A friend asks me: "why don't you write in French?"
I'm french, living in a french-speaking city, and most of my readers are french. Actually, I'm probably losing readership because of English.
My answer is extremely simple: I. Love. Writing. In. English. Call it bland and emotionally weak, but it lets me crystallize thoughts into something denser and more direct than anything I could do with french and its intricacies.
All the articles exposed here spent weeks as drafts, sometimes months. After the first version, I come back from to time to time and trim as much as I can. Reformulate. Simplify. Rework. Enrich. I totally get my kick from this and, no, I don't give a damn about the "death of the french language". Not that I don't care, just that it isn't dying.
facebook is no email
Please, stop using facebook as your primary communication medium.
Yes, in some aspects, facebook is more convenient than email. For example, you never have to worry about outdated email addresses, there is a searchable directory, and this nice profile picture reassures your mom she's writing to her beloved son.
If you are in this case, this means you prefer facebook pseudo-messaging to standard email because the mental evaluation matrix you built looks like this:
Well, I think this analysis is flawed. First, it fails to include some hidden costs and, secondly, facebook awesomeness is clearly not free (you pay with the personal information you reveal). Here is what my matrix looks like:
Of course your mileage may vary: each of us will put different weights inside the matrix, and each of us will add/remove some rows. Agreed, but my goal here is not to nitpick about details of the grid, merely to remind you about the grid.
Take some time and build yours. Each time you use one alternative or the other, you are casting a vote by forcing other people to comply with your choice. Are you sure facebook is the option you want to promote?
For those who want more, here are explanations of my grid:
Yes, in some aspects, facebook is more convenient than email. For example, you never have to worry about outdated email addresses, there is a searchable directory, and this nice profile picture reassures your mom she's writing to her beloved son.
If you are in this case, this means you prefer facebook pseudo-messaging to standard email because the mental evaluation matrix you built looks like this:
Well, I think this analysis is flawed. First, it fails to include some hidden costs and, secondly, facebook awesomeness is clearly not free (you pay with the personal information you reveal). Here is what my matrix looks like:
Of course your mileage may vary: each of us will put different weights inside the matrix, and each of us will add/remove some rows. Agreed, but my goal here is not to nitpick about details of the grid, merely to remind you about the grid.
Take some time and build yours. Each time you use one alternative or the other, you are casting a vote by forcing other people to comply with your choice. Are you sure facebook is the option you want to promote?
―
For those who want more, here are explanations of my grid:
- Excessive aggregation (of personal data): government civil / social / health care databases are segregated not only because of technical limitations, but also by laws, to mitigate the impacts of data breaches. Facebook is the antithesis of data segregation, and will happily mix your messages with the other submitted personal data: photos, thoughts, pokes, connections, tastes, religious/politic/sexual orientations. Too much data in one's hands is not sane. Yes, it enables smarter systems, but it also represents a tremendous loss of control over your personal data.
- Privacy: I know many of you will react to these thoughts with a dismissive "So what? I have nothing to hide". Are you sure? Again, I'll quote some Schneier here:
"We do nothing wrong when we make love or go to the bathroom. We are not deliberately hiding anything when we seek out private places for reflection or conversation. We keep private journals, sing in the privacy of the shower, and write letters to secret lovers and then burn them. Privacy is a basic human need."
What would you say if somebody was permanently peering at you in all these conditions? Well, that's what facebook is doing all the time with your online activity to "improve the quality" of the services it provides.
Note: yes, the linked article may be fake. Still, it raises some very probable points and many are just plain evident for technical reasons. - Hackability/accessibility: only facebook can define/modify the way it is used, whereas an open standard like the email can be built upon. For example, it is currently impossible to answer to facebook messages via email (that may change when facebook unveils its 'Titan' email interface). This is obviously by design (in order to force you to use the full-blown web interface), and it is impossible for a non-facebook employee to hack his way around. Facebook is a control freak who, in addition to owning your data, wants to control the way you use it.
RIEN, again
I mentioned this some years ago, but it bears repeating: RIEN is the awesomest instrumental rock band. Ever. I'd almost kick the "instrumental" qualificative, but there is Radiohead.
Their two albums are downloadable, and they just released a fabulous new teaser song from an incoming trilogy:
- Requiem pour des baroqueux (2003)
- Il ne peut y avoir de prédiction sans avenir (2007)
- Masterkraft (album coming soon)
richard "prioritization" stallman
Even if the guy has his weirdnesses (but which genious doesn't?), I've always admired Richard "rms" Stallman for his uncompromised integrity. As Gruber puts it, say what you want about him but he walks the walk.
But after watching [fr] the discussion RMS held about [fr] his biography, I find myself reconsidering the reasons of my admiration. For integrity is not a quality, it is one of the perceived results of intrinsical qualities.
Seth Godin has integrity because of his constancy in delivering insightful thoughts. Barack Obama's comes from his ambitious vision. 37signals owe it to their attitude and impeccable execution.
To me, RMS integrity comes as a result of a mix of rigour, stubbornness, but above all, prioritization.
Have an enemy; make no compromises. So far, it seems to have worked pretty well for him.
But after watching [fr] the discussion RMS held about [fr] his biography, I find myself reconsidering the reasons of my admiration. For integrity is not a quality, it is one of the perceived results of intrinsical qualities.
Seth Godin has integrity because of his constancy in delivering insightful thoughts. Barack Obama's comes from his ambitious vision. 37signals owe it to their attitude and impeccable execution.
To me, RMS integrity comes as a result of a mix of rigour, stubbornness, but above all, prioritization.
- The available free UNIX toolkits suck but UNIX licensing sucks harder, so he'll create his own implementation under free licenses.
- Computers with free BIOS suck, but proprietary BIOS suck harder, so he'll settle with a weird netbook equipped with low-end hardware till better free alternatives emerge.
- Etc.
Have an enemy; make no compromises. So far, it seems to have worked pretty well for him.
your product is not a product
Or if it is, well, you failed. Does your mother call you her "product"? No, so if your company produces copying machines, be proud of it, and call your product a copying machine. Your product does more than that? Great, then find a new name, call it by the model name, whatever. But don't call it a "product" to the eyes of your customers.
Below is a photo of the home screen of the copier I used at my former job.
Let's have a look at some of the words here: "service... WorkCentre 7335... this product enables... proceeding... various operations that may include sending emails and faxes... under an electronic form... depending... installed services... chosen button... select a service."
Use case: Zbigniew the contract manager wants to copy this damn contract he finalized after dozens of phone calls, hours of meetings and mountains of emails. He should have a giant face on his smile when the copier welcomes him warmly to this easy task. Instead,
In addition to fixing the points listed above,
Below is a photo of the home screen of the copier I used at my former job.
Use case: Zbigniew the contract manager wants to copy this damn contract he finalized after dozens of phone calls, hours of meetings and mountains of emails. He should have a giant face on his smile when the copier welcomes him warmly to this easy task. Instead,
- The copier blathers weird words totally irrelevant to the action of copying/scanning a document: "Select... service... product enables... various operations... under an electronic form... button to select a service".
- Then, this stupid machine isn't even conscious of its capabilities. Heck, it even uses conditional sentences: "This product enables [...] operations that may include [...], depending on the installed services."
- M. copier gives its name. How charming. A good beginning to fire a human relationship, but hey, you're a machine.
- To do the damn copy, Zbigniew has to click a smallish icon, whereas there there are lots of unused space right below
- The name of the printer (possibly more, like IP address, SMTP server, and troubleshooting stuff for sysadmin) could be displayed when "Technical information" is pressed. Normal users don't need this information displayed all the time.
- The blue space could be used for subtle branding (a logo would look nice in a grayer shade of blue)
- Need to adapt the layout and the size of the buttons to the number of services available.
- (Possible) need to develop the additional "Technical info." screen. Possible because maybe displaying the printers name wasn't necessary in the first place, let alone a full diagnosis/troubleshooting screen.
- And (the most complicated in my experience) need to fight to prevent clutter from creeping back. The various people involved in the design of the screen fear change, often to the point that they will promote status quo and will have to be convinced these changes benefit Zbigniew.
même pas honte
Mon drame de la prise de notes facile sur téléphones portables, c'est que les vannes relou de fin de soirée peuvent se transformer en affiche dans ma chambre.
N'empêche, j'en suis pas peu fier. Cliquetez sur l'image pour télécharger un PDF que vous pourrez imprimer en A0 pour accrocher derrière la télé et faire peur au chien.
business is business
Here’s the pitch: you work for ACME Inc, supplier of fine hand-crafted purple chair wheels since 1471. You and a potential client share good vibes that could lead to a juicy contract. Everything is fine in the best of the worlds, then you realize the client is also talking with one of yours competitors, EVIL Inc. Ohmygod.
Of course there is the vast subject of corruption, but that's not my point here; I'm always surprised to see how often these dated methods are used:
- Bitch about the competitor without logical reasoning: “We’ve heard EVIL Inc. is evil, don’t sleep with them”
- Make the client feel guilty: “We did everything for you! What did we do wrong? What makes you go elsewhere?”
- Serve your worst sticky brownish bullshity corporate sauce: “Unlike EVIL Inc, ACME Inc values customer satisfaction above all, never gonna let-you-down, blah blah”
For all of them: DON’T. To the latest news, capitalism is about free competition, meaning your selling key point is none of the above, it is “be valuable and bring to the client what he wants”. If you honestly think you're more valuable, show it, prove it. If needed, shift the debate towards a more favorable axis.
What I described above belongs to our early recreation grounds. It is business-spam, and we all hate spam. Do this and my inner Bayesian filter will automagically blacklist you. Said differently, please compete in honest direct terms or go live in the mountains.
All of the above could be obvious for you. I thought that too, then learnt that it’s not for lots of people, learnt to recognize it when it surfaces and learnt to politely refuse such behavior.
Of course there is the vast subject of corruption, but that's not my point here; I'm always surprised to see how often these dated methods are used:
- Bitch about the competitor without logical reasoning: “We’ve heard EVIL Inc. is evil, don’t sleep with them”
- Make the client feel guilty: “We did everything for you! What did we do wrong? What makes you go elsewhere?”
- Serve your worst sticky brownish bullshity corporate sauce: “Unlike EVIL Inc, ACME Inc values customer satisfaction above all, never gonna let-you-down, blah blah”
For all of them: DON’T. To the latest news, capitalism is about free competition, meaning your selling key point is none of the above, it is “be valuable and bring to the client what he wants”. If you honestly think you're more valuable, show it, prove it. If needed, shift the debate towards a more favorable axis.
What I described above belongs to our early recreation grounds. It is business-spam, and we all hate spam. Do this and my inner Bayesian filter will automagically blacklist you. Said differently, please compete in honest direct terms or go live in the mountains.
All of the above could be obvious for you. I thought that too, then learnt that it’s not for lots of people, learnt to recognize it when it surfaces and learnt to politely refuse such behavior.
google wave invites
Hi there. I have some Google Wave invitations remaining. Send me an email, first come first served.
did i say defiance?
Quick note related to my last entry about defiance: I could endlessly argue here about how much of what I perceived is a question of wealthiness, or Swiss specifities, etc. And still seem bland and naive.
The fact it, that was just not my point. As the last paragraph points out, "where I wanted to bring you to and where I'll stop" is not the few --certainly debatable, possibly naive-- byproducts of my thoughts. I'm no sociologist, and have a long way to go before being able to tackle such a complex subject in a short entry like a blogpost.
Where I wanted to bring you to is a book. A fantastic book backed by hard data that I read months ago, whose conclusions were revived by a trip to France. I hope some of you will read it and appreciate it as much as I did.
Anyway, thanks for your mail feedback, ideas, suggestions, punches and other high kicks about this post. Much appreciated. Really.
Where I wanted to bring you to is a book. A fantastic book backed by hard data that I read months ago, whose conclusions were revived by a trip to France. I hope some of you will read it and appreciate it as much as I did.
Anyway, thanks for your mail feedback, ideas, suggestions, punches and other high kicks about this post. Much appreciated. Really.
defiance
One word suffices to sum up my trip to France of a Frenchman living in Switzerland for one year: defiance.
Till now I didn't have a lot to say to the "so what is Switzerland like?" of my friends and relatives. Switzerland (Geneva actually), is apparently so similar to France that I mostly answered clichés for the sake of answering something.
Till now because now I know what I will answer: Swisses are human beings living their lives, unlike the wild animals known as Frenchmen.
Arriving in Geneva from France isn't something dramatically different and I hardly noticed any change. It is only coming back to France that you can fully understand a key component flowing in France veins, something you progressively forget living in Switzerland: defiance.
I define it this way: defiance in behavior is the permanent need for unproductive challenging and provocation.
Now you may think "uh, there is nothing wrong with challenge and provocation", and you're right. But what I mean here is not positive nor engaging challenge like entrepreneurship, engaged art or politics. It is permanent useless nitpicking, it is aggressive provocation with no benefit, it is the incapacity of simply living in peace in society without restless comparison to others.
This comes after a weekend in France spent walking in the city from friends place to friends place. And even in a not-so-big city like Grenoble, the following is painfully obvious: mistrust towards others passers-by, disrespect of shopkeepers, groups mocking out loud other people, guys aggressively begging for cigarettes. The simple aggressive expressions of many just gives me nausea.
Does it have to be this way? Nope, during the last ten months in Switzerland, none of this happened. Not to say at all I'm living in a candy world; the fact is Swiss are just living their life peacefully and have nothing to prove. Not to say either that it is a bland world with no taste since Geneva has lots of remarkable artists and places to hang out that are all but mean and mild.
So what?
Till now I didn't have a lot to say to the "so what is Switzerland like?" of my friends and relatives. Switzerland (Geneva actually), is apparently so similar to France that I mostly answered clichés for the sake of answering something.
Till now because now I know what I will answer: Swisses are human beings living their lives, unlike the wild animals known as Frenchmen.
Arriving in Geneva from France isn't something dramatically different and I hardly noticed any change. It is only coming back to France that you can fully understand a key component flowing in France veins, something you progressively forget living in Switzerland: defiance.
I define it this way: defiance in behavior is the permanent need for unproductive challenging and provocation.
Now you may think "uh, there is nothing wrong with challenge and provocation", and you're right. But what I mean here is not positive nor engaging challenge like entrepreneurship, engaged art or politics. It is permanent useless nitpicking, it is aggressive provocation with no benefit, it is the incapacity of simply living in peace in society without restless comparison to others.
This comes after a weekend in France spent walking in the city from friends place to friends place. And even in a not-so-big city like Grenoble, the following is painfully obvious: mistrust towards others passers-by, disrespect of shopkeepers, groups mocking out loud other people, guys aggressively begging for cigarettes. The simple aggressive expressions of many just gives me nausea.
Does it have to be this way? Nope, during the last ten months in Switzerland, none of this happened. Not to say at all I'm living in a candy world; the fact is Swiss are just living their life peacefully and have nothing to prove. Not to say either that it is a bland world with no taste since Geneva has lots of remarkable artists and places to hang out that are all but mean and mild.
So what?
- First, I'm pretty certain not to be totally naive: this is definitely not a question of wealthiness. Yes, Geneva is one of the richest places on earth. But also, I felt way more oppressed in Grenoble than I did for example in many poor South America cities. And contrarily, I fear the next time I'll have to stop by Paris.
- "Swiss neutrality"? The "Swiss military system" forging brave good citizens? Read some Geneva demographics to realize that Geneva is not Swiss, then forget about it.
- It is a symptom, not a cause. Behavioral defiance is the result of the erosion of a sane behavior in a context of economic, politic and corporate defiance. As such, this should be the entry point of any attempt to curb it in France. And this is where I wanted to bring you and where I'll stop because everything that I could say on this subject won't hold up to an excellent essay from Yann Algan & Pierre Cahuc called La société de défiance : Comment le modèle social français s'autodétruit ? It is very concise, readable and well supported by statistics and facts. If you shared some insights while reading this post and can read french, go buy and read this book. You won't regret it.
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