mek.highcroft.com

Pause to consider your word choice, please

Choosing words wisely is just one way to make sure you are understood in a conversation. As a professional communicator, I'm often confronted with words used out of context or in place of other, more applicable and appropriate descriptors.

Case in point: "bandwidth"

The word bandwidth is often used in information technology circles as a geeky of saying "we do not have enough capacity, in either people or resources, to accomplish what you need done." It's often casually spat out like this:

"Bill? Steve here. That project you need done? No bandwidth here. None. Until we free up some things, we'll not be able to get to it."

Now, I'm not standing in the way of linguistic evolution, but in my mind, this is laziness, not evolution. According to Merriam Webster at www.m-w.com, bandwidth is defined as:

Main Entry: band·width
Pronunciation: 'band-"width
Function: noun
1 : a range within a band of wavelengths, frequencies, or energies; especially : a range of radio frequencies which is occupied by a modulated carrier wave, which is assigned to a service, or over which a device can operate
2 : the capacity for data transfer of an electronic communications system (graphics consume more bandwidth than text does); especially : the maximum data transfer rate of such a system (a bandwidth of 56 kilobits per second)

Yes, I can see why people take the second definition to make reference to organizational throughput, but I take issue with the fact that it would be just as easy to say, "with our current resources we are unable to do that. With additional resources, or perhaps with a reprioritization of our existing workload, we might be able to do it." In this, there is no sloughing off the request with technobabble; it's a straightforward answer with a suggestion for how to remedy the situation.

I'll stop off the soapbox now, but I'll be on the lookout for jargon.

Amazing Stop Action

I cannot sleep so I'm up watching videos... I thought this was an amazing piece of work... how many digital photos do you need to take to do something like this?

Naked Face and Naked Truth

Today's weigh in: 255 LBS.

Yes, I know this may be a strange way to start, but I need to start anyway. See, we purchased a nice treadmill a few weeks back and I have used it ONE TIME so far. I get outside more often than I use the treadmill, but it still is hardly an excuse for actual exercise. Better eating habits and a dramatic cut in soda consumption has made a small dent in my weight, but I've still got a long way to go.

Following a rather nasty fall from the back of my truck in September 2005, I found that I was, indeed, able to grow a beard. Call it laziness on my part, but the whole facial hair growing exercise was far too slow, itchy, and annoying. Then I fell off the truck, injured my back, and decided to let my beard grow. I mean, my back was hurting and the healing process was annoyingly itchy, so I hardly noticed the beard coming in.

So I've grown the beard and shaved it off a few times over the last 18 months. Lergely coinciding with the onset of spring allergy season, yesterday was a shave day.

I have to admit, it feels strange. Not really from a naked skin standpoint as from a "I look different in the mirror" standpoint. It is VERY clear to me that I need to lose more weight. The goatee made my face look a bit longer and thinner... shaving it off definitely makes me look overweight.

So, in the spirit of of springtime change, I'm going to try (again) to lose more weight. I'm already off nearly 10 pounds from 45 days ago, but I've got a long way to go.

Some folks have posted pix of themselves in their weight loss efforts, perhaps thinking that constant reminders and pressure from people on the interwebs would help. While pictures can hardly get worse than the one of me after the fall from the truck, I will not post photos here.

What I do plan to do is provide, for myself, really, a weekly update on the situation. I hope to pay close attention to what I eat and what physical work and exercise I do (contrary to popular opinion, typing does not count as exercise, dagnabbit).

I hope to be a bit slimmer by the time summer rolls around... mostly because I'm tired of being the one with the rolls each time summer arrives!