Getting Started

Well, that was easy. I guess they have usability down pat.

Normally, I'd never do a blog. This is part of a class assignment, but I reckon I need to write something, so I'll write whatever first pops in my head.

Listening to "There Will Be a Day" by Jeremy Camp as I write. Mercy, is that a powerful song. Made me cry the first 500 times I heard. Especially the lines
"troubled soul don't lose your heart
cause joy and peace He brings
and the beauty that's in store
outweighs the hurt of life's stings
But I hold onto this hope
and the promise that He brings
There will be a day with no more suffering"

his voice there is a perfect complement to the music and lyrics. I really don't think it can be improved.

Moving on: Thesis work is looking like it's coming together. I enjoy some aspects more than others and some parts of the research more than others. Like, I prefer the research into parasite resistence/resilence more than anything. I'm actually modeling the cattle industry, assessing their needs for IT and critiquing some of the available software programs. But one of the things I wanted to critique was how well the programs could be manipulated for things it hadn't been intended for, like breeding for parasite resistence. It looks to be the most interesting aspect.

Critiquing the programs is harder. It's difficult for one person's opinion to...well, not be of value, but to have more than limited value. What's difficult for one person (like math or reading) may be easy for another. Well, it's the same with usability. Different people bring to the table different mindsets and strengths and weaknesses and it's hard to anticipate them all. Then again, it's also like breeding for qualitative traits. Breeding for one good production trait may eliminante another good one (high milk production often equals low growth production or things like that). Making a program "usable" for some may make it less "usable" for others. On the other hand, just about everyone can do something as easy as setting up this blog, so........there you go. Then your trade off is a matter of functionality and use, rather than usability.

Hope that made sense. If not, I need to improve it before I finish that thesis. :D