Gail Shaw wrote:
> A quantum implies very, very small. Why are people so proud of making a
> tiny, minuscule step forward?

Not really. It implies a step forward with no intermediate steps.

It just so happens that the only place you can't ignore quantum steps in 
physics is when things are very small.

-- 
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
  Helpful housekeeping hints:
   Check your feather pillows for holes
    before putting them in the washing machine.

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"Darren New" <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote in message
news:4857ec1a$1@news.povray.org...
> Gail Shaw wrote:
> > A quantum implies very, very small. Why are people so proud of making a
> > tiny, minuscule step forward?
>
> Not really. It implies a step forward with no intermediate steps.

Hmm. Dictionary says it just means 'quantity'. Guess that's my physics
background showing through.
Either way, it doesn't mean 'revolutionary', 'massive' or 'significant'

Quantum leap forward = leap forward of some arbitary quantity. Doesn't quite
have the same ring.

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Gail Shaw wrote:

> Quantum leap forward = leap forward of some arbitary quantity. Doesn't quite
> have the same ring.

Clearly "quantum" sounds all hi-tec and impressive. Obviously we should 
use this word!

(But then, I understand "chromasome" actually means "coloured bit", 
which doesn't have quite the same ring...)

I often find myself wanting to use the word "magnetron" because it 
sounds so uncontrollably cool. I can still hardly believe there's 
actually a real device called a magnetron. (There's also a "cyclotron", 
but I don't know what that is...)

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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Gail Shaw wrote:
> Hmm. Dictionary says it just means 'quantity'. Guess that's my physics
> background showing through.
> Either way, it doesn't mean 'revolutionary', 'massive' or 'significant'

Quantum means discrete, as in having integer-valued states rather than 
real-valued states.  Sort of like "granule". :-)  Quantum, atomic, and 
granule are all relatively similar meanings, methinks.

> Quantum leap forward = leap forward of some arbitary quantity. Doesn't quite
> have the same ring.

Sure. But the point is it's a leap, not a slide. You don't ease forward 
a quantum amount. You have to leap forward a quantum amount.

A "compute quantum" is how long the OS lets your program run before 
interrupting it, for example. It doesn't matter how long that it, or 
whether it's the same time for every program.

On the other hand, they're probably just (as Andrews says) using it 
because it sounds cool, not because they know what it means.

-- 
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
  Helpful housekeeping hints:
   Check your feather pillows for holes
    before putting them in the washing machine.

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Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
> On the other hand, they're probably just (as Andrews says) using it 
> because it sounds cool, not because they know what it means.

  I somewhat similar common expression is "we are light-years ahead of
our competitors".

  They don't realize that's exactly as silly as saying "we are miles ahead
of our competitors", or in European, "we are kilometers ahead of our
competitors". IMO that expression just isn't sensible with a measurement
of distance.

  What they really want to say is "we are years ahead of our competitors"
(in terms of progress, technology, experience or whatever). It's just
that "light-years" sounds fancier.

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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On Tue, 17 Jun 2008 08:07:13 +0100, Stephen wrote:

> Worse still do you use any of these phrases?
> 
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7457287.stm

Several, actually.  <shudder>  That's the danger of moving into 
management.  But for #10, over here, I hear "opportunity" instead of 
"problem".

Jim

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On Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:51:27 -0700, Darren New wrote:

> On the other hand, they're probably just (as Andrews says) using it
> because it sounds cool, not because they know what it means.

I think that particular usage almost certainly has to come from the TV 
show of the same name.  When the main character would go from one place 
to another, it was immediate, and everything was different.

Jim

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Mueen Nawaz <m.n### [at] ieeeorg> wrote:
> 110%

  That's an especially funny expression because it's so easy to defend,
and so easy to debunk at the same time.

  "Doing 110% means that you not only do everything you can, but you
make extra effort and surpass yourself and give a little more."
  But if you could surpass your efforts by 10%, that means you weren't
doing it at 100% to begin with...

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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Warp wrote:

>   I somewhat similar common expression is "we are light-years ahead of
> our competitors".
> 
>   What they really want to say is "we are years ahead of our competitors"
> (in terms of progress, technology, experience or whatever). It's just
> that "light-years" sounds fancier.

"A spaceman came travelling on his ship from afar. Twas light years of 
time since his mission did start."

Like, WTF?

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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Jim Henderson wrote:
> I hear "opportunity" instead of "problem".

That probably actually started out as reasonable advice. Some problems 
actually are opportunities. "Problem: The program is too slow. 
Opportunity: Rewrite it with better algorithms, given what we learned 
from the first version."   "Problem: we're out of cheap, popular CPUs. 
Opportunity: Sell the more expensive, more profitable CPUs."

The problem comes not from determining if there's an opportunity within 
the problem, but from dismissing a very real problem by naming it 
"opportunity". :-)

As for the "110%", I usually answer that with "No, you get about 35%, 
unless you pay me overtime." ;-)

-- 
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
  Helpful housekeeping hints:
   Check your feather pillows for holes
    before putting them in the washing machine.

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