Thoughts on many things

  • Red flag arguments

    One of many things I care about is improving the world around me. That is why I’m a union representative, it’s one of the reasons why I like my job, and it’s why I raise questions to find out if there are good reasons for things being done the way they are – and to…

  • Better documented tickets are better support

    Last week, I wrote about the added value that derives from writing longer answers when it comes to giving support. This week’s post is a corollary to that; writing more detailed tickets when sending them on through the tiers is also better support. I like the Kepner-Tregoe red card for these situations. It provides a…

  • Longer answers are better support

    When working tech support, it is often tempting to give short answers to a ticket, in order to get on to the next ticket. This tendency is particularly problematic when responding in the negative to a request. Though understandable, we should fight this tendency. I have three specific reasons why it’s important, but I would…

  • Reviewed: Horizon: Zero Dawn

    One of the PS4-games I picked up relatively early (back in 2017), was Horizon: Zero Dawn. I loved the aesthetic of the trailer, and hoped I’d find it enjoyable. Here are my thoughts: Game: Horizon: Zero Dawn Publisher: Guerrilla Games Platform: Playstation 4 (also available on Microsoft Windows) Genre: Action RPG In Horizon: Zero Dawn…

  • Unlock your iPhone while wearing a mask

    Like many people, I have gone from not having any face masks other than PPE for chemical exposure to having a small collection of the things for use when I’m out and about. That’s all well and good, but wearing them means that I have to use my code to unlock my iPhone, which gets…

  • Creating habits to separate work-time from off-time

    Since March of last year I have, for the most part, been working from home. While we were able to work out the kinks in keeping connected to the rest of the team relatively quickly, I’ve found shutting off work-mode to be a bit harder. I find myself wanting to check stuff in the evenings,…

  • Tools for account evaluation on Twitter

    I am a relatively active Twitter user, and enjoy the many discussions I have with people of varied points of view and experiences on the site. One of the things I don’t enjoy, is the inevitable trolls and bots. Luckily, there are a number of tools out there that evaluates an account or tweet. I…

  • DohPro – Renaming GoPro video files quickly

    A few years ago, I wrote about the workflow I have for video editing. One thing I did not touch upon was the fact that a not insignificant amount of my raw footage comes from GoPro cameras. As anyone who has used GoPro cameras will be able to tell you, the file naming convention they…

  • Reviewed: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

    I have had a Playstation 4 ever since we last moved. While it doesn’t see daily use by any stretch of the imagination, it gets used from time to time. I saw people gushing about Jedi: Fallen Order, and decided to pick it up. Here are my thoughts. Game: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Publisher:…

  • iOS: Print to PDF from Safari

    Safari on iOS lets you screenshot a full website as a PDF. With the judicious use of reader mode, you can also remove extraneous content making these screenshots more useful. Here’s how: Take a screenshot of the page as you normally would, using the Power and Volume Up button (or Power and Home button for…

  • iOS: Using reader mode in Safari

    One of the features in Safari that I use a fair amount is called reader mode. Simply put, it strips an article of extraneous content (such as ads), and allows me to focus on the article itself. Here’s how you use it: In Safari, click the AA icon Select “Show Reader View” It makes a…