One-Liner Wednesday – Perfection

One Line Wed, Pets, Photography 63 comments

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

  1. Pingback: One-Liner Wednesday – Perfection — No Facilities – All About Writing and more

  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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    1. 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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    1. Thanks. I appreciate the feedback. It helps me to better understand what works for others. I am getting comfortable with some of the adjustments (before and after), but I’m trying to do more with the camera and the setting.

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            1. My wife is/was very good with film, as is our daughter. The thought process was too much for me. The film speed, the exposure, what lens to mount, flash, no flash, bounce flash and all to get one shot of some things.

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    1. 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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    1. Thanks Deborah, and thanks for the comments on the photos. It really helps me to understand what works. Maddie doesn’t seem to understand cold. Irish Setters don’t have an undercoat, so they don’t get a winter coat. She just isn’t bothered though. Her happiness must be a form of Adrenalin. But, she will come inside and then lay down by the wood stove.

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      1. It got down in the low 30’s earlier this week and when I let Diva Dog out in early hours of the morning to take care of business she came in shivering. It took her 10 minutes to recover, and that was with me putting her sweater on her a blanket, and me holding her!

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    1. 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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    1. 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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    1. 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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