". . . it is time to speak some truth to power in this country:
MICROSOFT WORD IS A TERRIBLE PROGRAM. Its terribleness is of a piece
with the terribleness of Windows generally, a system so overloaded
with icons, menus, buttons, and incomprehensible Help windows that
performing almost any function means entering a treacherous
wilderness of pop-ups posing alternatives of terrifying starkness:
Accept/Decline/Cancel; Logoff/Shut Down/Restart; and the mysterious
Do Not Show This Warning Again. You often feel that you're not ready
to make a decision so unalterable; but when you try to make the
window go away your machine emits an angry beep. You double click.
You triple click. Beep beep beep beep beep. You are being held for a
fool by a chip."
Louis Menand. 2003. "The End Matter: The nightmare of citation," New
Yorker 6 October, pp. 120-126.
REFERENCES
Hake, R.R. 2004a. "Re: PER for physics departments - Corrected Heller
Reference," online at
<http://listserv.nd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0410&L=pod&O=A&P=5470>. Post
of 9 Oct 2004 08:38:37-0700 to AERA-D, ASSESS, Biopi-L, Chemed-L,
Phys-L, PhysLrnR, and POD.
Hake, R.R. 2004b. "It's Scriven NOT Scirven," online at
<http://listserv.nd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0405&L=pod&P=R2100>. Post of
5 May 2004 08:54:19-0700 to AERA-J, ASSESS, Biopi-L, Chemed-L,
EvalTalk, Phys-L, PhysLrnR, Physhare, POD, and STLHE-L.
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APPENDIX (Thanks to Harvey Gendreau for sending this to me.)
I have a spelling checker.
It came with my PC.
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss steaks aye can knot see.
Eye ran this poem threw it.
Your sure real glad two no.
Its very polished in its weigh,
My checker tolled me sew.
A checker is a blessing.
It freeze yew lodes of thyme.
It helps me right awl stiles two reed,
And aides me when aye rime.
Each frays comes posed up on my screen
Eye trussed too bee a joule.
The checker pours o'er every word
To cheque sum spelling rule.
Bee fore a veiling checkers
Hour spelling mite decline,
And if we're laks oar have a laps,
We wood bee maid too wine.
Butt now bee cause my spelling
Is checked with such grate flare,
There are know faults with in my cite,
Of nun eye am a wear.
Now spelling does not phase me,
It does knot bring a tier.
My pay purrs awl due glad den
With wrapped words fare as hear.
To rite with care is quite a feet
Of witch won should be proud,
And wee mussed dew the best wee can,
Sew flaws are knot aloud.
Sow ewe can sea why aye dew prays
Such soft wear four pea seas,
And why eye brake in two averse
Buy righting want too please.