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We have a special guest joining us this week, Ms. DigITal Entity. She is a computer chip with an extensive memory and a unique ability to communicate. We’ve all encountered situations where we wish we knew what our computers were thinking; well, DigIT, as she is known to her many friends and family, provides that insight.
When my great-great-grandmother was young (only about 20 years ago), there weren’t very many external things plugged into a computer. Life was simpler; people typed away and we electronic beings did our jobs.
My son, Chip, complains most about the external rats – known to you humans as a mouse. He says they don’t always allow him to work as fast as he can. I keep telling him show off those keyboard shortcuts. They have worked since the early days of computers, they save time, and there is no problem understanding them. But he is young and stubborn.
So, humans, oh humans… Take a look at your menus or ribbons, your dialog boxes and tool tips, and look for those keyboard shortcuts. Many of them start with Ctrl+ and have a letter or number to press. They really are easy, and some can even make sense to you humans, such as Ctrl+S for Save and Ctrl+P for Print. (more…)
I am told that many of you humans are entertained by a film called “Office Space” and particularly by something in it called “TPS Reports.” Apparently the connection so many of you feel has something to do with having received reports that just don’t matter. Where I get this is that some people have said that “TPS” stands for “Totally Pointless Stuff” or “The Patently Stupid” report.
While we computers would love to help you avoid having the reports you create become TPS reports, we just can’t. We are really good at processing information. We can aggregate it, chart it, format it, and output it through a variety of media, but we can’t make sure it will be meaningful to the people who receive it. That takes a human.
Several of the links at the end of this edition are about how to make sure your reports don’t become Totally Pointless Stuff. A few of the points that seemed logical to me are:
Make sure the parts of your report are clearly labeled so your human readers can find the information that interests them quickly.
We want to introduce you to a friend of ours, DigIT, short for DigITal Entity. She brings a different perspective and insight into the world of computers. She is a computer chip, her memory is extensive and encompasses a great deal of knowledge. However, DigIT doesn’t understand why we (humans) complain about our computers so much, according to her they do exactly what you tell them to do. Her unique perspective allows her to give us some insight into human-computer interaction, in the hopes of promoting understanding, partnership, and harmony.