Vacation mode
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Apr 29, 2022
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If I could define vacation mode for myself, it would be this:Instead of going to a specific place at a specific time for a specific activity, I like to go in a general direction at an approximate time to maybe do something or maybe do nothing. As a couple with kids once said to a childless me while laughing nostalgically, "We'll decide between now and then." That's my goal when I'm on vacation. #travel
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Project names
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Apr 14, 2022
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I work at a place that's bad at naming things. We use a lot of acronyms, and project titles are handed down to us from higher up. So we receive a project title which is usually a string of buzzwords, and due to our collective lack of creativity, we're left with a bunch of unpronounceable acronyms for project names like ERPM, ACGMT, and JEGL. And even when our acronyms are pronounceable, we still screw it up. Some people pronounced our project PEFM as "PIF-M," instead of HOW IT'S LITERALLY SPELLED, JERRY YOU IDIOT.
A good project name should be a single pronounceable word, probably short, preferably two syllables or less. A name like Quarterback is kind of long and awkward, but a name like Tailback just has a good ring to it. If the name absolutely must have two words, it should be easily and nicely abbreviated. And this should go without saying, but neither the word nor the abbreviation should be an obvious reference to a sex act.
The name can either be relevant or irrelevant. For example, the Air Force has the Eagle (F-15), the Falcon (F-16), and the Raptor (F-22), which are all named after birds of prey. They chose a theme and stuck with it. On the other hand, I've worked with organizations who chose project names like Deadlock or Override, which are literally just arbitrary titles which have no relation to anything. But when you say, "I finished the Deadlock analysis," your coworkers know what you mean.
The name should be decided upon as early as possible, and it should never change. I just need something to call the folder that's storing all my files associated with this project. I need a word to put at the beginning of my email titles.
I've always been impressed by groups and companies that name things well. I don't know if it's due to their marketing department, or simply having creative people around. Oh well, back to work on PLOMPH. #business
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Common symptoms
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Apr 12, 2022
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I feel like too many illnesses have the same symptoms. If you have a runny nose, sore throat, headache, cough, sinus pressure, and/or a fever, you could have: (a) the common cold, (b) COVID, (c) allergies, or (d) cancer. The human body is like, "I don't know what to do about this, so I'm just gonna produce some mucus." #health
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