Dan Antion

One-Liner Wednesday – Perfection

dscn7983I guess I should put the explanation up front, lest I get in trouble with the folks who don’t like it when I make them look stuff up. So, in case you aren’t aware. R.O.I. stands for return on investment and it’s a typical, albeit often meaningless (in my opinion), measure of the value of a purchase/project. That said, in this case, I happen to like the expression. Next week’s one-liner will be “when you need 73 words to explain your one-line Wednesday post, please reconsider.”

I heard this recently while attending a seminar. We were discussing a planned effort to make an information system an even more satisfying experience for the people who use it, when a friend said:

“The ROI of perfection is very low.”

I liked the expression the minute I heard it. I’ve often repeated a similar bit of advice to the designers and programmers working for me:

“Perfect is the enemy of good enough.”

But, I think the ROI version is more “professional” and, unfortunately, including a buzz-word often helps get peoples’ attention.

The reason I picked this expression for today, has to do with the photos I tried to take this past weekend. First off, I think the photos I envisioned were better than the ones that were possible. Second, Maddie. I took these while walking Maddie, and I tried the “get closer to your subject” approach, but kneeling seems to mean “I want to play with you” in dog. Third, I’m still trying to figure out the Close-up mode on this camera, which seems to lie somewhere between normal photo and macro.

Unlike my first attempt, I kinda like the photos in the Gallery:

We have been having a freeze/thaw cycle every night and morning this week.
The wind and the ice are working together
It was a pristine surface until Maddie discovered she could break through
She liked the sound and she liked the water underneath
I like the detail of this leaf as well as its position
Dipping under the ice
Across the ice
We have been having a freeze/thaw cycle every night and morning this week.
Maddie let me get this shot without the photobomb
Yes, Maddie, you’re very pretty
I was going to get some close-ups of the ice and where people had been doing donuts, but the entire surface was frozen.
I wanted to get closer to that leaf, but it meant going onto the ice…with the dog.
Interesting patterns
“Hmmm, whatever is beneath the ice smells like something I should taste.”
Do not try walking across ice while attached to an Irish Setter

This post is part of Linda G. Hill’s fun weekly series One-Liner Wednesday. Some day, I’ll have one that is closer to one line

63 comments

  4. The ice photos were nice, but the Maddie photos were perfect. :-) We spent several ‘long’ hours yesterday inching across your home state of CT. It was like one giant parking lot that periodically moved at 5-25 mph. Wow – never seen such congested roads. I salute your efforts to get to and from work every day.

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    • Thanks Judy. And, on behalf of my adopted state, I’m sorry for your trouble. This is why I get to work an hour before my starting time. Maddie has turned into quite the photobomb expert. I think she reads these comments.

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    • I was going to suggest that when our President-elect questioned the cost of Air Force One. I would think that would be a spare-no-expense project. My understanding is that when that puppy flies overseas, we fly in our own fuel for the return trip.

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    • Thanks Janet. Striving for perfection is a good thing. It can be dangerous in my line of work, because you can always make a system better, but it doesn’t do anyone any good while it’s still a work in progress.

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  18. Detail ice leaf is perfection. (Sorry, but it is.) I usta lean harder toward perfect, and now I find I only seek it in despair, which reminds me I was often in despair and so good enough is perfect. And sane.
    Maddie is soooo pretty! I can’t walk on ice with Sadie, either, though, so I get it. She, too, likes to lick the water that splashes out when she romps :)

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    • Maybe Sadie and Maddie understand perfection better than we do. Maybe it’s the water beneath the ice :)

      Thanks for the comment. I do like these photos and I am trying to learn how to use this camera, better. Maddie was having a hard time walking in the parking lot. I was looking for the fastest way off the ice.

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  23. I have never seen icy photos of leaves like this and the one maddie let u get without the photobomb was a too one. I also like the “across the ice” – but really enjoyed this brisk photographer’s walk….

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    • Hmmm, “entertained,” yes, that’s one way of putting it. Although we also use frustrated and a few other words. She’s a sweet girl, but she can be a handful at times. She is pretty patient with me as I try to get photos while we walk. I’m glad you like these.

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