I've always wanted to understand why windows chooses either to copy or to move a file when the icon of the file is dragged around. Finally someone in a position to know explains how it works.
Computer: November 2004 Archives
At work, I've been forced to switch from UNIX mail to Exchange. They didn't force me to switch mail clients, but to be a good corporate citizen I made the switch to Outlook. This allowed me to engage in shared calendaring with my far flung co-workers.
It didn't take long for me to notice that if you accept a meeting as "Tentative" people act a little funny. People call and ask why am I "tentative", and ask if a different time slot would be better. One time someone even called me to figure out why someone else had accepted a meeting tentatively.
So what's wrong with tentative? I work in a knowledge based profession, where the difference between super productive and not productive is greater than 10x. As I've mentioned before, context switches aren't free for programmers. If I'm in the groove, I'm better off finishing the bits I am working on than going to most meetings. People should guard their time jealously if we are to get our mountain of tasks accomplished. ( See also Tyranny of Email )
The reason people don't like the response "Tentative" is they are afraid they aren't really so important. You might just drop their meeting for a more interesting or more important meeting. It's like being penciled in to someone's appointment book. They aren't really serious enough to use a pen, because well something better might come up. I admit I wouldn't like it if everyone responded as "tentative" when I send a meeting notice. When I host a meeting I do try and make sure I don't invite people who don't need to attend and I try and ensure my meetings contain both content and a little humor. I usually I don't get any tentative responses.
So I have decided, unless I am an "optional attendee" for a meeting, I'll just say yes or no to the meeting request. However, if I'm "Optional" you are very likely to get a "Tentative" in response unless there are cookies being served. If you've marked me as "Optional" it probably means you won't take it personally if I'm "Tentative."
So what does this tedious discussion of Exchange and Outlook have to do with life, the universe, and everything?
In mulling over the human dynamics of my computer mediated exchanges, I realized that to my close friends and family I don't want to use pencil when I mark you in my book and I don't want you to mark me in with pencil. I want you to know whatever is important to you is being written down in indelible ink. If I have to change something for some reason later, I'll make a mess of my metaphorical appointment book trying to scratch out our previous appointment. The mess in my book will remind me of how important you are.
Do the same for me will you?
I work with a group of very sharp software engineers. They are all well educated with years of college and a fair number with post-graduate degrees. They are well acquainted with math and can think about a math problems in ways that most people can't. My co-workers see the humor in things like an error code like "OxDECAFBAD". While there are a fair number among them who are on the shy or somewhat inarticulate side; all of them, if pressed could explain a fair amount about the topic of probability. Additionally they could explain in great detail how buying a lottery tickets is more like burning one dollar bills at your local quicky mart for fun than it is a sound investment.
Yet these same people still buy lottery tickets. My co-workers are not innumerate or mathematically inept.
OK, so I confess I buy the occasional ticket too.
So why do we buy the occasional ticket?
I don't think it's because of the slick marketing campaigns. I don't think they are interested in the fractional amount of money that reaches the state treasury.
I think it's all about being happy. Happy, you say, how could one be happy about throwing money away?
It's all about the moment. There is a moment everyone has when purchasing a lottery ticket. You allow yourself the luxury of imaging life without an financial barriers. Maybe you fantasize about lying on a beach being served cool drinks maybe you imagine quitting your job, maybe you imagine writing the novel you've always wanted to write.
Whatever or whomever you dream about, for one instant you can imagine attaining it.
It's a glimpse of the best possible thing or at least what you imagine it to be.
The next morning you check your paper, you lose again, and you go on with your day. Perhaps it's a day of "quiet desperation" or perhaps you are utterly fulfilled in your life, confidently riding astride of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Who knows which category you fall into? I for one vacillate from day to day. But for one instant your level of fulfillment didn't really matter, you weren't there, for an instance you touched the transcendent place where nothing mattered but the one thing, that was most important to you, and that one thing was finally within reach.
So is that moment worth a buck?
Some days being able to dream the impossible dream, and allowing yourself that one small luxury is worth a buck.
In fact this last phrase is probably the core of most deity bound religions. Dreaming about an entity that could set things right, it's worth a small bit of money and observance just in the case it could all be true.
I love interesting compsci papers. This one describing the google filesystem is very interesting.
