Are You a Tech or a Shaman?

Oftentimes, I see the word “belief” or even “thought” on tech mailing lists. Interestingly, technology and “belief” don’t go together. That’s not to say that there’s no place for it. You do need an initial belief to follow the time-honored scientific method, something all tech-types should be familiar with.

The scientific method has four steps, and seeks to sidestep the scientist’s biases. The four steps are (short version):

1. Define the question or statement.
2. Form a hypothesis (a “belief”).
3. Experiment/analyze results.
4. Confirm or deny hypothesis - find the truth.

Sometimes, “common sense” or past experience makes one think that no test or verification is needed. It’s surprising to see how many techs get lured into this line of thinking when new equipment or software is released. Until one has quantitatively worked out the differences between the new and previous models, one isn’t authoritative.

All steps in the scientific method are open to peer review. Perhaps that’s where the mailing lists come in. However, if you want to be a tech, be a tech, not a shaman: do your research and experiment, and find out the truth.