I read all my news through RSS.  I don’t like how google’s feed reader works, it just doesn’t think the same way I do.  So I have my own.  And some sites don’t show the full content, so I pop the page itself inside an iframe in my reader.  Some (GPF, for example) want to break out for some reason.  I’m seeing all the ads on your page, seeing it in the same dimensions you want me to see it in, what more do you want?  You can have my attention, but only to the extent that my attention doesn’t stray from my reader mindset.

I’ve re-enabled it only for internal websites and Gmail so far and had no problems.  No more of those irritating balloons if you accidentally mouse anywhere within the article.  No netflix popunders (I thought we killed those) if I click anywhere on a page.  I’s wonderful.

The internet is a faster, less distracting place again.  Maybe they’ll give me reasons to enable it again, but I’m doubting it.

Both have a shebang line, and after that import (use) lines.  Perl’s are mostly optional – for sysadmin stuff you’re usually just doing your boilerplate strict and warnings.  Of course, even that is optional.  Technically anyway.  For python, you need to import something to do absolutely anything.   Which is okay – it shows you what is being used.

Then on to the real work.  In perl, you start out with the program.  It’s right there.  If you want to see the logic, just open the file – it’s usually at the top.  Python is the opposite – you have to declare your objects and functions higher up in the file before you can use them.   I couldn’t say you have to declare them before you use them because in practice you’re coding along and think “hey, this should be a function” and zoom down a bit and add it, then go back to the logic.  You’re still doing them before.

So you have your listing of objects and functions somewhere, and the actual program logic somewhere.  But this shows one difference between the two.

Perl cares about doing things.  Python cares about defining things.

Their production may be only average or above average, but everyone in the zone around them is way above average.  That’s because when they find some way to automate the widget approval application process, they get excited and share it.  Suddenly widget applications go from hours a day to seconds (this has actually happened to me) and everyone gets way more widgets out.   Meanwhile he’s been using his newfound time to try to find a way to get a chat room for everyone in the team so they don’t have to yell or call all day.

He’ll automate things to make not just his life easier, but everyone around’s life easier also.

How do you find your enabler?  I think it starts with being nice.  Having too much empathy for everyone else helps too.  Does someone not only order their drink  at the Tastes Burnt with a smile and say please, but pay attention to how they yell them to each other so they don’t have to translate it?  That fellow down the row who strangely requests a garbage can for a strategic spot in the middle?  Depends: did you find yourself (along with him) saving time and reducing hassle by having one in just the right place?

Why would you want to become one?  Well, there’s some drawbacks and some benefits.

Drawbacks:

• Less time to get your stuff done
• You look like a kissup
• You look like you’re trying to involve yourself everwhere
• You’ll get lots and lots of questions

On the plus side:

• It’s genuinely helping people in that tiny way that makes a huge difference
• The office is a more pleasant place for all involved
• Your tools get used
• Your brain gets used
• That stuff you do for everyone else?   You get to do it for you, too.
• You don’t have to learn to say “no”
• You get to do more, and more interesting, things day to day

In short (too late!) – I think there’s someone who acts as the grease that makes any office run smoother – and that it’s important they’re there.

I still come up with crazy/stupid things like that and would like to tell him sometime.  Here’s to you, the Archbishop’s father-in-law.