I had a job interview for a reporter position with a news wire service this afternoon. One part of the interview process was completing an on-site editorial test.
The machine I was assigned to do my write-up was a PC without Microsoft Office. As a result, I was forced to use the forgotten relic of text editing — Microsoft WordPad.
Although WordPad is not as simple and basic as its even more antiquated forebear, Microsoft Notepad, it still leaves a lot to the imagination when you’re hoping for good old regular Microsoft Word.
While I was typing away on this thing I realized there is a sort of zen-like simplicity to the program. It reminded me of the lofty ideals and love affairs riders have with their fixed-gear bikes. Commonly found under NYC’s bike messenger community, these stripped down versions of regular bikes get you from place to place literally without all the whistles, bells, extra gears and brakes.
As I worked my way through the test I found myself spellchecking my document like a 20th century caveman — manually. Even the formatting was as no-frills as it gets. But that’s exactly the point I suppose, everything you need, nothing you don’t. Minimalism?
