Tag: Experts

A Change of Direction. Is Longer and Less Often Better?

I found the site Create And Go. They have a very nice post about blogging in 2023.

One of their recommendations is longer and more in-depth posts. And to do that even if it results in less frequent posts.

I am happy to hear that. I like longer and in-depth writing more anyway.

I started this blog over a year ago. I’ve enjoyed writing it. I enjoy writing about the topic of people using technology. But I have struggled at times to meet my self-set goal of two posts a week.

I’m not sure if I’ll continue this particular blog on this domain, or change to a different domain. That will probably be the first long-form post for me to write, to really consider that question.

Excel Files Are Zipped Files

I do remember reading this before. I hadn’t realized what all got zipped up in those zip files.

Among other things, there is a file called calcChain.xml. This shows the order calculations are done on cells in the Excel spreadsheet.

That in turn can be used to figure out if cells have been moved around the sheet.

Data Colada has more information in their (very fascinating) post “[109] Data Falsificada (Part 1): ‘Clusterfake’“. It is dated June 17 2023 (and last accessed for this post on August 5 2023).

I have no idea if this is true of other spreadsheet types, like the LibreOffice Calc spreadsheets.

Useful Sites: Cyclone and Dust Collection Research, courtesy of Bill Pentz

The site: Cyclone and Dust Collection Research. The home page says it was created in 2000 and was last updated in August 2022. That’s an impressive amount of dedication.

I found this through a link from The Wood Database.

Yes, he is advocating for products that he helped design. I’m fine with that, profit is part of what makes the world go round.

Obviously, it’s about dust collection. I’ve only just started reading through the site, but I already found this bit of interesting information: it’s dangerous for a person to vent their dust collection system inside their shop. Very fine dust is what causes a lot of the physical damage and venting a dust collector system inside the shop lets particles too fine for dust filter continue to circulate in the shop. Much better is venting the dust collection system outside.

Mr. Pentz’s biography is quite interesting. At the end he says that his health has finally required him to retire and slow down. I hope his health gets better.

Mindset Monday: Know what you want to achieve before you start asking for assistance.

I often talk to people who say “Hey, you’re good at computers, how do I . . .”

Over decades of experience, I’ve learned to ask why they want to do whatever-it-is they are asking about.

Frequently the answer to “Why?” will reveal a belief that computers and digital technology are magic. They must be magic, because the questioner has no idea how it works, but the technology can do all these amazing things. Someone who can work with one part of the magic must be able to use any of the magic, right? The answer is “No.”

Usually the assumption isn’t exposed and challenged until it’s too late. A friend, co-worker, or relative was begged, cajoled, or drafted into helping with one technological project because they’re comfortable with a different type of technology. No set goal was specified. The person asking didn’t know what was reasonable to ask. The person trying to help wasn’t sure what was possible or how much effort and pain any of this would require, especially if it was a type of technology they weren’t familiar with. It ended with everyone being vaguely frustrated.

This is why ComputerGear has a t-shirt for sale which says “I’m a {Programmer}. I write <code>. I don’t fix computers.” and used to have a t-shirt which said “No, I won’t fix your computer.”

(Yes, I still need to look up what is the correct citation format for citing websites.)

Mindset Monday: Occasionally Read the Experts

What makes someone an expert is often not only their skill, but their experience. This includes knowing what shortcuts to take, when, and why, and what shortcuts to avoid.

Being an expert can also include knowing what basic requirements of success are absolutely essential, but are often lost in the details. Or, they know how often the forest gets missed for the trees.

I just finished reading the book Couture Sewing Techniques, Revised and Updated by Shaeffer. Do I intend to make a couture garment? Not any time soon. Do I intend to buy a couture garment? Not unless I have a lot more money than I have now. Did I learn anything useful? I sure did. Among other things, I learned some things about how shirts and jackets are supposed to fit when they fit correctly. I learned some things about making pockets.

The biggest thing I learned was why that level of tailoring and dressmaking costs so much: it’s not because of all the handwork, but because the handwork is combined with expertise in appearance and construction to make garments which are comfortable to wear and really flatter the wearer.

The word “technology” can apply almost any skill or craft. From the Online Etymology Dictionary, the etymology of technology:

technology (n.)
1610s, “a discourse or treatise on an art or the arts,” from Latinized form of Greek tekhnologia “systematic treatment of an art, craft, or technique,” originally referring to grammar, from tekhno-, combining form of tekhnē “art, skill, craft in work; method, system, an art, a system or method of making or doing,” . . .

D. Harper. “Etymology of technology.” Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/technology (accessed November 22, 2022).

For the purposes of this blog, I usually use “technology” to mean electrical, electronic, or computer technology.

But there lots of fields, lots of “art, craft, or technique” which have varying levels of skill and expertise. It’s still a human creating something. And the end user of the created thing is usually a human.

“If it’s expensive, it had better be comfortable for me to use, or make me look good in front of others”: that’s why it’s worth reading the experts.