|
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624
Pooh-Bah
|
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624 |
Yeahbut. It took the British to work out how to completely screw production lines up as a way of life ...
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661 |
The difference being that apart from the first and last positions on the line (respectively, gathering and throwing water), the tasks are undifferentiated nor is it production, unless of a service.
Yet its goals are the same: to break down a task to it's smallest parts (most happen to be the same in this case) and align the materials and labor so as to minimize waste and maximize speed.
Maybe we need forty bucket brigades and bigger buckets to put out the fire faster, but I'm not convinced task differentiation is intrinsic except where the delivery of service is being performed and it needs to be worded differently to make room for history to "write in" more innovations.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475
veteran
|
veteran
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475 |
I always thought that Ford just implemented some ideas from Frederick "Scientific Management" Taylor's studies. Céline used his experiences working for Ford in his Journey to the End of Night.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661 |
The Oldsmobile of 1901 was the earliest (so I've heard) assembly line "mass produced" car in the US, but Ford's addition of a conveyor belt just sped up everything (to meet his promises, of course).
Necessity is the mother of innovation? The rat will only bite when cornered? Purple monkey dishwasher?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027
old hand
|
OP
old hand
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027 |
Hi Faldage, ..when it occurred to me that the complaint was probably about the 'new innovations'. I'm glad you remembered your latin just in time  . This was indeed the subject of my shock. But the ensuing reactions show me that this "latin-sensitivity" is far from general. The author of the article I referred to wanted in fact to convey his opinion that earlier design changes by the same manufacturer were not true innovations, i.e. they did not add anything significant to the value of the machine. I found the expression "truly new innovations" plainly pleonastic.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
I fear there's something of the fallcious about requiring words to retain meanings that are inherent in their etymologies.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475
veteran
|
veteran
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475 |
Yup. As much as I love etymologies and word histories, and in spite of the fact that etumon means 'true sense of a word according to its origin', I'd have to agree with you Faldo. Otherwise, one would have to say silly when one meant 'blessed' and blessed when one meant 'consecrated or sprinkled with blood'. OTOH, pleonasm is a great word!
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,810
Members9,187
|
Most Online3,341 Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
0 members (),
520
guests, and
1
robot. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|