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This, in turn, reminds me of a long-shot theory about how the universe works that I sometimes ponder. I can't think of how many times someone has come to me wi
by eof 16y ago
This, in turn, reminds me of a long-shot theory about how the universe works that I sometimes ponder.
I can't think of how many times someone has come to me with a computer problem, or I've gone to a vendor/support chat with a problem that hasn't worked dozens or hundreds of times. Then suddenly, with the guru there, whether it is me or someone else, suddenly the problem evaporates.
I've found myself wondering if this wasn't some illusion, but an actual artifact of the nature of the universe. Think about it: if noob's problems everywhere were actually the universe not letting their shit work, there would be no one to ever notice it; because when the expert comes in and fixes it, it is magic to the noob anyway, and the expert is 100% used to mundanes not having their stuff work for any given reason.
- arethuza 16y agoSounds like quantum bogodynamics: http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/Q/quantum-bogodynamics.html http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/Q/quantum-bogodynamics.html
- cakeface 16y agoI like to call this the Scooby Doo effect. The ghost always appears for Scooby but not for the rest of the gang.
- BasDirks 16y agoScooby is just a little psychotic.
- trafficlight 16y agoWe call it The Aura. Some people have it and some don't.
- noonespecial 16y agoWe call it "personal entropy". Some people have more of it than others.
- dasil003 16y agoWhat about the case of a person who, when they show up, magically breaks all technology. I had a friend like that, "I didn't touch it I swear!"
- derleth 16y agoReading over jwz's travails with computers of various kinds, he seems to have an amazing amount of it for someone who used to be a professional programmer. I propose we name it the Zawinski Effect.
- freshhawk 16y agoThere is already a scientific explanation for this. It's called "confirmation bias"