Your knowledge domain isn't mine

and, conversely, mine isn't yours.

Back in 1988 I had the misfortune to be assigned as a 'resource' to Geoff. Life in the corporate environment is like that if you're not a manager; one finds oneself being reassigned at the raise of an eyebrow. Then follows a round of breaking in the new manager. Most of the time, if you can deliver, you manage to train the new guy but sometimes you run across some ungrateful bastard who doesn't understand the principle of 'you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours'.

Geoff was just such a bastard. In addition to the usual traits exhibited by such managers he had the rather irritating trait of needing to prove that he was the source of all knowledge and, more importantly to him, that if you lacked his special knowledge you were a useless turd. Thus, one afternoon, in a discussion totally unrelated to work, it came to light that I had never heard of some, at the time, popular musician. I think it was Jimmy Buffet but I certainly wouldn't swear to it in a court of law.

Failing to recognise the name Geoff sneered. 'Oh', I said, 'you're familiar with Berg's violin concerto[^]? Do you think he managed to pull off the 12 tone system?' Baffled look in reply. Being a vindictive bastard when provoked I went for the kill. 'oh, and what do you think of Szymanowski[^]?

Moral of the story? We all have individual interests. What interests me might not interest you (but I'm going to write about it here anyway :-) ).