Excerpt: How to Get Ahead in Tech Groups
Steve O'Keefe
excerpt from the new book, "Putt's Law and the Successful
Technocrat," a 25th Anniversary remake of the howlingly
funny classic on climbing corporate hierarchies. The
excerpt contains Putt's advice on the Internet, including
Putt's Paradox:
"The more firmly you are caught in the Web,
the faster you can outpace your competition."
"Putt's Law" was originally released in 1981 and achieved
cult status for its scathing satire about the way groups
behave. "Every technical hierarchy, in time, develops a
competence inversion," says Putt, in his most oft-quoted
corollary. Readers of Putt's Law will learn such valuable
techno-Machiavellian skills as how to leverage failure and
how to beat out colleagues who are always right. The
author's anonymity gives these teachings the air of
omniscience you want in a rule book.
In the excerpt I'm distributing, Archibald Putt shows he's
learned a lot from bloggers and others on the Internet.
Putt's third law of decision making is "a decision is
judged by the conviction with which it is uttered." Sounds
like a page from the bloggers handbook, doesn't it?
To get the excerpt, send mailto:stevo...@bellsouth.net
with the subject line "Send Putt's Law" and I will reply
with the text -- and *only* the text -- NO file attachments
or opt-in mailing list jive. Thank you.
Vanguard
news:1148615964....@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>I have permission from John Wiley & Sons to distribute an
> To get the excerpt, send <spamtrapemailaddress>
Yeah, right. You have permission to distribute copyrighted material.
Uh huh. And yet you do NOT distribute unless users divulge a valid
e-mail address to you so you can get them to voluntarily sucker
themselves into your spamtrap. No thanks. Keep your useless glass
"gem".
BlueYonder
"Archibald Putt meets The Internet"
an excerpt from the new book
PUTT'S LAW AND THE SUCCESSFUL TECHNOCRAT by Archibald Putt Published by John
Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Reprinted here with permission.
INTRODUCTION
"Putt's Law and the Successful Technocrat" is a 25th Anniversary remake of
the howlingly funny classic on climbing corporate hierarchies. This excerpt
contains Putt's advice on the Internet.
"Putt's Law" was originally released in 1981 and achieved cult status for
its scathing satire about the way groups behave. "Every technical hierarchy,
in time, develops a competence inversion," says Putt, in his most oft-quoted
corollary. Readers of Putt's Law will learn such valuable
techno-Machiavellian skills as how to leverage failure and how to beat out
colleagues who are always right. The author's anonymity gives these
teachings the air of omniscience you want in a rule book.
In the excerpt below, Archibald Putt shows he's learned a lot from bloggers
and others on the Internet. Putt's third law of decision making is "a
decision is judged by the conviction with which it is uttered." Sounds like
a page from the bloggers handbook, doesn't it?
More information about the book, "Putt's Law and the Successful
Technocrat" -- and author Archibald Putt -- follows the excerpt. Enjoy!
__________________________________________________
"Archibald Putt meets The Internet"
At the beginning of 1993, the World Wide Web had only 50 known users. After
the Internet was made available for commercial purposes in 1995, the use of
e-mail and the World Wide Web skyrocketed. Ten years later, an estimated one
billion people throughout the world were making use of the Internet. In the
United States, well over half the people were connected to the Internet, and
half of those spent more than three hours per day online.
Already, some people were going online to obtain all their information and
merchandise and to conduct most of their business and social life. They were
caught in the Web.
Somewhat surprisingly, studies revealed that technocrats who were caught in
the Web were more likely to be successful than those who were not. At stated
by Putt's
Paradox:
"The more firmly you are caught in the Web,
the faster you can outpace your competition."
The pace of business has quickened. Communications, which a few years
earlier would have been sent by "snail mail," are now sent by e-mail.
Responses are typically received the same day, often within minutes. Even
people at lunch or on vacation can review their e-mail by cell phone and
respond immediately.
There is no time for ambitious technocrats to look beyond the Web for
information, and there is no time for serious reflection between
communications. The results can be disastrous. Nevertheless, the Law of
Internet Usage continues to be affirmed:
"Failure to keep up with the Internet
leads to failure in the race for success."
Early users of the Web were primarily scientists and engineers who shared
technical information. People who shared social or religious views soon
formed Web sites, as did men and women seeking marriage prospects. Web sites
were also formed by politically active groups, including terrorist
organizations. There are sites for people interested in cannibalism or group
suicide, and sites offering pornography have long been among the most
popular and financially rewarding. Indeed, there are Web sites that cater to
every imaginable human desire. According to an Internet Truism:
"If somewhere it is so,
it is more so on the Internet."
Even many popular Web sites engage in ethically questionable activities. One
of the more common is placing adware or spyware in a Web-site visitor's hard
drive to obtain personal information. Of greater concern is outright fraud
and theft practiced intentionally by bogus Web sites and unintentionally by
legitimate sites that are victimized by the crafty thieves and hooligans who
pervade the Internet.
The popularity of the Internet has made it attractive to organizations that
send spam. These unsolicited communications are now the major part of
Internet traffic.
They are inexpensive for senders but costly to service providers and
time-consuming to users. In addition to selling products and services or
swindling naive people out of their savings, spam may contain malicious
software programs, designed to disable the recipient's computer.
Viruses and worms on the Internet are estimated to cost users and service
providers over $100 billion a year, primarily in lost productivity.
Government agencies and large corporations are increasingly active in
attempting to protect individuals and the nation's infrastructure from cyber
attacks.
Aware of these and many other risks, some individuals and groups have
resisted getting involved in the Web.
Nevertheless, the Web continues to grow. Valuable information and services
lure people in, and there are not- so-subtle pressures from airlines and
other vendors that are reducing their operating costs by replacing
person-to- person services with Web-based transactions. It is only a matter
of time before everyone will be caught in the Web.
Once inside, the Law of the Web is self-evident:
"There is no escape
from the World Wide Web."
Vast quantities of information available on the Web make it possible for
researchers and authors to create publications at rates never dreamed of
before. Plagiarism is so rampant that it seems socially acceptable.
Technocrats can no longer survive without help from an online computer to
collect and analyze information to support a position or fend off attacks
from competitors.
Simultaneously, their computers must be kept up-to-date with the latest
hardware and software to protect against the onslaught of computers
maliciously programmed to do them harm.
It is comforting to know that, even in the seemingly lawless realm of the
Internet, all the laws, corollaries, and tools of the trade discussed in
this book apply. It is less comforting to know that the law of the jungle
has been replaced by the Law of the Internet:
"Survival on the Internet always requires
better hardware and software than you have."
__________________________________________________
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Archibald Putt is the pseudonym of a man whose contributions in science,
engineering, and R&D management are well known. He has served on government
advisory committees, managed basic and applied research, and held executive
positions in a large multinational corporation.
He received his PhD degree from a leading institute of technology and has
served as president of an international technical society. He is the author
of numerous books and scholarly articles.
__________________________________________________
ABOUT THE BOOK
PUTT'S LAW AND THE SUCCESSFUL TECHNOCRAT:
How to Win in the Information Age
by Archibald Putt
Published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
(ISBN 0-471-71422-4, 171 pages, illus., hardcover, $24.95) Available through
this site or directly from the publisher:
ttp://www.wiley.com/ or phone 1-800-225-5945
Putt's Law: "Technology is dominated by two types of
people: those who understand what they do not manage, and those who manage
what they do not understand."
Written by an industry leader in R&D management, this title examines the
above law by following the (often humorous) business development of both
types of individuals in a Research and Development setting. By examining
their performance, the book provides practical advise on how to succeed in
the technology industry.
The author, using a pseudonym, details how to survive and thrive in the
world of technology. The book follows the fictional business careers of two
vastly different individuals in industry. By comparing and contrasting their
amusing experiences, business styles, successes, and failures, the author
comprises a series of laws to guide readers through the difficult world of
technology corporations. Bright, lively, and very funny, "Putt's Law and the
Successful Technocrat" uses satire to highlight the author's deep
understanding of the real world of technology.
Originally published in 1981, "Putt's Law" has become widely know and quoted
in technology circles. The mysterious identity of the author is the subject
of much scrutiny and debate.
REVIEWS:
"It's a classic. It reads at first like humor, but one eventually realizes
that it's all true. The first edition changed my life. I loaned my copy to a
subordinate at IBM, and he didn't return it to me until he was my boss."
-- Dave Thompson, PhD, IBM Fellow (retired),
Member National Academy of Engineering, and IEEE Fellow
"Putt's humor ranges from sharp to whimsical and is always on target.
Readers will be reminded of many personal experiences and of lessons in life
they wish they had learned earlier in their careers."
-- Eric Herz, former IEEE executive director
"Anyone who thinks 'engineering management' is an oxymoron needs to read
this terrific book - then they will know."
-- Norman R. Augustine, author of "Augustine's Laws" and
retired Chairman & CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation
"Vanguard" <vangua...@yahooNIX.com> wrote in message
news:OoCdnT7iXvTsUevZ...@comcast.com...
Mara
wrote:
[crossposting left in]
<snip>
>Reprinted here with permission.
Did you get the permission of the posters in the newsgroups you spammed this to?
I didn't think so.
"Take a hike, lameboi."
--
"You must be smarter than ->|<- this stick to ride the Internet."
--SleepyOne
bi
> I didn't think so.
Touche!
I'll join in the fun... this is reprinted with permission
from myself:
( http://fzort.org/bi/neo-tech/act3.html#act3basso8 )
Invincible Value-Producing Secret #1: Make daring claims
about your product and company!
You have developed a wondrous product. Therefore,
promote it with all your might! Tell people that your
product -- whatever it may be -- can help solve their
problems, cure all ailments, eradicate all evil, and
bring immortality. Tell them that your company is a big
corporation with branches in the US, Japan, Antartica,
and Alpha Centauri -- even if your startup is currently
situated in a basement and the only staff besides
yourself is your dog.
Is this dishonesty? Absolutely not! This is simply
focussing not on how things currently are, but how
things can and should be. Your product is obviously the
best in the world, and even if your company is not a big
corporation at the moment, it certainly deserves to be
one, and that is what is important, no? And besides:
Treat a man as he is, he will remain so.
Treat a man the way he can be and ought to be, and he
will become as he can be and should be. -- Goethe
Contribution towards rationality: When your company
turns into a big corporation -- and it definitely will
-- and your product actually solves all problems, cures
all ailments, eradicates all evil, and brings
immortality, then customers will realize the supreme
objective truth of your wondrous claims. Do not forget
the fine print, by the way.
Invincible Value-Producing Secret #2: Get hot babes to
sell your product!
Obviously, the hot babes should be wearing little or no
fabric. Also, if you are a female entrepreneur, you can
set an example by taking off your own clothes. Generally,
the greater the degree of undress, the better: scientific
studies have observed a strong correlation between
nakedness and profits -- although the results of such
studies are being brutally suppressed by a conspiracy of
Bible-thumpers, Islamists, Stalinists, Confucianists, and
Jedi.
Currently, there are all sorts of laws and customs in
various communities and jurisdictions which prevent this
method from being harnessed to its fullest. For example,
while full nudity is often accepted in TV advertisements,
it is taboo in live product demonstrations. Such
irrational restrictions are there only to frustrate the
efforts of value-producing individuals and to further the
destructive agenda of value-destroying terrorists;
therefore, it is a right -- nay, an imperative -- of every
business to push for the removal of these pernicious
regulations.
The naked truth is always better than the best dressed
lie. -- Ann Landers
Contribution towards rationality: Customers who respond to
this promotional method will be able to free themselves
from the mysticism preventing them from realizing their
full sexual power, a mysticism imposed upon them by evil
Bible-thumpers, Islamists, Stalinists, Confucianists, and
Jedi. On top of that, customers will see the superior
quality of your product. What a deal!
Invincible Value-Producing Secret #3: Most importantly,
donate to the True Capitalism Party!
In today's destructively irrational anticivilization, the
efforts of honest businesses are often hampered by the
presence of offshore scammers, evil Islamo-Stalinist
terrorists, entrenched mindsets, and fascist government
regulations. The only way such businesses can attain
their full potential is when the whole world runs on
laissez-faire capitalism, and the only political party
which can truly achieve this goal is the True Capitalism
Party.
Can your business succeed if you do not donate to the
True Capitalism Party? Perhaps, but the previous secrets
are only guaranteed to fully work under a truly
laissez-faire capitalist economy, and the only way such
an economy can emerge is if the True Capitalism Party
comes into power.
"But... you said the Invincible Value-Producing Secrets
are free! Now you say that I must donate to the True
Capitalism Party, so it's not free after all! That's
lying!" Not so; Neo-TeX does not demand that you give
money to get the secrets, and you are still free not to
donate even now after you have obtained these secrets.
But remember:
The secret of getting things done is to act! -- Dante
Alighieri
Contribution towards rationality: The True Capitalism
Party, once in power, will help free your customers from
the shackles of irrational Islamo-Stalinist thinking, and
enlighten them on the facts about the greatness of
laissez-faire capitalism, as well as the superiority of
your company's products over those of your
value-destroying competitors.
-- Frank Bi ( http://mncw.tk/ )
Real News
> This is what you get back
Thank you BlueYonder for posting the excerpt for me. I would have
posted it myself -- and spared all this talk about "spam trap" -- but
it's considered excessively long for a Usenet posting and poor
netiquette for me to post it. But I'm glad you did.
No, there's no "spam trap" or retention of e-mail addresses. Hard to
believe in this day and age that real humans can offer a humorous book
excerpt to appropriate groups and not violate copyright and not violate
netiquette and not collect e-mail addresses.
"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."
STEVE O'KEEFE
Bringer of Excerpts
Mara
>BlueYonder wrote:
>> This is what you get back
>
>Thank you BlueYonder for posting the excerpt for me. I would have
>posted it myself
You HAVE posted it yourself.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?H2C31273D
http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0471714224.html
You post other crap, too:
http://makeashorterlink.com/?I4D32373D
<snip>
>"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."
Unless it's a pitch for a book, in which case it's spam.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?J6E32373D
"Now, who is it you think you're fooling?"