Computer Monkey

Directly Elected...

So Australia has a new Prime Minister today in Julia Gillard. Much
like the NSW State Government, the process went something like this:

Bad poll > panic > factional warlords organise spill > new leader.

Just like in NSW, this situation is closely followed by cries of "We
didn't elect this Prime Minister". Julia Gillard even referenced this
herself in her press conference after her caucus installation.

This was then followed by the more politically educated talking about
the Westminster system, and how we vote for our local member / party
representative, and that the majority party chooses their leader, and
thus the PM, in their own fashion.

The problem with this argument is that it's only technically true.
This is how the system is designed and how, on occasions like this, it
works. But it is NOT how election campaigns are fought, and it's not
how the general public perceives the political system. It is a
lamentable lack of civic education, but like it or not, until the
political parties behave otherwise, or the general political education
level of voters is increased, it is how the system will be interpreted
in the mainstream.

Aiming to expand knowledge is an honourable cause. Informing people of
how the system is designed and (on paper) works, is a noble fight. But
throwing ones hands up in exasperation at all "we didn't elect Julia",
or berating Gillard for her up-front disarming of the issue, only
serves to vent and does little to change perceptions.

So next time someone complains about not having "elected our PM",
inform them of the actual system, but don't berate them for simply
learning by the example of the major parties.

"Fixing" iOS4 Auto-Correct

Just a couple of quick things for (finally) getting the iPhone to recognise some of the more colourful words in the English language:

Blast from the past ...

I really should be throwing out old rubbish, but I find myself occasionally picking something up and looking at it.

Like this excerpt from a diary entry dated 5th of July, 2000:

My new computer is giving me the shits. Well, no, that’s not entirely true. The fact that the printer port isn’t working shits me because I can’t get my Zip drive to work, which means I can’t get stuff off zip disks onto my new computer. This would be find if I could get the null modem connection between my new and old computers to work, but that isn’t working either, so at present the only thing that I can do to transfer documents is HyperTerminal, which is incredibly slow and dodge. 

Zip disks? Null modem? HyperTerminal? Holy shit!

The latest in printer technology

How to Recycle Angels

http://www.howtodestroyangels.com

So apparently Trent got married and made a "new" band with his wife and producer. The sound is more than a little familiar, but Mariqueen Maandig has a good singing voice on her.

Dance little piggy!

The rest of the article is a good read (if you're not already ready to stab your eyes out with a rusty spoon at the thought of another iPhone 4G prototype story), but this quote is why I read the Macalope ...

You know what they say about trying to teach a pig to dance, right? It wastes your time and makes the pig implement a Microsoft-only corporate standard for enterprise-level software delivered solely on Dell hardware.

Music to lose yourself in

Bear McCreary's score for BSG is truly awesome music. More times than I can remember I've put it on as simple background music while I get some work done, and then suddenly realised it's half an hour later, and I've done nothing but listen with my eyes closed.

Home Time (not for me)

Dealing With Forum Trolls

Nope, there is no law, but I will likely ignore it.

 

We're willing to take the risk that some amazing gem of design genius might be lost inside a ranting or whining post. If you want us to take your feedback seriously, communicate the way grown men and women communicate in civil society. We're not asking for something unreasonable here. :) 

I make full use of the entirety of the English language myself. You should probably tone it down here since this is a relatively public place and profanity understandably offends some people. But really that's not what I meant.

The anonymity of the Internet has fostered a culture where being ridiculously over the top with your communication is pretty typical. We're just asking you not to do it here. If it helps, imagine you're in a meeting room with all of the WoW designers and you have 30 seconds to make your point. Are you going to waste it on whining, you-hate-my-class, you-don't-play-the-game stuff? Or are you going to try to make an intelligent point that the designers will actually listen to and hopefully take under advisement?

If you've ever seen a court of law or a government debate, those discussions can get pretty heated, but the participants generally try to maintain a modicum of respect for each other. They want to focus on the legal and / or logical strength of the argument and not the color of the delivery.

In writing, you are generally supposed to show restraint in your use of adjectives and adverbs. Yes, they are necessary in specific situations, but if you overuse them, you risk bloating, confusing or derailing the actual point you're trying to make. The same is true of a forum post. Don't dress it up with junk, which around these parts is typically QQ. Speak plainly. There was a recent thread whose thesis was "Blizzard lies and here's an idea I had for a spell." The mistake there sort of speaks for itself.

Why "tweetblasts" don't really bother me.