Comments for Simon McManus http://simonmcmanus.com Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:45:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU Comment on How to save your Enterprise some money by Ben Tremblay http://simonmcmanus.com/2008/04/11/how-to-save-your-enterprise-some-money/#comment-1109 Ben Tremblay Fri, 11 Jul 2008 04:31:16 +0000 http://simonmcmanus.wordpress.com/?p=193#comment-1109 5-10 minutes per month? On my first truly huge documentation project (MIL-SPEC avionics R&D) I had to deal with the first generation of PCs ... and found (by asking others in similar situations) that folk were wasting something like 4 hrs/wk on dumb gruntwork ... cables failing, wrong drivers, incompatibilities and on and on and on. Last time I checked (late 90s) the sitiuation was, well ... folk were typically wasting 4hrs/wk on dumb grunt work ... configuration, drivers, incompatibilities, etc etc etc. Go figure. :-) 5-10 minutes per month?

On my first truly huge documentation project (MIL-SPEC avionics R&D) I had to deal with the first generation of PCs … and found (by asking others in similar situations) that folk were wasting something like 4 hrs/wk on dumb gruntwork … cables failing, wrong drivers, incompatibilities and on and on and on.

Last time I checked (late 90s) the sitiuation was, well … folk were typically wasting 4hrs/wk on dumb grunt work … configuration, drivers, incompatibilities, etc etc etc.

Go figure.
:-)

]]> Comment on Politics, Twitter and Accessibility (politically speaking) by bentrem http://simonmcmanus.com/2008/04/23/politics-twitter-and-accessibility-politically-speaking/#comment-1103 bentrem Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:27:03 +0000 http://simonmcmanus.wordpress.com/?p=194#comment-1103 A long time ago (mid-70s) I helped organize a series of public workshops. (That was pre-"globalization" ... the event was the UN's 7th Special Session on what was then called "The New International Economic Order" ... but that's another story.) As the events unfolded I noticed something peculiar. (I have to admit having a rather jaundiced view of civil society ... I had been in uniform doing SigInt when we, the industrialized nations of the north and west, had over-thrown the democratically elected gov't in Chile. So far as I was concerned that sort of wickedness was restricted to the Evuhl Empire. Shocked, I was, ayup.) It seemed to me that as they shared their knowledge the experts' way of going about things had the effect of quenching discourse. Participants with something to say or ask got swamped ... simple as that. My point? How to describe the effect of "140 characters" ... it's like imposing haiku-think ... subtle, but profound. Anyhow, my "participatory deliberation" project works on something similar: if it can't be said simply, if it can't be contradicted, then it can't be posted. "Discourse-based document portal" is how I describe it, but it also works as a decision support system ... discourse, dialectic, and syllogistic analysis. (25c please! *grin*) Our society is more and more running on sophistry (personality politics) while charismatic oligarchs mind-f*ck us with rhetoric. A long time ago (mid-70s) I helped organize a series of public workshops. (That was pre-”globalization” … the event was the UN’s 7th Special Session on what was then called “The New International Economic Order” … but that’s another story.) As the events unfolded I noticed something peculiar. (I have to admit having a rather jaundiced view of civil society … I had been in uniform doing SigInt when we, the industrialized nations of the north and west, had over-thrown the democratically elected gov’t in Chile. So far as I was concerned that sort of wickedness was restricted to the Evuhl Empire. Shocked, I was, ayup.)

It seemed to me that as they shared their knowledge the experts’ way of going about things had the effect of quenching discourse. Participants with something to say or ask got swamped … simple as that.

My point? How to describe the effect of “140 characters” … it’s like imposing haiku-think … subtle, but profound.

Anyhow, my “participatory deliberation” project works on something similar: if it can’t be said simply, if it can’t be contradicted, then it can’t be posted.
“Discourse-based document portal” is how I describe it, but it also works as a decision support system … discourse, dialectic, and syllogistic analysis. (25c please! *grin*)

Our society is more and more running on sophistry (personality politics) while charismatic oligarchs mind-f*ck us with rhetoric.

]]> Comment on Politics, Twitter and Accessibility (politically speaking) by James Marwood http://simonmcmanus.com/2008/04/23/politics-twitter-and-accessibility-politically-speaking/#comment-1098 James Marwood Wed, 28 May 2008 15:43:16 +0000 http://simonmcmanus.wordpress.com/?p=194#comment-1098 I tend to write to my MP quite regularly and he does reply. There is a tendancy for letters to get caught up in the formal, set reply mode though so it would be great to see more communication via things like twitter. I think MPs need to be careful to avoid the common corporate trap of bland, manufactured statements without any real substance. It is only by having real communications that we'll get the benefit of political involvement in the social media space. I tend to write to my MP quite regularly and he does reply. There is a tendancy for letters to get caught up in the formal, set reply mode though so it would be great to see more communication via things like twitter.

I think MPs need to be careful to avoid the common corporate trap of bland, manufactured statements without any real substance. It is only by having real communications that we’ll get the benefit of political involvement in the social media space.

]]> Comment on Bullshit 2.0 by 38d3e2b7a294 http://simonmcmanus.com/2007/12/12/bullshit-20/#comment-1097 38d3e2b7a294 Mon, 12 May 2008 20:45:27 +0000 http://simonmcmanus.com/2007/12/12/bullshit-20/#comment-1097 <strong>38d3e2b7a294...</strong> 38d3e2b7a294c3a91dfc... 38d3e2b7a294…

38d3e2b7a294c3a91dfc…

]]> Comment on Avoid being Civil Serfed by mum http://simonmcmanus.com/2008/03/11/avoid-being-civil-serfed/#comment-1096 mum Sun, 04 May 2008 18:31:23 +0000 http://simonmcmanus.wordpress.com/?p=190#comment-1096 Honoured to be mentioned! Just to prove I do sometimes read your blogs, even if I don't understand all of it!!! Honoured to be mentioned! Just to prove I do sometimes read your blogs, even if I don’t understand all of it!!!

]]> Comment on Free our Bills by Robbie http://simonmcmanus.com/2008/03/26/free-our-bills/#comment-1090 Robbie Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:33:45 +0000 http://simonmcmanus.wordpress.com/?p=192#comment-1090 Thought you might be interested in this: http://freeourdata.org.uk/ Thought you might be interested in this: http://freeourdata.org.uk/

]]> Comment on ccTiddly 2.x - An Overview by cywhale http://simonmcmanus.com/2007/11/26/cctiddly-2x-an-overview/#comment-1088 cywhale Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:58:08 +0000 http://simonmcmanus.com/2007/11/26/cctiddly-2x-an-overview/#comment-1088 It's really a big and surprising news for me ! It’s really a big and surprising news for me !

]]> Comment on Rest in Peace Civil Serf by Civil Serf: part of the problem? | http://simonmcmanus.com/2008/03/10/rest-in-peace-civil-serf/#comment-1059 Civil Serf: part of the problem? | Tue, 11 Mar 2008 06:06:35 +0000 http://simonmcmanus.wordpress.com/?p=188#comment-1059 [...] I’m a little late jumping on this particular bandwagon. There are dozens of ‘my take on civil serf‘ posts out there already, but I might as well add my [...] [...] I’m a little late jumping on this particular bandwagon. There are dozens of ‘my take on civil serf‘ posts out there already, but I might as well add my [...]

]]> Comment on Rest in Peace Civil Serf by Civil Serf - what went wrong « Whitehall Webby - digital media in government http://simonmcmanus.com/2008/03/10/rest-in-peace-civil-serf/#comment-1058 Civil Serf - what went wrong « Whitehall Webby - digital media in government Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:29:53 +0000 http://simonmcmanus.wordpress.com/?p=188#comment-1058 [...] March 2008 · No Comments There’s been a lot of discussion across the blogosphere, and in the press, about the disappearance of the Civil Serf blog yesterday. [...] [...] March 2008 · No Comments There’s been a lot of discussion across the blogosphere, and in the press, about the disappearance of the Civil Serf blog yesterday. [...]

]]> Comment on Rest in Peace Civil Serf by Mulqueeny http://simonmcmanus.com/2008/03/10/rest-in-peace-civil-serf/#comment-1057 Mulqueeny Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:03:29 +0000 http://simonmcmanus.wordpress.com/?p=188#comment-1057 You are absolutely right, very right. I suspect that this will happen after formal consultation is held. You are absolutely right, very right. I suspect that this will happen after formal consultation is held.

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