If you have been around the LabVIEW forum for a little while you will recognize the title of this site as a play on my long-time signature line. Despite what some people think, I am not referring to myself, though I won’t tell you what it is referring to – that would spoil the surprise.
I suppose that in some ways Not A Tame Lion is a very bad name because it really tells you nothing about what this site is about. On the other hand, it is also in some ways a very good name because it points like a signpost to the contributions that I have made to the user forum. True, those postings are at times irreverent. For example, when someone goes into a 4 or 5 paragraph description of their intended project and ends with the question:
Can I do this in LabVIEW?
I sometimes can’t resist the urge to post an answer that simply says:
Yes!
Mike…
After which, of course, I will post a real answer. On the whole, I try to be helpful and (even if I don’t know the answer) I try to ask questions that will serve to move the conversation forward. Which brings us to the point of this site…
Perhaps it’s because my Grandmother was a school teacher (a one-room schoolhouse in rural Iowa), or perhaps its because learning was always a priority when I was growing up; but I have never felt that knowledge was something that should be squirreled away and kept secret. This is particularly true in technical endeavors where so much can be at stake.
The point of this site is, simply put, learning through what I hope will be come vibrant, passionate conversation. As you explore you will see what I have planned and what I have up and running now. I would recommend that you register for the site so you can keep up to date on where things are.
The Tag Line…
Before closing I suppose I need to say a few things about the tag line too. This is one thing that should not be misunderstood. Safety, as referenced in the tag line is not talking about the process of making the systems we create safe to operate. That form of safety is an absolute requirement. There is never a good excuse for deploying a system incorporating flaws that could reasonably present a danger to life, limb, equipment or data.
The safety the tag line mentions is more along the lines of “playing it safe”. Several years ago a singing duo named Dead Can Dance recorded a song that discussed all the serious, deadly trouble people can get into when they exhibit such troublesome personality traits as loyalty, honesty, and morality — and in the end cynically concludes:
“…lucky is the man with none…”
The point is that doing the right thing isn’t always “safe”. It can make you unpopular, and it can even make you a target. If it hasn’t happened to you already, you will someday encounter a situation where you will lose a job, position or reputation because you did the right thing. There will be situations where you will be penalized for not being, “a team player”.
Now I can’t tell you what to do in these cases — “go along, to get along” can sound awful good sometimes. It can also seem very reasonable and pragmatic, so the decision is yours.
But for myself, “safe” is vastly overrated.