Things I am not cynical about
Jerry
- it was titled 'What I know about Mainland China'
- all the pages were blank
We used it as a doorstop
It would have come in handy here.
Phil
I once read a book for the purpose of giving up smoking.
One entire chapter was devoted to the reasons to continue
smoking. The chapter was one page long. That page was also blank.
I will never be cynical toward any logic offered by children.
Children speak the truth and often find a simple solution to a
seemingly complex problem.
I will however, remain forever cynical toward those in servitude
of those looking over their shoulder. To be to told to act according
to "company policy" is regressive through compliance. I always
test the "policy" when I know it to be impractical. When I am
challenged
to conform (which is often), I tell "them" to change the policy.
Phil
Jerry
Once I worked for a tour operating company.
The directors were great at passing the buck and not making decisions
(my boss was the slipperiest)
The chairman and MD (same guy) decided to set up a paper trail and
produced something called an:
'Executive Director's Policy Decision'
Of course I could get no b*gger to sign off things like kid's discounts
.. etc .. etc
So I produced my own
'Marketing Planning Policy Recommendation'
Oddly it looked very similar - and that was before word processing was
more than a daisy wheel.
All went brilliantly
- decisions were made on time (by me)
One day I was up in the Deputy MD's office having a scrap with him (he
was a bit thick - sort of combination fall guy and old friend of the
CEO) and he consulted the files.
When he looked at the 'document' more carefully, saw the bogus title
and my signature, he gulped and said 'You can't do that'
That was the end of those bits of paper
Thing is, Phil, to get away with tricks like that you need to have what
I call a 'cast iron back'
- it is impervious to knives
- but can be shattered with a sledge hammer
To use Chutzpa - you need to be nearly indispensable
(also to have a very good batting average)
I thoroughly agree with your approach
- constructive iconoclasts are what make systems work
I'm still amused by your 'baggage handling' solution
- I think that could be marketed to BA as two way video on a large
screen
However ... watch your back
Norman
There must be something in the world to be positive about, perhaps you
guys in the group ; )
Not cynical about the rise in computer crime or rather not too
surprised by it.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/19/AR2005091901697.html
I will keep thinking. I am sure something will occur to me.
On the subject of books with blank pages, how about "Timeshare
Opportunities in Baghdad".
Best.
Drew
than I was previously. For three years they have had a problem in their
machines which needed addressing. After billions of 'meetings',
much expense and (daft) proposals from 'designers', the requirement
finally came my way. A couple of bits of ATM kit were delivered to me
and within a week I had designed and implemented a cheap, guaranteed,
patentable solution. So I submitted a proposal a couple of months ago
and ......... nothing. They had another meeting and decided to put in a
'switch'. I said "What kind of bleedin switch can perform the
required complex electronic function?" Latest development is that
they've discovered that a 'switch' won't work. Jeez!!!!!
Ooops I lied. NCR have completely wiped out anything incipiently
non-cynical.
Grrrrr
Phil
Ah yes, the "baggage handling" system. Near slipped my mind. I don't
see why we can't offer tranparency of work practices to the public. The
customer service staff do it all day every day, face to face, so why
not
everyone else, myself included.
Video is a good idea. Audio however might be inappropriate given the
prolification of expletives used in genorous proportions.
Phil
Jerry
But large two way video screens would be a stonking good idea - letting
the handlers see the passengers would provide them with some
entertainment.
I am always astonished by the antics of people at the luggage carousel
- they become half witted and frantic.
I too am racking my brains for something that I'm not cynical about.
A real problem.
Drew
squint front landing gear. Apparently they had to fly around for a few
hours first 'cos Airbus can't dump fuel? Pretty scary and the
wheels just disintegrated on touch-down but didn't collapse. So do
Airbus wheels rotate through 90 degrees on retraction (or not in this
case!)?
Re the baggage handling, do I take it that there isn't much job
satisfaction?
Just had a non-cynical moment. Google server screwed up for a second
but announced the hiccup with 'OOOPS' in big letters. Good one.
Best
Phil
Apologies for the delayed response.
I'm no authority on Airbus aircraft. However, if the prob was with
the nosewheel, I would think that they are fixed for retraction after
take off. The main gear however is most likely retracted about both
"planes" of axis (so to speak).
As for landing, all tricycle gear would need to be locked for landing
and releasable for taxiing, from my understanding. A BAE146 landed
at Canberra airport with a similar dilemma. Luckily it was a wet
runway. The nosewheel did not lock perpindicular. It rotated 90 degrees
and coincidentally held that position for the duration. Just as well.
Although the tyre took the sideways skid, things could have been much
worse.
Had the nose wheel inclined beyond the square 90 degrees, the kite
may have in the least ended up on the grass. At worst, the aircraft
could turn into a flat spin, followed by one wing tending to dig in,
which
leads to a cartwheel. Purely conjecture on my part Drew, as I ain't no
pilot.
But from many a conversation, I believe the scenario to be true.
As for bag mishandlers .. you have hit the nail squarely upon thy head.
I don't see much job satisfaction for these blokes at all. Perhaps
that's
why there is a certain attitude ingrained which becomes a "culture".
My own job is much more varied. I enjoy the satisfaction of resolving
a problem. Fog, breakdowns, missed connections, ill passengers
in need of medical assistance .. etc. Sometimes, just sometimes
you just have to love your job when you are left alone to do it and
your plan comes together. The result of course is rarely achieved
without the co-operation and advice of others. Sometimes, no
often I break the rules, to get the job done and to achieve the goal.
Funny how I am never challenged when the end result is achieved.
Now that's what I call job satisfaction.
I have coined 2 phrases in my job. 1/ "Treat every flight as if your
own Mother was aboard". 2/ "We are only as good as our last flight".
Phil
Drew
you want the outcome to be successful, but couldn't quite expel the
desire for there to be one less 146 in the world ;-)
Looked to me that the Airbus 320 pilot managed to keep the nose in the
air for a hell of a long time down the runway. That would mean heaving
the elevators full up as soon as he touched deck -- rather he than me!
Comment from the passengers was that apart from the smell of burning
rubber it was a very gentle landing and there was no screaming and
bawling. Apparently they watched their own landing on the in-flight
TVs, which tends to indicate that the greatest fear is fear itself.
Someone must have made an active decision to display all the available
information and hence illustrate that they were not alone. Other good
bit of work is they didn't use the chutes, which do tend to cause
injuries. So a damned professional job all round.
Hey, not-cynical.
However, your first golden rule might not work for all:-)
Best
Jerry
Although come to think about it, I'm not very fond of my mother - for
sound reasons.
Also, it is interesting how one can get away with doing the right thing
regardless of 'the rules'
I'll certainly agree that the Airbus pilot did an amazingly good job.
The pictures were daunting.