clog

There are two kinds of people, buggers and debuggers.

for number four started a few years back. Well, the purpose of this title more than anything else was to generate curiosity and get more readers [smart, right ;-) ]. Well, coming back to the point of my love for this number. The whole thing started when a few years back when i got interested in puzzles (The summers and Shakuntalas of the world) and soon enough I started thinking in combinations and scenarios. The combination part is something that stuck with me and when I joined the corporate world I could see it being used almost everywhere from the "time quandrants" to the "Market space and players". Having said that, there are a few places where I have used this concept to categorize people. I will be listing out a few of them in my subsequent clogs, here goes the first one.

Competency (C)/Political Index in corporate world(P)
(+ means high, - means low)

Let me quickly define the two self explainatory terms, well competency is comepetency :-) and political index is one's awareness of people/circumstancial dynamics around and talent to utilize those to gain competetive advantage. Now, with these two we have four categories in play

1) C+P+ : Noone can stop these people anywhere, they practically rule everything.
2) C+P- : These guys are generally (not always) seen as sorry figures plainly because they tend to gain less than they deserve (this deserving part is debateable though) but usually they get a huge amount of support and respect from their peers and juniors and definitely some from their superiors as well
3) C-P+ : These will be the guys hated by their peers (even from other guys in the same category) but usually are liked by their superiors due to obvious reasons.
4) C-P- : Noone cares about these people and I think they just keep changing their places without much impact on anything else other than their own lives. None of this means their life is useless or anything like that because having an impact is not necessarily everything rather it might mean nothing in absolute terms if you can actually adjust to it.

Now, the most tricky part in an organization is to handle the second and third categories. C+P- are super-cool bosses and peers and if you are lucky if you can find one. C-P+ are generally not good bosses to be with, may or may not be good peers (depending on which category you fall into) but harmless as juniors/subordinates. Adding to that there is a popular saying in corporate world - "the incompetent employees are generally the most litigious" and I think that explains the danger that lurks around you when you have C-P+ around you. Well, this is one classification I find useful while looking around and orienting myself in a setting. There are more, but those won't make a part of this blog. I am planning to write a series of such classifications, lets how far I can take it and how far you can take it ;-). So, before you leave this post, figure out where you lie in this classification.

Clog is a sister (using modern English practice of referring things in feminine gender) of blog, the content of which is predominantly crib. The name is derived from crib-log to its short form clog. Web defines crib in many ways, none of which refers to the crib I mean here. I have pasted the definitions I got after typing "define:crib" in google at the end of this blog for the terminally bored and jobless reader who may have the audacity to go through it. However, after further search I could find one definition in wikipedia that satisfied the definition I was looking for, here it goes:

Cribbing is commonly used to signify whining or grumbling about something.

So well, thats about it, thats what I am going to write in my blogs. An endless (at least thats what I intend as of now) chain of rants about what I (and many others) go through on a daily basis. Lets see how long I (and may be you as well) can keep up with it.

Annexure:
Definitions of crib on the Web:
A roof support of prop timbers or ties, laid in alternate cross-layers, log-cabin style. It may or may not be filled with debris. Also may be called a chock or cog.http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&start=0&oi=define&q=http://www.netl.doe.gov/coal/Coal%2520Primer/glossary.html
(crib) (krib) 1. any racklike structure. 2. a removable anchorage from an orthodontic appliance. 3. a habit-breaking orthodontic appliance.http://www.google.com/url?
sa=X&start=1&oi=define&q=http://www.mercksource.com/pp/us/cns/cns_hl_dorlands.jspz
QzpgzEzzSzppdocszSzuszSzcommonzSzdorlandszSzdorlandzSzdmd_c_61zPzhtm
Confidential board that takes the place of CRSB during formal recruitment - handles excuses and issues fines for missing practices and recruitment rounds, organizes any information regarding potential new members - includes the chapter president, VP recruitment, collegiate recruitment information chair, a member-at-large, and any national visitors who are present.http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&start=2&oi=define&q=http://www.alphachiomega.org/about_axo/glossary_terms.asp
A timber box, built log cabin-style, filled with stone.http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&start=3&oi=define&q=http://www.terrypepper.com/w%26e/glossary.htm
A type of wrought-wire clasp that surrounds or encloses a tooth; occasionally, used to describe a fixed transpalatal tongue and/or finger interceptive appliance.http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&start=4&oi=define&q=http://www.braces.org/braces/dentists/glossary/glossary-c.cfm
(Hebrew). See EREB; SANDHI; TWILIGHThttp://www.google.com/url?sa=X&start=5&oi=define&q=http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/etgloss/ci-cz.htm
a structure with compartments or coffers full or partly full of satisfactory material for supporting the structure. It may also serve as a training wall averting changes in shore and bank locations. The exterior portion may be planked or sheet-piled to protect the crib against erosion or floating debris. See also dikehttp://www.google.com/url?sa=X&start=6&oi=define&q=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army
/fm/3-34-343/gloss.htm
baby bed with high sides made of slats
pony: a literal translation used in studying a foreign language (often used illicitly)
use a crib, as in an exam
a bin or granary for storing grains
the cards discarded by players at cribbage
take unauthorized (intellectual material)
line with beams or planks; "crib a construction hole"
cribbage: a card game (usually for two players) in which each player is dealt six cards and discards one or two wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
In cryptanalysis, a crib is a sample of known plaintext; the term originated at Bletchley Park, the British codebreaking operation during World War II (WWII). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crib