Visiting the gold old US of A.
It's been an interesting experience and it's the first time I've been to the East coast (rather than the west coast).
Observations so far?
USA immigration is still a grim experience now with the added pain of having your finger prints scanned (to be shared with who knows what organisations).
Most people (not including immigration unfortunately) seem genuinely very nice and friendly.
Even in a relatively prosperous city like Boston, there are lots of rough-sleepers, people begging and many closed shops. (It's down to the area of the city, it does vary)
The weather has been unseasonably warm and the trees in New Hampshire have yet to turn to their glorious range of autumn colours.
The TV news in the USA is mostly very poor. Sport is huge but coverage of foreign events or even major domestic issues is almost non-existent.
Most food portions in cafes or restaurants are still way too big for sensible eating.
Service is really not as good as it's cracked up to be, even Americans I have spoken to, think standards have slipped in the last 10 years.
We did ask a police man for directions and he told us what we needed to know. So there are some good ones out there.
Still a few days to go but so far it's been a good trip
Thursday 29 September 2011
Thursday 8 September 2011
Does newer = better
Progress...
It's supposed to always be useful and good; a marker of a developing civilisation.
Progress = Good
Well I wonder if it is really.
Let's look at some mundane example of progress;
Windows 7 'Ribbon' interface, supposedly a vast improvement in ease of use over those old clunky drop down menus from XP, 2000 or even further back in Windows history. Except that even after 6 months of using the interface I still find myself hunting for the right function in Office 10. It's an intuitive use fail.
State education. We used to have a system that made a judgement call about those children more academically gifted and those with more physical rather than intellectual skills. This seemed to work relatively well (obvious errors occur in any system). Some went to University to get degrees in English or the sciences other went to colleges to work on HTEC, BTEC or similar qualifications in anything from mechanical engineering to food preparation.
Now instead of that, we have a state school system where many at 11 years old are unable to read and write but still expect to go to University.
DAB radio. The promise was "a brilliant way to give us more radio stations on the dial with CD quality sound." The fact is, a system that frequently fails to deliver any sound at all and is often much worse than the old FM transmitters it is supposed to replace.
Quit smoking drugs. Hailed as the best way for smokers to stop the habit, they often cause sleepless nights, altered though patterns mood swings and even suicidal thoughts.
In each case above, a worthwhile product or system has 'progressed' to a newer allegedly better way of doing things that is often worse than what went before. Yet each has been promoted as progress.
It's useful to ask who was doing the promotion, because then it is easier to understand why we are so often asked to swallow a lie about the supposed benefits of progress.
Microsoft needs to sell operating systems, this happens most often when you buy a new PC. Yes the new PC will have a faster clock rate and shinier applications but that won't change how fast you type or whether you can watch a video at double speed. An old PC can do these tasks very well but then of course you would not need a new operating system.
State education has become a self serving monster that is at least as much interested in its own status as it is the product it produces. On almost any measure one uses, it fails to deliver for many of the young people who are pushed through the system. If it is so progressive and wonderful why do we have any illiterate 16 year olds?
DAB radio transmits more channels in a narrower spectrum than FM, but if only the Government could switch of the FM stations, they could auction off the spectrum and generate barrow loads of cash for themselves and the 'advisors' who reap the real money rewards.
Quit smoking drugs mostly fail to deliver on their promise. However if you medicalise a condition, a trusted member of the community (your Doctor) will help the drug companies to get the Government to pay for your 'illness'. Hypnosis, and other counselling methods have no side effect and work more effectively. They are not however promoted by a drug company.
So before you say that progress is always good (sometimes it really is good) I ask you to think about where the money is going and then realise who is really benefiting from this so called progress.
It's supposed to always be useful and good; a marker of a developing civilisation.
Progress = Good
Well I wonder if it is really.
Let's look at some mundane example of progress;
Windows 7 'Ribbon' interface, supposedly a vast improvement in ease of use over those old clunky drop down menus from XP, 2000 or even further back in Windows history. Except that even after 6 months of using the interface I still find myself hunting for the right function in Office 10. It's an intuitive use fail.
State education. We used to have a system that made a judgement call about those children more academically gifted and those with more physical rather than intellectual skills. This seemed to work relatively well (obvious errors occur in any system). Some went to University to get degrees in English or the sciences other went to colleges to work on HTEC, BTEC or similar qualifications in anything from mechanical engineering to food preparation.
Now instead of that, we have a state school system where many at 11 years old are unable to read and write but still expect to go to University.
DAB radio. The promise was "a brilliant way to give us more radio stations on the dial with CD quality sound." The fact is, a system that frequently fails to deliver any sound at all and is often much worse than the old FM transmitters it is supposed to replace.
Quit smoking drugs. Hailed as the best way for smokers to stop the habit, they often cause sleepless nights, altered though patterns mood swings and even suicidal thoughts.
In each case above, a worthwhile product or system has 'progressed' to a newer allegedly better way of doing things that is often worse than what went before. Yet each has been promoted as progress.
It's useful to ask who was doing the promotion, because then it is easier to understand why we are so often asked to swallow a lie about the supposed benefits of progress.
Microsoft needs to sell operating systems, this happens most often when you buy a new PC. Yes the new PC will have a faster clock rate and shinier applications but that won't change how fast you type or whether you can watch a video at double speed. An old PC can do these tasks very well but then of course you would not need a new operating system.
State education has become a self serving monster that is at least as much interested in its own status as it is the product it produces. On almost any measure one uses, it fails to deliver for many of the young people who are pushed through the system. If it is so progressive and wonderful why do we have any illiterate 16 year olds?
DAB radio transmits more channels in a narrower spectrum than FM, but if only the Government could switch of the FM stations, they could auction off the spectrum and generate barrow loads of cash for themselves and the 'advisors' who reap the real money rewards.
Quit smoking drugs mostly fail to deliver on their promise. However if you medicalise a condition, a trusted member of the community (your Doctor) will help the drug companies to get the Government to pay for your 'illness'. Hypnosis, and other counselling methods have no side effect and work more effectively. They are not however promoted by a drug company.
So before you say that progress is always good (sometimes it really is good) I ask you to think about where the money is going and then realise who is really benefiting from this so called progress.
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