Scott Fisher #1 writes:
> By the time you can afford it, you can't afford it.
>
> Or in more technical terms, dP > dS, where P = the price of the vehicle
> in question and S = the amount in your savings account (or your salary,
> depending on your circumstances). The simple case is that if, say, a
> Caterham Seven costs on the average fifteen thousand dollars, then by
> the time you accumulate fifteen thousand dollars to purchase the car,
> its average price will be eighteen thousand dollars.
I can certainly attest to this. Ten years ago I wanted to buy a Saab 900
(goodness knows why, but its amazing how feelings change over time...) and
even the base madel was always a couple of thousand out of reach of my budget
as each year rolled by. Phew, thank goodness, looking back on it! :-)
> Double it and add thirty.
>
> Thirty is actually a percentage of the subtotal (not of the original
> estimate, as some people interpret it). For instance, in a project with
> an original estimate of $100, the actual cost according to Fisher's
> Second Law will be no less than $260 -- $100 doubled is $200, and 30%
> of that is $60.
I love this one!
This appears to be a natural law that applies to other fields of science.
Programmer's Time Estimate Axiom:
Ta = 2.6 * Te
Ta - Actual time to complete project
Te - Programmer's original estimated time to complete project
Which is _very_ close to the following law:
Take-out The Garbage Variation:
Ga = 2.6 * Gw + Ts + Tmnf
Ga - Actual time to take out the garbage and return to Monday Night
Football
Gw - How long the wife _thinks_ it takes to take out the garbage
Ts - Time to take a shi^H^H^Hcrap (varies depending on dump consistency)
Tmnf - Time to watch a major, important play on Monday Night Football
while passing in front of TV with garbage bag in hand
Ts and Tmnf could be zero to infinity (or so it seems sometimes)
depending on several intangibles...
Obligatory British Car content: I just read in the latest issue of "British
Car" that came in the mail yesterday that Land Rovers (or was it Range Rovers?)
are going to be sold as _Hondas_ in Japan!!! Apparently it creates 300 jobs
in Solihull, England.
Cheers!
I believe that the Universe is a Mobius Twist - which makes it seem so infinite.
Scientists have theorised the curvature of space for decades - if you travelled
in a straight line you would return to where you started. Another thing, it
helps to explain Deja Vu! Garry Archer Esq. archer@hsi.com
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