The View from Serendip

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1. dredmorbiusFeb 2014
   Arthur C. Clarke wrote a great essay on the challenges of rating systems, in "The Servant Problem - Oriental Style" (included in The View from Serendip: http://www.powells.com/biblio/2-9780345271082-1)

   It's a bit more nuanced than this, but the fundamental dilemma is:

   • An overly negative review essentially dooms someone to never working again.

   • An overly positive one leads to sticky questions from the next person to hire them (whom you probably know socially).

   Clarke's solution is to write ... very closely ... an accurate but difficult to parse recommendation. As I recall, the essay ends with him noting that a household servant he'd dismissed some years before (pursuing a "flim" career) had since returned, to the pleasure of both parties.

   Sadly I can't find a copy online -- seems that at a $1.78 purchase price the friction of commerce is excessive here for a 50 year old essay.

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2. pncnmnpApr 2023
   Hey! I did some digging and found out some details about the "servant problem" that you mentioned earlier. It's chapter three from his book "The View from Serendip" and named "The Servant Problem - Orient Style". You can buy the book or borrow a copy from the Internet Archive.

   Although Clarke did mention Jinadasa, who stole some film rolls from him, Jinadasa left and never came back. However, Appuhamy, another employee, left after four years but later returned. I think you might have gotten the stories mixed up. Anyway, it's an interesting read.

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