Word of the Day - Security

Word of the Day

Security

noun
1.
freedom from danger, risk, etc.; safety.
2.
freedom from care, anxiety, or doubt; well-founded confidence.


Tim and I walked out of Walmart this evening with a handful of purchased goods and the security alarm went off. I was like, "Screw it. I'm running to the car." And I did.

I know this seems childish, but I'm tired of those things going off because some lazy cashier didn't swipe to deactivate the magnetic strip on my new PC game. That's right, it's mine. I paid for it. As definition number one states, I have the freedom from danger, risk, etc. Why? Because I have a receipt that says the product is mine. I am free from the danger of going to jail for shoplifting.

Last I checked, running is not a crime.

Walmart folks probably know they have a loose policy because human error almost always accounts for 99.9% of false alarms. So when these devices go off, nobody cares. And you know what? Nobody came after us either, and then I wondered why.

What if they had come after us? They would have checked our receipt and discovered, yet again, their security system is flawed.

Staff policy enforcer asks, "So, if you were innocent, why were you running?" 

"Because your fat ass was chasing me!"

Um, yeah. I think I did.

So why even bother to have this system in place if you're not going to run after us and check our receipts, or only do so discriminately? Sure it would be embarrassing to cause such a ruckus in the parking lot, but if you're using the alarm system as a deterrent, then you have to police a little better than this, right?

The funnier matter is watching the alarm go off on other folks who haven't gotten fed up just yet. They look around all astonished, turn back toward the store workers, hands and bags in the air hoping for assistance, and all the while, they have shock and disgrace written all over their faces.

WTF!? I paid for this shit!

A worker then walks toward the victim, who has now attracted the attention of every single person in the store, and says, "Oh, that's okay. Someone probably just forgot to swipe the security strip on a product you bought." They wave at the customer and motion for her to go ahead and leave, as if that customer had been officially detained somehow.

This is an example of the second definition of security. The store worker has the freedom from care, anxiety, or doubt; well-founded confidence. She's confident that something didn't get swiped. How so? Because, SHE forgets to do that shit all the time!

I wonder if you can sue major businesses when their security policies cause undue embarrassment and emotional duress like these stupid false alarms, because if you don't enforce properly, this becomes a bullying mechanism at best.


What security systems baffle you due to their uselessness?




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Word of the Day - Technology

It should be no surprise when I tell you I am a software developer. My background is pretty diverse in the field of technology, so I'm sharing with you some reactions to different scenarios in the IT world. Not every technologist will have similar reactions, but I'm willing to bet that the majority of us do.

tech·nol·o·gy  [tek-nol-uh-jee]
noun

1.
the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science.



I was recently asked to provide a simple email confirmation for those members registering for an event. Knowing this to be a task I could complete in less than 30 minutes: creation, testing, and implementation, I looked forward to the work. However, after using the Lotus Notes Designer Client on my PC and having experienced several instances of computer seizures and restarts, I was left completely spent and frustrated.

So the years pass. I'm not just a worker, you know. I've applied for promotions into management many times. Yet, many times those opportunities just were not for me or it wasn't my time. No matter which jobs I applied for in hopes to climb out of the restrictive claws of technology in order to make a difference, I have been met with disappointment. Either someone else got the job or it mysteriously disappeared.

Technology is forever changing, so if you're not changing with it, it's easy to get left behind, especially if you keep doing the same job with no opportunity for advancement. Because I refuse to be that person, I learn as much about technology as I can.

As a matter of fact, much of my time is spent learning new technology, new languages, and new development environments. I may not be in a position to use what I've learned at the moment, but it feels good knowing how things work, all the while keeping the current processes from falling apart.

I have a B.S. in Computer Science and 16 years experience and the hardest part of my job is trying to figure out how to answer this basic question, "Can you just tell me how to do it and I'll do it myself?"

Listen, if technology were that simple, everybody would be a developer. Many years ago, you could get away with just showing someone how to operate a tape drive in one of those clunky mainframes. Clearing the telephone queue when it bottlenecks? No problem! Push this button.

But see, technology looks simple today because so much of the complexities are hidden from the average user. They don't see the algorithms, the code, or the architecture involved in the creation and maintenance of a variety of systems. Everything should work just like the stuff on your iPhone, right?

So, whenever a mature IT crowd, and I use that term respectfully because we have a ton of experience and knowledge in the progression of this thing called infrastructure, whenever they get a new boss fresh out of college and he wants to switch to .NET, it's like...

In all honesty, if I didn't love my job and the people I work with, I wouldn't be able to provide this information so freely and without prejudice. If you can relate, don't be afraid to make it known how you feel. Technology isn't just frustration for the average person. I feel it too! We are all making it through life with constant change, whether it's technology or something else. How you deal with it along the way can make you a better person. So, as technology improves, so do you!



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Word of the Day - Juno

Ju·no  [joo-noh]
noun, plural Ju·nos for 3.

1. The ancient Roman queen of heaven, a daughter of Saturn and the wife and sister of Jupiter: the protector of women and marriage. Compare Hera.
2. Astronomy . the fourth largest and one of the four brightest asteroids.
3. A woman of regal appearance or bearing.

Those are the official definitions at dictionary.com, but I'm not using them here. Why? Because I am having my bathroom remodeled by an exceptionally talented man and I've decided to make my own definition for this word and dedicate it to Javier. He's Hispanic, so this will only make sense if you use it in context.


Juno

1. An afterthought.
2. When something goes wrong or something changes in path or vision.

So, he's tiling my bathroom and he decides to go and buy extra bullnose tile pieces to edge the corners. When I step in to have a look, I'm surprised that he hadn't consulted me with the switch up in design.

He sees me and instantly goes into his explanation, "Juno, ease better like deez. She looking good."

"Thanks, Javier. It does look great, and I trust your judgement, but that's going to put a dent in my budget man, juno?"

Check out the photos of Javier's work. I will never use anyone else for my tiling. I still have a lot of work to do on this project!

Got rid of the vanity and added two pedestal sinks! I
think it adds depth. I can't wait to decorate. 

The bullnose tile pieces you can see on the wrapped
corners. Um, $8.00 per piece. lol

Tile is done. Waiting for the glass guy to
come and install the shower walls.

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