Thursday, July 07, 2005

Quoted - Amid some controversy

Ooh, I've stoked controversy. Good stuff.

Recently, I was interviewed for a story, entitled Five Reasons Not To Implement VoIP, that was published this week in Networking Pipeline.

In response, a ZDNet (I know, don't hyperventilate on me) writer named Russell Shaw posted this to his IP telephony blog:
Analyst's "don't implement VoIP" screed sounds like "hey, hire me"
Subsequent comments to Mr. Shaw's posting have branded me as a VoIP Insultant. They have also provided endless entertainment on how easily the English language can be butchered, but that is neither here nor there.

I'll ignore the whole quoting me out of context and missing the big picture thing. The article is right on the money, and I would change nothing if I were interviewed again tomorrow.

The closest analogy I can draw comes from the world of the daredevil:

Before you jump off of a cliff, I would highly recommend you exhaustively ensure every component of your parachute is in proper working order. In advising you to take these precautions, I'm not telling you NOT to jump off the cliff. I'm simply telling you to not do so before making sure you don't end up a flattened speck on the bottom of the gorge.

Happy jumping, Mr. Shaw and friends. Oh, and while we're here, kindly note that my name is not Carni. It is Carmi, with an em. If you're going to miss my point by the intellectual equivalent of a light-year, at least get my name right, k?

I know, I'm enjoying this way too much.

7 comments:

Dean said...

The guy actually said 'flaunt'. I thought that was rule 7 at writing school, right after 'i before e'.

Anyway, in my particular field of expertise I always recommend holding off upgrading until the second patch/service pack/whatever. I guess that makes me a chicken, too.

It's not risk aversion, though: it's risk management. I've been around long enough to know that early adopters often get burned, and they seldom gain much (if any) advantage.

Ms Mac said...

Oh Carmi! You know you've arrived when you're being misquoted and misinterpreted!

Go you!

Spencer said...

People who engage in the wholesale butchery of the English language and out-of-context quotations to explore unintended meanings are, in my mind, akin to the people who think that Lewis Carroll may have been Jack the Ripper because several anagrams can be made from his works that declare his guilt. Proof only that any meaning can be found when one disregards reason.

Anonymous said...

Don't ya just hate it when they can't even get your name right?! I'm JaMie - not Jaime ;) it always bugs me when ppl can't get it right ....LOL

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah, here via M&G - I forgot

Anonymous said...

"Carni" Levy? I'll be coming down the street to get my caramel apple and candy floss! ;-)

Looks like it took him all of one minute to research and write his article!!

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Mr. Levy has some good points about VOIP WIFI handset insecurity.

I am currently evaluating several VOIP WIFI handsets and will present my results at the 32nd CSI conference http://www.gocsi.com on 16 November.

VoIP WiFi Phone Handset Security Analysis
https://www.cmpevents.com/csi32/a.asp?option=G&V=3&id=406438

Thanks :)
--scm