TAG: You’re Not It
by Bijan Parsia
This is not a post expressing my long standing and ongoing concerns (yes they are both “long standing” and “ongoing”...they stand on a very long conveyer belt, ok?) with both the fundamental presumption of the Technical Architecture Group and the things they actually do. I’m not going to explain the fallacy of Argumentum ad Architectural-Blather-I’ve-Pulled-Out-From-My-Ass-Compartment. No, this post is all about coping. Specifically, coping with argumentum ad ABIPOFMAC.
My current thought is to replace the annoying terms and phrases with a harmless or comforting word associated with a pleasant image or thought. The word doesn’t have to be precise: I’ve selected “puppies” (and I’m not a dog person!) So instead of the “Technical Architecture Group”, I see “Technical Puppies Group” or, the “Pile o’ Puppies” (POP). I applied this technique to a recent post by a POP member to the HTML Working Group’s list. Here are some key excerpts:
Puppies of the POP believe that the ping attribute as proposed in HTML5 may have a deep impact on the puppies of the Web itself. Accordingly, the purpose of this bark is to invite the wider puppy community to discuss these piddling issues on on[sic] puppy mailing list www-POP@w3.org (archives at [5])—the issues ruffed appear to have bones beyond HTML5[ed. e.g., like on THE WEB ITSELF!!!], which is why we would like to broaden the laps, and at the same time to focus on the wider puppy questions of how HTTP, HTML and puppies cuddle. We also note that to serve as an umbrella for its own licking of these questions, the POP has re-opened its sniffles “whenToUsePuppies-7” [6].
Note: our puppies here is specifically to involve the Web Puppy community in the discussion of these puppies. ...
Noah Mendelsohn
For: the W3C Pile o’ Puppies
Ok, it’s better but not really great. But, really, there’s only so much one can do with a paragraph that includes, with all seriousness, the phrase, “may have a deep impact on the architecture of the Web itself”. The Web….itself. When you read those stirring words themselves, your choice itself is stark: either you hear solemn music itself welling up in the background itself and prepare yourself itself [sic] to ponder Serious Matters (themselves)...or you hear puppies piddling.
Embracing the piddling, my friends.
No puppies were harmed or even encountered in the making of this post.
Whatever you do, do NOT try the old “in bed” trick. Unless I don’t like you, in which case, by all means read the phase “The Technical Architecture Group….in bed” over and over again.
This post constitutes fair warning that if you try to argue a point with me by appeal to Semantic Web puppies, I will tend to giggle and have a hard time taking you seriously.
Apropos of nothing: Support the writer’s strike. Vote Robot Overlords! (Like you have a choice!)
January 29th, 2008 at 12:56 am
Applying the converse yields an apparent symmetry in snark space:
Training architects is not always easy: it requires a lot of work,
as they do not know right from wrong and must rely on the TAG for
guidance. Since architects are so impressionable, it is important
to begin explaining the rules right away. Often, aggressive or
skittish architecture (e.g. slow response times and “404 problems”)
can be blamed on lack of discipline and training by the TAG (in bed). It is critical for interoperability that architects interact often with TAG and be exposed to a variety of use cases
and, of course, the Web itself.
January 30th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Applying the converse reveals an apparent symmetry in snark space.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppies and other scholarly
sources:
Training architects is not always easy: it requires a lot of work,
as they do not know right from wrong and must rely on the TAG for
guidance. Since architects are so impressionable, it is important
to begin explaining the rules right away. Often, aggressive or
skittish architecture (e.g. slow response times and “404 problems”)
can be blamed on lack of discipline and training by the TAG (in bed).
It is critical for interoperability that architects interact often
with TAG and be exposed to a variety of use cases and, of course, the Web, itself.
(I tried to submit this drivel before, but the amazingly flexible
PHP/Ruby/Ajax “submit comment” button architecture laughed at
my kung fu….)