Friday, August 03, 2007

Got up on the wrong side of life today...

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I'm in a really odd, kind of rant-y mood today. No idea why. Really.
These are (a few) of the random things that have bothered me today:

1. The word data is plural. Data is literally a bunch of "things"
   not just one. So why do we say "the data is on the server" as opposedto "the data are on the server"? You would never say "The dogs is onthe porch" (unless you were from some geographic regions, in which case you probably aren't concerned with whether data is singular or plural.
   
2. Why is the world so concerned with having "stuff"? You know, things, stuff, toys, items that you don't need that cost extra money and then you may or may not use them... I'm fast becoming less of a "stuff" person (we'll assume books don't count, here). I'm really tired of the materialism, the "how much do you make?" implying that making more money makes you more valuable as a person. And when did living within your means go out of style?
   
3. I think the pop-up previews that outlook puts up when you get a new message are the worst invention ever. Not because I don't use them.... I do, all the time. But because too many people overuse them. Read the whole e-mail before you respond, not just the one line that displays. I try to keep it short, but really, you could take the time to read it.
   
4. Scrum uses the most bizarre terminology ever. I dislike being dubbed a "chicken" (although the alternative title, "pig", wasn't much better). And what are "sprints", anyway? Why can't they call them "iterations", like everyone else?
   
5. I'm annoyed by "news" that isn't newsworthy (imho). Bridges collapsing = news. Pregnant celebs choosing county lockup over city lockup != news. Especially when the story ran yesterday, and was rewritten (with no new information) for today's news. Stuff like this is what clogs up the tubes of the intarweb. Srsly.
   
6. I really hate the term "starting a family". Um, I already have a family started, yo. Chad + Deedee = family. If someone asked me, "do you have any family?" I would say, "yes, I'm married, my parents/siblings live in Alabama, and my in-laws live in Mississippi". Not "no, I haven't got around to starting one yet".
   

And since that rounds out six points, I will stop ranting.

Labels: family, news, rant, scrum, six_points, stupid_people

posted by Deedee 3:00 PM

Comments:

*big hug* sounds like you need one.

all the celeb crap is very annoying and totally not front-page in our face news

# posted by  NightKat : Saturday, August 04, 2007 2:28:00 PM

 

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1) Because no one uses "datum." It's not unusual for words where the singular version has fallen out of use. No one uses medium to refer to one media outlet, so it's not uncommon to here, say, "The media is biased." Still wrong, though.

2) One, because it's more quantifiable than, say, merit as a human being, and, two, because it makes selfishness a point of pride.

3) As a Mac user, I have no comment on this. I'm sure I agree, though.

4) As someone who has no clue what a Scrum is, I have no comment on this one. Again, you're probably right.

5) Amen!

6) I always assume that's a mob reference. "Are you starting a family?" "Well, I've found a good triggerman and the protection racket is going OK, we're just looking for someone to put a hit on."

# posted by  David : Monday, August 06, 2007 9:24:00 AM

 

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1) Chad pointed out, I violated my own rule in that post... "Data is things". But yeah, I think I'll take his advice from here on out, and refer to "data sets". Ha.

2) I agree. Don't get me wrong, I like having nice things... but I would like to not spend the rest of my life paying for said nice things (except the house... we will spend the rest of our lives paying for the house). Or worrying about them (what if they break/get stolen/get lost?). I've been working on getting rid of stuff lately, as I'm just tired of it... we have boxes we haven't unpacked since we moved. But that is another post entirely.

4) (yes I skipped 3) :-) Scrum is a Agile programming methodology, which focuses on iterative development and prioritizing development according to what features are needed most. It's an alternative to the Waterfall method, which is archaic but easy to understand. Waterfalls, it might be added, do not need chickens or pigs to function, whereas Scrum apparently does.

6) I'm totally going to use that the next time I'm asked, which should cause great confusion, and be funny.

# posted by  Deedee : Monday, August 06, 2007 9:38:00 AM

 

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