Let's talk about failure
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@Carnival-Boy said:
I haven't really had any failures. Not that I'm proud of that as I think it reflects a weakness on my part in that I don't take enough risks. I'm too scared of failure to try. My grandkids will probably question why I've managed to live through not one, but two technology bubbles and still didn't make a fortune.
I've failed to take a few opportunities that I was presented with over the years that in hindsight I should have. But life looks easy with the benefit of hindsight, right?
Hindsight is pretty much always 20/20...
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Anyone who says they haven't failed is lying. Troubleshooting in general is only determined by failures. Its all about how you handle failure.
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Since so much of success and failure is luck, you maximize your chances by trying as often as possible:
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I'm not lying! Honest!
It depends how you define failure. Take a common stat like "80% of ERP projects fail" (I made that stat up, but I hear similar ones all the time).
How do we define failure there? For me, I ask the following questions:
- Was there any down time when the system went live?
- Did we lose any customers?
- Did we lose any revenue?
- Did it go live more than a few months of the original stated go-live date?
- Did it go over 20% of budget?
- Did anyone get killed?
If the answer to all those is 'no', I treat the project as a success.
Whereas the CEO might ask:
- Did we realise all the benefits the ERP salesmen promised us in his original proposal?
If the answer to that is no, he will treat it as a failure.
Different people, different definitions. Failure depends on what you set as your expectations. I generally have low expectations from life, so am often pleasantly surprised
But if, as a friend of mine did once, you give up your well paid job and spend two years of your life developing an app and then sell about 100 copies, by anyone's definition you have failed. It doesn't make you a failure, but it makes your project a failure.
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@Carnival-Boy said:
I'm not lying! Honest!
It depends how you define failure. Take a common stat like "80% of ERP projects fail" (I made that stat up, but I hear similar ones all the time).
How do we define failure there? For me, I ask the following questions:
- Was there any down time when the system went live?
- Did we lose any customers?
- Did we lose any revenue?
- Did it go live more than a few months of the original stated go-live date?
- Did it go over 20% of budget?
- Did anyone get killed?
If the answer to all those is 'no', I treat the project as a success.
Whereas the CEO might ask:
- Did we realise all the benefits the ERP salesmen promised us in his original proposal?
If the answer to that is no, he will treat it as a failure.
Different people, different definitions. Failure depends on what you set as your expectations. I generally have low expectations from life, so am often pleasantly surprised
But if, as a friend of mine did once, you give up your well paid job and spend two years of your life developing an app and then sell about 100 copies, by anyone's definition you have failed. It doesn't make you a failure, but it makes your project a failure.
I would say you have to define failure from one of two perspectives: that of how you view the project, and how those you report to view it. While it may be a technical success, or your part of the project, the goal of the project (like improved productivity) may be a failure. In terms of how it relates to you, it's a success. Maybe to the business it's a flop, but that doesn't diminish your success.
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@Carnival-Boy boy that sounds like my last EHR migration. I answered all of those questions with a NO, but the CEO asking did we get everything the vendor promised, lower staff requirements, faster turn around in reimbursement, etc - that would be a resounding NO as well.
Is it a failure, as you said.. it just depends.
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One of the reasons I'm hesitant to chase a dream of mine is because working with computers has spoiled me. Troubleshooting it is almost completely risk free compared to many other fields! Made a mistake? Hit the undo button. Waste the VM and roll a fresh one. You get the idea.
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@MattSpeller said:
One of the reasons I'm hesitant to chase a dream of mine is because working with computers has spoiled me. Troubleshooting it is almost completely risk free compared to many other fields! Made a mistake? Hit the undo button. Waste the VM and roll a fresh one. You get the idea.
Yeah, doesn't quite work that way with medicine or finance...
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@thanksajdotcom or rusty old cars
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I become a certified electrician years ago just because of how much I had to deal with it for concerts and video productions with 200amp-500amp three phase distributions. Anyway you can't make too many mistakes with that without it biting you in the butt - hard. I've seen way to many people get hurt and a few killed over careless stuff.
Saw a couple people get killed from making mistakes with boom lifts as well. People try to take short cuts and move them without lowering it first but they bounce a lot and can tip over.
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@thecreativeone91 said:
I become a certified electrician years ago just because of how much I had to deal with it for concerts and video productions with 200amp-500amp three phase distributions. Anyway you can't make too many mistakes with that without it biting you in the butt - hard. I've seen way to many people get hurt and a few killed over careless stuff.
Saw a couple people get kills from making mistakes with boom lifts as well. People try to take short cuts and move them without coming lowering it first but they bonce a lot and can tip over.
Yup...
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@Nic said:
Since so much of success and failure is luck, you maximize your chances by trying as often as possible:
LOL, you maximize your chances, but taking more chances. But you maximize the chance of success as much as your chance of failure
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@scottalanmiller said:
@Nic said:
Since so much of success and failure is luck, you maximize your chances by trying as often as possible:
LOL, you maximize your chances, but taking more chances. But you maximize the chance of success as much as your chance of failure
Ah yes, good ole variance...
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@thecreativeone91 said:
Anyway you can't make too many mistakes with that without it biting you in the butt - hard. I've seen way to many people get hurt and a few killed over careless stuff.
Can confirm, 120v across the chest does not tickle.
Was building a variable voltage power supply, just got to testing it. Forgot to unplug it when I had my left hand on the case (ground) and right hand grabbed a hot line. 0/10 would not do again.
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I've taken 20K V across the chest. Let me tell you, everything just goes black.
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I found out that my wife takes full wall voltage a few times a week. Apparently she is so clumsy with the wall plugs that this is a normal thing. I can't remember having that happen to me since I was five!
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@mlnews said:
I've taken 20K V across the chest. Let me tell you, everything just goes black.
Obviously not at any significant amperage! That's enough to vaporize flesh and nearly enough to get a lingenfiltgenfusltylsif scar
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@MattSpeller said:
@mlnews said:
I've taken 20K V across the chest. Let me tell you, everything just goes black.
Obviously not at any significant amperage! That's enough to vaporize flesh and nearly enough to get a lingenfiltgenfusltylsif scar
I'll answer for my sock puppet
It was at a full amp but with an automatic limiter that dropped it nearly instantly. It was enough to take me, and I'm not small, into a full cardiac stoppage instantly. I only brushed the contact and I immediately spasmed and collapsed. I was unconscious for some time. It was enough that there really wasn't any pain. Just nothingness.
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My family used to have a kitchen sink that was gorunded to the 220v line for the Stove and oven. Yeah. Couldn't hardly go a day without hearing somebody cussing at the sink and stove. lol.
