Very well put. I do recognize the fundamental differences between medical practice and tech support, and one of those is the lack of formal training in tech support. Imagine a tech that had three or four years of education specifically for support, followed up with five or more years of internship in various areas - they would probably make a phenomenal tech support person. Too bad the money's not there...
I'd hope that a doctor would ask for some help if he was stumped... but pride is a dangerous thing when it's dealing with your life. And not everyone does "the right thing."
I do appreciate when a doctor recommends cost-effective alternatives to expensive prescription medicines, though.
Very true. I would never recommend that someone take their healthcare entirely into their own hands (auto-surgical procedures are messy).:)
Always get a second opinion if you don't feel your doctor is giving you the best care you can get. Of course, there are folks out there that simply refuse to believe what doctors tell them so they end up hurting or deluding themselves.
Doctors are like help desk technicians - you come to them with a problem, they have tests they can perform, and in the end they try to help you fix whatever's ailing you. But also like a tech, doctors are not always perfect - they have to make educated guesses about the problem and can definitely make mistakes. (The analogy continues, but it's important to realize the difference in necessary education before a person becomes a doctor. The risks of a PC crash are nothing compared to an allergic reaction that results in death.)
Now just like calling a computer tech, your visit to the doctor may not be that fruitful. It is possible that you will discover something your physician doesn't - after all, it's your body. In many cases, the doctor may not be willing to spend hours of research time finding a possible treatment for you. It's not surprising that you're willing to spend those hours on Google or other resources.
What I'd suggest is that you do your research and present your findings to your doctor. Work with him or her to approach these findings from an objective (try) standpoint and leave your emotions at the door. If your doctor will not work with you and you believe that one of these treatments may be successful, find another doctor who will be more receptive.
A few months ago, I went to the doctor with what I feared to be bronchitis or pneumonia. He told me I had the flu and prescribed a couple of things. I was skeptical of his anti-viral Rx, and when I went to get them filled the pharmacist told me that these drugs were only supposed to be prescribed on the first or second day of symptoms (I was in my fourth). I felt like the doctor (not my regular, but someone filling in) just gave me something to get me to leave. I did some research, and sure enough, there was no reason he should have prescribed those pills other than to mollify me.
I completely agree. Generally speaking, no client wants to pay anything for something that isn't "good."
Personally, if anyone asked me to do a project and clearly chose "fast" and "cheap" I'd probably tell them to find someone else.
But what it really boils down to is that "good" is variable not within my work, but within the industry - you can find companies that offer different levels of "good" and that will help you get fast and cheap. Since they all affect each other (especially the pricing) that's something I frequently have to point out to potential clients.
I recently had a client reject our proposal based on price - he said he can't afford our work and said he could get by with less quality. He seemed sad when he said it, too. As if he knew he was making the "fast and cheap" route.
It goes for a lot more than software, too. I tell many of my clients (usually right around the time they get unreasonable) the same thing, though worded differently:
Fast, cheap, good: Pick any two.
Generally speaking: If you think you got all three, either you screwed someone over or you're a sucker.
I read a couple of his SSL articles and understand where he's coming from. But I don't agree with the mentality that "it's not perfect, so why bother" that he seems to have.
WEP and SSL aren't perfect - but that doesn't mean you shouldn't use them. Some degress of "chaos" would result if you stopped altogether. Just head on down to Panera, the library, or a college campus and pick up all the email accounts, credit cards, etc. that you desire.
It's appropriate, then, that you do nothing but criticize him without offering 1) criticism of his points or 2) constructive suggestions about how to improve.
He's arguing that it's a waste of time and money that won't improve security. He makes the argument quite well. And you haven't offered anything to oppose it.
"His premise that identification itself is invalid is moronic"
How is it moronic? He's pointing out that identification cards are not a good way of improving security. I can give you plenty of anecdotes about how I used to make fake ids for friends in college or how I almost ended up with a bank account in someone else's name just because the lady confused a couple of different papers. My brother used a fake id to get into bars for eight months before he turned 21...
It usually seems to happen when the unemployed has a working spouse that can pay the bills. It's easy for some people to fall into the "extended summer vacation" mode that feels like high school/college again. That can take a heavy toll on a marriage, social life, etc.
Then again, I know people (my wife and I included) that can't stand to be away from work so long. Extended unemployment would drive us nuts.
That's only half-serious. I know folks that don't spend enough time looking for a job, and that's why they're still unemployed. Sometimes they enjoy being unemployed more than the paycheck that a job would bring in.
On the other hand, the obvious benefit to this kind of work is that you can build your resume and skillset by working in the field, even without having that job.
I receive server status alerts on my cell phone. That's accomplished by sending an email to two addresses - one that I check and one that forwards as an SMS to whatever carrier I'm using.
And if you've ever worked in an office with no windows and no TVs, you might not realize there was a weather alert. I used to work right through tornado warnings without knowing the sirens were on...
For critical things like emergency notifications, the more options the better. Note that I have other procedures in place for massive server outages - so if the messages don't come through or I can't check my email, I can still be notified other ways.
No, the test was designed to use code that many developers would use and many would use incorrectly. There are details on how a browser should handle bad code - and most fall short of the standards. That's one of the reasons why you have browser "hacks" and why many developers end up with bad habits.
In other words, don't be so forgiving with bad code. It hurts the world of web development when bad code becomes a de facto "standard."
If a guy knew that someone was stealing his vehicle to run over pedestrians, but did nothing to stop it, he would held responsible.
There are plenty of ISPs that are victims as well. They try to fight the zombie boxes, viruses, etc. but many are understaffed, underequipped, etc. The mom and pop ISP (they still exist) has very little pull with the courts.
Other ISPs, on the other hand, are fully aware of the abuses that take place on their networks. They do nothing to stop them and don't care. It's money. Many of these are beyond the reach of US courts, too. So people have to take drastic measures like blocking the entire subnet.
ISPs should make an effort to police their own users. They usually have a TOS that forbids certain uses; just enforce them and I'll be happy.
Great! Then you won't count as an impression for my Adsense campaigns. And you definitely won't accidentally become a clickthrough. Which saves me money. So my ads can get through to actual customers who want my products.
I don't personally have any ads...but we help our clients run an Adwords campaign. You can measure the success of these ads in conversions - interested parties that become a sale (or, in their case, a sales lead). If you don't intend to click on an ad, that's fine. Personally, I never click the paid listings on Google.
But a good number of people do. Where I consider natural listings to be more relevant, many users place a higher relevance on the paid listings. The numbers are there to back it up - so it's well worth my clients' time and money to use it. It's paid off quite well for them.
Some psychology papers are based on data collected over decades. Peer review doesn't mean "try this and make sure I was right" as much as it's "make sure my conclusions line up with my methods, the content is relevant in the context of the literature, and so on."
Indeed, even top journals in Psychology will publish papers with mistakes that the reviewers missed. Sometimes it's hard to keep up. I think they give a little slack to the established authors in the field, assuming that easy mistakes won't be made.
My wife, a grad student, discovered a problem in a top researcher's paper. She took it to her advisor and some other professors and they discovered she was right and the author was wrong. Of course, she's scared as hell about writing a criticism of such a well-known and respected researcher.
In case it wasn't recognized (and judging by the troll mod, it wasn't) that is a Macromedia function. It's usually inserted by Dreamweaver (and maybe Flash or Contribute, both of which generate HTML pages).
Some of the things you claim I can't really verify - I don't know why they made the decisions they did or if there was any thought behind it at all. For instance, the indexOf part might be intended for support of a specific browser's implementation of Javascript.
I recently broke down and bought an LCD monitor because I'm having more trouble with my eyes. I'm only 24, and have experience issues focusing on the monitor, sensitivity to bright light, and headaches. Since getting this LCD, the problems have gone away a bit. I'm still tweaking the settings - brightness is an issue - but I think it's helped.
With the LCD, I don't suffer from screen glare as with my CRT. That lets me keep the window open, allowing me more natural light and fresh air. I'm sure that all contributes greatly. The sensitivity to sunlight has gone away. I no longer need sunglasses at all times.
Maybe my story is unusual. It's certainly not proof of anything, but Slashdot doesn't exactly require scientific process for comments.
function MM_preloadImages() {//v3.0
var d=document; if(d.images){ if(!d.MM_p) d.MM_p=new Array();
var i,j=d.MM_p.length,a=MM_preloadImages.arguments; for(i=0; i<a.length; i++)
if (a[i].indexOf("#")!=0){ d.MM_p[j]=new Image; d.MM_p[j++].src=a[i];}} }
(As an aside, this is a good example of optimizing code for production web delivery vs. clear, well-commented or self-documenting code for development.)
Slashdot Mirror
Very well put. I do recognize the fundamental differences between medical practice and tech support, and one of those is the lack of formal training in tech support. Imagine a tech that had three or four years of education specifically for support, followed up with five or more years of internship in various areas - they would probably make a phenomenal tech support person. Too bad the money's not there...
I'd hope that a doctor would ask for some help if he was stumped... but pride is a dangerous thing when it's dealing with your life. And not everyone does "the right thing."
I do appreciate when a doctor recommends cost-effective alternatives to expensive prescription medicines, though.
Very true. I would never recommend that someone take their healthcare entirely into their own hands (auto-surgical procedures are messy). :)
Always get a second opinion if you don't feel your doctor is giving you the best care you can get. Of course, there are folks out there that simply refuse to believe what doctors tell them so they end up hurting or deluding themselves.
Doctors are like help desk technicians - you come to them with a problem, they have tests they can perform, and in the end they try to help you fix whatever's ailing you. But also like a tech, doctors are not always perfect - they have to make educated guesses about the problem and can definitely make mistakes. (The analogy continues, but it's important to realize the difference in necessary education before a person becomes a doctor. The risks of a PC crash are nothing compared to an allergic reaction that results in death.)
Now just like calling a computer tech, your visit to the doctor may not be that fruitful. It is possible that you will discover something your physician doesn't - after all, it's your body. In many cases, the doctor may not be willing to spend hours of research time finding a possible treatment for you. It's not surprising that you're willing to spend those hours on Google or other resources.
What I'd suggest is that you do your research and present your findings to your doctor. Work with him or her to approach these findings from an objective (try) standpoint and leave your emotions at the door. If your doctor will not work with you and you believe that one of these treatments may be successful, find another doctor who will be more receptive.
A few months ago, I went to the doctor with what I feared to be bronchitis or pneumonia. He told me I had the flu and prescribed a couple of things. I was skeptical of his anti-viral Rx, and when I went to get them filled the pharmacist told me that these drugs were only supposed to be prescribed on the first or second day of symptoms (I was in my fourth). I felt like the doctor (not my regular, but someone filling in) just gave me something to get me to leave. I did some research, and sure enough, there was no reason he should have prescribed those pills other than to mollify me.
Like telling a user "run a defrag."
You don't think the burning smell would do it? Or the angry phone calls from customers? Or the investors, for that matter?
"Best not to risk your life if a regime is that oppressive."
That's an excellent time to risk your life. Rolling over and "playing nice" is exactly what lets oppressive regimes exist.
I completely agree. Generally speaking, no client wants to pay anything for something that isn't "good."
Personally, if anyone asked me to do a project and clearly chose "fast" and "cheap" I'd probably tell them to find someone else.
But what it really boils down to is that "good" is variable not within my work, but within the industry - you can find companies that offer different levels of "good" and that will help you get fast and cheap. Since they all affect each other (especially the pricing) that's something I frequently have to point out to potential clients.
I recently had a client reject our proposal based on price - he said he can't afford our work and said he could get by with less quality. He seemed sad when he said it, too. As if he knew he was making the "fast and cheap" route.
It goes for a lot more than software, too. I tell many of my clients (usually right around the time they get unreasonable) the same thing, though worded differently:
Fast, cheap, good: Pick any two.
Generally speaking: If you think you got all three, either you screwed someone over or you're a sucker.
Wow. I had to read Slashdot to find out it was Friday the 13th today.
*sigh*
I read a couple of his SSL articles and understand where he's coming from. But I don't agree with the mentality that "it's not perfect, so why bother" that he seems to have.
WEP and SSL aren't perfect - but that doesn't mean you shouldn't use them. Some degress of "chaos" would result if you stopped altogether. Just head on down to Panera, the library, or a college campus and pick up all the email accounts, credit cards, etc. that you desire.
It's appropriate, then, that you do nothing but criticize him without offering 1) criticism of his points or 2) constructive suggestions about how to improve.
He's arguing that it's a waste of time and money that won't improve security. He makes the argument quite well. And you haven't offered anything to oppose it.
"His premise that identification itself is invalid is moronic"
How is it moronic? He's pointing out that identification cards are not a good way of improving security. I can give you plenty of anecdotes about how I used to make fake ids for friends in college or how I almost ended up with a bank account in someone else's name just because the lady confused a couple of different papers. My brother used a fake id to get into bars for eight months before he turned 21...
It usually seems to happen when the unemployed has a working spouse that can pay the bills. It's easy for some people to fall into the "extended summer vacation" mode that feels like high school/college again. That can take a heavy toll on a marriage, social life, etc.
Then again, I know people (my wife and I included) that can't stand to be away from work so long. Extended unemployment would drive us nuts.
As opposed to job hunting?
That's only half-serious. I know folks that don't spend enough time looking for a job, and that's why they're still unemployed. Sometimes they enjoy being unemployed more than the paycheck that a job would bring in.
On the other hand, the obvious benefit to this kind of work is that you can build your resume and skillset by working in the field, even without having that job.
"Microsoft is working with Ford Motor Co towards car that can't crash."
Oh, it's too perfect!
I receive server status alerts on my cell phone. That's accomplished by sending an email to two addresses - one that I check and one that forwards as an SMS to whatever carrier I'm using.
And if you've ever worked in an office with no windows and no TVs, you might not realize there was a weather alert. I used to work right through tornado warnings without knowing the sirens were on...
For critical things like emergency notifications, the more options the better. Note that I have other procedures in place for massive server outages - so if the messages don't come through or I can't check my email, I can still be notified other ways.
The more options the better. That's it.
I just read your comment and immediately heard a voice say "Hi, I'm Julie the Insightful Sheep."
My wife has a weird sense of humor. And her name's not even Julie.
No, the test was designed to use code that many developers would use and many would use incorrectly. There are details on how a browser should handle bad code - and most fall short of the standards. That's one of the reasons why you have browser "hacks" and why many developers end up with bad habits.
In other words, don't be so forgiving with bad code. It hurts the world of web development when bad code becomes a de facto "standard."
To continue with the misguided analogy -
If a guy knew that someone was stealing his vehicle to run over pedestrians, but did nothing to stop it, he would held responsible.
There are plenty of ISPs that are victims as well. They try to fight the zombie boxes, viruses, etc. but many are understaffed, underequipped, etc. The mom and pop ISP (they still exist) has very little pull with the courts.
Other ISPs, on the other hand, are fully aware of the abuses that take place on their networks. They do nothing to stop them and don't care. It's money. Many of these are beyond the reach of US courts, too. So people have to take drastic measures like blocking the entire subnet.
ISPs should make an effort to police their own users. They usually have a TOS that forbids certain uses; just enforce them and I'll be happy.
Great! Then you won't count as an impression for my Adsense campaigns. And you definitely won't accidentally become a clickthrough. Which saves me money. So my ads can get through to actual customers who want my products.
I don't personally have any ads...but we help our clients run an Adwords campaign. You can measure the success of these ads in conversions - interested parties that become a sale (or, in their case, a sales lead). If you don't intend to click on an ad, that's fine. Personally, I never click the paid listings on Google.
But a good number of people do. Where I consider natural listings to be more relevant, many users place a higher relevance on the paid listings. The numbers are there to back it up - so it's well worth my clients' time and money to use it. It's paid off quite well for them.
Tell that to these guys
Finally, I'll be able to write spyware/worm/viruses for servers, where they're more efficient!
Some psychology papers are based on data collected over decades. Peer review doesn't mean "try this and make sure I was right" as much as it's "make sure my conclusions line up with my methods, the content is relevant in the context of the literature, and so on."
Indeed, even top journals in Psychology will publish papers with mistakes that the reviewers missed. Sometimes it's hard to keep up. I think they give a little slack to the established authors in the field, assuming that easy mistakes won't be made.
My wife, a grad student, discovered a problem in a top researcher's paper. She took it to her advisor and some other professors and they discovered she was right and the author was wrong. Of course, she's scared as hell about writing a criticism of such a well-known and respected researcher.
In case it wasn't recognized (and judging by the troll mod, it wasn't) that is a Macromedia function. It's usually inserted by Dreamweaver (and maybe Flash or Contribute, both of which generate HTML pages).
Some of the things you claim I can't really verify - I don't know why they made the decisions they did or if there was any thought behind it at all. For instance, the indexOf part might be intended for support of a specific browser's implementation of Javascript.
I recently broke down and bought an LCD monitor because I'm having more trouble with my eyes. I'm only 24, and have experience issues focusing on the monitor, sensitivity to bright light, and headaches. Since getting this LCD, the problems have gone away a bit. I'm still tweaking the settings - brightness is an issue - but I think it's helped.
With the LCD, I don't suffer from screen glare as with my CRT. That lets me keep the window open, allowing me more natural light and fresh air. I'm sure that all contributes greatly. The sensitivity to sunlight has gone away. I no longer need sunglasses at all times.
Maybe my story is unusual. It's certainly not proof of anything, but Slashdot doesn't exactly require scientific process for comments.