3 ms·

When all you have is a hammer you end up with a lot of bent screws. I am not close enough to the situation to know what the root problem is, but I bet it can't

When all you have is a hammer you end up with a lot of bent screws. I am not close enough to the situation to know what the root problem is, but I bet it can't be solved with LEO's of any stripe.

dan-robertson 6y ago
This is a bad analogy. If you have cut nails you will also bend them (or split the wood) if you only have a hammer and no way to drill pilot holes. If your screws are thin or you have pilot holes, you’ll do fine hammering them in. I think it’s generally better for one to write what one means rather than using stale or disjointed metaphors.
- Judgmentality 6y ago
  The guy wrote an internet comment and his analogy was immediately logical to me. I actually had to read your response 3 times before I understood the problem. I think your standards are a little high for basic communication.
  - JoeAltmaier 6y ago
    Not so for me. I was baffled. Wood screws are commonly hammered in. My Dad used to say "The threads are for removing them"
- pc86 6y ago
  This might be the most stereotypical HN comment I've ever read. I can't wait to see it on r/programmingcirclejerk.
- justinclift 6y ago
  > If your screws are thin ... you’ll do fine hammering them in. Wouldn't that depend on the hardness of the material you're hammering into? Even with woods, there are some very dense and hard ones around... ;)
- monkeydreams 6y ago
  Our core beliefs on communication probably vary considerably on this matter. Analogies are a method to quickly transmit wealth of information, cultural biases, and to determine a set of shared assumptions which become to a "common ground" on which the relevant points of the argument can be discussed, rather than fighting back on forth on every property of the scenario under discussion. > I think it’s generally better for one to write what one means rather than using stale or disjointed metaphors. If I was offering instruction, then maybe. If I am writing to convince then I use the literary tools which convince the most people; analogy and thematic devices. In this case I am asserting a social argument and bald data convinces very few people. If all you have are the facts, then all you will receive is an argument over the facts.

When all you have is a hammer you end up with a lot of bent screws. I am not close enough to the situation to know what the root problem is, but I bet it can't be solved with LEO's of any stripe.

dan-robertson 6y ago

This is a bad analogy. If you have cut nails you will also bend them (or split the wood) if you only have a hammer and no way to drill pilot holes. If your screws are thin or you have pilot holes, you’ll do fine hammering them in. I think it’s generally better for one to write what one means rather than using stale or disjointed metaphors.

Judgmentality 6y ago
The guy wrote an internet comment and his analogy was immediately logical to me. I actually had to read your response 3 times before I understood the problem. I think your standards are a little high for basic communication.
- JoeAltmaier 6y ago
  Not so for me. I was baffled. Wood screws are commonly hammered in. My Dad used to say "The threads are for removing them"
pc86 6y ago
This might be the most stereotypical HN comment I've ever read. I can't wait to see it on r/programmingcirclejerk.
justinclift 6y ago
> If your screws are thin ... you’ll do fine hammering them in. Wouldn't that depend on the hardness of the material you're hammering into? Even with woods, there are some very dense and hard ones around... ;)
monkeydreams 6y ago
Our core beliefs on communication probably vary considerably on this matter. Analogies are a method to quickly transmit wealth of information, cultural biases, and to determine a set of shared assumptions which become to a "common ground" on which the relevant points of the argument can be discussed, rather than fighting back on forth on every property of the scenario under discussion. > I think it’s generally better for one to write what one means rather than using stale or disjointed metaphors. If I was offering instruction, then maybe. If I am writing to convince then I use the literary tools which convince the most people; analogy and thematic devices. In this case I am asserting a social argument and bald data convinces very few people. If all you have are the facts, then all you will receive is an argument over the facts.