From Complex To Simple

Continuing the same train of thought from last week, I’d like to look at my current pet project I’ve been pushing myself through.

I mentioned before that I first learned to use our old DOS computer so I could play games on it. Well, technology has come a long way but I still just love to play games. It can be frustrating at times being part of the first generation to grow up with a new form of media and having to deal with the stereotypes and scapegoating that are associated with it. But that’s a post for another time (and perhaps another blog).

A few years ago, exhibiting the librarian tendencies I hadn’t yet identified, I decided to catalog and display my video game collection online. It was just a simple HTML page I had to update by hand, but several people started complimenting me on it. Some even wanted a similar page for their own collection. Eventually the interest became so great that I decided to turn it into a full-fledged website. Fast-forward a year of tinkering in my spare time, and it was finally done… or at least done enough to launch. It seems there’s always a new bug that needs to be fixed, a new feature to be added, or a new usability issue to handle. This has probably been the most I’ve ever struggled with technology. It also has been one of the most satisfying projects I’ve done. I’ll say I’m much more sympathetic to web designers now!

And finally, a confession! I made (what I like to think is) a very professional website, coded in PHP with MySQL databases, user registration, page customization, a comments system and other bells and whistles. Yet two weeks ago when we started using the class wiki, I was completely lost! The organization of the system baffled me for a good half hour. Of course, once I grew accustomed to the layout, it became simple to use. Still, it was a swift reminder just how specialized our knowledge can be. Sometimes it takes a little bit for all the tumblers to fall in place so everything clicks. If you’re new to something, even the simple things can seem tricky at first.