Episode #643
May 29, 2021
“Jack of all Trades, Master of None.”
Not a criticism, but a virtue.
Flexibility, innovation, intuition and improvisation come from a broad base of knowledge.
A competent man should be able to…
“… change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
— Lazarus Long, Robert A. Heinlein, “Time Enough for Love”
It does not take a master programmer to solve a computer problem.
A familiarity with the operating system, its applications and the configuration settings combined with the skill of critical thinking should give a consultant mastery over any problem.
Most technology is modular. A computer consists of hardware, an operating system, applications, configuration files and documents.
Hardware seldom fails. Most hardware has no moving parts. Spinning hard drives fail, but a good backup allows a hard drive to be replaced and its contents restored. Peripherals such as a mouse or keyboard are easily replaced. The knowledge needed for component replacement is mostly that of cabling and connectivity. The actual device operation can remain mysterious.
Applications and even operating systems are replaceable. Malfunctioning software can usually be resolved with an upgrade or a remove and replace.
The cyclical process of troubleshooting almost always focuses on configuration. The specifications of configuration files are well documented, so the major skills required are search and research.
Leonardo Da Vinci was a jack of all trades.
He was an engineer and bridge builder.
Bridges he designed were light, strong and transportable, but Da Vinci was not a trained civil engineer.
He designed weapons, such as mortars and machine guns, with an intuitive understanding of physics.
An understanding of materials allowed him to create protective armor.
As an artist he was a draftsman, painter and sculptor.
Da Vinci demonstrated his familiarity with geometry and mathematics in his rendering of the Vitruvian Man.
All these skills enabled Da Vinci to invent the helicopter 420 years before the first practical helicopter took flight.
The “Last Supper” reveals a philosophical side.
Renaissance humanism is an embodiment of “Jack of all Trades, Master of None.”
i never wanted to be a programmer, physicist, engineer, politician, businessman, craftsman, aviator, mechanic, philanthropist, architect or artist.
i have always striven to be a human man.
As always, I enjoy reading about your comments and ideas! I laughed out loud at the picture of the man’s legs showing out of a maze of wires behind the TV console. I was somewhat in this position this week and thank heavens for unplug and re-plug as I am still trying to get Zoom on my TV like I do other problems. Miss SMOG a lot! Hope your back is doing well!
My health is very good Karen. Thank you. SMOG is also a fond memory for me.
DaVinci to iMentor animation is genius! Very creative
The animation was done manually. DaVinci on the bottom layer of a layered graphic app, like Photoshop. iMentor on the top layer. Transform width and height of both images to match. Trim minor details, like the hats to match shape. Set top layer to full transparency. Set up Grab screen capture app to record the graphic window. While Grab is recording move transparency slider on iMentor layer to full opaque.
You’re good! Enjoy your perspective, and it’s helpful!
Hope you have a great Memorial Day weekend Rick.
Fabulous and informative again. I, too, loved the gentleman entangled in a blanket of wires. Somehow that reminds me of myself when facing my MAC. Best of all was the quote from Heinlein and Long which definitely describes our society. Give me a Renaissance Man any day. Happy Memorial day.