Dealing with our 'computer says no' moments

Credit: Pxhere/Mohamed Hassan

Do you remember the comedy sketch series Little Britain? It was a television comedy series written and starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams, playing a variety of characters playing up to various exaggerated stereotypes.  

The series will be 20 years old next year (where does the time go?) and is now unfamiliar to many younger television viewers.  

David Walliams. Credit: Sean Reynolds, Liverpool

One of those sketches features Walliams as an emotionless and officious bank clerk, tapping a keyboard, and whose only response to customers’ requests is: “Computer says no!” 

The phrase has worked its way into our everyday language. It means complete inflexibility citing bureaucratic or technological reasons. 

It is trusting technology over ourselves, something people do every day in life, sometimes with slapstick consequences.

As technical creators, we need to have our own conversion moment from the 'computer says no' mentality.

 

Sometimes we become slaves to technology, instead of getting the technology to work for us.  

In discussions during our MA programme in Technical Communication and E-Learning at the University of Limerick, lecturers have pointed out to us that technology updates and changes regularly. Our course focuses in heavier detail on the ideas, the competencies, the skills.  

While it is helpful and important to be up to date with industry computer hardware and software, technology is just a tool. What is more important is that we have the skills to use the tool. 

Credit: Pxhere

We will hit roadblocks during our career. Even creating a blog, there’s roadblocks along the way, dealing with the technology and tools. When creating a blog, the tools can be a source of frustration. If we are not careful, we are trying to adapt our work for the tool, instead of making it work for us.

The tools will change, and ultimately become obsolete. We don't have to.  In technical communication and e-learning, I believe it is important to trust our own judgement sometimes.  

Time to face the camera

Image via pxhere

If you’ve ever cracked a mirror, you’ve probably been quickly reminded of an old phrase: “Seven years bad luck.” 

The superstition of a broken mirror bringing ill fortune is believed to Greek and Roman civilisations. Human reflection in water or on a mirrored surface was otherworldly; a gateway into our souls. 

In the 19th and 20th century, some cultures were suspicious of camera technology, fearing it would steal their spirit. 

I don’t quite have the same reasoning, but fear of the camera is something I can relate to.  

Web camera shyness came up during the week, as part of a guest lecture on our e-learning theories and practices module given by Rachael Heweston and Gráinne Hogan from SAP, the enterprise resource planning software company   

There was plenty to learn, and there were useful tips on working in the virtual environment. 

“Stay visible... keep those lines of communication open with your team...” 

And then some advice about the camera. “Switch on your webcam as often as you can, even if you’re having a bad hair day... it creates a good rapport with colleagues.”

 

Image via Mohamed Hassan/pxhere

Now, the bad hair day, I know very little about, since I started shaving my head more than 20 years ago (it’s surprisingly cathartic), and these days you’d likely find more follicles on a football. Bad head day, maybe, bad hair day only in my dreams! 

But the sentiment, I know all about. When we put on a camera, it can raise our anxieties, make us act unnaturally. We fear it exposes our vulnerabilities.  

Nevertheless, Rachael’s advice makes so much sense. In 2021, as part of a Workplace Issues in Technical and Professional Communication module, we looked at the importance of body language. So much is said, without ever saying a word. Non-verbal communication can be equally as important as verbal communication. 

Today’s fears about turning on our camera are less a mirror into our soul, than a mirror into our lives. By turning our camera on, we are not just fearful of how we ourselves look. We are also fearful of giving more away about our lives. 

I’ve been trying to use my camera more. I’m not worried about the bad hair day, although I am aware of my background environment when using the webcam. This is less about the ‘bad hair day’ phenomenon but more about avoiding external distractions when working. 

My aim now is to respect the camera, not fear it. 

Working on our opus: keep calm and carry on

Image via Pxhere

You’ll have to excuse this week’s blog. A bit like its author, it’s gone a little bit left-field over the past few days. 

This week’s blog features some electronic dance music (EDM), and specifically, a song called ‘Opus’ by Swedish DJ Eric Prydz.  

So how does a song by a Swedish progressive house music DJ relate to my studies in the MA course in Technical Communication and E-Learning at University of Limerick? 

The song ‘Opus’ is more than nine minutes long. From a single electronic synth sound, over the space of three minutes and 40 seconds the song keeps adding layer upon layer of sound, getting faster and faster, until eventually a beat drops in. The song then continues hurtling forward for another four minutes before it starts to slow down again. 

You might hate EDM, you might love it. It doesn’t really matter.  

This video of the song has clocked up more than 35 million hits on this YouTube channel alone but came to my attention this week as I pedalled, plodded, and panted my way a stationary bike spin fitness class (a loud spin class is about as close as I get to clubbing at the moment). I frantically worked to keep time with the song as it accelerates from 32 beats per minute to 126 beats per minute.  

For me, ‘Opus’ reflected my feelings as I cope with my studies over the past few days. It made me think of my time management, and dealing with multiple responsibilities, over the coming weeks and months. 

I think I’ve struggled with time management in recent weeks, juggling work, home life, and study. It has been a little bit stressful. I’m sure a similar feeling is enveloping some of my classmates on the course. 

I work in media, where I must meet daily deadlines, pushing me every day. I deal with the day’s events and I move on to the next day. But I have found dealing with the assignments required for my MA in Technical Writing and E-Learning a different sort of challenge.

The assignments are also deadline-driven, but given the extended timeframes must be managed differently. The deadlines are always present, starting as a dot in the distance, then coming closer and closer.  Like the song ‘Opus’, there’s a lot to take in. There are multiple layers. And there’s a clock ticking in the background all the time, which seems to be getting faster and faster. 

Every so often, we need to step back and reevaluate. We might need to lean on our peer groups or our lecturers. We may need to take a break or change our schedules. But we will get there.

Ultimately, the song eventually slows down, with the multiple layers being removed before slowly coming to a halt. This will happen for us on this course too. The pressure we are feeling at the moment won’t last forever, it is temporary. We’ve just got to keep moving with the music over the coming weeks.