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Monday Links from the Sickbed vol. CXXXVII

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    #11
    Originally posted by NickFitz View Post
    [*]Golden Ratio in logo designs - "Beauty and aesthetics have been praised from time immemorial. But little did people know that the most effective, perfectly balanced, and visually compelling creations followed the tid-bits of mathematics. At least not until 1860, when German physicist and psychologist Gustav Theodor Fechner proposed that a simple ratio, an irrational number defines the balance in nature." Saikat Banerjee takes a look at the ratio as it appears behind the scenes of some famous logos. ..
    Another paper on the Golden Ratio was published only today on the ArXiv, although I haven't looked at it yet:

    The Unavoidable Golden Ratio

    I think that link is OK, but I'm currently unable to check on account of to my IP address being temporarily banned from the site by their "rampaging robot" detector (for downloading too many papers in a short time, presumably)

    Anyway, get well soon Nick. Hope it's only a summer cold and not the ticker again.
    Work in the public sector? Read the IR35 FAQ here

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      #12
      Originally posted by NickFitz View Post
      Interesting. Having tried to watch Terry and June recently the guy just came out as a loser, and I think that applied to various other comedies of the time. The author is right on the button there by saying our expectations have changed.

      On his choices of Classics I have to disagree on Only Fools and Horses. It has been repeated so many times I got sick of it. Fawlty Towers suffers here as well.

      I'd put The Good Life way ahead of George and Mildred. To be honest I always found them cringeworthy.
      Behold the warranty -- the bold print giveth and the fine print taketh away.

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        #13
        Originally posted by Sysman View Post
        Interesting. Having tried to watch Terry and June recently the guy just came out as a loser, and I think that applied to various other comedies of the time. The author is right on the button there by saying our expectations have changed.

        On his choices of Classics I have to disagree on Only Fools and Horses. It has been repeated so many times I got sick of it. Fawlty Towers suffers here as well.

        I'd put The Good Life way ahead of George and Mildred. To be honest I always found them cringeworthy.
        I think a lot of the datedness boils down to people being less deferential to authority figures and conformity, of one sort or another, and thus not finding it so funny when this is poked fun at (usually in a very gentle way).
        Work in the public sector? Read the IR35 FAQ here

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          #14
          Originally posted by OwlHoot View Post

          The Unavoidable Golden Ratio

          I think that link is OK, but I'm currently unable to check on account of to my IP address being temporarily banned from the site by their "rampaging robot" detector (for downloading too many papers in a short time, presumably) ..
          Hmm ...

          Code:
          Access has been unblocked but please note that our automatic robot 
          detection system will replace the block if an "attack" is detected. This 
          can also be triggered by "accelerator" (pre-fetching) software.  You 
          must remove, disable, or correctly configure such software before 
          accessing our site. Why?  See:
          
          	http://arxiv.org/RobotsBeware.html
          
          These types of blocks may be the result of opening many pages rapidly 
          within arXiv, such as with a news reader or other RSS aggregater which 
          attempts to connect to the site.  This block may also have been the 
          result of the "Allow speculative downloading in the background" option 
          within Adobe Acrobat Reader.  Please be certain this option is disabled 
          (Preferences --> Internet) before accessing this site again.
          
          --
          arXiv admin
          Work in the public sector? Read the IR35 FAQ here

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            #15
            Originally posted by Bunk View Post
            None of the things she mentions are unique to Microsoft; I've experienced most of them at a variety of companies although luckily as a contractor I can avoid a lot of it. (
            Microsoft is particularly bad though, in that its "normal" x 100.

            The whole 1-5 bucket rubbish would kill anyones Enthusiasm, its just a matter of time.

            This is the killer for most ex - I think this lass is the same . Knowing that in a team of 5, 1 of you has to be rated 1 (best) , 1 has to be rated 2 (second), 1 rated 3 (safe) , 1 rated 4 (time to leave, you're going in 5 next year) , 1 rated 5 (no raise and leave now huh?)

            There are people in every team who are just completely useless, but they are there because the rest of the team tolerates them as they know they are filling that 5 spot next year... This is very silly, but totally understandable.

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              #16
              Originally posted by BrilloPad View Post
              Get well soon NF
              Originally posted by SupremeSpod View Post
              Get well soon.
              Originally posted by OwlHoot View Post
              Anyway, get well soon Nick. Hope it's only a summer cold and not the ticker again.
              Thanks all. I popped down to London at the weekend (nothing to do with the Olympics) and reckon I've picked up some bug off all those people on the Tube

              Worst I've ever felt (much worse than the heart attack, which was only ever discomfort) and the first time I've missed a day's invoicing due to illness

              I'm still running a temperature and have a stinking headache, but no longer shivering uncontrollably and sweating buckets, so hopefully I can get back to the magic money fountain ClientCo tomorrow.

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                #17
                Originally posted by Scoobos View Post
                Microsoft is particularly bad though, in that its "normal" x 100.

                The whole 1-5 bucket rubbish would kill anyones Enthusiasm, its just a matter of time.

                This is the killer for most ex - I think this lass is the same . Knowing that in a team of 5, 1 of you has to be rated 1 (best) , 1 has to be rated 2 (second), 1 rated 3 (safe) , 1 rated 4 (time to leave, you're going in 5 next year) , 1 rated 5 (no raise and leave now huh?)

                There are people in every team who are just completely useless, but they are there because the rest of the team tolerates them as they know they are filling that 5 spot next year... This is very silly, but totally understandable.
                Good point - It seems actually a perverse incentive for teams to hold on to duffers as long as possible as useful cover or "cannon fodder" for the rest.

                Conversely, the more competent someone is the more of a threat they must be to others so the more chance they'll be hampered and stitched up or even hounded out.

                So the management are presumably perpetually shuffling teams around, to try and prevent these inevitable outcomes from developing.

                No wonder the muppets take years and years to produce softare of even adequate quality.
                Work in the public sector? Read the IR35 FAQ here

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