---
title: Encabulation
abstract: We're not good enough at software to poke fun at ourselves yet.
categories:
- work
- culture
content-tags:
- technology
- funny
- history
- language
- ★
---

[Ryan][1] shared this technical video spoof:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/TuhYd9L_d7w?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Rockwell's retro-encabulator is a refinement of the [turbo-encabulator][2], which Chrysler demonstrated to the world in a [1980s instructional video][3], although the design dates to at least [1946][4].  Apparently [work continues][5].

Ryan asserted we should produce nonsense jargon-laden material like this to describe our work.  Indeed, it's odd that software engineering has little such [fictional self-deprecation][6], but maybe that's because our discipline is still immature enough that [our real work is worse than fiction][7].

   [1]: http://nopaper.net/
   [2]: http://www.floobydust.com/turbo-encabulator/
   [3]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbVY5teBzlg
   [4]: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,886972,00.html
   [5]: http://www.plcdev.com/an_interview_with_mike_kraft
   [6]: http://improbable.com/
   [7]: http://thedailywtf.com/
