The Logic Challenge For Software Engineers

What is the difference b/w being good at programming and being good at logic?

Let us examine with a great example which shows how and why logical reasoning is the most important skill a software programmer should possess.

Tom, a computer graduate from a world class Institute/ University, goes for an interview in an Indian software company.

The interviewer is James, a grubby old man. And the first question he asks Tom is, `How good are you at logic?'

`I'd give a nine or may be a ten on ten to myself,' replies Tom.

`Let me test you,' replies James. `Two men come down a Smokestack/ chimney. One comes with a clean face and the other comes out with a dirty face. Which one would wash his face?'

Tom stares at James. `Is that a test in Logic?' James nods.

`The one with the dirty face washes his face', Tom answers wearily.

`Wrong. The one with the clean face washes his face. Apply the simple logic. The one with the dirty face looks at the one with the clean face and thinks his face is clean. The one with the clean face looks at the one with the dirty face and thinks his face is dirty. So, the one with the clean face washes his face.'

`Hmm. I never thought of that," says Tom. `Give me another test.'

James holds up two fingers, `Two men come down a Smokestack/ chimney. One comes out with a clean face and the other comes out with a dirty face. Which one washes his face?'

`We have already established that. The one with the clean face washes his face.'

`Wrong. Each one washes one's face. Apply the simple logic. The one with the dirty face looks at the one with the clean face and thinks his face is clean. The one with the clean face looks at the one with the dirty face and thinks his face is dirty. So, the one with the clean face washes his face. When the one with the dirty face sees the one with the clean face washing his face, he also washes his face. So each one washes one's face.'

`I didn't think of that!' says Tom. `It's shocking to me that I could make an error in logic. Test me again!'

James holds up two fingers, `Two men come down a Smokestack. One comes out with a clean face and the other comes out with a dirty face. Which one washes his face?'

`Each one washes his face.'

`Wrong. Neither one washes his face. Examine the simple logic. The one with the dirty face looks at the one with the clean face and thinks his face is clean. The one with the clean face looks at the one with the dirty face and thinks his face is dirty. But when the one with clean face sees that the one with the dirty face doesn't wash his face, he also doesn't wash his face. So neither one washes his face.'

Tom is desperate. `I am qualified for this job. Please give me one more test!'

He groans when James lifts his two fingers, `Two men come down a chimney. One comes out with a clean face and the other comes out with a dirty face. Which one washes his face?'

`Neither one washes his face', Tom replies, `I have learnt this logic.'

`Wrong, again. Do you now see, Tom, why programming knowledge is insufficient for this job? Tell me, how is it possible for two men to come down the same chimney, and for one to come out with a clean face and the other with a dirty face? Don't you see the flaw in the premise?'"

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Laziest Person In The History Of Mankind

Not my story, I read it on a social media platform. It is too brilliant not to share

I was once on a US military ship, having breakfast in the wardroom (officers lounge) when the Operations Officer (OPS) walks in. This guy was the definition of NOT a morning person; he's still half asleep, bleary eyed... basically a zombie with a bagel. He sits down across from me to eat his bagel and is just barely conscious. My back is to the outboard side of the ship, and the morning sun is blazing in one of the portholes putting a big bright-ass circle of light right on his barely conscious face. He's squinting and chewing and basically just remembering how to be alive for today. It's painful to watch.But then zombie-OPS stops chewing, slowly picks up the phone, and dials the bridge. In his well-known I'm-still-totally-asleep voice, he says "heeeey. It's OPS. Could you... shift our barpat... yeah, one six five. Thanks." And puts the phone down. And then he just sits there. Squinting. Waiting.And then, ever so slowly, I realize that that big blazing spot of sun has begun to slide off the zombie's face and onto the wall behind him. After a moment it clears his face and he blinks slowly a few times and the brilliant beauty of what I've just witnessed begins to overwhelm me. By ordering the bridge to adjust the ship's back-and-forth patrol by about 15 degrees, he's changed our course just enough to re-position the sun off of his face. He's literally just redirected thousands of tons of steel and hundreds of people so that he could get the sun out of his eyes while he eats his bagel. I am in awe.
He slowly picks up his bagel and for a moment I'm terrified at the thought that his own genius may escape him, that he may never appreciate the epic brilliance of his laziness (since he's not going to wake up for another hour). But between his next bites he pauses, looks at me, and gives me the faintest, sly grin, before returning to gnaw slowly on his zombie bagel.

So what is your lazy story?

Read another great article on 33 Great Habits And Fundamentals of Success

5 Great Tips For Innovation Management

How to innovate?

How to think differently?

How to think out of the box?

Are you carrying the responsibility to manage innovation in your organization? Are you feeling challenged to get your team think of newer ideas?

Here are 5 Great Tips for Innovation management which will help you answer the questions asked above:

Observe The Trends - Be it business innovation or technology innovation you will always need to observe the trends. The more you observe the more you learn. The more you learn the more you empower yourself to observe. It is a recursive process. Follow the leaders, HBR, Mckinsey, Accenture, Deloitte are some of the industry leaders that you may want to follow for reading the latest industry trends.

Think Opposite - This does NOT mean think negative, all it means is that think in the other direction. If someone asks you the all the possible ways in which things can be done then think about all the possible ways in which it cannot be done. It will give you a habit of critical thinking as well as the ability to strike the odd ones out.

Keep It Simple - Some people invest too much time thinking, that is, they overthink and make it too complex. They forget to keep it simple. If we look at some of the great innovation examples then we find that some ideas are really simple and in front of our eyes. For instance take the innovative ideas of the Great Mahatma Gandhi, simple ideas like Truthfulness, Experiments with truth, Satyagraha(Insistence on truth), Non Violence and Non Co-operation are so simple yet so innovative and so practical.

Marry Two Different Ideas- Advertising industry thrives on innovation. Ever wondered how 20 to 30 seconds of advertisements are so different and impactful? and how advertisers are always able to come up with such great innovation examples? Here is what they do: They think of two completely different things and then marry the two with a story. So they don't necessarily think of how to market their product, instead they take two great but different ideas and then they come up with a story that connects the two ideas.

Hunt For New Technology - Technology is getting advanced with every day, minute and second. Networks are becoming faster, people are becoming smarter, desktops are giving way to laptops, laptops are giving way to tablets and tablets are giving way to smartphones. In order to compete and be ahead in the innovation process/ innovation strategy your organization needs to continuously hunt for newer technologies. It is required that the leaders not only understand the pace at which things are changing but also identify the right areas where these technical ideas and technical innovations can be put to execution.

Conclusion: One needs to keep eyes and ears open in this fast changing world. It is a blink and you miss kind of situation these days, where the competition is waiting for you to make one mistake. If you need to manage innovation in your organization you need to be super proactive and continuously motivate your team to follow the principles listed above. Remember, at the end this is a team effort and together as a team you can innovate a lot more than what you can do individually.

If you read this post, you will definitely like to read the following:

4 Great Examples of Presence of Mind

15 Leadership Qualities of Great Project Managers