Re: A silly analogy

"Roy Hann" <specially_at_processed.almost.meat> wrote in message news:edidneCEcJAHcoLXnZ2dnUVZ8uydnZ2d_at_pipex.net...
>A thread called "ID field as logical address" has just started. I have
> an unpleasant feeling that it is going to lead to a lot of squabbling
> over how doing a silly thing is silly, and little else. I don't want to
> get involved in it. However I do want to share a couple of examples
> which illustrate why I instinctively prefer to avoid synthetic IDs
> whenever it is advantageous to do so.
>
> Imagine you are a cook working for an agency and you get sent to
> diffferent kitchens every day. On the first day you are presented with
> this recipe:
>
> Take 1 cup of whatever you find on the top shelf in the third cannister
> from the right, and add 1 cup of whatever is in the first bottle on the
> bottom shelf in the fridge, and mix in a pinch of the stuff in the bag
> on the floor to the left of the fire exit.
>
> The next day, you are told:
>
> Take 1 cup of whatever you find in the container labelled 23, and add 1
> cup of whatever is in the container labelled 1, and mix in a pinch of
> the stuff from the container labelled 1057.
>
> And on the third day you are told:
>
> Take 1 cup of white flour, and add 1 cup of water, and mix in a pinch
> of yeast.
>
> Which of these has the least scope for going wrong before you even start
> cooking? Which of these allows you to understand what you
> are doing? Which of these allows the kitchen to be reorganized, or
> completely demolished and rebuilt elsewhere without any changes? Which
> of these is universally comprehensible?
>
> --
> Roy
>

What is white flour? What is yeast? I think I know what water is. It's that stuff that comes in the Delrina bottles.

It's possible that my post is the start of a silly thread. I'll try to keep that from happening. In the meantime, what qre you going to do to keep this analogy from becoming the start of a silly thread? Received on Fri May 29 2009 - 18:05:49 CEST