Who is your program for?
21 January 2020
When designing something, one of the things which have to be done first is to consider what the purpose of the thing is. Many design decisions are based upon a consideration of whom the program is intended to benefit. Some decisions will seem to benefit both parties. “If people will give us their email addresses,…
Tone Matters
13 January 2020
There is more to the story of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis than merely the fact that people will discount the possibility that they are, in fact, responsible for things that happen. Another part of the story which is important to us is found in how Dr. Semmelweis responded to criticism. To put things mildly and diplomatically,…
US Supreme Court to consider TCPA case
10 January 2020
https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/19-631.html is the docket page for Barr, et al., v. American Association of Political Consultants, Inc., et al. This is a TCPA case involving automated calls with both the Petitioner and the Respondent in agreement as to what they feel the outcome should be. The favored result would probably gut the TCPA’s prohibition against the…
Sometimes, it’s you
10 January 2020
Today’s post comes to us from the story of a 19th-century doctor: Ignaz Semmelweis. Dr. Semmelweis was an obstetrician in Vienna who obtained his degree in 1844 and was appointed assistant at the obstetric clinic in Vienna’s General Hospital. There were two wards at the clinic. One was staffed by doctors and trainees. The other…
Why Is Policy Important?
6 January 2020
Policies are important documents, but not everyone understands why they exist. Policies exist in order to delineate what is allowable and what is not. They also exist in order to inform people as to what rules will be followed in certain situations. This blog has both kinds of policies. We have a Privacy Policy that…
Herd Immunity
2 November 2018
It’s the time of year when people start getting their flu shots. Flu vaccinations are important for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the concept of “herd immunity.” Part of that concept is that everything does not always go according to plan. That is, some people will get sick despite being…
Real impacts of spam
15 February 2018
I don’t talk about it very often, but there are some real consequences to even the existence of spam. All the way back in 2004, the FTC mentioned it as a driver in address churn*(Federal Trade Commission 2004). Of course, wanted messages get lost. Finally, we can blame the mere existence of spam for the…
Political spam: A Few Stats
10 January 2018
I’m not enamored with political senders. As a group, they tend to have a sense of entitlement to engage in poor practices. So, they buy, sell, rent, and trade lists. Today’s post is a case study in the last presidential election. I gave tagged addresses to the Trump, Warren, Sanders, and Clinton campaigns. In each…