Recent Posts

    From Technical Writer to Information Developer

    Thu, Feb 29, 2024

    So, after working as a Technical Writer for more than fifteen years, I decided it was time to change my job title. I pitched my case to Management, and they agreed. And thus, I am now an Information Developer. Some may claim that these two job titles are synonymous. But I don’t believe they are.

    According to the surprisingly great Wikipedia entry on technical writing (although I shouldn’t be surprised it’s well written, given who is probably editing it), “technical writer” became an official job title during World War II.

    It is no surprise that the profession of technical writing was established in the military and aerospace industries. When you marry a monolithic bureaucracy with products that are highly likely to kill you if you use them wrong, technical writing is the perfect love child.

    But it’s been a while since World War II, where a Technical Writer furiously clacking away on her typewriter in some dark, locked-down war office would lose sleep at night because unclear instructions could mean the difference between life and death for soldiers on the battlefield.

    Welcome to the year of A-something

    Wed, Jan 31, 2024

    And so we embark upon a shiny, fresh New Year!

    Most years can be summed up thusly: similar to last year, but different from next year. But we are rarely propelled into the future by a sea change. The typical - and boring - emergence into the future is through all the tiny, iterative changes that add up over time. The answer to that classic riddle - What is always coming, but never arrives? - is “the future” (actually, the answer is “tomorrow”, but you get my drift).

    Just a year ago, we were all worried about generative AI stealing our jobs. Now we are all walking around chatting with AI like it was our best friend and casually using it to do incredible things. Rather than being laid off by ChatGPT, we’re simply integrating it into our workflows as we would any new technology.

    A toaster, after all, was only mind-blowing for a few weeks after we learned how much more convenient it was to make toast. Now it is another appliance. Another tool in our extensive Homo Sapiens toolkit.

    How Star Trek: Picard flubbed the ending

    Thu, Dec 21, 2023

    In the original 1960s Star Trek series, baby-boomer Trekkies had the suave Captain Kirk to aspire to. But Gen Xers were even more fortunate to have the genteel Captain Picard gracing the small screen in Star Trek: the Next Generation (TNG).

    TNG was my Star Trek. I eagerly awaited every new episode that aired Friday nights. Watching it was a family affair. There was no better science-fiction show on television (albeit the choices were slim back then). TNG not only had terrific writers, but also a cast that gelled like no other.

    When we moved to Canada, we lived out of a hotel room for a few months. I was amazed to discover there were cable channels that played non-stop reruns of TNG. We sat in our hotel room watching episode after episode (this constant exposure is how we converted my sister into a Trekkie).

    After TNG aired, a few more live-action Star Trek shows came out over the intervening years, including Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, Discovery, and Strange New Worlds. But, even though these shows had some fantastic Captains at the helm (Captain Janeway was marvelous), Captain Jean-Luc Picard is still widely regarded as the best Star Trek Captain of all time. In 2020, when Star Trek: Picard came out, it was an absolute gift to the fans.

    And, although the writing could never hope to equal TNG levels, it was just grand to see Picard back in action. Of course, without the camaraderie of the original TNG crew, Picard’s solo adventures were lacking that nostalgic spark. Until the old crew got back together in Season Three.

    The first eight episodes of Season Three were terrific - sharp writing, great characters, and an intriguing plot. But, disappointingly, it all fell apart in the final episodes.

    (Needless to say, this post contains major spoilers for Start Trek: Picard, so continue at your own discretion.)

    The iPhone 12 Pro revisited

    Thu, Nov 30, 2023

    At the end of 2021, I decided to ditch my iPhone 6S and pick up a refurbished iPhone XS for around $500. Better for the environment, better for the pocketbook, and guaranteed to keep me going for at least two years - my XS served me well.

    But now, two years is up, and it’s time to move on. Yes, the XS will be supported until the end of next year. But, similar to what happened two years ago, the XS is starting to feel a bit outdated.

    It’s still a great phone and will continue to be used by the next family member in the hand-me-down line. Honestly, it’s amazing how consistent the basic iOS experience is, even in really old iPhones.

    But, for “my next”, I’m going with the iPhone 12 Pro.

    With the latest and greatest iPhone 15 Pro starting at over $1600 CAD after tax, you’d have to really want in on titanium and USB C to drop that kind of hard cash without flinching.

    But, at around $500 for an eBay Refurbished model, the 12 Pro win the price-to-performance-ratio game when comparing it to the 15 Pro - especially if you’re coming from a XS or older.

    Here are ten reasons why.

    Halloween Special

    Fri, Oct 27, 2023

    I’m not really into Halloween, largely because it was never part of my childhood. In South Africa, we celebrated Guy Fawkes Day, where we burned an effigy and set off fireworks. Celebrating the failed attempt of a group of Catholics to blow up the Protestant King of England is a far cry from celebrating the pagan ritual of wearing costumes to ward off ghosts.

    To be honest, it’s hard to identify with either of these celebrations.

    Of course, I would have loved to go trick-or-treating as a child. But in South Africa, it would be unthinkable to go door to door around your neighbourhood. Even if you could somehow circumvent the barbed-wire fences and guard dogs, you would likely be shot before reaching the front door.

    When I came to Canada as a young adult, I attended a few Halloween parties over the years. But, every single one of them was absolutely awful. Some of these parties even started off as disappointing and ended up as traumatizing. I won’t get into it.

    Fortunately, as a parent, I’ve greatly enjoyed seeing the wild delight on my kids’ faces as they dress up and stuff their pumpkin-shaped buckets with candy. Experiencing Halloween vicariously through them has saved this North American tradition for me.

    However, the fact that I’m writing a Halloween Special is evidence that I’ve completely run out of other ideas for this month’s post. So, I’ll just go with it -

    To mark the occasion where ghosts and ghouls rule the night, here are some scary things

    The fifteens

    Fri, Sep 29, 2023

    I’m a big fan of titanium. It’s much stronger than aluminum and is far more resistant to corrosion. It is heavier than aluminum, but, as you need less of it to achieve comparable strength, titanium parts actually end up being much lighter. For this reason, it’s used in aircraft jet engines, spaceships, and subsea equipment. Basically, titanium is perfect for extreme environments.

    Titanium is also one of the only visible changes to the flagship iPhone 15 pro when compared to last year’s iPhone 14 pro. It would be a mistake, however, to claim that the iPhone 15 pro has a titanium body. Only the rails around the edge are titanium. The back is still glass, and will instantly break when dropped onto concrete at waist level.

    The only benefit of using titanium, therefore, is weight reduction. Considering how heavy the stainless-steel bands of previous Pro iPhones are, this isn’t a bad thing. It’s just that it’s the only thing I can think of to talk about, and even I’ll admit that a discussion on the physical properties of metals isn’t exactly riveting reading material.

    Without poring over the spec sheet, I’d be hard-pressed to come up with any other outrageous differences between this year and last year’s flagship iPhones. Besides from the usual - a faster CPU and better cameras, which Apple introduces every year like clockwork.

    Okay, fine. I guess this will be a very short post if I don’t look into it some more.

    (pores over spec sheet)

    Summer of smoke and bone

    Thu, Aug 31, 2023

    It seems that there is some sort of natural disaster every year now, which makes it really hard to write an upbeat August post. BC is currently going through a brutal wildfire season, especially in the interior. Even far up in the Northwest Territories, where you’d think it would be chilly all year round, a large wildfire caused the entire city of Yellowknife to be evacuated. Unbelievable.

    With family on the verge of being evacuated, it’s been stressful on a personal level. But fortunately, besides from suffering through terrible air quality, no family has lost their homes yet. And with the cooler temperatures and rains of fall approaching, the end is in sight.

    What is disappointing and disheartening isn’t even the actual natural disasters - it is the societal response to it. While there are plenty who pitch in to help, there are always bad apples that bob to the surface.

    I recently watched the mini-series Five Days at Memorial on Apple TV about what happened at a hospital during the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Wow, talk about a fetid mix of corporate mismanagement, zero quality control, looting, racism, wild rumours, miscommunication, no evacuation plan, euthanasia without consent, finger pointing, lawsuits, and total lack of action or accountability from the Bush administration.

    It’s a hard watch, but I recommend it, if only as a great real-world example that nothing is black and white - it’s shades of grey all the way down.

    An island life for all

    Thu, Jul 27, 2023

    Last summer, I mentioned that we tried marine camping on our paddleboards. On the plus side, we were able to escape the summertime crowds, halt the bleeding of our bank account, and circumvent the impossible camping reservation system. Minuses included swarms of mosquitoes, a leaking paddleboard, and mistiming the tides, resulting in a really rough paddle back to shore. Even the group of seals that were tailing us were wondering what the hell we were doing out on the open ocean in an inflatable.

    At this point in my story, Let me issue a standard warning that paddling on the open ocean in an inflatable paddleboard is dangerous. Even the paddleboard user manual has a warning unequivocally stating that you should not use this product on the ocean.

    Being a technical writer, I know that this warning is only included for legal reasons. But such warnings have obviously has not stopped a flood of people taking to the ocean in paddleboards. I’ve seen it all - yoga on paddleboards, cats riding paddleboards, and just yesterday - river rafting on a paddleboard. Seriously, don’t be an idiot. Ocean paddleboarding is for the experienced only. The ocean is merciless and can turn ugly fast. Studying the trip reports, tides, offshore currents, and nautical distances is important. Even more important is knowing your physical capability and only paddling in extremely calm conditions.

    I also recommend buying the loudest air horn you can find. Most boaters follow marine protocol. But unfortunately, the bigger and more expensive the boat, the more likely they won’t think twice about pushing the throttle to full speed and swamping a tiny paddleboard in their wake. Or even worse, come right at you as if you were invisible.

    Despite this, or perhaps because of this, I believe that beautiful islands should be accessible to more people. In my previous summertime post, I wrote that “intruding on an area previously reserved for wealthy, old, retired snobs in luxury yachts is especially gratifying.”

    Well, dear reader, it remains extremely gratifying to cruise into a “secret” sheltered cove and remind the rich that money can’t always buy you an island all to yourself. Release the desperate masses onto them, I say. For this reason, I’m starting this new summertime series on so-called “boat only” islands that are completely accessible by cheap paddleboards. You don’t need a mega-yacht to get there, only an Amazon account and some gumption.

    Apple Vision Pro

    Fri, Jun 30, 2023

    It’s the year 2063 and you’re not as spry as you used to be. You’re getting tired of listlessly gazing at the bio-engineered animatronic budgie in its cage, chirping loudly at every passing grey-haired resident in the care home. So, you decide to lie down for a bit.

    Shuffling past the rec room, you shake your head. The rec-room holo-TV is playing an excruciatingly bad violin concerto on an infinite loop. A few drooling watchers rock back and forth in their wheelchairs as they stare with dull eyes at a 3D hologram of an energetic violinist.

    As you approach your room - which you share with Bob - you hear loud voices. Looks like Bob’s family is visiting from Texas. Damn, you were hoping for some piece and quiet. No matter - you’ll soon erase them from reality.

    You lie down and your bed automatically adjusts its memory-foam frame to cradle you so that it feels like you’re floating on air. You smile as think about your dear granddaughter, Ellie. She recently gifted you with a new Apple Vision Pro 40. All you have to do is tap your hearing aid to start it up.

    Having already installed the ocular implants, all you need to do is sit back while the care home around you fades away. An instant later, you’ve been transported to a beautiful mountain vista. You’re sitting on the deck of your virtual cabin, sipping a coffee. Your olfactory sensory-neuron implants replace the smell of Bob’s diaper with the aroma of the rich, steaming brew.

    Thinking back to WWDC 2023, you chuckle at the debut of the primitive AR headset forty years ago. If only Tim Cook had been more confident in his vision back then. As you recall, he even refused to wear it for photos. Maybe you’ll ask him about it when you chat with his AI alter ego later.

    For now though, you feel like participating in Avatar 26 - Paradise in Pandora, an immersive experience where you get to actually be a Na’vi and interact with the actors in the movie. Your banshee is waiting.

    You know, retirement isn’t so bad with the Apple Vision Pro 40. Too bad it took so long for Apple to make it this good.

    Can you guess what Google I/O was about?

    Wed, May 31, 2023

    At the Google I/O keynote this year, “AI” was mentioned 143 times. AI everything. Even the Pixel’s development was shamelessly retconned so that “from the beginning, Pixel was conceived as an AI-first mobile computer”.

    However, the AI-stuffed presentation didn’t seem like a desperate defense against the encroachment of Microsoft and ChatGPT onto its turf. Instead, we saw Google at their most confident. This was Google’s time to shine.

    Looking back at previous Google I/O keynotes, they have every right to puff out their chests. Google talks about AI year after year. It was usually the part in I/O where everybody fell asleep as Google droned on about AI research, theory, and language models. But despite the annual show-and-tell, they never released any AI products.

    And why would they when Google Search is their raison d’être, their bread and butter, their holy cow? Upsetting their extremely profitable business model is the last thing they’d want to do. So Microsoft saw their chance and took it - instead of typing in search queries, chat with Bing. Chat with Bing - a fundamental shift away from the link economy, which is how the World Wide Web has always functioned.

    But when you take the fight to Sundar, Sundar will calmly and responsibly slap you down.