Changes

All change is not for the best. In fact, some "change" is just busy work, some leftover guilt from the "idly hands" camp who believes keeping naughty boys busy keeps them out of trouble -- and also justifies the job description of those dictating the change. Hence the periodic rearrangement of shelves at the supermarket. Just when you figure out where everything is, some Manager decides to switch it all around. Or in the Army, keeping the troops busy for the sake of being busy. In fact, on the advice of a season old alcoholic sarge, when I was temporarily stuck at a base in Germany because my security clearance had been misplaced and so I couldn't continue on to my assignment, I spent a month in limbo -- and at the sarge's wise advice, I bought my own personal broom and carried it everywhere and whenever someone in authority approached, I started sweeping, and in this way was pretty much left alone (though eventually I got caught and had to strike a deal, shoveling snow from 4-7 a.m. after which I was left on my own). Change to keep the troops busy and the honchos in charge.

This comes to mind because Yahoo! just changed its mail interface and as I try to figure it out, I ask myself, Is all this really necessary? What is so difficult about sending and receiving email that a complete new system is required?