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by unfocussed_mike 1519 days ago
Right.

You can't hide the detail with a wave of the hand, you can definitely overcommunicate detail that is unnecessary, but the art of it is finding a way to explain the bit that matters in a way that makes it clear to the users that you're eliding detail that isn't important, without misleading them.

There is a very fine example of this in cinema -- the senior partners meeting in Margin Call, where Zachary Quinto's character has to explain why the firm needs to sell all of a particular asset class:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhy7JUinlu0

One day I will use the line Jeremy Irons uses in this clip. I don't want to spoil it by quoting it.

2 comments

That’s a great scene. For anyone who hasn’t seen the movie, I might recommend skipping the clip and watching the full film! If you’re on HN, odds are you would enjoy it, and it has an impressive cast.
It is an outstanding movie. But I think this particular scene is one of the finest scenes in any movie ever made. It could stand alone as a short.
Outstanding film, outstanding cast, outstanding performances.

I initially watched it because Stanley Tucci is in it ... I stayed for the drama, and then Jeremy Irons stole it.