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The Tyranny of Email
Circuit Breaker writes "Are you or your co-workers using email instead of phone, face to face conversations, or instant messaging? Read this article, and hand out copies to your mates."
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Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
I liked it so much, I emailed a link to my whole group!
(whoops...)
-- Josh Turiel
"2. Do not eat iPod Shuffle."
I'm sure if I had someone trying to have a conversation with me about how I could increase my penis size to 15 inches or that I'm missing out on hot steamy sex with barely legal teens, they would be in for a world of hurt.
Be you Admins? nay, we are but lusers!
Well, I think I'll just forward them the link, because if I talk to them in real life then they'd realize I wasn't 6'2" with a boy builder's body.
--sig fault--
How to be Really antisocial, without guilt.
He tried to kill me with a forklift!
PHB: Hey Bob, where's that report?
Bob: Didn't Alice send it to you? I emailed to let her know that she needed to do that...
PHB: Hmm... Anybody seen Alice?
That happens all too often, in which case Alice is completely justified to take a fresh pot of coffee and pour it down Bob's pants.
Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
If I actually *wanted* to be more productive at work, I'd follow his advice. Of course I'd probably stay away from reading slashdot too...
I don't have time to continuously check my e-mail at work. I have important things to do, such as compulsively click on 'refresh' button on ./ main page for first posts.
Signatures are for stupids.
Yes and anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong and is a Bad Programmer (tm). There is also One True Editor, One True Brace Style (for those languages which use them), One True Indentation Style, and One True Language (which potentially makes the One True Brace Style irrelevant). All naysayers will be shot. Thank you. -- The Management
Tyrannosaurus Rex is a vic-20 with E-mail apparently
You say you want a revolution....
Far back in the mists of time, well about 1990 anyway, there was a talker called Cheeseplant's House. This got really popular for a while, and at my university people would compulsively log on to it to talk. Eventually a user 'shouted' "Alright - this is silly. How many people here are just sitting in the Lab at Lancaster?".
The number of shame-faced heads that suddenly looked up and started glancing about was truly comical to see. And yes, I was one of 'em.
Cheers,
Ian
I'd consider him lucky, too. I'm within earshot of some geese with a 1-out-of-10 grasp of cubicle etiquette. Let me know if you'd like to hear the latest on Tom Cruise, J-Lo, or the weather in the greater Detroit area.
Just imagine being deeply involved in doing your job and having your concentration broken by some annonymous person ringing a bell and you having to drop what you are doing and respond immediately. Only to find that it's Earl from accounting wanting to know where his TPS forms are.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Imagine sitting in the cube between two people having a phone discussion, and hearing it in stereo.
And both of them are on speakerphone. AAARRRGGGG!
Why can't I moderate something "Wrong" or at least "Grossly Misinformed"?
I agree. Though our dept's rule is when you reply, make sure that everyone who was CC'd on the original e-mail is kept in the reply.
This works great when someone does something like the above and is either completely wrong about something, knows not what they are talking about, etc...
The BOFH in me loves to be able to reply back with "This data is showing up wrong on the web because it is in the database wrong. I did some further tracking and found that the incorrect data is in this record that you entered on such-and-such date."
Usually stops the random cc's for a little bit.
I couldn't connect to the server ... I think the distributed mirror's been slashdotted. Does anyone have a mirror for the distributed mirror?
OK, I'm posting as an AC because I don't know whether this guy is a /. reader (although I suspect not).
r /friend/friend's neighbor/Elks Club brother/mother/mother-in-law/father's son's uncle's newphew's cousin's former roommate is having (lengthy description of problem).
Want to know what really saps my productivity?
wandering coworker walks past my office, looks over shoulder, notices me, comes into my office
wandering coworker: What's new?
Me: Not much. Working on a project right now.
wandering coworker: So the kids were out of the house last night
Me: Sounds nice.
wandering coworker: and me and the missus got to have some play time
Me: Good for you. I have to get this thing out today.
wandering coworker: She was much appreciative. launch into lengthy metaphoric description of sexual activity
Me: Well, I need to get this done.
wandering coworker: I know what you mean. I was working on launch into lengthy description of bugs created and fixed
Me: Wow. Sounds like it was a pain. Glad it's fixed
wandering coworker: In other news, my son/daughter/brother-in-law/sister-in-law/neighbo
Me: Wow, that must be hard. I really have to get back to...
wandering coworker: Did you see (TV show/movie)? launch into description which takes nearly as long as watching the thing
Me: I really need to get this done. Can we do this later?
wandering coworker: miffed Fine.
I now endure a week to a month of said individual refusing to communicate with me even about work matters. Bleah.
Of cource there is, at least with Python
Yes, you are right. You do use 9 spaces per indentation, right? I hate those wimps who use less, and those idiots who use more. I'm glad we agree on this!
only to have been BBC'd to my superiors
You mean like this ? Nope - my bad - that was to the Observer not the BBC...
--- Hot Shot City is particularly good.
All the parent says is "this article is not useful for me". If that's all it takes, here goes:
I am an air traffic controller. I am required to answer planes as soon as they contact me. It is expected, that I stop hyperventilating from stress and answer the radio ASAP, in case the problem being reported is an emergency.
And, being salaried, i don't get paid to work late nights and such (thank goodness, since I've already got an ulcer).
Also, head phones aren't allowed in my office, because if a plane is about to crash it can make them feel ignored.
So, great advise. Wish i could use. it.
Jon Katz, is that you?
I do not have a signature
+1 to the boss for knowing who Dilbert is
-5 for spelling it is Delbert
Seriously... aside from the other obvious error of Memo's, it's actually a good piece.
-- Is "Sig" copyrighted by www.sig.com?
Do I have a deal for him. Several, actually. No, make that several thousand.
The article mentions proper spelling and grammar in e-mails. I have another problem, the use of ellipses...people...seem to think...that... randomly placing ellipses...all over...their message...will somehow... absolve them...of punctuation... when all it really does...is annoy. Did they... pick it up...from Japanese...RPG games?
What does that symbol even mean anymore? Like if one period means pause three periods must be really dramatic!
Really, it's like "Man I don't know if a comma goes here, this elipse will fool everyone! I'm brilliant!" I'm not a grammar nazi or anything, I just hate reading IM/e-mails from people that do this. Even the damn article has some ellipses in it.
So if you're one of those people who does this, please stop. For...the love... of god.
I've gotten into the bad habit of emailing with co-workers to arrange lunch gatherings...
Now, unfortunately, every time time that little new email chime rings on my computer, I begin to drool uncontrollably!
Did he really say that in the ideal world everyone would do tasks within their range of competence and never do tasks that they find difficult?
I wonder how he learned programming.
...but kept getting alerts from my email client.
See my Home Theater
Oh god, being caught between two "phonies" is so annoying. In my department one pseudo-manager phones her underlings every 20 minutes to talk about their work on the current project ("did you compile yet?", "did you change that variable name yet?","I think we should do it this way"), yet she sits in a cubicle 10 feet away from them and can easily stand up and have a conversation in a normal tone of voice. Luckily I sit away from them and don't hear them anymore, but a coworker of mine sits right in the middle and he hears the whole conversation in stereo-she asks a question, he answers, she replies. Ridiculous.
Meanwhile I sit beside a manager who's native language is French and if you've ever been to queerbec you know how boisterous they can get. His french buddy comes by a half dozen times a day and all I hear is "Pouvoir Boivoir Voulaiz Sucretz Viva bonjoir!" one decibel short of shouting for the next 20 minutes.
Then you got the ones who for some reason think that the office phone is not enough for them and have to leave their cell phones on so everyone can listen to their stupid customized ringer tootin the theme to the A-Team or something. At least take it with you or turn it off when you leave your desk.
Thank god for email! Unlike speaking or the phone, it doesn't make noise, other people's email doesn't distract you, you don't have to read it immediately, and you can ignore the little envelope icon until you are finished with your current task.
What's new is that slashdot editors just discovered this phenomenon. They're a bit slow, you see.
What? They didn't get my email about it?
--
As a matter of fact, I am a lawyer. But I play an actor on TV.
"T-Y-R, no, R, R like Raymond, A, like Ananas, N, no, not M, N like Nancy, ..."
- Could you repeat, just to make sure I have it right?
Achille Talon
Hop!
Fight the power! Use "email".
And I'd be a Libertarian, if they weren't all a bunch of tax-dodging professional whiners.
Berke Breathed
1. It breaks your concentration.
2. It misleads you into inefficient problem solving.
I have to agree -- its so hard to focus on my work, when I'm trying to concentrate, and I have an email notification take me away from what I'm doing. How am I supposed to get any work done when ... oh, wait a second, someone's calling me on the phone ... brb
As another timesaver/productivity enhancement, I strongly recommend choosing either a "blank" homepage for your browser or a static "non-interesting" page.
:)
I have Slashdot as my homepage and find that I stand a very strong chance of being distracted every time I open a new browser window!
In fact, I'm supposed to be browsing our Javadoc to find the name of a function right now - but instead I got suckered by yet another slashdot headline...