A scene in the film
ThisIsSpinalTap, where the rock band member Nigel is showing Marty the band's equipment:
- NIGEL: This is a top to a, you know, what we use on stage, but it's very...very special because if you can see...
- NIGEL: ...the numbers all go to eleven. Look...right across the board.
- MARTY: Ahh...oh, I see....
- NIGEL: Eleven...eleven...eleven....
- MARTY: ...and most of these amps go up to ten....
- NIGEL: Exactly.
- MARTY: Does that mean it's...louder? Is it any louder?
- NIGEL: Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most...most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here...all the way up...all the way up....
- NIGEL: ...all the way up. You're on ten on your guitar...where can you go from there? Where?
- NIGEL: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is if we need that extra...push over the cliff...you know what we do?
- MARTY: Put it up to eleven.
- NIGEL: Eleven. Exactly. One louder.
- MARTY: Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top... number...and make that a little louder?
- NIGEL: <looking somewhat befuddled> ...these go to eleven.
See?
ExtremeProgramming is the model of sanity and reserve -- it only turns the knobs up to ten. No sense in being pushed over a cliff.
There is an obscure reference to this in Toy Story II. Anyone else see it? My wife and I laughed ourselves silly.
See this xkcd about Spinal Tap and "goes to eleven":
http://xkcd.com/670/
See:
GoesToElevenCorollary
CategoryWikiFavorites,
CategoryIdiom (at least in The Good Ol' US of A it is)