Andrew L. Van Slaars

This was originally posted on vanslaars.com in January of 2007. If it sounds familiar, that’s why.

I used to work with kids and it was very interesting to see how the different age groups interacted with each other. With the 4 and 5 year olds conversations would go something like this (the conversation itself is completely hypothetical and the names are made up… it was a long time ago):
[ME]
“Today we are going to talk about manners, who can tell me something that somebody with good manners does?”
lots of little hands shoot up…
“Ok, Johnny…”
[Johnny]
“You should say please.”
[ME]
“Very good. Ok, Kyle, can you think of anything else?”
[Kyle]
“You should always say thank you!”
[Bobby (calling out)]
“My dog likes peanut butter!”

WTF!?

Bobby had nothing to add, but he really wanted to be part of the conversation. When a 5 year old does it, it’s cute and usually pretty funny.

Here’s the problem…I see this same behavior from adult professionals all over the web. It’s what I call the “Me Too, Complex”. People with this complex comment on blogs and forums without adding anything, they just want to participate. I’m sure I have been guilty of this in the past.

This behavior can manifest itself in several forms, from the “I agree so I will now restate the same thing you just said” response, to the “I have no basis for my opinion, and won’t back it up but you are wrong” response.
I think blogs and forums are a great outlet for public discussion, sharing ideas and learning new things. Comments are a great place to expand on the original author’s thoughts and ideas. Comments such as “Thanks”, “Great Article” and “I agree completely” are great, they encourage the author and can add credibility to the idea in the eyes of the reader. The key here is the comments here don’t add to the topic, but they are short enough to quickly glance over as you read the ongoing comments. There is no reason to restate anything, unless you are expanding on it, then by all means, expand away.

Comments don’t all have to be sugar coated. I’m all for a healthy debate, just ask anybody that knows me ;). If you disagree or want to point out a mistake, do it. But, If all you have to add to the thread is negativity, you should keep that to yourself. I appreciate it when I get a comment that tells me that my way isn’t the best way and (here’s the important part) explains a better way.

A comment such as, “This is a bad approach” with nothing else is pointless, you might as well leave a comment that says “My dog likes peanut butter”… maybe your dog does like peanut butter, but that doesn’t add anything to the conversation (unless, of course, the conversation is about things your pets like to eat).

When somebody takes the time to write about a strange bug and how to fix it, if all you can think is “<Insert Language or Technology> Sucks and that’s why you had this problem!” Keep it to yourself.. Maybe it does suck, but that wouldn’t do anything but waste time… yours and other readers.

If you comment just because you want to be part of the conversation, try to break the habit, you’ll be making the world a better place.

Human Behavior, Thoughts blogging, comments, noise

I got a new car on Saturday. I drove off the dealership lot at about 4:00 pm with about 15 miles registered on the odometer. It wasn’t a very nice day, it was cloudy and wet from recent snow melting and rain earlier that morning so I didn’t do much driving. I was, however, looking forward to the next day. It was supposed to be clear and sunny and I had several errands to run. I figured this would be a good opportunity to enjoy driving my new car.

I was awoken from a deep sleep at about 4:00 am on Sunday by the sound of squealing tires and a racing car engine. I jumped out of bed and looked out of my window towards the sound and there was a great deal of light near my driveway but a tree was blocking my view. I ran down the stairs and looked through another window, the light was coming from the car in my yard and the squealing sound was the spinning tires as the car’s driver frantically floored the gas in an effort to get away.

I was a bit out of it still and my view was still blocked by that tree, so I didn’t get a very clear look at the car or the driver and by the time I realized what was going on, the driver had managed to get away. I called the police and went out to inspect the damage. It was dark (as it usually is at 4 am) and from the looks of it, he had come at the yard from a very strange angle and taken out my mailbox and quite a bit of the fence. It wasn’t until seconds before the police arrived that I realized what had stopped the out of control car… you guessed it, it was my brand-new car!

The car is drivable and my insurance will cover the repairs. I will be getting a new fence which will hopefully be paid for primarily by my home owner’s insurance. I will have pay the deductible since the driver took off and wasn’t caught but everything can be fixed or replaced.

The driver was probably drunk, a sober person couldn’t have made a car do what this one did in order to come into my yard at the angle it did. So not only were they drunk, they were driving so fast, and so recklessly that they could have potentially killed themselves and anybody else who might have been in their path. Doing one stupid thing is one thing. Combining two stupid (and dangerous) things is another. I have to say I’m glad the only thing he killed (to my knowledge) that night was my mailbox, it could have been worse.

The thing that bothers me the most is the fact that he took off. Had I been that driver, I probably would have been freaking out, and I would have been scared and I would have wanted to crawl under a rock somewhere and die, but I would have taken responsibility for my mistake. I would have stayed. I would have thought about running, but I wouldn’t have done it. Maybe I expect too much out of people.

I have posted some pictures on my Flickr account. If you look at the dent in my car and think “it’s doesn’t look very bad” remember that I just got the car and the repair estimate was close to $4,000!

Human Behavior damage, drunk driving, Human Behavior

Like most technology professionals, I have spent a great deal of time in meetings, speaking with stakeholders about development projects. One of the biggest obstacles throughout any development project is language, more specifically vocabulary.

Communication seems to slow, or completely break down without a common vocabulary. I have seen meetings turn into chaos and discussions turn into arguments over something as simple as a difference in vocabulary. I have watched in disbelief as two professional adults argue over something they agree with. They aren’t aware that they agree because they are speaking through different vocabularies.

I think teams should start off with some level of shared vocabulary. Technical team members should understand that the business users probably don’t speak geek, while business people should realize that the geeks don’t always have the same level of industry knowledge. Read more…

Human Behavior, Productivity, Teaching communication, Productivity

No, I’m not talking about lights on a Christmas tree, or lights on a firetruck… I’m talking about the flashing blue light on Bluetooth headsets. I’d like to know who decided the light should flash while the headset is in use. Why does it do that?

Think about it (not that it should take much)… you have this thing on your ear, which you can’t see… so what is the point of the light? Is it so other people can see the light? Why would they want to? If anything, it’s distracting.

The other day, a friend of mine was wearing one, and it was flashing, but she was not actively using it. She couldn’t see the flashing light, but I could and it was quite annoying.

Another friend told me about taking his daughter to the movies, where apparently several people were wearing these headsets and he described the flashing blue lights as blinding… now I know those people weren’t talking to anybody.

What is it that makes people feel the need to wear their headsets when they don’t need them. Are they like jewelry? Is it supposed to look cool? If bluetooth headsets are a fashion statement, I missed the memo and I don’t get it.

Phenomenal design choice! (note the sarcasm)

Human Behavior, Product Design bluetooth headset, Product Design