4 ms·

I think you're thinking of Daily WTF. Jeff's blog is/was just a programming blog. He also frequently said he was the world's worst coder, so...

scott_s 17y ago
You're right, I often confused Jeff's blog with Daily WTF. Jeff might be self-effacing, but at the same time he also dispenses a lot of programming and software development advice.
- lukifer 17y ago
  Conferring advice does not imply a claim of authority. If I give someone directions to a coffee shop in New York, the recipient should not infer that I am an expert on New York, traffic grids, coffee, etc.
  - scott_s 17y ago
    If, on the other hand, you set up a kiosk labeled "NYC Directions" on a corner, I'd assume you knew more about getting around the city than your average bear.
  - telemachos 17y ago
    If we are describing formal logic, then fine. (Although actually, not even fine there, really. There is a fairly powerful theory of "conversational implicature" that I studied once upon a time: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/implicature/ http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/implicature/ It tries to tease out some of what makes conversation (which is gappy and missing a lot logically speaking) as effective as it is.) If we are describing human conversation, then - um - I call bullshit. If you give advice, you most certainly imply (for a suitably non-formal definition of 'imply') authority, knowledge, etc. about the matter you give advice on. Your example - or the way you spin it out - is very odd. If you give directions to some coffee shop, we should be able to assume that you know where the coffee shop is. I suppose at the very least we should be able to assume that you believe that you know where the coffee shop is. The guy gave advice on backing up - he passed along someone else's advice, and said he it was essential advice. The relevant switch for your analogy would be asking him to be able to describe the code in rsync or dd or whatever. Nobody is doing that. They're simply pointing out that he didn't practice what he preached (with various degrees of unfortunate serves-him-right schadenfreude, but never mind that for the moment). Answering a question implies a claim of authority. Offering advice on the internet (unsolicited) is the equivalent of building a freaking billboard with directions to the coffee shop.
pvg 17y ago
Well, he did make sure to tell us to shut up, stop what we're doing and make a back-up. Because he knows things, you see: http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:2HHNAk2SB6EJ:www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001045.html http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:2HHNAk2SB6EJ:www.codingh...
- DougBTX 17y ago
  Well, he was right.
- jrockway 17y ago
  The site says he has a backup, right? So it sounds like he ... does have a backup.
  - pvg 17y ago
    Yes, except he doesn't. Hence his tweets and his own recent question on stackoverflow about recovering his content from internet caches.
    - jrockway 17y ago
      Ouch. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I guess he is just fucked.
- Legion 17y ago
  Jamie Zawinski said to shut up, stop what you're doing and make a back-up. Jeff simply spread Jamie's message to a wider audience, rather than claiming it as his own.
- statictype 17y ago
  Actually, it was JWZ who said that.
- vsync 17y ago
  Amusingly, he also quoted jwz as saying "The universe tends toward maximum irony. Don't push it." This incident appears to be proof positive of that.

scott_s 17y ago

You're right, I often confused Jeff's blog with Daily WTF. Jeff might be self-effacing, but at the same time he also dispenses a lot of programming and software development advice.

lukifer 17y ago
Conferring advice does not imply a claim of authority. If I give someone directions to a coffee shop in New York, the recipient should not infer that I am an expert on New York, traffic grids, coffee, etc.
- scott_s 17y ago
  If, on the other hand, you set up a kiosk labeled "NYC Directions" on a corner, I'd assume you knew more about getting around the city than your average bear.
- telemachos 17y ago
  If we are describing formal logic, then fine. (Although actually, not even fine there, really. There is a fairly powerful theory of "conversational implicature" that I studied once upon a time: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/implicature/ http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/implicature/ It tries to tease out some of what makes conversation (which is gappy and missing a lot logically speaking) as effective as it is.) If we are describing human conversation, then - um - I call bullshit. If you give advice, you most certainly imply (for a suitably non-formal definition of 'imply') authority, knowledge, etc. about the matter you give advice on. Your example - or the way you spin it out - is very odd. If you give directions to some coffee shop, we should be able to assume that you know where the coffee shop is. I suppose at the very least we should be able to assume that you believe that you know where the coffee shop is. The guy gave advice on backing up - he passed along someone else's advice, and said he it was essential advice. The relevant switch for your analogy would be asking him to be able to describe the code in rsync or dd or whatever. Nobody is doing that. They're simply pointing out that he didn't practice what he preached (with various degrees of unfortunate serves-him-right schadenfreude, but never mind that for the moment). Answering a question implies a claim of authority. Offering advice on the internet (unsolicited) is the equivalent of building a freaking billboard with directions to the coffee shop.

pvg 17y ago

Well, he did make sure to tell us to shut up, stop what we're doing and make a back-up. Because he knows things, you see: http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:2HHNAk2SB6EJ:www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001045.html http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:2HHNAk2SB6EJ:www.codingh...

DougBTX 17y ago
Well, he was right.
jrockway 17y ago
The site says he has a backup, right? So it sounds like he ... does have a backup.
- pvg 17y ago
  Yes, except he doesn't. Hence his tweets and his own recent question on stackoverflow about recovering his content from internet caches.
  - jrockway 17y ago
    Ouch. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I guess he is just fucked.
Legion 17y ago
Jamie Zawinski said to shut up, stop what you're doing and make a back-up. Jeff simply spread Jamie's message to a wider audience, rather than claiming it as his own.
statictype 17y ago
Actually, it was JWZ who said that.
vsync 17y ago
Amusingly, he also quoted jwz as saying "The universe tends toward maximum irony. Don't push it." This incident appears to be proof positive of that.