Sunday, August 30, 2009

Outhouse'd

Oh, I meant outsourced. But, this means, of course, nothing in particular here except the predilection of life to provide us plenty of oops material usually piled high and deep.

Yes, posts went on before how outsourcing is a lot like leveraging. It's okay to a point, then it goes out of control. Looking for magical endings is one way to characterize that sort of thing.

Well, there are many factors involved which we'll touch upon, in time. For now, just consider that many have run after promises from computer companies about the powers for systems to revolutionize both process and product engineering. Yes, indeed, folks.

On the process side, we'll always have people as the most important thing. Ah, management would love to have it robotic and database driven, though earned value remains as an issue. I have a suggestion here; let's put their glorified roles into automation, since their efforts would never deliver. No, red-faced sputterings and slurring about those under them is the usual.

On the product side, real world experiments cannot, yet, be forgotten in some grand scheme that sees more in modeling, simulating, and visualizing than what is there.

What's the answer? Ah, we'll get there.

When? Well, I'm not racing against the anyone's clock (though, it's to be within PTIME, I hope).

Remarks:

05/30/2013 -- This theme will play within the cosmology of business. Too, Zeno applies in the modern context.

11/02/2010 -- A year later, the message is the same, except some changes have occurred. Of real note is that the jobless rate is high; out-housing really set up for that. Also, we need to re-look at that learned from the 'vons' guys, Ludwig and Friedrich. See Near Zero.

11/06/2009 -- There ain't no train, just like there ain't no free lunch (TANSTAAFL).

10/11/2009 -- Discussion has gone over to FED-aerated. Note the 10/11/2009 Remarks about the Business Week article on India's progress' inhibitors. 'Near zero' recognizes that some always suffer more than others, especially in win-win situations, as the whole notion of characterization minimizes visceral reactions by diminishing the real in favor of the abstracted (ah, the modern world, you say?).

09/09/09 -- We'll need to look at UUUN, as a framework.

09/03/2009 -- Computational foci raise miraculous need. Yes, we need to talk NP and more, on both the process and products side of things.

09/02/2009 -- Let's face it, folks, undecidability needs to be discussed and adopted in any complex situational setting, especially if computers are involved. Only hubris pushes us to make loud exclamations about what we're going to do in the future.

09/02/2009 -- Computers make people dumber, yes indeed. That applies to engineering as much as it does to finance. Oh wait, is not that true about management to boot? One rises to levels of beyond ones capability (Peter's principle). Then, everyone under those needs to, then, dumb themselves down.

09/01/2009 -- Is it a limb and what type? It's probably too much to expect that undecidability will get recognized in the business world's fixation on hubris as the proper attitude.

08/31/2009 -- Scott is riding off to the sunset. But, how long will it take for Jim A to regain respect back?

Modified: 05/30/2013

Monday, August 10, 2009

Fair value

Yeah, this concept can get dusted with the fairy's charms like anything financial. As a reminder, we need to keep in mind the change that happened recently (see discussion on 3/13/2009 - there is much more to this to discuss) is showing several results, including billions in payouts to the supposed best-and-brightest, class act that they are. That is, as the Congressman says, the rules of the game were changed in the middle of the game for the clambering horde who wants to continue their ways.

The first touch on this subject here was in the context of measuring progress, which is an issue of earned value. That the engineering use refers to something real does not invalidate the suggested similarity. You see, if we were dealing with other than a fiat situation with money, we would have something that we could get our arms around.

Too, we could have more accountability. That is, the current approach seems to look at who takes the biggest part of the pie as a bonus as it's chief measuring stick. How did this come to be? Banking and finance are really just utility functions. Silly game, indeed.

Now, as we are reminded by the accountants, 'market' and marking can has its issues, to boot. We don't have recourse to a 100% fail-safe system, yet we could stabilize better by removing, or minimizing, the gaming element. Yeah, like adults trying to keep the world safe and livable.

One question: why do we let the media's glorification of these imbeciles rule our daily use of the airwaves?

So, it is time to get serious. See FEDaerated which, as promised, will deal with things economic. We'll still venture upon that theme here, as it's integral to good engineering. The difference? FEDaerated will be more serious in nature.

Remarks:

09/09/09 -- We'll need to look at UUUN, as a framework, for assessing valuing methods.

09/03/2009 -- Computational foci raise miraculous need. Yes, we need to talk NP and more.

08/11/2009 -- This post was incomplete. We didn't talk markets to which we are to mark. So, we'll need to look at that further. Also, we'll have to go more into intrinsic value.

Modified: 09/09/2009

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Poll Completion 7

The Seventh Poll finished 07/28/2009.

For the theme of "Boeing's dilemma" there were 14 votes with multi-vote allowed for the following:
  • Confounded beyond reasonable bounds 5 -- 35%
  • Was led astray by Scott C 8 -- 57%
  • Will magically pull this off 0 -- 0 %
  • Ought to go back to the drawing board 4 -- 28%
  • Can only succeed with good people (not subcontractors) 7 -- 50 %
  • Needs a new CEO 12 -- 85%
  • The Board was asleep 8 -- 57%
  • 787 will fly before the end of 2010 3 -- 21%
  • The 'dream' liner will meet cost expectations 0 -- 0 %
  • The 'dream' liner will meet weight expectations 0 -- 0 %
  • The 'dream' liner will meet fuel efficiency expectations 0 -- 0 %

Prior polls: First, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth.

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