"Vortex" wrote in message
.. .
Hi,

A comment by Medway Handyman on another thread has got me thinking about
technical jargon.

In our company we are mostly engineers/tecchies of one sort or another.
And you know how it is.....tecchies have this constant game of trumps
going all the time.


Obviously they have no life!

Who has the best mobile? Fastest internet connection? Most powerful PC?
best Home Cinema? Most diagonal screen inches? The list goes on for
ever.


I feel sorry for people like that, they are often insecure or ill. I bet
most are not married or even have a long term male partner.

A few years ago an American friend of ours introduced us to the concept of
"Piston Count". This is quite the most ridiculous parameter our staff have
EVER adopted for the purpose of trumping one another. Let me explain the
rules:

You need to sum up all of the pistons in your household. Qualifying
pistons must exist in functional internal combustion engines. Vehicles,
power tools and garden machines are all valid.

So my piston count is 16 which breaks down as:
Volvo (5), Toyota (4), Chainsaw, Mower, Ancient Flymo, Chainsaw,
Brushcutter, Hedge Cutter, Shredder (7).

It's sad that you also need to post details here, no one is interested!
Go out and get yourself a girlfriend or boyfriend, whichever you choose.
That will take you mind off always trying to be in competition with others.
It's pointless as you will never have the best.

The highest we had in our company ever as 42 (the guy had a TVR and a
Triumph Stag amongst other cars)

What's your piston count then?


Who cares, I'm not some sad old man with no life or family. You really do
need to get out more! I often wondered which "type" used phone insurance to
upgrade when their friends got a better phone.