long e-mail message with a summary of what I had found out about her issues and she said:
I have reviewed your other items on my issues and I understand. I look forward to seeing the proposed resolutions on those outstanding solutions when they are available. Thanks so much. It’s been a pleasure working on this with you.
Not to toot my own horn too loudly, but that's a very nice ego stroke.
I did go through some more of the projects that showed up in my inbox and, actually, brought home a lot of folders to go through. From those folders, I expect my to list to top 100. Seriously. I left with 88 items on my list. I was just reviewing the folders and I have, easily, 12 more items to add to my list. I will process those folders later this weekend so that I know exactly what I'm dealing with on Monday.
This upcoming week should be interesting. The update that was to be shipped by the end of the week may be pushed back due to some final changes to the system. A project was sent to QA on Friday that has 45 hours of testing associated with it. It's number 80 on my list. Should be interesting to see how this all goes down.
But back to my friend. He said that he had been praying a lot lately, asking for answers to his situation. I hope he gets an answer and I hope that he finds his way through this chaotic time in his life. Something perfect is waiting for him and, I think, it is only a matter of time before it presents itself to him.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Catchup
Where to begin? This week flew by. I have not sat at my PC since Monday night. It was a crazy week but not without some major accomplishments.
At work, first and foremost, I finally solved my MSI issue! You may recall that when I went to install version "2," "version 1" displayed in the title bar. I worked with the original trainer that set up the MSI and he removed the version from the MSI. But the other problem was that the MSI was being referenced, somewhere, so no matter what I did, you always saw "version 1" when you were trying to install "version 2" and there was nothing I could do except uninstall "version 1" which was not an acceptable solution. Hence, it seems really strange to have been dealing with this since 12/23/08 but today, the month of not being able to get the new install for the new version of the software to work ended. Ultimately, it is the following VBS that fixed my issue:
At work, first and foremost, I finally solved my MSI issue! You may recall that when I went to install version "2," "version 1" displayed in the title bar. I worked with the original trainer that set up the MSI and he removed the version from the MSI. But the other problem was that the MSI was being referenced, somewhere, so no matter what I did, you always saw "version 1" when you were trying to install "version 2" and there was nothing I could do except uninstall "version 1" which was not an acceptable solution. Hence, it seems really strange to have been dealing with this since 12/23/08 but today, the month of not being able to get the new install for the new version of the software to work ended. Ultimately, it is the following VBS that fixed my issue:
'-----------------------------------------------------------------------
' execute commandline and get result into strResult
'-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Set oWsc = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Set oExec = oWsc.Exec("msiexec /x ""
' wait until finished
Do While oExec.Status <> 1
WScript.Sleep 100
Loop
'--------------------------------------------------------
' get output from StdOut and StdErr
'--------------------------------------------------------
strResult = oExec.StdOut.ReadAll() & oExec.StdErr.ReadAll()
Set oExec = Nothing
So, what happens now is that you double-click the setup.exe for "version 2" and the first thing you see is a window that asks if you want to uninstall. Click "Yes" and version 1 is uninstalled, then version 2 is installed. It's a difference in how things work, normally, but I don't know how else to do it without requiring a manual uninstall of the previous version / install of the new version.
Secondly, it was pointed out to me that spelling is very important:
Third, a video that was supposedly very funny has been removed from Youtube so I can't link to it. I found a funny Eddie Murphy video but there's just so many curse words, I don't feel right posting it. So I found some street drumming. The chops are amazing!
http://www.youtube.com/v/A_hlVrFHE_A&hl=
Also found this awesome 2:20 track:
http://www.youtube.com/v/YrMq5gvrwIk&hl=
Back to work. I have 20 weeks of work sitting on my desk or shortly arriving on my desk. It takes me to mid-June. Once again, I did not spend a lot of time writing doc. I don't know when all of it will get done so I'll just keep plugging away. The 20 weeks doesn't include the table-layout to tableless layout conversion project or the 9 new systems. Should be interesting!
I'm having lunch with one of my friends tomorrow. He was in the group of 4 of us that went to Memphis in May in 2007. He used to work with me, but left a long time ago, yet our friendship is one that I cherish. He's a good guy with a lot of the same ideas regarding music and what sucks and what doesn't. I look forward to lunch tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
I Can't Go On / Deflate the air from both of my lungs
As I mentioned, I am putting the final touches on two Bayside reviews. I came across this video that includes the lyrics I am using as a title of this post. Nope. Not inspired by the title to do anything. I just like the assembly of the words to perfect Anthony Raneri's emotion.
And, by the way, it's 12:30 AM, my bedtime is midnight and I'm going to be up @ 6.
And, by the way, it's 12:30 AM, my bedtime is midnight and I'm going to be up @ 6.
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