From another thread, it was mentioned that America has the phrase "Jumping The Shark".

Apparently, this comes from the "Happy Days" sitcom.  They had run out of good ideas, and so started doing outrageous ones.  This one had The Fonz on water-skis (not a good look, water-skis with a leather jacket) jumping over a shark.

This phrase is also used to identify the moment when some good thing has passed its top, and started the long decline to obscurity.

Some might say that ?off "Jumped the Shark" when Chris had his misfortune.  But I would say that's a mis-use of the term, since there was no intent to be outrageous there.  That was just a tragedy.

Some might say that Joel is Jumping the Shark, by starting to post 'drafts' of ideas, that then turn out to be retreads of earlier user-interface design articles.  Personally I think it's just a low patch for Joel, and when the conditions are right he'll post some good ideas again.

What do others think?

this was already in that thread. duhhh

Yeah, but it got hijacked with a 'yes you are', 'no you aren't' argument.  I wanted to hear more about Jumping the Shark.

Here, read up.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22jumping+the+shark%22&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

I didn't have to jump the shark because I had my trusty can of shark repellent.

"Personally I think it's just a low patch for Joel, and when the conditions are right he'll post some good ideas again."

I think this assumes we're all an infinite fountain of ideas that just flows continuously.  I don't agree with that.  I think we have a certain way of looking at the world and, more specifically, our profession.  I think Joel has a specific way of thinking about software development and it's taken him xx number of articles to express that world-view.

I think what's happening now is we all know the Joel world-view so any new articles he posts just refinements of the same ideas.

Joel has reached his Peter Point? Hrm...

I remember Joel said something like that in one of his articles.

I would, but she only likes gurls.

I'm not sure ?off jumped the shark.  To me, it doesn't fit the pattern at all.  Rather than a tipping point followed by a steep decline, its quality was declining from the start, and if anything was *improving* when the plug was pulled.

If it did jump the shark, it was long before Chris.

heh.  seriously.  hes planning a book and this is just the first draft of the sodding introduction.

usually I *skip* the introductions to books because they are so gosh darned boring.


...besides which, he hasn't been that interesting for a while now, I always thought that he had had a bunch of ideas over the years and, once he had expressed them, was kind of at a loss but knew he was expected to continue writing.


remember that one about procrastinating?  that really struck a chord.

?off didn't jump the shark at all. It was always what it was - a cesspool of bright people up to no good, talking trash and anything on their minds, in general. Nothing the matter with that.

I would like to jump sharkfish, but I'd settle for being allowed to hump her leg.

Joel hasn't Jumped The Shark yet. When he announces that he has been a closet heterosexual for years, THAT will be the JTS moment.

I don't like these silly-sounding, trendy sayings.  I'll stick with the boring old words like 'obsolesce'.

jump the shark is 20 years old. i mean "Happy Days" fergodsakes.

I don't remember that episode, and I loved that show.

I remember it.