Slack Undertow

There are many talented programmers, engineers, and technologists in the world. Sadly, there are many more untalented programmers, engineers, and technologists, whose claims to fame are typically lost in the process of refactoring, obfuscation, or obsolescence.

The relationship between talent and untalent has often been described by the following formula, known as the Slack Rule:

u = t^(sqrt(log(t)))

With talent growing at a linear rate, and untalent growing at an exponential rate, there is a growing imbalance. This imbalance is called undertow, or, in the colloquialism, “a disturbance in the force.”

Hence, the term: Slack Undertow.

Disclaimer: The term “slack undertow” suffers only from an inspirational affiliation to the web site Stack Overflow.