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Great news!

workingforthegovernment has been spammed! Within 2 hours today, we have been the recepient of 4 generic spam comments, looking like:

hi great blog. keep up the good work. By the way, visit me at www.wherever.com!

Being the conscientious person that i am, i have deleted all the spam. But rejoice with me in the fact that this website has been considered worthy of spam!

The Seven Deadly (email) Sins

Interesting article, by way of the folks from PalmOne and CNN.

The Seven Deadly Email Sins:

Intro
A poll of 750 office workers across Europe, commissioned by palmOne, has identified seven deadly sins of e-mail, including blitzing, tactlessness, sloppiness, ignoring e-mails and lying about them.

Ignoring
Seventy-nine percent of survey repondents said they resented having to chase up e-mail responses. A quarter said they did so for more than half the e-mails they send. Nearly two-thirds felt business decisions were delayed due to a lack of e-mail response.

Lying
This is most marked in Britain, where up to 11 percent of survey respondents said they lie about getting e-mails, more than twice the figure in the other surveyed countries. Denying e-mails breeds distrust because, unlike phone calls and letters, it's relatively easy to confirm whether or not a message has been delivered.

Presuming
Twenty-seven percent of survey respondents said they were annoyed when urgent e-mails were sent without an accompanying phone call to draw attention to it.

Waffling
Being sent pages of e-mail text when a few lines will do irritates one-fifth of office staff, particularly senior management, the survey showed

Blitzing
This is when the same e-mail is sent to "all and sundry" in a company. More than a quarter of the survey sample expressed frustration at being unnecessarily copied irrelevant e-mails. They said it was "like being spammed by your colleagues."

Sloppiness
Bad grammar, misspelling and disconnected arguments gave 81 percent of the survey sample "negative feelings" towards the senders, while 41 percent of senior managers said badly worded e-mails implied laziness and even disrespect.

Tactlessness
Getting the tone wrong is easy in e-mails. People can't read body language, voice intonation and numerous other cues. Casual comments or humor can easily be misconstrued. Ten percent of respondents said they thought short, sharp e-mails unintentionally damaged relationships. In Germany and Britain, 23 percent and 14 percent respectively admitted confrontations with colleagues because of e-mail misunderstandings.

-----

Which sins have you committed?

The solutions:

Intro
Communications expert Dr. Peter Collett blames a lack of e-mail etiquette for the problems created by electronic communication -- which lacks the established niceties of letter-writing, chatting on the phone or a personal meeting. Working with palmOne, Collett has developed seven techniques for combatting e-mail sins.

Respond
Always acknowledge receipt. Respond within 24 hours, even if only with a "holding statement." Use the "out of office" function religiously when away.

Don't lie
Don't embarrass yourself by denying receipt because you ignored an e-mail for too long. Confront the issue immediately.

Phone
Don't assume your urgent e-mail to someone else has been seen and dealt with. Make a phone call to back up your e-mail

Don't e-waffle
Get to the point. The more you say, the less likely it is that your e-mail will be read.

Don't e-blitz
If you need to "cc" an e-mail, include only those with an active interest in the subject. You'll get a more immediate response from all concerned if you write directly to each individual involved.

Be formal
Err on the side of formality. An e-mail should be properly spelled and should be grammatical, just like a letter -- otherwise mutual respect is at risk. Check for mistakes before pressing the "send" button.

Cool off
Avoid snap judgments. An e-mail may look offensive, but was probably just hastily or badly composed. Never reply when feeling angry or emotional -- embarrassing or bad-tempered e-mails can come back to haunt you.


----

I'm Bored...

I'm extremely bored at home. Running out of things to do. Any ideas?

xing1 xing1 da3 zhan4

Or, Star Wars in Chinese.

This linked from Boon.

"The Backstroke of the West"

and "Crazy Subtitles"

arthroscopy - the aftermath

Went back to SGH for my follow up today. Had the stitches removed, and the doctor ordered physiotherapy to regain right leg strength. When I went to make my physio appointment, I was plesantly surprised to learn that I would be assigned to the therapist who had my case the last time as she would be back from maternity leave in a week.

Now, for the good news. The doctor took one look at my leg and said "see you in a month." He then gave me a 1 month extension for my MC. how's that......

so it's back to work on the 26th September.

Amusing.

Found this very amusing post on the internet, attributed to a certain George Constanza. Not that I agree with everything here, but it's cute nonetheless.

George Constanza's words of wisdom:

"the most unfair thing about life is the way it ends.I mean life is tough, it takes up alot of your time. what do you get at the end of it? a death. whats that a bonus?!? i think the life cycle is backwards, you should die first and get it out of the way, then go live in an old age home, get kicked out for being too healthy, go collect your pension. then when you start work you get a gold watch on your first day. you work forty years until your young enough to enjoy your retirement. you drink alcohol, you party, and you get ready for highschool. you go to primary school, you become kid, you play and you have no responsibilities, you become a little baby, you go back, you spend your last nine months floating with luxuries like central heating, spa, room service on tap, then you finish off as an orgasm!"

Too good to let pass

From www.stud.ntnu.no/~shane/:

Europeans vs Americans-


and finding found nemo-


and Vader-


and minesweeper-

linguistical errors (or knot)

Eye thought ewe mite like two reed these poem:

I have a spelling checker.
It came with my pea sea.
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss steaks aye can knot sea.

Eye ran this poem threw it,
Your sure reel glad two no.
Its vary polished in it's weigh.
My checker tolled me sew.

A checker is a bless sing,
It freeze yew lodes of thyme.
It helps me right awl stiles two reed,
And aides me when I rime.

Each frays come posed up on my screen
eye trussed too bee a joule.
The checker pours o'er every word
To cheque sum spelling rule.

Bee fore a veiling checker's Hour
spelling mite decline,
And if we're lacks oar have a laps,
We wood bee maid too wine.

Butt now bee cause my spelling
Is checked with such grate flair,
Their are no fault's with in my cite,
Of nun eye am a ware.

Now spelling does knot phase me,
It does knot bring a tier.
My pay purrs awl due glad den
With wrapped word's fare as hear.

To rite with care is quite a feet
Of witch won should be proud,
And wee mussed dew the best wee can,
Sew flaw's are knot aloud.

Sow ewe can sea why aye dew prays,
Such soft wear four pea seas,
And why eye brake in two averse
Buy righting too pleas.

-- Sauce Unknown

running out of things to describe boredom...

Your Dominant Thinking Style:

Modifying Super logical and rational, you consider every fact available to you. You don't make rash decisions and are rarely moved by emotion. You prefer what's known and proven - to the new and untested. You tend to ground those around you and add stability.

Your Secondary Thinking Style:

Visioning You are very insightful and tend to make decisions based on your insights. You focus on how things should be - even if you haven't worked out the details. An idealist, thinking of the future helps you guide your path. You tend to give others long-term direction and momentum.

What's Your Thinking Style?

logic

You Are Incredibly Logical

(You got 100% of the questions right) Move over Spock - you're the new master of logic You think rationally, clearly, and quickly. A seasoned problem solver, your mind is like a computer!

How Logical Are You?

more being bored(2)

How You Live Your Life

You are honest and direct. You tell it like it is. You say whatever is on your mind. Other people's reactions don't faze you. You tend to have one best friend you hang with, as opposed to many aquaintences. You have one big dream in your life, and you never lose sight of it.

How Do You Live Your Life?

more being bored

You are elegant, withdrawn, and brilliant. Your mind is a weapon, able to solve any puzzle. You are also great at poking holes in arguments and common beliefs. For you, comfort and calm are very important. You tend to thrive on your own and shrug off most affection. You prefer to protect your emotions and stay strong.

The World's Shortest Personality Test

i am being bored

Your Hidden Talent

You have the natural talent of rocking the boat, thwarting the system. And while this may not seem big, it can be. It's people like you who serve as the catalysts to major cultural changes. You're just a bit behind the scenes, so no one really notices.

What's Your Hidden Talent?

what it really means to be an army boy

We the unappreciated...
doing the impossible...
for the ungrateful...
to the unknowing...
using the unacceptable...
within the unachievable.

- sources unknown.

post-operation blues

i'd put up a photo of my bandaged knee, but i gather that won't draw any viewers, and in fact might turn away my posse of regular readers.... Besides, it's just a regular knee with bandages around it.

went for the long-awaited knee operation at SGH yesterday. Was recovering from the effects of general anesthesia (sp?) the whole night, and only got up this morning.

Here's what they took out of my knee during the arthroscopy (i'll put it up later):


Anyway, i'm only allowed to remove the bandage tomorrow afternoon, will update then. In the meantime, I get to hobble around the house and do little else.