I don't know how many other people experience it but there's plenty of times I've gone to find data and it's vanished, disappeared, gone. You know where you saved it, know where you put it but it just ain't there no more. I call this Evapordation - the process by which data vaporises.
Unfortunately, the only law that applies to Evapordation (The Law of Denuded Returns) is that the data lost will be significant i.e. it will contain, contact, evidential or reference material that you were certain you had in your grasp. What's worse it wont be on your back up either.
I was talking with someone from FAST (Federation Against Software Theft). She asked what other sector could sell you products that don't work as specified, promise a path of productivity improvement and tie you into maintenance contracts. Didn't take long to answer - Politics I said.
The Digital Economy Bill going through Parliament will legislate that Orphan works are protected by copyright (i.e.stuff where the rights holder cannot be identified -- 40% of the British Libray archive collection is orphaned) All types of work can become orphaned; for example, archival sound and video and of course photographs -- particularly on the internet where metadata is easily stripped away.
The fine print on this legislation is still to be worked out but the inference is that HMG will act as a body to police orphaned copyright thus collecting the digital rights - Talk about stealth taxes.
"Walk tall. Walk straight. Look the world right in the eye", used to be a catchphrase. Now, such is the march of the digital age, that there's a course advertised on face-to-face communication skills.
Today's typical manager, it claims communicates mainly through voice and email and managing complicated business relationships with people they've never met. But what happens when you need to conduct performance reviews or negotiate a tough deal. You need help understanding the nuances when people meet.
If the course was directed at a new generation of robots I could understand but wait, just maybe, looking someone in the eye is a dying art!
Went to an event last night of a prospective political candidate. The organiser, who was a farmer, phoned her up and said '"let's postpone there's going to be snow." "No!" she said, "It will be fine."
Twenty minutes before the meeting kicked off she phoned-up canceling and was doing a U turn as the snow was too thick. To those that trudged through the slush The farmer made the curt remark. "She's a reputation for not listening. Guess this proves it."
How many times in business have you proffered advice; Seen it ignored and then watched the reckoning. The 'one mouth and two ears -- use them in equal proportion' adage is so often replaced by one mouth, cloth ears.
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