5 ms·

Have you read the book? The whole point of the chapter is that if you want to work for the feds, you don't want to get noticed. Ever. Later in that chapter she

Have you read the book? The whole point of the chapter is that if you want to work for the feds, you don't want to get noticed. Ever. Later in that chapter she mentions how you're just supposed to sit in the first unoccupied desk closest to the door. That also serves as a visual indication of when you got in to your coworkers.

thaumasiotes 10y ago
No, I haven't read the book. How did this situation arise? A penalty for being noticed can't apply to using a fixed desk, because in a state of nature 100% of employees use fixed desks, making the trait impossible to "notice". The first guy to sit at someone else's desk would be noticed. You'd need to implement a penalty for favoring a desk. This makes up most of my prior comment, but you haven't responded to it at all. > That also serves as a visual indication of when you got in to your coworkers. This sounds like an excellent way to be noticed. If you don't want to be noticed, you need your actions to carry less information, not more.
- jimmywanger 10y ago
  > because in a state of nature 100% of employees use fixed desks. I didn't bother replying to that part of your comment, because it was obvious that we were talking about two different things. There is nothing "natural" about the office seating arrangement. The management wanted to reduce the employees to interchangeable cogs. You don't have personal desks, and any attempt to favor one, to make it "your" desk was quickly noticed and frowned upon. > If you don't want to be noticed, you need your actions to carry less information, not more. If everybody else acted the same way as you did, the way that management favored, your actions carry absolutely no information at all except for the fact that you follow management's dictates. If everybody just grabbed the closest desk to the door that was unoccupied, nobody is giving up any information that they didn't already have to give up by following management.
  - thaumasiotes 10y ago
    > If everybody else acted the same way as you did, the way that management favored, your actions carry absolutely no information at all except for the fact that you follow management's dictates. You just specified that the accepted method of sitting reveals who arrived when. Sitting at random wouldn't do that.
    - jimmywanger 10y ago
      And would also cause you to lose your job. It was mandated or you were highly pressured to sit in the first empty desk closest to the door. That´s assuming of course that you want to keep the job. If you don´t, do whatever you like. They even had time guidelines on how long it should take you to read memos. And I think you missed my sentence that you weren´t already giving up information that was required by management´s dictates.
- quesera 10y ago
  It's a work of speculative fiction, so detailed analysis from outside of its own world context is doomed. It's a great story though. The first chapter is a work of transformative art. I recommend it highly. After you (the general you) read it, there will be time for debating forehead tattoos as criminal justice, personal nuclear devices, and the role of mafioso in fast food. :) Just writing this comment has made me want to read it again.

thaumasiotes 10y ago

No, I haven't read the book. How did this situation arise? A penalty for being noticed can't apply to using a fixed desk, because in a state of nature 100% of employees use fixed desks, making the trait impossible to "notice". The first guy to sit at someone else's desk would be noticed. You'd need to implement a penalty for favoring a desk. This makes up most of my prior comment, but you haven't responded to it at all. > That also serves as a visual indication of when you got in to your coworkers. This sounds like an excellent way to be noticed. If you don't want to be noticed, you need your actions to carry less information, not more.

jimmywanger 10y ago
> because in a state of nature 100% of employees use fixed desks. I didn't bother replying to that part of your comment, because it was obvious that we were talking about two different things. There is nothing "natural" about the office seating arrangement. The management wanted to reduce the employees to interchangeable cogs. You don't have personal desks, and any attempt to favor one, to make it "your" desk was quickly noticed and frowned upon. > If you don't want to be noticed, you need your actions to carry less information, not more. If everybody else acted the same way as you did, the way that management favored, your actions carry absolutely no information at all except for the fact that you follow management's dictates. If everybody just grabbed the closest desk to the door that was unoccupied, nobody is giving up any information that they didn't already have to give up by following management.
- thaumasiotes 10y ago
  > If everybody else acted the same way as you did, the way that management favored, your actions carry absolutely no information at all except for the fact that you follow management's dictates. You just specified that the accepted method of sitting reveals who arrived when. Sitting at random wouldn't do that.
  - jimmywanger 10y ago
    And would also cause you to lose your job. It was mandated or you were highly pressured to sit in the first empty desk closest to the door. That´s assuming of course that you want to keep the job. If you don´t, do whatever you like. They even had time guidelines on how long it should take you to read memos. And I think you missed my sentence that you weren´t already giving up information that was required by management´s dictates.
quesera 10y ago
It's a work of speculative fiction, so detailed analysis from outside of its own world context is doomed. It's a great story though. The first chapter is a work of transformative art. I recommend it highly. After you (the general you) read it, there will be time for debating forehead tattoos as criminal justice, personal nuclear devices, and the role of mafioso in fast food. :) Just writing this comment has made me want to read it again.