Excellent example of Lateral Thinking

Many years ago in a small Indian village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a village moneylender. The moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the farmer's beautiful daughter. So he proposed a bargain.

He said he would forgo the farmer's debt if he could marry his daughter.
Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the proposal. So the cunning money-lender suggested that they let providence decide the matter.

He told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty money bag. Then the girl would have to pick one pebble from the bag.

1. If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her father's debt would be forgiven.
2. If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and her father's debt would still be forgiven.
3. But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.

They were standing on a pebble strewn path in the farmer's field. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. As he picked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag.

Now, imagine that you were standing in the field. What would you have done if you were the girl? If you had to advise her, what would you have told her?

Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:

1. The girl should refuse to take a pebble.
2. The girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the money-lender as a cheat.
3. The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.

Take a moment to ponder over the story. The above story is used with the hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral and logical thinking. The girl's dilemma cannot be solved with traditional logical thinking. Think of the consequences if she chooses the above logical answers.

What would you recommend to the Girl to do?

Well, here is what she did ...
The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles.

"Oh, how clumsy of me," she said. "But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked."

Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one. And since the money-lender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely advantageous one.

MORAL OF THE STORY:
Most complex problems do have a solution. It is only that we don't attempt to think. Start your day with this thought provoking story and have a nice day.

Sunsigns for Software Professionals - Part 4

--- Continued from Part 3 ---

Capricorn - December 22 - January 19
Capricorns are practical and over ambitious. The are down to earth when they want to get things completed. They are practical, realistic, and cautious when they schedule something. They have the highest determination for success, they view each project as a block for their success and are less bothered about the project itself. They can also be rigid and unforgiving when others stand in their way. Their organizational ability combines with their diligence to help them achieve, but they can be narrow-minded and over-critical of people not as ambitious as they are. Capricorns would work hard and hard just for their personal success and not for their satisfaction, which is just the opposite in case of a Taurus. They are dependable and serious, never giving up on their goals. Other people may see their ambition as domineering or a reflection of egotism, but they are patient and purposeful when working toward what they want. Sometimes they may be overly critical, even bossy, but this is due to their strong desire to achieve their goals and not to a desire to be rude.

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Aquarius - January 20 - February 18
Hard working, and get things done just for the organization. They are very good at group projects and form good co-ordinators. They can be opinionated, and they work hard to bring their ideas to fruition, stubbornly refusing to give up their causes. They get to know the technology around them and would discuss with the people around. But since they stick to what ever they think is right sometimes this makes them go away from the group and they keep aloof. The are trustworthy and would stick on for a long time given the right kind of people around them.

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Pisces - February 19 - March 20
The people who are just meant to work only in group. They are selfless and do it as you require. They most important thing to be put in them is the "focus" since they get out doing something when they lose interest. All signs take advantage of a Pisces for their work because they would like to make use of his abilities. Though they are not intellectuals they are very broad minded and good thinkers. Very trustworthy as long as they are not abused too often by their colleagues.

Sunsigns for Software Professionals - Part 3

--- Continued from Part 2 ---

Libra - September 23 - October 22
Best people to work with in large scale project activity. They form the best middle level co-ordinators in projects and bring harmony amongst all. They try to bring justice but can be persuaded by anybody to any side They don't have a clear balance in what they do. But when they are given a schedule you can be sure that a Libran will succeed in that. They are very demanding as far as money goes. Its important that a Libran never gets bored, because if he is so, he is out of everything. He will not do a single task when his mood is off. Libra's intellectual orientation to the world around them makes them skilled at communication and reasoning, and their intelligence combines with their interest in other people to become an intellectual explorer of the people around them. Because their efforts are mentally rather than emotionally motivated, Librans tend to be very judicial; they are good at diplomacy and compromise. Because they are generally reluctant to face confrontation, people born under Libra learn to be persuasive, courteous, and adaptable. But this may also make them seem cold and unemotional or manipulative They are team workers, skilled at cooperative action, but they can also be self-doubting. They are trustworthy for long times as long as they have a good working atmosphere.

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Scorpio - October 23 - November 21
The most intuitive software professionals. They do not like to be controlled by others and often tend to be the bosses even if they aren't one. If things go wrong they just quit. If a project doesn't seem to go well and they are in a tight spot they just abscond and never come back. But if they make their mind ( 8% of the Scorpios they tend to be stubborn, refusing to give up when others have long since gotten bored and abandoned a project, and getting things done when no one else thought it possible. They have their own schedule and they work on it. They are not adaptable to group situations and tend to be what they are. They are very secretive in what ever they do. They are highly revengeful and will strike when somebody steps in their way. But most Scorpios are misunderstood. They try to know things around them and are the first to be aware of the new technologies. They enjoy competition and they never settle for something less then best. They are trustworthy as long as they have work and happy and they have somebody in the management to care of them. But when things go bad the Scorpios can never be trusted, better to lay him off right away if you think he is playing bad.

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Sagittarius - November 22 - December 21
The learned Software professional. They learn more than what is required in this field and are the most adaptable folks. They really care little for any project plans and know how to get it changed. Their main desire is freedom in whatever they do. Given a free hand, they do best. They are less co-operative in groups and tend to be very pushy. They talk too much before they think and always fail at critical times. They are eager in getting things started and they jump so quickly and if they fail they fail quickly too. They like one-to-one challenges and are driven away by the group when they try blunt talk. They come back to the group after a fight, sulking but needing. They have great love for knowledge. They are trustworthy as long as they think that they are learning in the current organization. They would go away in a flash if they feel that they can learn more elsewhere.

--- To be concluded in last part. ---