On Being a Digital Canary

Up until 1987 coal mine workers kept canaries with them underground.  If there was a toxic gas, such as methane or carbon monoxide, in the mine the canary would die before the miners suffered any harm.  This worked especially well since the canaries sang constantly.  The miners did not have to be watching the bird to know that something had happened.  If the singing stopped you headed for the exit.

I have found that I tend to adopt a similar approach with new technologies.  Being on the "cutting edge" really only means that you are a digital canary.  If the mine fills up with methane you will be dead on the ground as those around you head for the surface.

It is cool though.  Sometimes it is more fun to be a dead canary than alive and bored.

I have decided to actually formalize this status a little bit.  Whenever we have something new in ITS and we need to test the waters I always tend to go to the same users.  I ask them if they want to testers, set them up, step back and watch.

What makes a good digital canary?
First, these users have to love being on the cutting edge.  If given the choice they will pick unstable and new over rock-solid and stale.  They have to want to be a canary.  If you pluck a bird from the open, grassy meadows of stability and throw them deep in a dangerous mine of beta they may not respond the way you want.

Second, they have to be somewhat technical.  I say "somewhat" because they don't need to have the ability to parse the log files after their most recent crash and tell you which kernel extension seems to be the problem.  However, you do want more from a dying canary than, "It broked!"

Third, you need to have a good relationship with them on a personal level. If you do not have a good relationship with your digital canaries then any problem they have can feel a little like it is your fault to them.  No one wants a paranoid canary.

If you read through those three and thought, "Hey I like new stuff. Hey, I'm somewhat technical too. Well I can kind of tolerate Micah." and would like to get on my digital canary list let me know.

So what about this blog?
My plan is to use this blog to flesh out some of the ideas about technology and report some of the experiences I have as a digital canary.  Only instead of singing in a cage as my little lungs fill with toxic gas, I will post my experiences and lessons here for others the comment on or learn from.

Anyway.  If nothing else I hope this is entertaining.