I just noticed this in the Remember the Milk task manager in Gmail. The default task is “TPS Report 5pm”. For some reasons TPS reports chimed a bell with me. Then I remembered they’re featured in the legendary film Office Space:
In reality TPS Reports are Test Procedure Specification Reports (apparently). But from the Wikipedia page on TPS Report (Office Space).
…but in the popular context, “TPS” has become a backronym for “Totally Pointless Stuff”, “Total Piece of Shit,” “This Place Sucks”, “Totally Pointless Shit”, “This Project Sucks”, “Time-Pass Stuff”, “The Paper Shredder” or “Toilet Paper Sheets”.
I’m hoping it’s a little ‘in joke’ in the software. Judging by the kind of people that generally love the film Office Space I reckon it is…
That’s lovely.
Stuff like that makes technology have character. Most of it is very flat and without charm. It’s why we love Twitter, Flickr and the like so much.