Posts by Doctor Syntax 33064 publicly visible posts • joined 16 Jun 2014
It's not just separate instructions that need to be tested this way. I've encountered so many web sites where I feel the developer should have shadowed a user in this way. And then started again and written it properly this time (subject, of course, to repeating shadowing a user).
It's surprising how bad things can get before a small business realises something's wrong. I vaguely remember one occasion when the owner was called, either by his bank or his accountant and told just how bad things were. This was a small supermarket. Hidden CCTV was installed. It showed at least one till operator not ringing up purchases, covertly rolling pound notes (before the pound coins!) on her thigh and passing them on to another member of staff.
"the real reason is that having such a policy means that you won't be able to provide evidence that no longer exists."
This is not terribly well thought out.
If A has retained their copy of the exchange and knows that B has a retention period which has now expired A has B on toast if so needed. There's no way that B can ascertain for themselves whether what A presents is a true copy let alone contradict it if need be.
"Assuming that the original removal is part of an accessible and usable transaction file ready to be run against a backup might be a bit optimistic"
If, a big if in the case of email, but not necessarily so in case of ordinary transactional operations, if the data is in a good DBMS with a good DBA looking after it then it should be expected.
"Basically, liars gradually get overwhelmed by the cognitive load of maintaining their pretense while those telling the truth don't have to."
This points to the basis of the BoJo technique. Don't overdo the cognitive load by maintaining the pretence of being consistent. Just say whatever you think the person you''re addressing wants to hear. Because they want to hear it they'll ignore the complete opposite waffle you're reported saying yesterday - or half an hour ago. If you can't be bothered remembering it why should they?
At my last client before retirement "informal discussions" in the office were top management toys out of the pram shouting matches. As there was a factory space next to the office and all development work centred on driving that working at home wouldn't have been practical.
The company laptop issue is one that can be easily argued in IR35 terms. It's one I'd have used if challenged although in my case it would have applied to desktops and servers, the garage mechanic argument:
I am My company is hired to make some changes to my client's system. I may well use my own company's laptop as an aid but I need access to that system. My client's laptop provides that access. When your car needs servicing you take it to the garage. You don't expect the mechanic to do the work on his own car instead of yours do you?
All else apart, the economic model of commuting ever greater distances from ever wider areas into ever larger cities must be regarded as environmentally unsustainable. The pandemic has shown it's not necessary. The present escalation of fuel prices should be an indication that it's becoming economically infeasible. In the UK the return of rail strikes should be warning it might be impossible. Only the meanest intelligence (hi there, Rees-Mogg) can believe it can continue. It's time to consider the alternatives.
Some jobs such as logistics and manufacturing require physical presence but they're not part of the problem. Except for those catering to the immediate needs of the cities themselves, logistic businesses cluster around the transport network and property prices have long since squeezed manufacturing out of city centres.
The problem lies with office jobs and there the smart money must surely be looking at better ways. Long term home working might be possible and, in fact, preferable for some. For others it's been a strain because of the nature of their homes and new thinking is needed here.
For large employers there's the option of fragmenting their offices and scattering the fragments as smaller offices closer to where their employees live. For others the solution might be rent-a-desk arrangements; not the existing model of providing pieds-à-terre in urban centres but the equivalent of the fragmented office where the staff numbers are too small to support a stand-alone fragment.
As employment starts to move out of the cities the freed up former office space can become homes for those who prefer an urban life-style. Employment doesn't need to move out of the cities entirely. The physical urban structures aren't going to go away that easily, it's more a matter of achieving a balance so that those who want to live in cities can work there (or vice versa) and those who want to live outside cities don't need to commute for work.
Growing plants needs a supply of carbon dioxide. Whilst the astronauts' exhalations will supply this it's a closed system. Assuming 100% efficiency the total biomass, astronauts' body mass included, that can be sustained is entirely determined by the total mass of carbon dioxide and water that can be sent or found there.
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
