X : How can your maps help me?
Me : No idea. What are you doing?
X : We're investing $2m in robotics to reduce a bottleneck caused by modifying servers for mounting in the datacentre.
Me : We could map that.
... [15 minutes later] ...
Me : No idea. What are you doing?
X : We're investing $2m in robotics to reduce a bottleneck caused by modifying servers for mounting in the datacentre.
Me : We could map that.
... [15 minutes later] ...
Me : Why have you put racks in custom built?
X : Oh, we have a company that builds our racks for us.
Me : What modifications are you making to servers?
X : They don't fit into our racks, which is why we have to drill holes and add plates.
Me : Hence the need for robots?
X : Yes.
X : Oh, we have a company that builds our racks for us.
Me : What modifications are you making to servers?
X : They don't fit into our racks, which is why we have to drill holes and add plates.
Me : Hence the need for robots?
X : Yes.
Me : There is another solution. You could use standard racks.
X : But this is how we've always done things.
Me : Do you know why?
X : Actually no.
Me : I can think of $2M reasons why you might want to find out.
X : But this is how we've always done things.
Me : Do you know why?
X : Actually no.
Me : I can think of $2M reasons why you might want to find out.
X : No-one knows why. It's a bit daft now I think about it. Surprised we didn't see that before.
Me : It's normal. Most people in business have an element of nonsensical past tradition e.g. printing out forms to send to another dept to weigh in order to work out the count.
Me : It's normal. Most people in business have an element of nonsensical past tradition e.g. printing out forms to send to another dept to weigh in order to work out the count.
X : No-one does that, surely?
Me : Alas they do. They even order "digital" scales to make the process easier and more accurate. $2M on something utterly pointless is mild in business terms.
X : What's big?
Me : $1.2 billion.
Me : Alas they do. They even order "digital" scales to make the process easier and more accurate. $2M on something utterly pointless is mild in business terms.
X : What's big?
Me : $1.2 billion.
X : You're kidding?
Me : Nope. $1.2 bn on a private cloud effort that has utterly failed and been swept under the carpet. That's big but far from the biggest. Spending $2M on pointless robotics is very mild.
Me : Nope. $1.2 bn on a private cloud effort that has utterly failed and been swept under the carpet. That's big but far from the biggest. Spending $2M on pointless robotics is very mild.
X : Do you see this a lot?
Me : Yes
X : How do these companies survive?
Me : Normally because their competitors are also wasting vast sums on pointless traditions.
Me : Yes
X : How do these companies survive?
Me : Normally because their competitors are also wasting vast sums on pointless traditions.
X : Surely market economics would prevent this?
Me : No. People often have very idealised concepts of the market. It mostly consists of a huge ponzi scheme where we all borrow more from the future to make a few very wealthy today.
Me : No. People often have very idealised concepts of the market. It mostly consists of a huge ponzi scheme where we all borrow more from the future to make a few very wealthy today.
