Has “comprised of” become the new standard usage, or is there still hope? #grammar

Finally made the leap and moved my site to Micro.blog.

Meta Work

Meta Work is my term for everything from leadership strategies to individual GTD and PKM workflows—the stuff that transcends any particular domain of work.

Meta (from the Greek μετά, meta, meaning “after” or “beyond”) is a prefix meaning “more comprehensive” or “transcending.”

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Some Thoughts on Report Usability

A usable report meets a specific need, clearly presenting the facts in a way that’s appropriate for the user’s context.

As an analyst you’re an arbiter of facts and the context necessary to understand those facts. — Unknown

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We love spending time on the Oregon Coast, and Yachats (pronounced like yaw-hots) is one of the best places. Photo of Sunset at Yachats, Oregon, September 7, 2022

Apple has a bug in a beta version of iOS that pops up an annoying message periodically, and the whole Internet lights up, and it’s fixed in a couple of days, and we all know about it the moment it’s fixed. Meanwhile, Microsoft breaks SSIS deployment in an official release of Visual Studio, and it stays broken for weeks, and when they finally release a fix, the only way I know about it is because I Googled the problem to see if anything had changed… Oh, and now it’s telling me I have to restart my PC…

For certain use cases, BIML is pure magic. The best kind of power tools!

Good grief, Samsung—this TV has power and Wi-Fi 24/7, but you have to wait to install updates when I want to watch something? Why?!?!?

This morning’s silly dad song: 🎶 “Banana ooo na na, half of my breakfast is banana ooo na na…” 🎶

I just can’t get enough of “Super Love” by Zero Venture ft. Natalia Natchan. It’s EDM + J-pop + NES. It’s nerdy, sweet, and just so much fun!

iOS 11.3 Beta 2 says battery capacity is at 87%, but it has shut down due to insufficient juice and is being throttled. So what—I’m just stuck? Even if I’d gladly pay $29 for a replacement? D’oh!

I just figured out that the Scroll Lock key actually does something on Windows! Made me want to scream and burn Excel to the ground, but hey—I learned something new today!

Why We Encrypt

Bruce Schneier:

Every time you use encryption, you're protecting someone who needs to use it to stay alive.

This is the clearest statement I’ve seen of the case for ubiquitous, on-by-default encryption.

UK government quietly rewrites hacking laws to give GCHQ immunity

Ars Technica:

The UK government has quietly passed new legislation that exempts GCHQ, police, and other intelligence officers from prosecution for hacking into computers and mobile phones.

I'm Terrified Right Now

Derick Bailey:

I want this horrible, sick feeling because it means I care about what I’m doing. It means I understand that I can really screw this up, and I really don’t want to. It means I care enough to make sure I have every detail right… This gut-wrenching sick feeling that I have right now, means I am growing in some new way and doing something new and potentially amazing … and potentially terrifying and horrible, too.

You do not need permission

Brooke Allen:

You do not need permission to do the right thing. No one can give you permission to do the wrong thing.

The Reward For Good Work

Derick Bailey:

For me, my work and my reputation are tied together. I’m not known for social graces, being easy to work with, or having the best bed-side manner when helping others. But I am known for quality work, for pushing others to do better, and for clearing a path on which others can travel. Sometimes my technical ability makes up for my lack of empathy.

My experience exactly. I would add that as my reputation grows, I find that I get more interesting work.

How a Microwave Should Work

I have strong opinions about the proper UI design for a microwave oven:

The number buttons should just be numbers. Pressing the 2 button should not immediately start cooking for 2 minutes. If I want 2 minutes, I’ll hit 2-0-0-Start. I should not have to find a Time Cook button, or anything like that, before I can heat my food.

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One in a million is next Tuesday

Larry Osterman:

Gordon’s response was simply: “In our business, one in a million is next Tuesday”.

What I Want From Tech Support

I’ve been working with a software vendor on the same support case for 15 days now, and it’s driving me crazy. It would be unprofessional to rag on the vendor here, but I will share a few thoughts on what I want from tech support that I consistently don’t get.

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