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Meta-comment: I don't agree with everything in this post, but it made me think. It's a refreshing change from the echo-chamber posts that simply parrot whatever
by raganwald 17y ago
Meta-comment: I don't agree with everything in this post, but it made me think. It's a refreshing change from the echo-chamber posts that simply parrot whatever was last posted and either agree in breathless terms or disagree vociferously.
Suggestion to bloggers: When you read something that makes you excited or angry, resist the impulse to respond on the same terms. Ask yourself what important factor is being ignored in the current debate.
- samd 17y agoAs background: Charles Stross is a prolific science-fiction author. He's a smart guy with a lot of interesting things to say about the future of technology.
- dave1619 17y agoHe's definitely a smart guy and an excellent writer. Very insightful article.
- raganwald 17y agoThanks, if I get back into fiction I'll look out for his work!
- ableal 17y agoWell, there's his documentary on industry best practices, titled The Jennifer Morgue, featuring "software billionaire Ellis Billington". (Possibly for legal reasons, it's billed as fiction ;-)
- jseliger 17y agoThis would have to be the first time I've read a novel that includes communication with the dead and demons summoned via pentagram as a "documentary on industry best practices." I thought such events only happened at Apple, and chiefly around leakers.
- raganwald 17y agoI know what you're trying to say, but if we are talking about software development, I have very little evidence that "communication with the dead and demons summoned via pentagram" are practices that are any less effective than techniques in widespread use such as attempting to specify the entire program in advance of development, attempting to remove defects during a "bug fix" phase at the end, or attempting to make up for schedule slips with forced overtime and canceling holidays. ;-)
- olefoo 17y agoYou've obviously never been in the room when someone wants to "call in the consultants to wave a dead chicken over the database" on a floundering ERP project. Oh gods, the horror, the horror.
- tfh 17y agoHe has written some great books about singularity like : Singularity Sky : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singularity_Sky http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singularity_Sky Accelerando: (free ebook) http://manybooks.net/titles/strosscother05accelerando-txt.html http://manybooks.net/titles/strosscother05accelerando-txt.ht...
- sabat 17y agoHe's a pithy writer, and he's probably right about Jobs' intentions. I do wish he'd drop that annoying British habit of referring to a company in the plural ("HP are ..."). It's distracting and flat-out bad grammar.
- foldr 17y agoRelax. It's just a difference between British and American English. As for it being "distracting", it's not distracting if you're British. (And I expect it's no more distracting than certain features of American English are for British readers.)
- arethuza 17y agoNot to mention this rather dark tale: http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/colderwar.htm http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/colderwar.htm
- michael_nielsen 17y agoHe's also an occasional contributor to HN: http://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=cstross http://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=cstross