I am an amateur photographer, and as such, I am fascinated by photographs. I am particularly fond of very old photographs.

The work of Matthew Brady and others documenting the American Civil War are, to me, like a time machine. You can almost smell the unwashed soldiers lining up for evening mess, the horses lathered from a long march or even the wet canvass of tents covered with dew in the early morning.

My family is lucky to have a number of photos taken of previous generations dating back to the late 19th century. Most of our people were located in Missouri at that time and also Kansas. It was common then to take advantage of a family gathering by getting a photographic family portrait made.

When you look at these portraits, it is always striking to see how stiff, unsmiling and formal people tended to look. I have one photo showing the clan all dressed up in their best clothes, and for all the world, it looks like they are spoiling for a fight. Even the ancient matriarch, who was by all accounts, handed down through generations, a nice person to be around, looks like she could take you down with one hand tied.

There was a reason for this. People from that era were no different from us. The technology of photography was, however, quite new. It was also expensive and not so flexible. You did not want to mess around in front of the camera, wasting time and possibly wasting the photographer’s time, not to mention supplies.

The whole idea of “smiling” just because there was a camera close by had not yet even been conceived. When you read about the history of our country, it’s easy to suppose that with all of the fighting, cholera, typhoid and anthrax, no one really had much to smile about. I don’t buy that theory; I think they just didn’t know what to do in front of a camera. Perhaps they were less prone to vanity, but not to humor.

When you look at the folks in this picture, you can almost see them wondering if “it’s going to hurt” when the flash bar pops. It’s simply a matter of inexperience. I have pictures of some of these folks a bit later in life, and in those, their personalities are far more evident. Believe it or not, these people were not cardboard cutouts; they were thinking, feeling people.

Recently I have read a few articles about a similar trend in our current cultural development related to blogging and e-mail in general. The writers were talking about the utter lack of civility displayed by some individuals contributing their thoughts via these mediums.

It is startling to read the venomous and anger-packed posts some people feel compelled to write. In many cases, the level of anger is way out of proportion to the issue in dispute. As Don Tennant suggests in his April 16 Computer World editorial, “Incivility Creep,” it’s like these angry people just don’t realize that they are aiming their venomous angst at real, live, feeling human beings.

Most of these folks, most of the time, are probably as nice as apple pie. Most of them probably have mothers and fathers who actually love them, they probably help little old ladies across busy streets and they likely feel lousy if they happen to run over a squirrel on the way to work.

But, all of that goodness aside, some people are transformed by the new world. We all know people who manifest profound personality changes when they find themselves behind the wheel of an automobile. It’s an anonymous environment. Emotions come to the surface that would never be revealed in any one-on-one, face-to-face discussion.

The same is true of the cyber world. We are anonymous (we think) and we sort of think no one is looking over our shoulder. It is so easy to lash out, berate, belittle and provoke. We construct a nasty-gram, hit SEND and smile smugly thinking “Take that, idiot!”

We are like the unsmiling people in the photograph, we simply don’t know that people will be looking at this in years to come asking what in the world provoked the reaction we evoked.

I remember someone once telling me that typing all uppercase e-mails was the same as shouting in someone’s face. The fact is that shouting is what the reader perceives, regardless of the intent of the person writing the e-mail.

So to close, I have two bits of advice. If you find you are indeed prone to using e-mail, blog postings and message boards as outlets for your angry old self, stop it now! If you happen to be on the receiving end, don’t bother reading it too closely. Take note and remember how you felt the next time you are tempted to burn someone down with your own words of anger.

About Lou Washington, AKA Mainframe Master of MIPS and ...

I started my career in information management from the somewhat misunderstood field of Records Management. Following four years of working for the University of Missouri System's Office of Records Management, I joined Tab Products Co. in 1980. Shortly thereafter, I became interested in the software business, PCs and how those systems would shape the enterprise of the future. We were transferred to Tab's then corporate HQ in Palo Alto, CA. I was the first Product Manager for Tab's Tracker systems software products that utilized a PC-based bar-coding system to track the movements of everything from files to capital assets. I believe it was the earliest example of workflow automation available on the market. I was also peripherally involved in Tab's Laser Optics division, which brought to market one of the earliest business systems employing CD-ROM and WORM technology as an information storage media.

In 1990, I returned to Cincinnati and joined Cincom Systems where I began to learn about and work with mainframe-oriented products and systems. In those days, there was a real "split" between the mainframe forces and the desktop proponents. I always found this to be amusing since both had so many positive things to offer an enterprise. I could never understand why anyone would offer one at the exclusion of the other.

My present role at Cincom involves a number of things including product security, pricing, finance, packaging and industry research.

My wife, Barbara, and I reside in Park Hills, KY. I am a member of Blessed Sacrament Church, and I am active in a local car club, Cincinnati Cruisers. We are a group of PT Cruiser owners who enjoy tricking out our cruisers and driving around annoying people who have to drive boring cars. I am the Webmaster for the Cruisers and I invite everyone to visit http://www.cincyptcruisers.com and check out our awesome rides!