What: "But, description becomes more difficult when there isn't a shared vocabulary-or there is, but you are not privy to it. Imagine trying to describe a circuit board, calutron, diesel engine, or other complex device with workings that are mysterious to you. "Analogy can help-a circuit board looks like a tiny city, a calutron is like a giant thermos bottle-but this level of description is only useful for talking to fellow outsiders. If you had to compare two different circuit boards the "city" analogy stops being helpful because it applies equally to both. To really say something about the circuit board, you have to deal with why people care about them in the first place-function, efficiency of design, cost, reliability."

Writer: Jandos Rothstein

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Date: Jul 22 2013 6:18 PM