7 ms·

I'm having a hard time visualizing this one. Say the problem is driving a nail into a wall for hanging up a picture. In this case: Elegant = solution is a gl

by ythn 8y ago

I'm having a hard time visualizing this one. Say the problem is driving a nail into a wall for hanging up a picture. In this case: Elegant = solution is a glass cube Efficient = solution is gasoline-powered nail driver which drives 1000 nails per minute Effective = solution is hammer

WJW 8y ago
A glass cube with rounded edges of course :)
eddieh 8y ago
Hm, I think elegant here does not mean classy or fancy. It instead means "ingenious and simple" so an elegant solution is in fact a hammer. Likewise, I think of efficiency as the resources used to accomplish something. While a nail driver would be fast, it isn't really efficient. An efficient solution is also a hammer. And of course the hammer is the effective solution.
- Nomentatus 8y ago
  Cubes are simpler than hammers, was the point.
jacquesm 8y ago
How does a glass cube drive a nail into the wall for hanging up a picture? If used as a hammer it is just another hammer (and an ineffective one at that because it is going to slide off the nail and cause you injury or shatter and cause you injury).
- Nomentatus 8y ago
  That's the point. Just a glance tells you that glass cubes are more elegant than hammers, but it turns out they aren't efficient or effective.
  - jacquesm 8y ago
    They're just plain wrong. I think any solution should at least try to be an actual solution to the problem.
    - Nomentatus 8y ago
      It is an actual solution, you can get a nail in with a cube, it probably won't break 'till the fourth or fifth nail. (I have used glass bottles to drive nails.)
      - jacquesm 8y ago
        > (I have used glass bottles to drive nails.) I hope that was just to prove a point and that you were wearing goggles and gloves. If not that's borderline Darwin award territory.
        InitialLastName 8y ago
        Only with very specific results, and I'm not sure goggles and gloves would affect either.
      - tjalfi 8y ago
        Your comment reminded me of Alex Papadimoulis' blog entry "Pounding A Nail: Old Shoe or Glass Bottle?"[0]. [0] https://weblogs.asp.net/alex_papadimoulis/408925 https://weblogs.asp.net/alex_papadimoulis/408925
kbutler 8y ago
Elegant = using magnetic paint and magents on the back of the picture. You thus do not need a nail, can hang the picture where ever you want, and remove it without leaving a trace. You just have to repaint the house to be able to use it.
- Klathmon 8y ago
  See I think of elegant as "set the picture on a table". The engineer might think it solves the problem and does so in a way that is seen as cheaper, easier, and faster. But in reality it's not what was needed and the elegance of the solution will come back to bite them when the first user wants the picture a bit higher (which is normally met with "why would you want to do that?")

by ythn 8y ago

WJW 8y ago

A glass cube with rounded edges of course :)

eddieh 8y ago

Hm, I think elegant here does not mean classy or fancy. It instead means "ingenious and simple" so an elegant solution is in fact a hammer. Likewise, I think of efficiency as the resources used to accomplish something. While a nail driver would be fast, it isn't really efficient. An efficient solution is also a hammer. And of course the hammer is the effective solution.

Nomentatus 8y ago
Cubes are simpler than hammers, was the point.

jacquesm 8y ago

How does a glass cube drive a nail into the wall for hanging up a picture? If used as a hammer it is just another hammer (and an ineffective one at that because it is going to slide off the nail and cause you injury or shatter and cause you injury).

Nomentatus 8y ago
That's the point. Just a glance tells you that glass cubes are more elegant than hammers, but it turns out they aren't efficient or effective.
- jacquesm 8y ago
  They're just plain wrong. I think any solution should at least try to be an actual solution to the problem.
  - Nomentatus 8y ago
    It is an actual solution, you can get a nail in with a cube, it probably won't break 'till the fourth or fifth nail. (I have used glass bottles to drive nails.)
    - jacquesm 8y ago
      > (I have used glass bottles to drive nails.) I hope that was just to prove a point and that you were wearing goggles and gloves. If not that's borderline Darwin award territory.
      - InitialLastName 8y ago
        Only with very specific results, and I'm not sure goggles and gloves would affect either.
    - tjalfi 8y ago
      Your comment reminded me of Alex Papadimoulis' blog entry "Pounding A Nail: Old Shoe or Glass Bottle?"[0]. [0] https://weblogs.asp.net/alex_papadimoulis/408925 https://weblogs.asp.net/alex_papadimoulis/408925

kbutler 8y ago

Elegant = using magnetic paint and magents on the back of the picture. You thus do not need a nail, can hang the picture where ever you want, and remove it without leaving a trace. You just have to repaint the house to be able to use it.

Klathmon 8y ago
See I think of elegant as "set the picture on a table". The engineer might think it solves the problem and does so in a way that is seen as cheaper, easier, and faster. But in reality it's not what was needed and the elegance of the solution will come back to bite them when the first user wants the picture a bit higher (which is normally met with "why would you want to do that?")