November 10th, 2009

I reorganized your kitchen for you, sweetie

I suspect most people are familiar with the It may be a mess, but it’s my mess and I know where everything is phenomenon. That doesn’t necessarily mean that items are in the best location, but at least you know which suboptimal location you chose. :: Wendy :: told me a story some time ago about something that happened while her parents were visiting. When she returned from work, her mother said, “Oh, Wendy, darling, I reorganized your kitchen for you. You had everything in the wrong place.” Wendy’s mother was trying to be helpful, but of course it was a net loss for poor Wendy, who couldn’t find anything in her kitchen for weeks. Yes, there was the whole Oh great where did my mother put my food processor? problem, but even after she found it, the “improved” location was far worse than its original location. In fact, in many cases, it was in the exact opposite location from where it should be.

You see, Wendy is left-handed, and her mother is right-handed.

Author

Raymond has been involved in the evolution of Windows for more than 30 years. In 2003, he began a Web site known as The Old New Thing which has grown in popularity far beyond his wildest imagination, a development which still gives him the heebie-jeebies. The Web site spawned a book, coincidentally also titled The Old New Thing (Addison Wesley 2007). He occasionally appears on the Windows Dev Docs Twitter account to tell stories which convey no useful information.

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