It is part of punk rock lore that in 1975 a young John Lydon turned some heads with an "I Hate Pink Floyd" shirt. He took a normal band t-shirt, scratched out the members' eyes, and scrawled his message on top with a marker. Soon he was invited to join a punk band (which then named itself the Sex Pistols) and took the name Johnny Rotten. And the rest is history.
Meanwhile back in the geo world, there has been a lot of back and forth about Shapefiles. The industry definitely has a love-hate relationship with them. On one hand they are indispensable but on the other hand there are a lot of people who want to banish them. Then there is the occasionally funny, occasionally annoying @shapefile on Twitter. When I saw two opposing items on Redbubble, my idea for a Halloween costume was born. All I needed was some markers, safety pins, hair spray, and blue hair dye.
The dirty little secret is that Lydon was actually a Pink Floyd fan—his shirt was more of a publicity stunt than a statement of opinion. Likewise, I can't help but have respect for the humble data format. Shapefiles are an important part of geo history and are for all intents and purposes the first interoperability the industry has achieved. While they have their limitations and probably are not the ideal format for many modern applications, they have enabled a lot of successful activities over the years and will continue to do so for many more.
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