h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Mr Person Person-person, or just Zis Guy, you know - can I be the first to say WHAT A GOOD IDEA! Or rather, what *EXCELLENT* two good ideas. Mr Chapman, sir, my hat is off to you and I am being very sincere. Despite only 7 years in the working world, all my experience agrees with your observations.

If every large organisation in the world adopted at least your first proposal of 3-6 month trials and not forcing good people to take on jobs that aren't their strengths, this planet would be a much better place. Guy Chapman for World President - the campaign starts here! Woohoo!

Um, thank you! Clearly, as I am British, I must now study intently the toecaps of my shoes until any brouhaha dies down.

I first formulated this plan some years ago based on experience of Further Education colleges. My father was a lecturer who resolutely refused to become a head of department or whatever, on the grounds that he enjoyed teaching and was good at it. The result was that we were ridiculed at school because of his old, rusty cars. My MIL was, and is, a lecturer, and I worked in a college for a while.

Education is a field in which one very often sees this effect. Schools and colleges take their most gifted teachers and promote them. By this process they very often lose excellent teachers and gain indifferent administrators.

And I've seen it work in business too, many times.

My mental age fluctuates between 3 and 103, so it must have been somewhere between 13 and 19 when I set up our video. We don't have any children (HOORAY!!!).

Thanks for the correction, I read the article a couple of months ago and I couldn't remember how it was spelt Spelling is not my strong point as you will see if you come across my postings.

If you are the type of person that likes things to be spelt correctly you might like to take a look at one the pages I've asked to be considered for rejection, I think it must of been throne or is it throgne in the bin by now though. its at http://www.h2g2.com/A155431

It's also pronounced "linn-ux". Since the people who wrote it can't pronounce it sensibly, you can easily be forgiven your incorrect spelling

Many engineers think this too. That is why they stay engineers and let the onanists be promoted to above their level of competence. (which is somebody else's rule)

Back to the subject please, diverting as these ramblings are, Science is more fulfilling than Art - discuss

Disagree strongly. Pursuit of knowledge is fulfilling, in whatever field; ignorance is an opportunity to learn. Nobody should be proud of their own ignorance.

Your starter for ten and no conferring: what does the "Eng" stand for in "Guy Chapman, B Eng"?

What other industry gets away with calling its customers "users" instead of clients or customers?

Taa-Daa - give that man a coconut. Artistic gurus ARE proud of their own ignorance, vis a vis Science. Scientists gain their knowledge incementally, and so appreciate that no-one knows everything. Artists dip in and out of the collective pool and do not have the same philosophy of learning that scientists do, so are tempted by their own omniscience. Note - omni science - universal knowledge.

But many scientists are equally proud of their ignorance of the artistic world - or, even worse, are sufficiently apathetic to accept marginal standards of literacy, despite having sufficient intelligence to write clearly and concisely.

That can be true, but there is a self-correcting mechanism, thanks to the scientists who do care about literacy. The point I was trying to make, albeit badly, was that it is more socially acceptable to be ignorant about Science than about Art. This is a combined consequence of the educational system and the fact that to learn science one has to start at the beginning and keep going; it is easier to dip in and out of the arts and gain a smattering of knowledge - not to say that research into new forms of art, linguitics etc. is not difficult, but on a general level it is easier, and what is more important, is easier to show some knowledge than it is in the sciences. That is the 'Two Cultures' division.

the drug industry?

users are losers

that depends. great name, by the way.

for instance, look at ben johnson.

i'm not condoning this sort of behaviour mind, i'm deap against it.

do a search for 'Belgium'. it's quite amusing. also, try 'illustrious organ'. read the product of the search, and respond. please.

Sure. In the UK the civil service was always heavily biased towards classical scholars. That's a part of it, too.

It's commonly pronounced linn-ux, however I'm sure it's supposed to be pronounced lie-nux, since it was named as a play on its inventor's name (Linus)