• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
E-gineering

E-gineering

  • Who We Are
    • Our Story
    • Leadership Team
    • Whole Team
  • What We Do
    • Practices
    • Full Services
    • Success Stories
  • Working Here
    • Careers
    • Work Life
    • Community Life
    • Fun Life
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

The Black Hole of Technology

August 3, 2008 by Christian Desserich

Screen Shot 2015-10-27 at 1.20.52 PMWhen I was first studying up for job interviews I experienced a phenomenon I am calling “The Black Hole of Technology.” I would look up one acronym, framework title, or protocol abbreviation only to find more that I didn’t know about in the explanation. I would then dutifully click one of those links only to have the same thing happen. I would continue on and get about five subjects deep until I couldn’t remember what I was trying to look up in the first place!

For example, if you look up “Model-view-controller” on everybody’s favorite source, Wikipedia (it certainly was my very favorite while in school, if only for a starting point!), you’ll find a link to the “Spring framework” page. I think, “Hmm, I know that this has been mentioned a lot,” so I click on it. On that page there is mention of “SOAP.” I think, “Hmm, I have always wanted to know what that is all about.” I click on that. The explanation is not really super clear to me, but here is competing technology “CORBA.” I think, “Maybe I’ll find out more about what ‘SOAP’ and ‘CORBA’ are there.” I click on that. I read and see “Python” and think, “Python, that sounds interesting!” I click on that. I think, “What’s ‘Duck Typing’?” I click on that. Then I think, “No, I need to get back to what I was looking up.” So I go back two steps to “CORBA.” Then I think, “What was ‘SSL’ again?” This goes on and on. It seems there is never an end to the hole you go down trying to learn about a technology.

Since then I have learned to limit myself to only going one, maybe two, levels down the hole. If I don’t have a complete understanding of every single part of a technology, that’s OK. It’s just that it’s in my nature to want to know about the nuts-and-bolts of something, but I have learned that it isn’t completely necessary to be able to use that same something. It’s just tough because while I don’t know exactly how a computer works, I have a decent idea. While I don’t know exactly how a car works I have a really good understanding of it. While I don’t know exactly how my dishwasher works, I have a basis of knowledge. I’ve figured out that it’s OK to not know these things. I can still surf the Web, drive, and get the dishes clean without memorizing blueprints and schematics.

Category: Enterprise

About Christian Desserich

Previous Post:Origins
Next Post:The Vacuum of Columns

Let’s work together

Get in touch with us and send some basic info about your project.

Get in touch!

Social

Follow along on social media

  • Mail
  • Facebook
  • GitHub
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Navigation

Home

Who We Are

What We Do

Working Here

Blog

Contact Us

Contact

8415 Allison Pointe Blvd
Suite 200
Indianapolis, IN 46250

317.348.1780

info@e-gineering.com

© Copyright 2023 | E-gineering, Inc.

Return to top