Posted on 04/15/2021 7:03:05 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
Across a series of studies that we published this month in the journal Nature, we demonstrated that people tend to overlook the option to subtract parts, when asked to change or improve something. We asked research participants to make changes to designs, essays, recipes, itineraries, structures and even miniature-golf holes. Our studies show that people’s first instinct is to change things by adding. When they are able and willing to think a little longer, they are perfectly capable of finding subtractive changes. But they usually don’t think longer. They quickly identify an additive idea that is good enough, put it into action and move on.
Our experiments revealed that asking “What can I add?” appears to be a cognitive default.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
The article was interesting until near the end they crowbar in a superfluous Trump dig.
Clearly, the authors fail to understand their own work.
The genius of Jim Robinson is that he HASN’T larded up FR with new “features” that would have made it completely unusable. I like the familiar old 2000 landscape. Having not added a bunch of garbage, it would be hard to improve it via subtraction because there isn’t much to subtract!
The auto makers could learn about subtraction. I would subtract most of the impossible to use touchscreen virtual buttons and go back to old-fashioned knobs with serious tactile feedback. The old light switch on the dashboard and dimmer switch on the floor were the epitome of good design. Pull the switch out and lights are on. Rotate left or right to dim/brighten the dash lights. Mash the button on the floor to turn high beams on/off. Simple, intuitive, you could always do it no matter how much the car was bouncing and bumping, and you never forgot where those controls were. They were right where you expected them every time. Try that with a pin-head sized electronic fake button on any real road surface.
I still remember Microsoft Works.
That’s why I don’t simplify new versions.
They’ve described exactly the progressive mindset to government.
With everything there is an increase of reliability when there are less moving parts.
America, indeed the entire world, needs to subtract parts, when asked to change or improve government.
People have a feature, even if it is one they never use, that they refuse to surrender.
I think it boils down to people like to have all their bases covered. From the IT world, you have to say "Okay, look. You have this old program taking up a GB or two on your hard drive, the new app is better, you never use the old one, and are constantly complaining about running out of disk space. Let's go through and get rid of some things you don't need..."
Nope. Not gonna fly!
There is also another component that is "addition by subtraction". We see it all the time...when you have a person working on a team who is causing all kinds of problems and bringing the whole team down, and firing that person is considered too difficult to do for whatever reason (maybe they have knowledge nobody else has, etc.) so nobody really wants to pull the trigger.
But then, someday they either get fired or leave, and for that group of people, their morale is like a sunken vessel being refloated that doesn't just rise to the surface, it pops to the surface and breaks the water in a dramatic fashion! They wonder why they didn't get rid of that person sooner, even though on some level some part of their job might be harder.
It also is related to "The Devil you know..."
As for that dumbass jab at Trump: "...The psychological phenomenon that blinds Trump supporters to his racism..." says far more about the person who would make a statement like that.
I would say to them: "The psychological phenomenon that blinds you is irrational hate."
The closest thing to immortality is a Government Program. - Ronald Reagan..................
—”the impossible to use touchscreen virtual buttons and go back to old-fashioned knobs with serious tactile feedback. “
My beloved Suburban had the touchscreen controls, loved the car over 150k... Best car I ever owned; EXCEPT THE WORTHLESS CONTROLS!
I had to take my eyes off the road, focus on the display and check to see if the changes were made, to adjust the heater/AC.
If my wife was with I would ask for her to make the changes.
Our Australian shepherds are very smart but for some reason, they did not want to get involved? I think they also hated the controls.
Excellent key point, well done.
In government, NOTHING is EVER thrown out or deactivated except things that are used as political weapons like the Border Wall.
I remember reading one time back during the Bush Administration, that the government agencies that have been removed once established is so small as to be countable on one hand, and they used the example of The Office of Economic Opportunity which was run be Donald Rumsfeld at one point.
But even that is a bad example, since even though it was dis-established, the people and functions were simply transferred to some other bureaucracy.
I live in a small ranch, and my wife has a rule: When I bring something home...something has to be discarded!
I do see the wisdom in that every time I pass a house on my street where they have their garage door open and junk is piled from the floor to the ceiling!
Change it, even if it's for the worse, and re-release it.
—”They’ve described exactly the progressive mindset to government.”
IMO not just progs.
Bureaucrats everywhere ‘FEEL’ the need to expand their work or die.
If you do not use everything in this year’s budget, it will be cut next year!!!
Ditto for public schools. Fire 90% of the administrators and scores would SOAR.
School “Administration” has grown 10X the past 30 years and all those “administrators” do is justify their jobs, hire more administrators, and throw up roadblocks for all the teachers. They are the “education prevention” force.
In normal companies, good managers knock down and bulldoze roadblocks getting in the way of doing work. In education, management erects as many roadblocks as possible.
“I have made this longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter.”
Pascal back about 1600 AD.
“Perfection is attained, not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
Antoine Du Saint-Exupery, Wind, Sand & Stars
In education, management erects as many roadblocks as possible.
= = = = = = = = = = =
Like the government we have ‘built’ for ourselves——
A committee forms a committee to study a subject, then have to form another committee to act on it, then when completed (if ever), form another committee to disband the former committees.
(All the while costing us billions)
—”With everything there is an increase of reliability when there are less moving parts.”
General Motors might make that claim, but I ain’t buying it.
See my example in #9.
The caveman used a cable lever with detents from the lower dash to a three-way control valve with a lever usually near the heater core.
The digital version uses many wires from the display to processor to the relays to wax motors that work the control valve SLOWLY.
After 150K we gave the car to our son he drove it another 50k and the wiring started to have issues.
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
And that is without any mice chewing the new improved enviro safe green WIRES; A FAVORITE TREAT.
Icon soup.
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