On 04/06/2011, at 6:59 AM, Michael Forster wrote: > On Fri, Jun 3, 2011 at 3:35 PM, C. Scott Ananian <csc...@laptop.org> wrote: > [...] >> I'm assuming you didn't mean to be insulting. Yes, "unstructured >> database" is a bit of an oxymoron, and I intentionally used the words >> in this clever way, which humans can not only interpret with ease but >> often find amusing. > > ... or conflate with ease making for easy confusion among those who > don't know better. Biologist choose, carefully, to speak of > "phenotype" or "genotype." Category theorists speak of a "monad" and > its specific laws rather than, loosely, of a "container thingy." > Neurosurgeons are immensely careful to say "postganglionic" or > "preganglionic" fiber rather than just "nerve" since the difference > can lead to paralysis. And, everyday, people in computing industry > and academia speak and reason with a sloppiness that would get a > medical intern kicked off a rotation. That's "pop culture." > > Regards, > > Mike
A database can be more or less RIGID, and it's fairly understandable that "structured" means this in this context. The fact that a database IS a database automatically implies that it has SOME structure. If it wasn't a database, it'd be a piece of paper, which in turn actually has a structure, too. You're being a bit obstructionist, I fear, and I'm not entirely sure why you are being this way. I think computing is nowadays the domain of the populace (popular), so it's inevitable that a culture that evolves around computing will gain traction as being fairly popular. Yes, it sucks from one point of view. This is what we have to deal with, but it's also quite good, because we get to deal with more of the middle of the bell curve of the populace (and therefore the general level of the consciousness-awareness of humanity) than most. Our domain has so much cross-cutting concerns that it has more chance than others of becoming a truly multidisciplinary science. More-so even perhaps than psychology. This forces us to be clear, even when we're not necessarily using the most precise words, and also at the same time to appreciate an ability to listen more attentively to others. Hopefully ;-) Your sincerely Half Troll Julian. _______________________________________________ fonc mailing list fonc@vpri.org http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc
