This Is the New That, Everything You Know Is Wrong, Things Are Completely Different Now Because We Say So, and Other Such Popycock

Today I went to a presentation put on by two very intelligent and well meaning industry professionals, arranged by similarly intelligent and well meaning coworkers, and was completely disappointed. It is hard to say exactly when things went wrong, but sometime before Y2K hit it seems like a particularity insidious strain of nonsense took root.

Things are constantly changing. I get that, but when exactly did it become news? As I was sitting through the presentation, on Search Engine Optimization, I got an odd feeling like I knew this material. On the bus back to main campus it dawned on me that it seemed really similar to a web strategy proposal I had written for my previous employer over two years ago. None of the ideas were new, and yet these "gurus" were spouting the same things off to a reasonably captivated audience like it was leading-edge information. I twittered about it, and later when I went through my old files I found that I was right. Several of the attendees tweeted about how "interesting" it was. I don't know if I was the only cynic, but on the surface at least I think everyone else was at least putting up a good front unless they really bought it.

Given the time frames, the ideas are at least three years stale. My proposal was from 2007, and I'd started working on it in late 2006. Very few of the ideas put forth were original, they had been gleaned from more groundbreaking work which had to have been at least a year in the making when I found it. Change is not profound, let it go.

I try to not encourage my own ego too much, but if I'm that far ahead of the curve then clearly I'm in the wrong group of peers. I've been working really hard to curtail my judgmental nature lately, but there are days when I feel like I am back sliding... like when I describe a person as "being like a puppy". You know, the puppy you think you want until he chews everything up, and you realize they don't come pre-house broken. I know that I make mistakes too, but cleaning up after other people constantly is bound to make one cynical at some point. Its kind of hard to be an IT Rockstar when you're also having to be an IT Janitor.

So if you find yourself in a meeting and wonder why people are so amazed at the most obvious thing, don't feel alone. I'm sure there are times when I find things to be totally and indescribably awesome when in fact they are really nothing special. I'll just try to keep smiling when other people are impressed and not ruin it for them.

Thank you for calling. Good Bye. *click*

The state department aggravates me. I applied for a passport over a month ago, the check has cleared the bank, and yet, I still have no passport. According to all of their automated information it should take "7 to 10 business days" for the application to show up online. After about two weeks no information about my passport shows up on their website, 4 weeks later, their website is "temporarily unavailable due to routine maintenance," and has been for the past week...... Beg your pardon? A week for routine maintenance tells me that there's something else going on guys....

But of course that's not the worst part, you're instructed to call them if you don't see your passport show up after two weeks, when you call you of course get harassed by the automated system at least twice (possibly more often) to check things online (which are down), and after navigating the fun maze of menus, you get to wait about for a customer service representative. I have yet to speak to one of these alleged humans at the other end of the line; shortly after being put on hold (about 5 seconds), you are told that "all customer service representatives are busy assisting other callers, please call back at a later time." *click*

AGGGGH!!!! That's more frustrating than waiting on hold! You might as well have told me that everyone else that did manage to get through (if that's even possible) are more important than me!