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..And why is the solution you were clearly driving me towards one which takes advantage of an undocumented and unreliable epiphenomenon.. Since when has the th
by tomsaffell 16y ago
..And why is the solution you were clearly driving me towards one which takes advantage of an undocumented and unreliable epiphenomenon..
Since when has the thermal performance of a light bulb been undocumented and unreliable? I would think that designers of light fixtures and shades rely heavily on the documented thermal performance of light bulbs, and rate their products for compatibility with a range of bulbs accordingly.
- ahi 16y agoFurthermore, he's applying for a position at Microsoft.
- Vivtek 16y ago... who mandate darkness as an industry standard. Why are they even asking about light bulbs?
- pavel_lishin 16y ago"Microsoft technical support, how may I help you?" "Yeah, one of our light bulbs just went out." "Have you tried selling your house, and moving into a new one?"
- ojilles 16y ago"Since when has the thermal performance of a light bulb been undocumented and unreliable?" By making assumptions as to what type of a light bulb it is (which in this setting one could not know beforehand). F.ex. LEDs give off very little heat.
- alanh 16y agoRight. When this question first became popular — I remember hearing it from my grandpa sometime in the 1990s — CFLs and LEDs were not common at all (though fluorescents were, in stores/offices; but I think most people assume this is a room in a house.)
- georgieporgie 16y agoBut LEDs are not light bulbs. :-)
- sfphotoarts 16y agohe calls them epiphenomenon which is correct, their primary property is light production, heat is a secondary feature and not reliable, take for example LED based lighting, or even the low energy fluorescents. But RF was just being a well deserved smartass. Besides, who would ever interview RF, it would a waste of time, Unless you have Newton, Einstein and Larry & Sergei already on your payroll just give the man an office, s stapler and let him do whatever comes to mind.
- wazoox 16y agoJust in case anybody didn't know already of this gem: http://longnow.org/essays/richard-feynman-connection-machine/ http://longnow.org/essays/richard-feynman-connection-machine...
- bryanh 16y agoI love their response to Feynmen's desire to "do something real".... "So we sent him out to buy some office supplies."
- tomsaffell 16y agoIt doesnt matter whether they are phenomenon or epiphenomenon. The assertion was that they are undocumented and unreliable. Do you believe that there is no documentation on the thermal properties (epi or not) of a light bulb? If there is no such documentation then I imagine that the designers of light bulb fixtures and shades cant sleep easy..
- WalterBright 16y agoBack when I entered Caltech, someone mentioned what Feynman's salary was. (Feynman was a prof at Caltech.) I stupidly said I thought his salary was outrageously high. I was pointedly told that Feynman was worth far more than his salary simply to have his name listed as being on the staff (bringing interest, credibility, and donations to Caltech). And, of course, Feynman being Feynman he did infinitely more than just have his name on the roster. Only his tragic demise was able to stop him. Any company would be out of their freakin' minds to pass up any opportunity to hire Feynman. I'd "interview" him for the opportunity to spend an hour with him, not that there's any chance in hell I'd say "no hire". As for his position and job at the company, who cares. Whatever he wants.