Posted on April 29th, 2013%
Today at work, someone wrote the following as a work item summary: “Synch production and test data”.
Reading this, I thought, “Which is correct – sync or synch – when shortening synchronize?”
The winner is sync, and here’s why:
We pronounce either variant as sink.
c alone is often pronounced k (cake, panic)
ch alone is often pronounced ch (church, match)
Sync = ”sink”
Synch = “sinch”
One less keystroke for sync
I was happy with that until reading an article on The Language Lover’s Blog, “Sync or Synch?“, which made me conscious of other common variants, such as psych as short for psychology.
Ultimately, my search was put to bed when I read this comment:
you guys are such nerds!!! the world really doesnt care about the voiceles velar fricative converting to a velar plosive. blogging should be eliminated from the internet.
Guilty as charged…
. . .
→ Read More: Sync or synch as short for synchronize?
Posted on April 19th, 2013%
Author’s Note: I am not a runner, and I probably never will be. My body isn’t made for running. But running is a good metaphor for journeys, and like many others, though I may not run, I still take many journeys in life, some with my body, some with my mind, and some with my heart. The below came to me this morning while driving to work, a journey in itself, as I reflected not on that journey, but on the greater journey of life, and how we get through it: one step at a time.
He had prepared for this for so long, so precisely; yet nothing was going as planned.
For years, he trained on a predictable track, its curves coming at regular intervals, its flatness something he didn’t have to think about. He trained on the perfect days, not too hot, not too cold, just the right amount of moisture in the air . . .
→ Read More: The Runner’s Dilemma: A Story
Posted on January 13th, 2011%
I’ve been trying to find a SQL programmer/DBA to hire for nearly two months. Each qualified resume I receive gets the same technical screening email with four SQL-related questions. They are not difficult, and most mid-level candidates would be able to answer them in their own words.
“Using someone else’s words isn’t going to get you a job, or help you keep a job if you get it.”
The tip here is to always respond to a technical screening email in your own words. We all know that there are answers to every question on the internet, and we all use the internet as a resource to help solve our problems. This is fine. But when someone sends you an email with technical questions, they want to hear the responses in your own words. It’s OK to provide references to web sites, or quotes/snippets — this shows you know how to do research. But don’t pass . . .
→ Read More: Tip: Don’t plagiarize when answering technical interview questions
Posted on May 17th, 2010%
One thing I’ve learned to appreciate more as I’ve gotten older is simplicity. Less confusion, less clutter, less distractions can yield less stress and more productivity. (Note: I appreciate it much more than I am actually successful at doing it.)
One area where simplicity is important is in web design. A recent article by Smashing Magazine, “Principles of Minimalist Web Design, With Examples,” does a fair job at illustrating the importance of simplicity on the web, even though it’s focus is more on graphical design (not my specialty!) than interface design.
A link in the aforementioned article goes to an article, “The Minimalist Principle: Omit Needless Things,” by zenhabits, which is the source of the remainder of my comments in this post. . . . → Read More: Simplicity 101: reducing clutter via minimalism
Posted on April 12th, 2010%
Some days I get over a hundred emails. Often, 90% of those are a waste of my time, and that is after excluding junk mail and related marketing mumbo-jumbo. Why so much email fluff, not-quite-spam-spam? It’s because people don’t consider the human cost of sending an email.
The Email Cost Algorithm
To understand the productivity cost of an email, we need to consider the factors that go in to an email, and how they correlate to time.
First, some facts and assumptions regarding email reading speed.
All emails are intended to be read by all recipients.
The average American can read and comprehend at a rate between 250 and 400 words per minute.
People read about 25% slower on a computer screen than on paper.
We will assume the typical email reading speed is 250 words per minute.
Second, some . . .
→ Read More: Stop the email!
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