I've been reading a bit about the Technological Singularity. It's an interesting and chilling idea conceived by people who aren't testers. It goes like this: the progress of technology is increasing … [Read more...] about The Future Will Need Us to Reboot It
Automation
Confused Methodology Talk #1
This posting by Corey Goldberg illustrates an interesting and all too common kind of confusion people get into when discussing methods and practices. It's worth pondering. On SQAForums, someone … [Read more...] about Confused Methodology Talk #1
Manual Tests Cannot Be Automated (DEPRECATED)
[Note: This post is here only to serve as a historical example of how I used to speak about "automated testing." My language has evolved. The sentiment of this post is still valid, but I have become … [Read more...] about Manual Tests Cannot Be Automated (DEPRECATED)
Quick Oracle: Blink Testing
Background: In testing, an "oracle" is a way to recognize a problem that appears during testing. This contrasts with "coverage", which has to do with getting a problem to appear. All tests cover a … [Read more...] about Quick Oracle: Blink Testing
Test Messy with Microbehaviors
James Lyndsay sent me a little Flash app once that was written to be a testing brainteaser. He challenged me to test it and I had great fun. I found a few bugs, and have since used it in my testing … [Read more...] about Test Messy with Microbehaviors
Counterstrings: Self-Describing Test Data
I was at a conference some months ago when Danny Faught showed me a Perl package for manipulating the Windows clipboard. I turned it into a little tool for helping me test text fields. It's called … [Read more...] about Counterstrings: Self-Describing Test Data
Tools Come at a Cost
One of the experiences I share with a lot of people in this modern world is that I forget phone numbers. I never used to. The problem is that my mobile phone remembers them for me. So, phone numbers … [Read more...] about Tools Come at a Cost
Bug Report: Weird Charges and Customer Service
Two months ago, I had a $732 charge on my Sprint phone bill for "telephone equipment." I had not purchased any telephone equipment, so I called customer service to dispute the bill. The service agent … [Read more...] about Bug Report: Weird Charges and Customer Service
Bug Report: United Airlines Self-Check-In
I recently used the United Airlines "self check-in" kiosk. It's a touchscreen system at the airport that allows passengers to get a boarding pass for a flight without having to see a live ticket … [Read more...] about Bug Report: United Airlines Self-Check-In