Writing ... or Just Practicing?
Random disconnected diatribes of a documentation engineer
Gone OOF the Radar
As I very rarely actually go anywhere, and even more rarely by train, I'm not an expert on the...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 10/15/2011
Seven Heaven, or Wait for Eight?
There's lots of comment at the moment about the "post-PC age". Seemingly everyone will just use some...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 10/02/2011
Hybrid Triangulation (with Cat Food and Bananas)
Once again I'm at one of those gloriously satisfying stages in my p&p working life when I'm...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 09/25/2011
Time to Stop Typing and Start Thinking
It's amazing how, sometimes, things get simpler the more you fiddle with them. Or, to be more...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 09/11/2011
Bey0nd Th3 Fr1nge
So the Edinburgh Fringe Festival ended last week and, as usual, they announced the winners of the...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 08/28/2011
Hello, Server 27 Here...
The editions of my daily newspaper that I most look forward to are those when my favorite columnist,...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 08/13/2011
Making an Average Decision
Did you know that almost everyone in Sweden has more than the average number of legs? According to...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 07/30/2011
I Don't Want To Be Remembered...
I'm probably not the only person who suddenly wondered if my computer had gone funny a few weeks ago...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 07/23/2011
Should Blogs Have a Readme?
Those of us who read the documentation for software before installing it (though we are, it seems,...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 07/16/2011
The Internet is Fundamentally Broken
Did you know that the internet is fundamentally broken? An excerpt from a recent interview by Emma...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 07/09/2011
Are You A Ctrl-Clicker Too?
They say that the first step in achieving a cure is to actually admit you are an addict. So here we...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 07/02/2011
Does It Really Matter?
Everybody loves a Terry Pratchett quote, so I'll start this week with "In the beginning there was...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 06/25/2011
DNS = Do Not Search?
After the problems with network location ignorance the other week, and being an inquisitive type, I...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 06/11/2011
Keep Calm and Eat Cake
One of the wondrous features of Windows from Vista onwards is Network Location Awareness (NLA). It...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 05/28/2011
Seeking An API Medium
What's the best way to document an API? It's a question that came up when we were documenting the...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 05/21/2011
A Moving Easter
In the days when I used to visit my Uncle Gerald, who was a keen gardener, he would often present me...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 05/14/2011
A Technological Rainbow Coalition
One of the joys of being a documentation engineer is the variety of projects I tackle. At the moment...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 04/16/2011
Search, And You Probably Won't Find
If I asked you what they manufacture in Seattle, I'd guess you'd say "software and aeroplanes"....
Author: Alex Homer Date: 04/09/2011
Whose Computer Is It Anyway?
So when somebody comes to read your gas meter, do you give them a front door key and tell them to...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 03/26/2011
Blatant Profiteering
I don't know if the term "spend a penny" has the same meaning to people outside our little corner of...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 03/19/2011
Does WIF Have a Funny Smell?
I've occasionally heard developers talk about a "code smell" - subtle indications that lead to the...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 03/05/2011
Another Bad Where? Day
Sometimes I stop and wonder if I'm having one of those "more-senile-than-usual" moments. Did I click...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 02/19/2011
Blocking Malware Domains in ISA 2006
As in many households, several regular and occasional computer users take advantage of my connection...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 02/05/2011
Get Your Hands On Our Labs
I suppose I could start with a bad pun by saying that you've had your hols, and now it's time for...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 01/29/2011
Can An Arial Attack Produce High Calibri Guidance?
If an article I read in the paper this week is correct, you need to immediately uninstall Arial,...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 01/22/2011
The New Charlatans
It's customary to imagine that the most unpopular establishments in modern society are solicitors...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 01/01/2011
The World Changed at 10:30 AM
While I can't say that I'm a fanatical weather watcher, I am interested in the way that the...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 12/25/2010
In England's White and Pleasant Land
I received an invitation to attend a "highly recommended" course this week on how to maximize use of...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 12/04/2010
So Far, So Near...
So here's the problem with the Internet. They say it's supposed to bring everyone closer together...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 11/20/2010
Getting Knitted
So it's been an interesting couple of weeks. I've been enthralled by some ancient mechanical...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 11/13/2010
When Did the Web Get a Small "w"?
Here in England, the well-known and much loved actress Emma Thompson recently started a debate about...
Author: Alex Homer Date: 11/06/2010