Pushing the "Boundaries"

[Al Tee]

bound·a·ry /ˈbaʊndəri, -dri/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[boun-duh-ree, -dree] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun, plural -ries. 1. something that indicates bounds or limits; a limiting or bounding line.
2. Also called frontier. Mathematics. the collection of all points of a given set having the property that every neighborhood of each point contains points in the set and in the complement of the set.

I've noticed this term used often as a compliment / critique in WPF..my question is, "what do you class as 'PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES'.."..?

A possible "competition theme"..??..

Regards,

Al.

[sassan]

I can surely testify that "Pulling the boundaries" just wont work...

[jamieZ740]

i preffer to call it bending the barriers, it has more of a ring to it, but pushing the boundaries is fine

[paul0510]

..just don't push the bloody envelope....phrases like this make me scream !!

[yelvertoft]

Originally Posted by paul0510

..just don't push the bloody envelope....phrases like this make me scream !!

"Leveraging synergies" has this effect on me. Especially as leverage supposedly rhymes with beverage. Sorry Al, this should have perhaps gone in your "What winds you up" thread. Paul, perhaps you should start playing buzzword bingo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzzword_bingo

[walwyn]

Let this be a warning:

The National Institute of Standards and Technology reported that "the Box," the official government standard for conventional thinking, is missing from its suburban Washington headquarters. "This could have a devastating impact on businesses who claim they think outside of the box. Without it they have no verification," said a spokesperson for the agency.

Security guards at the facility have not determined how the irreplaceable item was stolen though they did conclude it was through unconventional means. "I'm ruined if they don't locate the box. All my clients hired me because I assured them my approaches were far beyond its boundaries. Without government certification for thinking outside of the box I'm just like anyone else looking for a gimmick to get work," said a business consultant who specializes in startup companies.

An FBI agent assigned to the case indicated he intends to search eBay for the missing government property.

[nigelblake]

I prefer the term "exert pressure to extend the confining limits" myself. (remember Bishop, "Aliens")
And surely thinking outside the box is a variable based on the size, shape and proportions of the said container, insofar as that one who thinks outside of a small box is still thinking inside the theoretical larger box!

[Birdsnapper]

Originally Posted by nigelblake

I prefer the term "exert pressure to extend the confining limits" myself. (remember Bishop, "Aliens")
And surely thinking outside the box is a variable based on the size, shape and proportions of the said container, insofar as that one who thinks outside of a small box is still thinking inside the theoretical larger box!

If one starts by thinking outside the box, albeit a small one, then one finds oneself in a larger box, which must then set the bounds of ones thinking, and one should then try thinking outside that box. I like to think of this as setting new horizons. It is only in this way that humankind can progress. If it were not for trying to think outside the box, humankind would not have reached the stage whereby it can totally destroy the planet - and that's an acheivement for which I feel particularly proud.

There, I hope that I've helped push the bounds of bullsh*t a little further.

[nigelblake]

Originally Posted by birdsnapper

If one starts by thinking outside the box, albeit a small one, then one finds oneself in a larger box, which must then set the bounds of ones thinking, and one should then try thinking outside that box. I like to think of this as setting new horizons. It is only in this way that humankind can progress. If it were not for trying to think outside the box, humankind would not have reached the stage whereby it can totally destroy the planet - and that's an acheivement for which I feel particularly proud.

There, I hope that I've helped push the bounds of bullsh*t a little further.

Aah! but this then implies that the size of the box albeit a box within a box is infinite and therefore impossible to think outside of! thus proving the pointlessness of the phrase in the first place........

[Railman]

if thinking in or outside of boxes is a problem, then you could try "blue sky" thinking. Of course you would then be limited by the atmosphere. (note: this does not work if you work for NASA). You could also have overcast days off to recharge your batteries.