Category: Information Technology

• Why trolling is a training problem.

  Probably starting the conversation off with epithets isn’t going to get your audience’s attention. “Welcome to Excel Conditional Formatting, you so and sos.” Certainly saying, “You are ill-informed,” or words to that effect would clear out the class. Regardless of the chocolate biscuits virtual or otherwise. Perhaps saying I have something to contribute might be […]

  Andrew Whalan

  February 13, 2022

  Information Technology, Opinions-Editorial, Social Media

  Social media, social media trolling, training

• Does The Pen Hear More than the Keyboard?

  “I probably won’t be using that.” It wasn’t a derisory or demeaning disclaimer. Just a calm statement: this is not for me. I never was much of  a software salesman anyway. I had livened up a not-so-interesting training session by describing an upcoming software feature. It may or may not be in the next future […]

  Andrew Whalan

  March 8, 2016

  Information Technology, Personal

  diagnosis, doctor, electronic forms, geekspeak, notes, notetaking, paper, pen, technical writing, trainee, training, writing

• National Insecurity, the Internet and Data Retention

  UK and Australia have introduced internet monitoring and data retention laws. Canada too is introducing a similar bill. France as well. The UK has had the High Court throw them out. But the Conservative Government is fighting back. Europe is also throwing out such laws. The USA is trying to postpone its response to the controversy over the […]

  Andrew Whalan

  August 27, 2015

  Information Technology, Opinions-Editorial, Politics

  Conservative Government, Data Storage, edward snowden, george brandis, Greens Senator Scott Ludlam, hackers, internet monitoring, security

• Walking on Thin Glass : Installing Windows 10

  I’m usually cynical about trying out new Windows operating systems : Windows Vista still gives me work-related nightmares especially with its spinning blue circle of death Windows ME (Millenium Edition) meant that my daughter didn’t think I knew anything about computers and Windows 8.0 beta which while so easy to install was quite confusing to […]

  Andrew Whalan

  August 11, 2015

  Information Technology, Opinions-Editorial

  beos, haiku, linux, windows 8.0, windows me, Windows operating systems, windows vista

• A True Internet Fable: Don’t Mention the War, We’re Too Busy Collaborating

  Last week, at work, the Aarnet (Australian Academic Research Network) is mentioned.  In my mind I slip away from the meeting and go back in time. To 1990, in fact, where I was witness to a remarkable episode of collaboration. My then work colleague had done the unthinkable. He had talked management into connecting to the internet. […]

  Andrew Whalan

  August 3, 2015

  Information Technology, Opinions-Editorial, Personal, Politics, Social Media

  aarnet, collaboration, gulf war, learning and development, world wide web

• National Insecurity, Citizenship and Exile

  As posted on Gumption-inc… With less than eighteen months remaining in its first term, (or less according to some commentators), the Australian Government has been determined to show that it is tough on national security. One of those measures is legislating to strip citizenship of anyone who has joined the fighting in Syria and Iraq. In […]

  Andrew Whalan

  July 14, 2015

  Information Technology, Opinions-Editorial, Politics

  australian politics, canadian politics, citizenship, dual nationals, passport, Politics, terrorism

• This Printer Isn’t Working (Diagnostic Ping-Pong)

  “Hi I’m just ringing about the printer. It’s not working.” It was the printer just over the partition from me. I had taken it on myself to try and fix it. But I was not a desktop support person any more. I had: Checked the printer had paper, no jams and enough ink Stopped and restarted the printer […]

  Andrew Whalan

  May 25, 2015

  Humour, Information Technology, Opinions-Editorial, Personal

  desktop support, diagnosis, Humour, information technology, printer