Second law of worker entropy

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Conference Call Anatomy™


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Confusion entropy is the background level of misunderstanding and resentment which comes as a by-product of modern corporate discourse.

Different types of activity generate more or less of this kind of entropy. Conference calls — especially all-hands conference calls — generate dangerously high levels. Especially — when considering the RWA implications of a past event that might have happened, but didn't. Add accountants in different jurisdictions, tax folk and lawyers to converse on this topic and infinite bafflement is assured.

The Jolly Contrarian’s second law of worker entropy states that confusion entropy will eventually lead to the boredom heat death of the universe. There is no formula for when or where this might happen because at that moment the Jolly Contrarian was trying to make one up he was ambushed by an officious management consultant on an all hands conference call and asked for some KPIs. He pretended to be having Skype trouble but lost his train of thought and never quite recovered it. Story of his life, really.

Confusion entropy can be cured with alcohol, but there is a curious paradox, as overdoing the sauce (which, on a conference call, can be tremendously tempting) can itself lead to total collapse through the inebriation event horizon into a black hole of soul-crushing despair.

So it’s either crushing your soul into an infinitesimal point of space-time, or regressing to a sunless, tepid expanse having, in every direction except the one you want to go in, an infinite extension of ennui.

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