 Chris Goh's "On the Net"
The glass half-empty or half-full analogy is often used to explain whether someone is an optimist or a pessimist.
I don't think I've come across a person yet that would ever admit to seeing the glass half empty. Yet I've only ever met one person who was always optimistic and instantly positive to any situation.
They're hard people to find. In contrast, I must admit I'm a half empty kind of guy. While children tend to take things at face value, adults are always looking for a subtext.
I often attempt to interpret the intent of what is being said, rather than listening to what is being said to me. I've come to the conclusion that it's actually a bit of a barrier to communicating, especially in relationships where I know someone well enough to think I know what they're saying without actually listening. It worries me that I might end up discounting people and letting my cynicism override things as a result.
So when I discovered email things got really interesting. Aside from the fact that a lot of the meaning of what is said is in subtle things like facial expressions and gestures, tone, inflection, etc, etc. Suddenly what people wanted to say was there in black and white (or colour, if you're the sort of person who likes to send pink text emails...) - much like a newspaper.
Suddenly, I was back to accepting communications at 'face value' (if you'll excuse the mixed metaphor). If information technology raised my level of self awareness, it was through the contrast in my persona using different levels of communication. I was amused to see the differing characteristics in others - like the short, sharp, to-the-point emails from people who tended to be long-winded in face-to-face discussions. Others who were short and sweet face to face took great pains to articulate their meanings and intentions in emails. It's surprising how many people are a completely different kettle of fish - a bit like the nice guy who turns into a road rager.
So next time you're on email, IRC, ICQ, or similar, have a look at your writing style. Ask yourself whether you portray the same person people know or a different one, and more importantly, why is it so?
Hot News
By the time you read this, the first X-boxes will have hit US shelves. There's no doubt these little beasties will sell like hotcakes. I don't doubt that Microsoft's bottom line will improve in leaps and bounds this financial year - although Microsoft claims it won't recoup its development costs for a couple of years. Most of the revenue will be harvested from game licences. The RRP in Australia will be $649. Mind you, their multi-million marketing strategy has already got them into hot water with some Sydney councils, where graffiti artists have been painting 'X' on footpaths to promote the product... Seems they can't do anything without landing in court.
In 1971, Intel created the first programmable chip - the 4004 microprocessor, which managed 108 kilohertz- one tenth of the 1 megahertz used to power the average calculator. It would take another 3 years for Intel to create the 8080 - the foundation for the IBM PC. It's a bitter memory for Motorola, which had a better processor and could have been the Intel today if it had managed to keep the supply of chips up, going head to head with Intel to supply IBM. The irony is that for Intel to maintain supply, it had to enlist the help of AMD to CO-produce their chip. Today they are the industry's greatest rivals.
Hotsites
www.disabilitytravel.com/
This is an excellent, site for people with disabilities. If you have a disability and want to travel, but are put off because mobility and access makes you feel like a second class citizen, hope-fully this site will show you how you can take an overseas trip and enjoy it.
http://infocenter.cramsession.com/
Occasionally a site astounds me with the quality of the information. And when you're making critical assessments, it's not easy to stop and have fun. But if you know anyone in IT who doesn't know about this site, then point it out to them. It offers handy tips on the types of IT certification available, cheat sheets (or reference sheets) to all the big name IT courses. If you're not after certification but want to know the hidden gems on application services, then this site is invaluable. You have to submit some details (incidentally the country list is not alphabetical so Australia is somewhere in the middle) but it's a small price to pay.
www.parentsplace.com/
For pending and current parents this is a handy reference site - although I doubt my mother would have found handy instructions for me… but you never know.
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