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It's been a jolly bad week for that most traditional of office pastimes — gossiping. First came a survey saying that Americans are exchanging 21 per cent less gossip around the watercooler than they were four years ago. 办公室里最传统的消遣莫过于八卦。不过，这周对于八卦而言，可真是糟糕透顶。先是有一项调查显示，美国人在饮水机旁八卦闲谈的时间比四年前少了21%。 Then, a couple of days later, one of the world's most rabid enemies of gossip, Ray Dalio, emerged as king of the hedgies, taking the crown from George Soros. Mr Dalio is famous for forbidding staff of his Bridgewater fund from gossiping and has warned them: "If you talk behind people's backs . . . you are called a slimy weasel." 随之，几天后，世上对八卦最为深恶痛绝的一位人士——雷?戴利奥(Ray Dalio)——从乔治?索罗斯(George Soros)手中抢走了桂冠，一举成为对冲基金界的王者。戴利奥很有名的一个段子是禁止其桥水(Bridgewater)基金公司的员工讲八卦。他警告员工：“如果你在别人背后说闲话……你就是只令人嫌恶的臭黄鼠狼(slimy weasel)。” Even without these (dodgy) surveys and doctrinaire hedge fund bosses, I had already noticed something big was happening. There is simply a lot less gossip than there used to be. At least at my place, whole weeks can pass without me hearing anything juicy at all. | 
