N plus one rule

The "N plus one" rule can refer to a few different concepts depending on the context, and here are two interpretations from trusted experts:

1. In a conversation between Lewis Howes and Thomas Frank, the concept was referred to in the context of hobbies and the tendency to constantly acquire more. In mountain biking and photography, it refers to the idea that the number of items you should own is always one more than you currently do, indicating a cycle of continuous acquisition 1.

2. In finance, Don Sull talks about a simpler "one over n rule." This relates to asset allocation and suggests evenly dividing your investment across all available asset classes you want to invest in. The rule was tested against the more complex models and surprisingly showed that it often outperforms them, emphasizing the effectiveness of simple strategies over complicated ones 2.

These clips make no mention of the "N plus one" rule in the context of software development, where it usually describes an anti-pattern that impacts the performance of an application due to a sub-optimal database access strategy. It's important to note the context when discussing or referencing the "N plus one" rule.