RandomComments

Plant random disconnected thoughts here. Maybe they will grow into a thread of their own...BobKing

Hmmm ... Random, disconnected thoughts? I'll fit right in. Investigate Leadership? I keep wondering where all the corporate execs that got caaught went to Business School? JohnBenton

Are you lurking? (to lurk (v): to be (physically?) present without making (essential?) presence known.)

When I think about thinking, sometimes I don't think enough. The rule of three suggests that to have a complete thought, we should be able to think of three things about the thought. For example, suppose you're involved in an interaction with someone, and you wonder "Why is this happening?" The rule of three suggests that you should be able to think of three different reasons "this is happening". If not, you haven't thought enough about the situtation. Live Brian (Branagan) once said "One option is a trap, Two options is a dilemma, Three options is an option."

DonGray

How can I learn about the things I don't even know I need to know ? -- LaurentBossavit

By doing things you don't even know you're doing. Random Comments help. - JerryWeinberg 2002.08.08

Convection Currents of Information

Information Radiators

Random enough?

In reponse to a question about BigVisibleCharts, I wrote the following today...

While a web page (such as this one can broadcast the same information as an Information Radiator, web pages don't promote spontaneous hallway conversations that Information Radiators do. Those conversations often bring up "I thought you already knew about..." nuggets of information that more formal meetings often don't.

Weinberg's "Quality Software Management", volume 4, discusses some information radiators, for tracking schedule and completion of tasks, for example. Volume 1 also discusses various graphs (such as for project schedule slips) that can also be revealing.

The various XP books recommend using an information radiator to track tasks and whatever the team or coach wants to emphasize - acceptance tests passing/not passing/passing by not validated by QA, number of classes written versus number of tests written, number of lines of gui code versus number of lines of non-gui code, and so on. Hand-drawn graphs are often quicker to maintain than using a charting program.

KeithRay 2002.08.08

Saw this on that OpenSpace wiki... I think doing this at AYE would be really cool!

The general idea is to hand out several 3x5 cards to everyone in the group. As they hear something interesting, they write it on the 3x5 card and toss it in the circle. The moderator collects all the cards at the end and uses them to write up notes. See <http://www.industriallogic.com> for details.

For some reason, I really like this idea. I have a little 3-inch by 5-inch index-card "spiral notebook" that I picked up at 7-11 or somewhere. The index cards can easily be ripped off or not -- giving me the choice of writing notes for myself or for other people.

KeithRay 2002.08.12

Keith,
We used to do this with punch cards, preferably virgin (unpunched) cards. They had a nice feel (cardstock) and fit nicely in a shirt pocket, and they were easy to grab everywhere. Now, sigh! they're only remembered as the reason terminal lines broke at 80 columns prior to GUI screens.

Sounds like fun!

BobLee 2002.08.12

Punch cards can be purchased in bulk, or you can get a few for the cost of a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

DaveSmith 8 Augh 2002

Response to John:
I keep wondering where all the corporate execs that got caaught went to Business School
Maybe their decisions were rooted in something that happened long before business school.

At the risk of starting a political debate, I also believe that the current politics - even the corporate "crackdowns" - smell more like 1950s McCarthyism, than a genuine desire to clean up business. A colleague of mine recently said: "It's like Nixon's in the White House again, but he's not as smart." - BeckyWinant 2002.08.27

Since I am not an American, I hope it is not rude for me to say this, but the concept of "not as smart as Nixon" is truly scary. SherryHeinze 2002.08.27

Well, at least one American can resonate with your thought. I'm glad we have our Giant Neighbor to the North to keep us halfway sane, anyhow. - JerryWeinberg 2002.08.27

Yes, Sherry, it is a scary thought! - BeckyWinant 2002.08.28

So did Nixon make "President" one of the DelusionalTitles?

And would PEO (Personal Executive Officer) be a better title for some of the current CEO's in the public eye?

And now that they're in the public eye, how do we get them out of it?

MikeMelendez 2002.08.29

Mike,

Eye wash? :)

Or, AYE wash?

- BeckyWinant 2002.08.31

Becky, I like it! MikeMelendez 2002.09.01

A question that's somewhat random. Above Don quotes Live Brian (Branagan) as having once said "One option is a trap, Two options is a dilemma, Three options is an option."

Elsewhere on the web, I've d up a reference to Jerry as the originator. As I heard this again at AYE and am taken by the implications, I am searching for whom to accredit it to. I vaguely recall first encountering it in one of Jerry's books, but which one? Does someone here know a first source for that quote?

MikeMelendez 2003.11.18

Brian and I were in Jerry's SEM98 group. I first heard that quote there, from Jerry. I'm guessing that's where Brian picked it up. --DaveSmith

I suspect the true source for this quote is very old and, in all likelihood, unknown.

I first encountered it in a book by Genie Z. Laborde entitled _Influencing with Integrity_.

SteveSmith 2003.11.18

I hate to say this, but following on the theme of lack of integrity in the business world, perhaps the quote should be rewritten as:

"One option is a trap, Two options is either a trap or a dilemma, Three options is either a trap or an option depending on who's offering the options."

BTW, I've also been told, "You may be paranoid, but that doesn't mean someone isn't out to get you."

JayPortnoy 2003.11.18

Updated: Tuesday, November 18, 2003