../ -- creed.html
updated 2005-05-11
Contents:
(Currently not in any particular order ... what would be a good order to sort these in ?)
Related pages:
a code is set up by a group of people for self-improvement. They put into the code their aims, ambitions, and reasons for operating as a group. They use the code as a standard for measuring their progress.
``An idea isn't responsible for the people who believe in it.'' -- Marquis, Don (1878 - 1937) US journalist. New York Sun, ?1918 http://www.xrefer.com/entry/208407
"There is no cause so right that one cannot find a fool following it." -- Niven's Law #16
Some of these are deadly serious; others are intended to be humorous.
There are 2 very different kinds of "law", proscriptive and descriptive. For example, "Acton's Law: Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely." (--Lord Acton, in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton, 1881-04-05) is descriptive. This page tries to focus on proscriptive law, words written to try to inspire people to act better than they otherwise would have.
In other words, this page talks about things that (someone thinks that) a person ``ought to do'' or ``should do'', rather than what that person ``is capable of doing'' or ``actually will do''.
See ``Naturalistic Fallacy'' http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?NaturalisticFallacy for more information on the difference between ``is'' and ``ought''.
"I therefore formulate and offer to the world the following Principles for Quotations, two for quoters and two for readers, which, if universally followed, would make an immense improvement to the reliability of the information available on the world wide web."
-- "Principles for Quotations" by Martin Porter 2002 http://tartarus.org/martin/essays/burkequote2.html
mostly "tool quotes" [FIXME: is there a better place for this ?]
see also 3d_design.html for more tool stuff. , in particular 3d_design.html#simplicity . [Maybe I should move more of this stuff there ?]
Coloring
by Sarah Hall Maney
Mending Wall
Robert Frost
(asks the design question: is it really necessary ?
3d_design.html#simplicity
)
http://www.cs.caltech.edu/~adam/LOCAL/faq-fork.html#adamOur deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are we not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. (from Nelson Mandella's 1994 Inaugural speech)
You may have to directly give the children the tools that enable them to make discoveries-- David Klahr, quoted by Arthur Fisher in _Popular Science_ 2000-01 p. 72
The mathematical object that is very familiar to most people is a number. That is the reason why people always assume that if you like mathematics, you like numbers.
But some mathematicians don't like numbers very much at all. They like mathematics because they like to do the things that mathematicians do, but the objects that they like to do them with might be
graphs
knots
braids
maps,
finite state machines
surfaces
or any other object that they find interesting to study in a mathematical way
If you are someone who feels like you do not like mathematics, you probably haven't discovered the mathematical objects which appeal to you the most.
If your woodworking fails to exceed your expectations -- or worse, those of your spouse -- you should brandish the "only as good as his tools" aphorism, point to rule 1, and head to your favorite woodworking store.
Men have become the tools of their tools. -- Henry David Thoreau
[FIXME: many more quotes here]
-- from "Tools of the Trade" editorial by Bob Colwell http://www.computer.org/computer/homepage/0703/random/ "Bob Colwell was Intel's chief IA32 architect through the Pentium II, III, and 4 microprocessors." /* file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/caryd/My%20Documents/caryd/downloads_computer.org/Computer%20Magazine%20%20Tools%20of%20the%20Trade.htm */
For the benefit of those who engage in electronics design, development, and just plain tinkering, take heed.
-- from _Electronic Design_ 1997 Nov 17, p. "64J", which in turn quoted _Electronic Design_ 1957 Nov. 15, which in turn quoted "a report from the U.S.Naval Ordinance Laboratory, Silver Spring, Md.". The Ten Commandments of Electrical Safety http://www.eng.auburn.edu/~troppel/tencom.html is almost word-for-word identical. The version at http://repairfaq.cis.upenn.edu/sam/humor.htm#hum074 has a few more words.
Loyalty = keeping every promise; fidelity to a lady love
Courtesy = modesty, self-denial, respect for others.
Munificence = liberality, hospitality, largess to poor, aid to relatives in need.
Another code for knights: A knight of the "Old Code":
-- http://www.verinet.com/~dlc/ as popularized by a recent movie. (How authentic is this ?)
I will look upon him who shall have taught me this Art as one of my parents. I will share my substance with him, and I will supply his necessities if he be in need. I will regard his offspring even as my own brethren and I will teach them this Art by precept, by lecture, and by every mode of teaching; and I will teach this Art to all others.
The regimen I adopt shall be for the benefit of mankind according to my ability and judgement, and not for hurt or wrong. I will give no deadly thought to any, though it be asked of me.
Whatsoever mind I enter, there will I go for the benefit of man, refraining from all wrong-doing and corruption. Whatsoever thoughts I see or hear in the mind of man which ought not to be made known, I will keep silence thereon, counting such things to be sacred secrets.
-- p. 98 _The Demolished Man_ Copyright 1953 by Alfred Bester
the Marine Corps formalized leadership process: . . . . . 6: Issue the Order 7: Supervise informal: 8: when that fails, Kick Ass and Take Names
-- Samuel L. Moyer, who was in the Marine Corps, in letter to _The Wall Street Journal_ 1995 Jul. 12.
On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and Country and obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.
A Scout is -
Trustworthy
Friendly
Obedient
Brave
Loyal
Courteous
Cheerful
Clean
Helpful
Kind
Thrifty
Reverent
We are ambassadors for Christ. 2 Cor 5:20
Explorer Code
As an Explorer-
I believe that America 's strength lies in her trust in God and in the courage and strength of her people.
I will therefore be faithful in my religious duties and will maintain a personal sense of honor in my life.
I will treasure my American heritage and will do all I can to preserve and enrich it.
I will recognize the dignity and worth of my fellow men and will use fair play and goodwill in dealing with them.
I will acquire the Exploring attitude that seeks the truth in all things and adventure on the frontiers of our changing world.
Explorer Motto
Our best today - for a Better tomorrow.
http://www.okstate.edu/civen/chi-e/fun/rules.htm
We, the members of the IEEE, in recognition of the importance of our technologies in affecting the quality of life throughout the world, and in accepting a personal obligation to our profession, its members, and the communities we serve, do hereby commit ourselves to the highest ethical and professional conduct and agree:
Approved by the Board of Directors of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. 1990 Aug.
IEEE Ethics Committee http://www.ieee.org/organizations/committee/ethics/ has a copy of this Code and other ethics links and ethics mailing lists.
http://www.ieee.org/go/ethics redirects to a copy of this Code.
Another copy: http://www.ieee.org/portal/pages/iportals/aboutus/ethics/code.html .
"IEEE's mission -- fostering technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity."
1. A Promise Keeper is committed to honoring Jesus Christ through worship, prayer and obedience to God's Word in the power of the Holy Spirit.
2. A Promise Keeper is committed to pursuing vital relationships with a few other men, understanding that he needs brothers to help him keep his promises.
3. A Promise Keeper is committed to practicing spiritual, moral, ethical, and sexual purity.
4. A Promise Keeper is committed to building strong marriages and families through love, protection and biblical values.
5. A Promise Keeper is committed to supporting the mission of his church by honoring and praying for his pastor, and by actively giving his time and resources.
6. A Promise Keeper is committed to reaching beyond any racial and denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of biblical unity.
7. A Promise Keeper is committed to influencing his world, being obedient to the Great Commandment ( see Mark 12:30-31 ) and the Great Commission ( see Matthew 28:19-20 ).
-- http://www.promisekeepers.org/faqs/core/faqscore24.htm
Quality Is... Defect-free Output
Quality Is... Manageable with Proper Tools
Quality Is... A Result of Teamwork
Quality Is... Conformance to Customer Requirements
(TQMP Total Quality Management Process)
Date: Thu, 18 Apr 1996 00:00:13 -0400 (EDT) From: transhuman at umich.edu Subject: >H Digest ... From: Eugene Leitl <Eugene.Leitl at lrz.uni-muenchen.de> Subject: >H credo ... Hi. Here's a couple of handy >H mottoes, mostly stolen, that just came to mind. Don't take them too literary, though. 'gene ... life's not a zero-sum game - cooperate, don't defect you cannot lose if you share information accept no limits towards Ascension! memefect! adapt, or die extrapolation breaks down at point Singularity, so don't ... the more control, the broader the ''self'' future light cone spirit's just bits deus ex machina, v.0.0.alpha in a relativistic universe, even shit can't propagate infinitely fast grant the thanatos meme it's own wish ...
hacker's creed
The Hacker's Ethic http://hagbard.ncsa.uiuc.edu/cgi-bin/jargon?query=ethic see "Bible study topics" name.html#bible_study_topics and bible_crypto.html for more info.
What are the ethics of hacking? An excerpt from _Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution_ by Steven Levy (quoted by both "_Phrack Magazine_, 1995, Volume Six, Issue Forty-Seven, File 8 of 22" and http://www-personal.engin.umich.edu/~jgotts/underground/hack-faq-f.html#f04 ):
_Phrack Magazine_, Volume Six, Issue Forty-Seven, File 21 of 22
"There was once a time when hackers were basically isolated. ... Then in the mid 1980's thanks largely to the existence of chat systems accessible through X.25 networks ..., hackers world-wide began to run into each other.
They began to talk, trade information, and learn from each other. Separate and diverse subcultures began to merge into one collective scene and has brought us the hacking subculture we know today. A subculture that knows no borders, one whose denizens share the common goal of liberating information from its corporate shackles. ...
With this in mind, we want to help further unite the communities in various countries by shedding light onto the hacking scenes that exist there. If you want to contribute a file about the hacking scene in your country, please send it to us at <phrack at well.com>."
"Hunting the wild hacker: Work should be play" article by Andrew Leonard, February 05, 2001 http://dir.salon.com/tech/col/leon/2001/02/05/hacker_ethic/index.html reviewing the book _The Hacker Ethic and the Spirit of the Information Age_ book by Pekka Himanen .
Hackers, Himanen tells us, have a different relationship to money than normal folks do. They are not ruled by it ... They program because programming is intrinsically fascinating, and they share because sharing is righteous.
... KDE 2.0 is up and running smoothly, and he's as happy with the result as a 3-year-old who has just constructed a tower out of alphabet blocks. ...
... How can he get away with riffing on a guitar?
Not long after that, I decided it helped me relax too when he played, and I stopped worrying about it. And then I read what is probably the central thesis of "The Hacker Ethic."
Hackers do not feel that leisure time is automatically any more meaningful than work time. The desirability of both depends on how they are realized. From the point of a view of a meaningful life, the entire work/leisure duality must be abandoned. As long as we are living our work or our leisure, we are not even truly living. Meaning cannot be found in work or leisure but has to arise out of the nature of the activity itself. Out of passion. Social value. Creativity.
We should all be more like hackers, whether we can afford to or not.
Mirrors of the Jargon File.
[Eventually this will be reduced to one link, a link to the official Jargon File, which *should* have links to these other files.] [todo: I link to the Jargon File from several places; make sure that they all point to the official version or to the best searchable version]
DAV:
The "Lemmings" games have some of the hacker spirit -- the complexity of parallel processing is challenging, and the excessive cuteness of the lemmings themselves is outweighted by the really cool way they explode.
I'm a engineer, and I am trained to worry about even the tiniest little dangers to the public (and let me tell you, a fusion reactor larger than the Earth spitting out cancer-causing nuclear radiation is no "little" danger). I also do computer programming, and I heard a rumor that it's been proven that the hacking gene is linked to the helio-phobic gene :-).
A inside joke around here was telling people "It uses infrared *light*, not that evil nasty infrared *radiation*". To a electrical engineer (hardware hacker) such as myself, the 2 words are perfect synonyms, in the same way that "gasoline" and "petrol" are both really the same stuff.
Date: Mon, 27 Jan 1997 02:39:21 -0400 From: Ian Viemeister <ian at viemeister.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 To: David Cary CC: Raymond Subject: Re: 1996 Jargon file Yes, I know about the 'offical' html version -- it already existed (well, the 3.x.x version), when I put up my copy. However, the offical html version is a real pain to use -- all the entries for a particular letter/number/symbol are on the same BIG html page. I use a cgi script (info2html) to create a page-per-entry, on the fly, from the info file version of the File. The only thing currently missing is cross-links (the curly braces links), and I'm spending some time getting that to work automatically as well. And unlike a seperate static conversion to html, all I need to do when an update releases is to drop in the new info file. Ian Viemeister ian at viemeister.com http://www.viemeister.com/ For direct access to my copy of the file: http://www.viemeister.com/ian/info2html.cgi?(jarg400)Top
other Jargon sites:
(no, not that Kirk).
http://www.fc.net/~lockheed/bio3.html#four
DAV: I follow #3. See 1 Tim 4:3-5 .
Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice (Version 5.2) http://www-cs.etsu.edu/seeri/secode.htm "jointly approved by the ACM and the IEEE-CS as the standard for teaching and practicing software engineering."
[FIXME: why list these ? they're obsolete] previous drafts:
If ...
Then...
"for every technical idea I understand, there are 50 more I don't."
"Playing the Expert Game" article by Jonathan Bach <jbach at microsoft.com>, a test lead in Microsoft's Systems Management Server (SMS) Dogfood team in _Computer_ http://computer.org/ 1999-08
"Ask for what you really want".
I find it amazing that humans almost always
Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.-- General George S. Patton, Jr., War As I Knew It, 1947. #patton
Try asking for precisely what you want, no more, no less. I find it surprisingly difficult.
[related to: #benchmarking]
If somebody comes up to you and says something like, "How do I make this pony fly to the moon?", the question you need to ask is, "What problem are you trying to solve?" You'll find out that they really need to collect gray rocks. Why they thought they had to fly to the moon, and use a pony to do it, only they know. People do get confused like this.-- Max Kanat-Alexander, via Bruce Eckel http://www.mindviewinc.com/
One of the biggest reasons for software failures is not understanding what problem you really need to solve: the customer's problem. And even if you understand that it's about the customer, you are only part way there -- you have to understand what the customer's actual problems are, and these are usually different than what the customer thinks their problems are.
-- David Welton (2001-11-15) on page http://www.advogato.org/article/378.html I (DAV) copied it to http://c2.com/cgi-bin/wiki?RemoteStrangulationProtocolThe thing that makes me crazy... Is when people casually mention that "oh, no I don't use XYZ, it's got ABC bug", that they *haven't even bothered reporting*. It drives me crazy, and should be grounds for invoking the Remote Strangulation Protocol.
A problem well-stated is a problem half solved.Charles F. Kettering
There should be no SPEED limits, there should be stopping distance limits. The signs we see on city streets should not say "Speed Limit 25" they should say "Stopping Distance 60ft". On open highway they should say "Stopping Distance 350ft".
"One of the key questions in front of our committee has been "How should we best specify the I/O performance of drivers for the Gigabit Ethernet parallel interface ?" This interface, called the Gigabit media-independent interface (GMII), ... The GMII is a point-to-point, dual unidirectional interface, meaning that the specification defines one set of wires for use in the transmit direction and another seperate set of wires for use in the receive direction. In each direction, there are eight parallel data bits, two control bits, and a clock, plus a few other signals. The interface is clocked at 125 MHz.
Clocking a unidirectional bus at 125 MHz is not difficult with today's logic. ...
The problem our committee faced, however, was not whether we could make such an interface work, but how to specify the interface so that many vendors could build it and all the parts would still be interoperable. You see, many different ways exist to get such a bus to work. For example, the four most popular methods are to constrain the driver source impedance, the end-termination impedance on the bus, the driver rise and fall time, or the bus length.
... our biggest obstacle was political, not technical. The various chip manufacturers all had different capabilities for rise and fall time, termination strategy, and output-impedance control. Some wanted to control reflections by implementing a well-controlled output impedance on the drivers. Others wanted to use a low-impedance driver with an external series termination resistor. Still others wanted to use a loosely controlled output-impedance specification, but with tight control over the rise and fall time. Any of the approaches could work, but which one could the committee choose ? Any direction we turned, there was powerful opposition.
In the end, ... Bill Quackenbush of Cisco Systems (San Jose, CA)... came up with a way to specify the drivers that would allow each vendor to individually trade off its rise/fall time, termination technique, and driver output impedance. It is a simple, elegant technique. Faced with a similar problem, you might consider using it.
Quackenbush's proposal was to connect the driver to the near end of a 1-nsec, 50 Ω transmission line. Load the far end of the line with a 5-pF capacitor, which represents the receiver. If the manufacturer calls for a termination technique, use it as prescribed. Under these conditions, the waveform as you measure it at the receiver must fit within the proposal's prescribed waveform template, which limits the overshoot and transition time.
That's it. The proposal includes no explicit specification of rise and fall time, termination technique, or driver output impedance. ... His idea concentrates on the worst-case topology of interest (about 6 inches with a 5-pF load) and still allows the driver vendors to make their own design trade-offs. In practice, if a driver passes Quackenbush's test, it is highly likely to pass with shorter lengths and smaller loads.
"The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you Don't go back to sleep! You must ask for what you really want. Don't go back to sleep! People are going back and forth across the doorsill where the two worlds touch, The door is round and open Don't go back to sleep!" -- Mawlana Jalal-al-Din Rumi (13th century)as quoted by Bill Jensen in the book "What is your life's work?" (2005), and mirrored on many web sites such as: http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/875661.Mawlana_Jalal_al_Din_Rumi ; http://www.animalvoices.net/yes/Animal_Voices,_Animal_Guides_Introduction.html
-- http://id.mind.net/~rainbow/cocreate.html
from http://www.magicdragon.com/EmeraldCity/extraterrestrials/alien.html#mann apparently quoting from a (fictional) book by Phillip Mann.
Some sayings from the Contact Linguistics Institute, and their "Contact Linguists' Handbook" which embodies the "Contact Linguists' Code" [p.32] and includes the following:
from "Profession/Profile: George H. Heilmeier" article by Joshua Shapiro in _IEEE Spectrum_ 1994 June
To evaluate research activities at Darpa, Heilmeier formulated a set of questions that so well expresses the fundamentals of his beliefs that he seriously refers to it as his "catechism." He later taught it to his research "novitiates" at Texas Instruments and now enforces its use at Bellcore. Like a preflight checklist, his catechism provides a routine for safely and successfully launching a research project:
- What are you trying to do ? Articulate your objectives using absolutely no jargon.
- How is it done today, and what are the limitations of current practice ?
- What's new in your approach and why do you think it will be successful ?
- Who cares ? If you're successful, what difference will it make ?
- What are the risks and the payoffs ?
- How much will it cost ? How long will it take ?
- What are the midterm and final "exams" to check for success ?
Heilmeier attributes much of his success to his imposition of a disciplined thought process on project management. It allowed him to curb and clarify both the enthusiasms of his researchers and the resource demands of his managers.
"The Russell-Einstein Manifesto"
Issued in London, 9 July 1955
"Here, then, is the problem which we present to you,
stark and dreadful and inescapable:
Shall we put an end to the human race;
or shall mankind renounce war?"
mirrors:
The editorial ``Nuclear-Tipped Foolishness'' editorial by Michael Kraig and Michael Roston 2002-05-21 http://spacedaily.com/news/bmdo-02k.html has a strong argument against nuclear weapons, at least in low Earth orbit.
[FIXME: link directly to these treaties] I've been told that ``In 1963, international treaty banned nuclear testing in the atmosphere and in space, and in 1967 outlawed weapons of mass destruction in space. Military bases on the moon were banned. Other treaties prohibited interfering with ... spy satellites that were considered stabilizing by both sides.''
"The world has achieved brilliance without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants." -- Omar N. Bradley, American general (1893-1981)
"Jaw, jaw is better than war, war." - Winston Churchill
``Old Glory'' by Effie C. Rice July 21, 1943
written in honor of my nation and her people July 21, 1943, Ralston Oklahoma
by Effie C. Rice
Old Glory
Old Glorysalute her
She stands for the free
for brave men and women
on land and on sea
Her red is a token
of blood being shed
It brings to our memory
a long line of dead
Her white stands for purity
of prayers and of tears
that mothers and sisters
have shed through the years
Her blue is for loyalty
Like one we must stand
for justice and freedom
and truth in our land
Dark clouds they may gather
deep sorrows may fall
our hearts may be breaking
but yet we must call,
O! Men that are fighting
at home and abroad
we're praying our Savior
to lighten each load
to give us great courage
and help us to stand
for the ``Star Spangled Banner''
that waves o'er our land
that there will be freedom
on land and on sea
that all nations will stand for
``Old Glory'' like we.I hope you all like it.
to dad for Valentine day
In my heart there is a picture
and it means the world to me
'tis of a blond haired blue eyed man
my heart so longs to see
There's none to me so handsome
There's none could be so dear
In all my dreams about him
Each feature stands out clear
You're a gift from God my darling
You're heaven's work of art
and dear I am so thankful
You're the hero of my heart.an after thought
Do you truly love me darling
If you do I long to know
If you have sweet thoughts about me
Please don't wait to tell me so
For our days on earth are numbered
But I ask you this to be
Please don't wait until I'm missing
or 'till you are gone from me.
E.R.
(Effie C. Rice)
and pointers to other creeds and creed-like web pages.
a tent-making pastor with the St. Marys Presbyterian Church
Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.
"High Flight" Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth, And danced the skies on laughter silvered wings; Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of -- Wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence. Hovering there I've chased the shouting wind along and flung My eager craft through footless halls of air. Up, up along delirious, burning blue I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace, Where never lark, or even eagle flew; And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand, and touched the face of God. -- John Gillespie Magee Jr., "High Flight"
"High Flight" poem by Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr. http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/history/prewwii/jgm.htm inspirational
The Annotated "High Flight" http://www.ozemail.com.au/~aerial/hiflite.htm
Beautiful poem; wacky annotation. http://www.europa.com/~jpilcher/pulsr996.html (BrokenLink as of 2005-05-09)
from DAV's poster_quotes.txt
Power corrupts, but absolute power is really neat. -- Ex-Navy Secretary John Lehman Secretary of the Navy, 1981-1987
related to "Speak up for those who can't speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly, defend the right of the poor and needy" (Proverbs 31:8-9) [FIXME: subject category: silence ? (more at weblog)]
Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can. John Wesley's Rule
H. L. Mencken's Law: Those who can -- do. Those who can't -- teach. Martin's Extension: Those who cannot teach -- administrate.
(1) An object in motion will always be headed in the wrong direction. (2) An object at rest will always be in the wrong place. (3) The energy required to change either one of these states will always be more than you wish to expend, but never so much as to make the task totally impossible.
From: throopw%sheol.uucp at dg-rtp.dg.com (Wayne Throop) Date: 30 Jun 1995 05:39:29 GMT -- Wayne Throop throopw%sheol.uucp at dg-rtp.dg.com throop at aur.alcatel.com -- -- "Beware the Heisenbug my son! The bits that shift, the types that clash! Beware east hyperspace, and shun The barfulous memory smash!" -- :hyperspace: /hi:'per-spays/ n. A memory location that is *far* away from where the program counter should be pointing, often inaccessible because it is not even mapped in. "Another core dump --- looks like the program jumped off to hyperspace somehow." (Compare {jump off into never-never land}.) This usage is from the SF notion of a spaceship jumping `into hyperspace', that is, taking a shortcut through higher-dimensional space --- in other words, bypassing this universe. The variant `east hyperspace' is recorded among CMU and Bliss hackers. --- Jargon File, version 2.9.10
Supplement: A .44 magnum beats four aces.
| Murphy's Laws of Combat | . If it's stupid but it works, it's not stupid. George Patterson - | . If the enemy is in range, so are you. | . Never forget that your rifle was made by the | lowest bidder. -- patter at dasher.cc.bellcore.com (patterson,george r)
"The best way to prove something can be done is to demonstrate it has been done." -- Michael Ronkin
Life is complex. It has real and imaginary components. -- unknown, possibly Jeff Janes jejanes at mtu.edu at Michigan Technological University
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2003 12:10:50 -0700 (PDT) From: Ann Azevedo <azevedan at yahoo.com> Subject: quote on your website To: d.cary at ieee.org"Nobody ever learned anything from a fatal mistake" is my original quote (at least, I said it without ever having heard it anywhere else). I don't know why it's listed on a UConn site, though.
Ann Azevedo
From: jmclain at cymbal.aix.calpoly.edu (Joseph Douglas McLain), Date: 8 Aug 1995 22:05:40 -0700 : Stipulation #1: There will be no stipulations. Stop discrimination - hate everyone equally. Strike any user when ready. Strip mining prevents forest fires. Study as though life is eternal, knowing that tomorrow you may die. Stupidity got us into this mess, why can't it get us out? Stupidity is an equal opportunity employer. Stupidity is no excuse for not thinking. Stupidity is not a handicap; park elsewhere! Success comes in a can. Failure comes in a cannot. Success is a journey, not a destination. Success isn't permanent; nor is failure. Success often comes from not knowing you limitations. Suicidal twin kills sister by mistake! Suicide is the most sincere form of self criticism. Super Collider (n): Particle accelerator. See Amtrak. Superior firepower is invaluable when negotiations start. Support free software: Write it yourself. Support free trade: Smuggle! Support National Motherhood Week - make one today! Support Pacifism - get out and fight for what you believe in. Support the Mental Health Program or I'll kill you. Surrender now, before I have to offer you better terms. Synonym: Word you use when you can't spell the other one. Sysop: The guy laughing at your typing. Sysoping. More fun than being beaten with a sledgehammer. Tact is rubbing out another's mistake instead of rubbing it in. Tact is the intelligence of the heart.
I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen;
that I will support and defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic;
that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;
that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law;
that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law;
that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and
that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.
-- (the oath taken by people becoming naturalized citizens of the U.S.) http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_citi.html
General George S. Patton, Jr. (see video_game.html for some war quotes by other famous people ) [FIXME: move the patton/ directory here ?]
??? http://www.pattonhq.com/textfiles.html http://www.pattonhq.com/pdffiles.html
Untutored courage [is] useless in the face of educated bullets. - George S. Patton, Jr.
Plans must be simple and flexible. Actually they only serve as a datum plane from which you build as necessity directs or as opportunity offers. They should be made by the people who are going to have to execute them. -- General George S. Patton, Letter of Instruction. 6 March, 1944.
The best is the enemy of the good. By this I mean that a good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan next week. War is a very simple thing, and the determining characteristics are self-confidence, speed, and audacity. None of these things can ever be perfect, but they can be good. -- General George S. Patton, War As I Knew It. 1947.
Remember that praise is more valuable than blame. -- General George Patton, letter of instruction. March 6, 1792.
It is an unfortunate and, to me, tragic fact that, in our attempts to prevent war, we have taught our people to belittle the heroic qualities of the soldier. -- General George S. Patton, Jr., War As I Knew It. 1947.
Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. -- General George S. Patton, Jr., War As I Knew It, 1947.
An army commander does what is necessary to accompish his mission, and that nearly eighty percent of his mission is to arouse morale in his men. -- General George S. Patton, Jr., War As I Knew It. 1947.
All the historical studies we had ever read on the crossing asserted that, between Bingen and Coblentz, the Rhine was impossible. Here again we took advantage of a theory of our own, that the impossible place is usually the least well defended. -- General George S. Patton, Jr.,War As I Knew It, 1947.
The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his. -- General George S. Patton.
A pint of sweat, saves a gallon of blood. -- General George S. Patton
-- http://www.armory.com/~wavejump/Community.html [BrokenLink as of 2005-12-13]
DAV: I like his description of the life he wants to live, and his impassioned plea for others to help.
related: "Take wrong turns. Talk to strangers. Open unmarked doors. And if you see a group of people in a field, go find out what they're doing. Do things without always knowing how they'll turn out." "Why tell me this?" "You're curious and smart and bored. All you see is the choice between working hard and slacking off. There are so many adventures that you miss because you're waiting to think of a plan. To find them, look for tiny interesting choices. And remember that you are always making up the future as you go." http://xkcd.com/c267.html
by President James A. Garfield
as printed in "Dear Abby" Tulsa World 1996-July-5 D2
"Think on these things" by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
An ordinary lizard about 4 or 5 inches long with green and brown stripes along his shiny body patrols the area around the window. He is diligent. He is industrius and can bend his body in many ways to get to crevices where bugs could well be hiding.
Where there's a will there is a way, as the saying goes. The lizard's will is his stomach. He can't afford to wait for legislation to give him food. His whole existence depends on making it happen by his own will and determination.
This lizard acts like a hunter, thinks like a hunder, and works to prove he is one. He looks for bugs more intently than most of us look for ideas to solve our problems. Both bugs and ideas float around us all the time, but we are wise to leave the bugs to the lizard and catch the ideas.
as printed in Tulsa World 1996-July-5 D4
-- Dr. Carolyn Miller 1999-11We plan; we organize. We find ways to do it.
...
We have a strong tendency ... to build capacity to do it ourselves.
... very capable, very talented, very trained, very motivated people thinking if there's a need out there, we will do it.
...
Instead, we need to build capacity in other people, enabling them to do their part in carrying out the vision. Maybe God will show them ways to do a more effective job than we've been able to do. And then together we will see the vision fulfilled.
For it's not a plan; it's not a goal -- it is a vision.
Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 18:07:14 -0600 (CST) From: LOUEDITH HARA <luedith at okstate.edu> ... Graduate Student Association Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Ok Vision Statement: The Graduate Student Association of Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma strives to be an advocate for graduate student scholars, teachers, and researchers. Mission Statement: To implement our vision, the GSA shall: 1. Listen to the perspectives of graduate and professional students and the community at large; 2. Facilitate information and data exchange between graduate and professional students and the community at large; 3. Expand the role of the association to include alumni support and input. (Approved at the March 3, 1998 GSA general assembly meeting)
Human Dignity, Rights and Principles http://www.pgs.ca/pages/humri0.html
The 10 commandments of Moses
http://members.aol.com/BruniNigh/moses.html
also at
http://come.to/cooldog
* Dog food sucks, so get as much people food as you can.
Our mission -- all of us, you included -- is to make the Internet easier to use. http://www.creativegood.com/help/c023.html
An Abridged Collection of Interdisciplinary Laws http://www.mailbag.com/users/hanelson/laws-a.html
Murphy's Laws Of The Universe http://www.ar.com.au/~murphy/murphlaw.htm includes the Ashley-Perry Statistical Axioms:
and "Crane's Law (Friedman's Reiteration): There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. ("tanstaafl")" and "Hawkin's Theory of Progress Progress does not consist of replacing a theory that is wrong with one that is right. It consists of replacing a theory that is wrong with one that is more subtly wrong. " and "IBM Pollyanna Principle: Machines should work. People should think. " and "Iles's Law: There is an easier way to do it. " and "Lyall's Conjecture: If a computer cable has one end, then it has another. " and "Oaks's Unruly Laws for Lawmakers: Social legislation cannot repeal physical laws. "
We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming. -- Wernher Von Braun (1912 - 1977)
"Douglas's Law of Practical Aeronautics: When the weight of the paperwork equals the weight of the plane, the plane will fly."
Blore's Razor: Given a choice between two theories, take the one which is funnier.
NIVEN'S LAWS http://www.io.com/~woodward/other/nivenlaw.txt by Larry Niven. includes
The laws list http://www.alcyone.com/max/physics/laws/ Laws, rules, principles, effects, paradoxes, limits, constants, experiments, & thought-experiments in physics.
The Institute of Management Consultants (IMC) Code of Ethics http://www.imcusa.org/imcethic.html
On the other hand, here are "Thoughts you probably wouldn't want to live by" by Michelle Argabrite http://www.amused.com/michelle.html .
Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of those people I had to kill because they pissed me off. -- unknown.
http://www.iicm.edu/0x82d85c03_0x00000eca is this another _Hacker's Jargon_ mirror ?
Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science http://www.cwru.edu/affil/wwwethics/
National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) Code of Ethics for Engineers http://www.nspe.org/eh1-code.htm
-- http://slashdot.org/articles/99/04/25/1438249.shtmlI suppose it's too much to ask Jon Katz and the /. readership to actually consider the idea that Doom, Quake, etc. might in reality desensitize people to violence and gore, and be dangerous to the psyche of folks who are already too close to the edge?
Boneheaded, fascistic responses by school administrators (probably lawyer-driven) do not exonorate anything. It's not an either-or, zero-sum equation -- it's quite possible that school is hell, administrators are fascists and Doom and Quake help set those kids at Columbine off.
I fully expect to hear "But I play Quake, and so to my friends, and we're OK." That may be true. But that makes about as much sense as arguing that alcoholism must not exist because you yourself are a moderate drinker.
Oh, well. Better to moan about clueless parents and administrators, get a thrill from reliving one's own high-school angst, and feel noble by validating the the angst of current high-schoolers, than to actually reflect on one's own life to see if anything should change on acount of this tragedy.
Do I want to see Internet censorship and banning of shooter games? No. But exactly what to you Doom/Quake players think you're accomplishing by burning in those particular neural pathways?
As for what could be done, here are some thoughts rattling around in my brain:
Take a deep breath. Consider what a miracle that was. Take another. Contemplate the mystery and sacredness of life. Ask that the Giver of Life point out to you anything that you may be doing to diminish that sacredness.
Take one more deep breath. Now, what if that was your last? Reflect on your own mortality. If that bothers you, you've got a problem that you need to deal with. Because I've got news for you, you are going to die, and you don't know when. So take the time now to prepare.
If you have room in your heart and mind after these steps to play "us-them" games with Geek Kids vs. Clueless Grownups, then I don't know what more to say.
But if you still want something action-oriented and not contemplative to pursue, then pick something and work on making the world a better place so that public schools are not such a twisted hell. Consider volunteering. Befriend a high-schooler or three. Help out your church's youth group. Think about homeschooling, support those who do it. Advocate the breakup of these mega-highschools into smaller schools that allow a more human face. Figure out your own action item and pursue it.
-- Glen B. Haydon, M.D. http://www.theforthsource.com/hind-4.htmlBe creative. Organize your experiences into an effective knowledge base. Think about your urges intelligently. Act accordingly. Become an example of an unforgettable person. Use the examples set by other unforgettable people.
Paul Harvey Writes:
We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse.
For my grandchildren, I'd like better.
I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches, I really would.
I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.
I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car. And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.
It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.
I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in, I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.
When you want to see a movie and your little brother wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him.
I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely. On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.
If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.
I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.
When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.
I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.
May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.
I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.
I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.
May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.
I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.
These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.
Written with a pen. Sealed with a kiss. I'm here for you.
And if I die before you do, I'll go to heaven and wait for you.
-- Rep. Barbara LeeLEE: Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart, one that is filled with sorrow for the families and loved ones who were killed and injured in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Only the most foolish or the most callous would not understand the grief that has gripped the American people and millions across the world.
This unspeakable attack on the United States has forced me to rely on my moral compass, my conscience, and my God for direction. September 11 changed the world. Our deepest fears now haunt us. Yet I am convinced that military action will not prevent further acts of international terrorism against the United States.
I know that this use-of-force resolution will pass although we all know that the President can wage a war even without this resolution. However difficult this vote may be, some of us must urge the use of restraint. There must be some of us who say, let's step back for a moment and think through the implications of our actions today -- let us more fully understand its consequences.
We are not dealing with a conventional war. We cannot respond in a conventional manner. I do not want to see this spiral out of control. This crisis involves issues of national security, foreign policy, public safety, intelligence gathering, economics, and murder. Our response must be equally multifaceted.
We must not rush to judgment. Far too many innocent people have already died. Our country is in mourning. If we rush to launch a counterattack, we run too great a risk that women, children, and other noncombatants will be caught in the crossfire.
Nor can we let our justified anger over these outrageous acts by vicious murderers inflame prejudice against all Arab Americans, Muslims, Southeast Asians, or any other people because of their race, religion, or ethnicity.
Finally, we must be careful not to embark on an open-ended war with neither an exit strategy nor a focused target. We cannot repeat past mistakes.
In 1964, Congress gave President Lyndon Johnson the power to "take all necessary measures" to repel attacks and prevent further aggression. In so doing, this House abandoned its own constitutional responsibilities and launched our country into years of undeclared war in Vietnam.
At that time, Sen. Wayne Morse, one of two lonely votes against the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, declared, "I believe that history will record that we have made a grave mistake in subverting and circumventing the Constitution of the United States ... I believe that within the next century, future generations will look with dismay and great disappointment upon a Congress which is now about to make such a historic mistake."
Sen. Morse was correct, and I fear we make the same mistake today. And I fear the consequences.
I have agonized over this vote. But I came to grips with it in the very painful yet beautiful memorial service today at the National Cathedral. As a member of the clergy so eloquently said, "As we act, let us not become the evil that we deplore."
(mirrored in many places:
The EarthLink Manifesto
...
Somehow, somewhere, Curiosity got a bad rap.
And that's unfair
...
More than anything else, Curiosity encourages us to learn. To use more than the one one-thousandth of our big, beautiful brain needed simply to eat and breathe.
Curiosity frees us. From bad things like boredom. And even worse things like mediocrity.
But Curiosity needs legroom. It needs open space to stretch and run and to practice one-handed cartwheels.
...
-- apparently by by Marshall Brain http://www.howstuffworks.com/program1.htm
An Oath for machine designers and makers should have been in place centuries ago, likewise a ban on the development of new weapons. ... The Pope most worthy of respect is Pope Innocent II, who, in the Lateran Council of 1139, forbade under anathema the use of the crossbow, at least against Catholics and other Christians. The crossbow was the new ultimate weapon of the 12th century, piercing the armour of the nobility, yet wielded by non-nobles.
-- http://www.holylight.com/webelieve.htmlI believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father, through whom all things were made. For us and for our salvation, He came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and He suffered and was buried. On the third day He rose according to the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father, who together with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke through the prophets. In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. I expect the resurrection of the dead. And the life of the age to come. Amen.
-- Adam Rifkin http://www.cs.caltech.edu/~adam/local/faq-adam.html#tacoI believe that currency is arbitrary, and the real reason people have dollars is to buy food (such as Tacos), and so the real buying power of a dollar is how many Tacos it can buy. When I was in Tijuana, I could get 4 Tacos for a dollar, so in Mexico, dollars have mucho buying power. In France, on the other hand, it cost Rohit 15 bucks to get a single burrito. Obviously, dollars don't have much power in France (actually, nothing American seems to have much power in France).
"The world is passing through troublous times. The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents or old age. They are impatient of all restraint. They talk as if they knew everything, and what passes for wisdom with us is foolishness with them. As for the girls, they are forward, immodest and unladylike in speech, behavior and dress." -- Peter the Hermit, A.D. 1274
[FIXME: move to c_programming.html ? or is this ``creed-like'' enough to put a copy both places ?]... the One True Brace Style ... Many customs in this life persist because they ease friction and promote productivity as a result of universal agreement, and whether they are precisely the optimal choices is much less important. So it is with brace style.
-- ``Comments on Comments'' article by Jack G. Ganssle in _Embedded Systems Programming_ 2002-03 [FIXME: c_programming]eXtreme Programming ... All of XP's ideas come from four
core values:
- communications,
- simplicity,
- feedback, and
- courage.
No other methodology that I'm aware of derives from values. .... values are the basis of good behavior. I think the XP folks got it right by deriving the process from values rather than from a collection of good ideas. However, I'd like to add a fifth to their list:
- Pride of Workmanship.
...
-- ``Comments on Comments'' article by Jack G. Ganssle in _Embedded Systems Programming_ 2002-03 [FIXME: c_programming] [FIXME: meta-data ?]...
susceptibility to buffer overflow attacks ... Recent posts on the Risks forum ... suggest that the C language is the source of the problem. Programs written in C usually have no intrinsic array bounds checking; worse, the dynamic nature of pointers makes automatic runtime checks that much more problematic.
I disagree. C is nothing more than a tool, one that should come with an
adults onlywarning. ... Index into a data structure without adding the requisite overflow checks and you're playing with dynamite. While smoking. In a puddle of gasoline....
Commenting suggestions:
...
Write every bit of the documentation (in the U.S. at least) in English. Noun, verb. Use active voice. Be concise. Be explicit and complete. ... I prefer to incorporate an algorithm description in a function's header, even for well-known approaches like Newton's Method. ...
Capitalize per standard English ... And spel al of the wrds gud.
Avoid long paragraphs. Use simple sentences. ...
Begin every module and function with a header in a standard format. The format may vary a lot between organizations, but it should be consistent within a team. Every module (source file) must start off with a general description of what's in the file, the company name, a copyright message if appropriate, and dates. Start every function with a header that describes what the routine does and how, goes-intas and goes-outas (i.e., parameters), the author's name, date, version, a record of changes with dates, and the name of the programmer who made the change.
... I see a lot of ... comments end with a trailing asterisk ... every edit requires fixing the position of the trailing asterisk. Leave it off, as follows:
/******************** * a * comment ********************/Most modern C compilers accept C++'s double slash comment delimiter...
... Editors are like religion. ... Someday compilers will accept source files created with a word processor ... Until then, dumb ASCII text formatted with spaces (not tabs) is all we can count on to be portable and reliable.
Enter comments in C at block resolution and when necessary to clarify ... Don't feel compelled to comment every line. ...
Explain the meaning and function of every variable declaration. ...
... over time the comments no longer reflect the truth of the code. Comment drift is intolerable. ... change the docs as we change the code. The two things happen in parallel. Never defer fixing comments until later ... Better to edit the descriptions first, and then fix the code.
If you use code inspections (and please do; they are the cheapest known way to get rid of bugs) review the comments as well as the code. Both are equally important.
...
DAV: I think this is the same article as:
Even if you're stuck in a hermitically-sealed cubicle never interacting with people and just cranking code all day, I contend you still have a responsibility to communicate clearly and grammatically with others. Software is, after all, a mix of computerese (the C or C++ itself) and comments (in America, at least, an English-language description meant for humans, not the computer). If we write perfect C with illegible comments, we're doing a lousy job.
-- "A Guide to Commenting" white paper by Jack G. Ganssle http://ganssle.com/
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.12/soul_pr.html... Carl Alsing ... "Somebody's got to dig ditches," he says. "But it's a lot more fun to dig ditches where nobody else has dug one before." His challenge has been to stay mobile enough to keep up with the pace of change. "You stay in a place too long, you miss out on new technology and new tools and new ways of doing things," he says. "I've seen friends who stayed too many years in something, and they always find a niche where they become a guru of something and manager of whatnot. And then when that activity ends and they leave the company or get laid off, they have no skills. In 10 years, you really are obsolete. The tools are gone, the vocabulary is different."
This idea of perpetual movement in the face of looming obsolescence is a constant theme among the Eagle vets.
...
Tom West ... "I did usually prevail," he says. "But I began to think, 'It's too hard. This isn't a technology job at all. It's about moving around these roadblocks to try and do things that are pretty sensible. You're solving these same problems over and over again that are really people problems. They have nothing to do with electrons.'"
...
Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people. -- Eleanor Roosevelt
And though the carrot stick resembles a marker, draw thou not upon the table, even in pretend, for we do not do that-THAT IS WHY.
...
Leave the cat alone, for what hath the cat done that you should afflict it so with duct tape?
...
-- Sentinel's Creed of the Guard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier http://www.kxoj.com/am0900.shtml DAV: I can't seem to find this creed anywhere else. If this is real, I would expect to find it at http://www.tombguard.org/ .My dedication to this sacred duty is total and wholehearted. In the responsibility bestowed on me, never will I falter. And with dignity and perseverance my standard will remain perfection.
Through the years of diligence and praise and the discomfort of the elements, I will walk my tour in humble reverence to the best of my ability.
It is he who commands the respect I protect, his bravery that made us so proud.
Surrounded by well-meaning crowds by day, alone in the thoughtful peace of night, this soldier will in honored Glory rest under my eternal vigilance.
(How many countries have their own Unknown Soldier ? Great Britain (( ``after World War I. The first country to honor it's unknown warriors from that war was Great Britain. ... The unknown warrior was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey'' -- http://www.tombguard.org/history.html )), Russia http://www.moscowkremlin.ru/basic/english/18.html , Canada, ... )
There is no good solution, other than patience, courtesy, persistence, and skepticism -- not to mention understanding the technology.-- Rick Moen http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/faq/#linuxisp
http://holyjoe.org/flashback.htmNew tools sometimes demonstrate their full significance only after people have invented a new range of uses for them. Their existence precedes their "reason" for existence.
http://holyjoe.org/flashback.htmMurphy's Law (1949)
"If there is a wrong way to do something, then someone will do it." -- Edward A. Murphy, Jr.
...
Then the humorous variations began to appear. The most popular version - "If something can go wrong, it will" - is anathema to the very serious Edward Murphy. Its fatalistic acceptance of the inevitable perverts his original concept of a sort of moral to help prevent accidents.
"Meta-information is the key, not information." -- Jason Cikaluk 1996-05-09 Jason Cikaluk ??? electronic hardware ??? [FIXME: move to #meta-information ?]
The safe correction of landing mistakes is just as important, if not more so, than getting it right every time.-- Gene Whitt http://whitts.alioth.net/Pagef2Fourteen%20Concerns%20articles.htm
_Bioethics is Love of Life: An Alternative texbook_ book by Darryl R. J. Macer, Ph.D. 1998 http://zobell.biol.tsukuba.ac.jp/~macer/BLL.html
???
God has made a brave world and I would that all His people could get the joy of it. I love it the more because I have only a little time in it.... "There is no happiness," said the Maid, "save in doing the will of God our Father." -- Jeanne of Arc, in _The Path of the King_ book by John Buchan http://www.bookrags.com/books/tpotk/PART6.htm
To do something, say something, see something, before anybody else -- these are things that confer a pleasure compared with which other pleasures are tame and commonplace, other ecstacies cheap and trivial.-- Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] http://www.bartleby.com/66/97/62197.html
_Time Management_ book by Chris Croft 1996 [spin_dict]...
Chapter 2: Objectives: where do you want to be ?
... what do we mean by success ? There are many definitions, most not involving money. Here are two:
- to have achieved the freedom to be able to spend your time in ways that you control
- to have achieved an objective that you personally feel is worthwhile.
... What is your mental image of yourself as successful, if you have one ? ...
- What changes would I make if I discovered I had six months to live ?
- What are the five things I value most in my life ?
- What am I good at ?
- What would I do if I won a $1 million tomorrow ?
- Whose personality or lifestyle would I like to copy, and why ?
- If I could write a `film script' for the next five years of my life, what would I write for myself ?
- What have I always wanted to do but always been afraid to try ?
- What one thing would I do if I knew I could not fail ?
- What have I always wanted to do but not had time to do ?
- What makes me wake up thinking, `Great, it's ..._____... today' ?
- During the last week, what has made me feel good ?
- What do I wish to avoid ? (Rephrase it as a positive goal)
- What would I like to spend my time doing when I retire ? (Can I start doing some of these things now ?)
- What epitaph would I want written on my gravestone ?
... The objectives that you choose for yourself should be
- BIG. ... big enough to stretch you.
- EXCITING. ... Are they worth some effort ?
- SERIOUS. you have to really want them.
- CLEAR. your subconscious needs to know exactly what your goal is, since it cannot cope with abstract or fuzzy ideas. ... an `internal success video' that it can view and make real.
...
When you are preparing to give an important talk to a large audience, don't imagine the talk going horribly wrong... Instead, picture the crowd applauding your brilliant public speech and queueing up to shake your hand afterwards. You will give a much better talk.
... Say to yourself ... I have a great memory for names ... Public speaking is easy and fun for me ... If you say `I'm the best !' every day, your subconscious will start to believe it. ... I feel great today ... I like myself ... I love my work ...
- I enjoy meeting new people
- my house is always clean and neat
- my desk is always tidy
- I am always on time
- I like my boss and he likes me
- I find it easy to say no when I need to.
... Is this brainwashing ? Yes, I suppose it is, but at least you are in control of where you are going, and you can choose to make the destination a good one for both yourself and others. ...
Write Your Goals Down
... I would recommend keeping your list of goals to yourself, or at least only showing them to others who have done the same. Negative and apathetic people will drag you down very fast. ...
Refresh them every day
... levels of seriousness ... I recomment the top one as the most powerful...
- Dates set, plan of how to get there, plus daily monitoring and focus.
- Dates set, plus daily focus: pictures, mental images & self-talk
- ...
... A goal without a date is just an idle wish ...
... Suppose you only achieve half the progress that you aimed for. You are still ahead of where you would have been without setting a goal.
... Objectives like `get fit', `have more friends', or `be more successful at my job' are too large to easily visualize getting started on and need to be divided into steps. The initial steps might be `join a tennis club', or `talk to a new person every day', or `read one book per week on my chosen success area'. ... the tasks should be fun in their own right as well as contributing to your overall plan.
... Whether you enjoy something depends partly on whether you focus on the good parts of it or the bad parts. ...
If you can enjoy as much of every day as possible, you are `squeezing more of the juice' out of life, surely a worthwhile objective !
...
Area Desired result Negative view of price Positive view of price Fitness training Feel fit Unpleasant, hard work boring Invigorating, exhilarating, satisfying, a progression Negotiating Obtain best possible settlement Squalid and frustrating; you always wonder if you could have got more A fascinating game; you always win something. Recruitment interviewing Select most suitable employee Time-consuming, nervous; never really know what they are like, have to reject all except one Meet new people, a chance to shape the future of the company, a chance to offer someone a job. Giving staff appraisals Communicate performance to staff and agree targets Embarrassing, dishonest, unpleasant if bad news has to be given Important, worthwhile, a chance to shape someone's future for the best Presentation to a group of important people Communicate message Frightening, risky; what if it goes wrong ? What if they ask a question I can't answer ? A chance to impress, get what you want, feel good after it went well, be the expert on your particular subject. Cold call to potential customer Achieve a sale or the first step towards a sale They might be rude; I'll get depressed; is this job worth doing ? Learning about people, developing my skills, achieving sales target; what will I do with the bonus ? ... Never say anything negative. ...
- bad things in the past are best forgotten
- bad things in the present are best ignored -- it's better to smell the roses than to look at the manure.
- bad things in the future can be spoken into existence, so don't dwell on potential problems -- have a contingency plan, yes, but think positive.
...
Chapter 3: Prioritizing: is it urgent ? Is it important ?
...
Write down one thing that you could do today that would make your life better in the future.
...
Chapter 4: Procrastination: how can you beat it ?
...
... twenty-five strategies ...
- 1. Write a total list of every major job that you need to do and put it on the wall where you can see it. This will remind you about what is important and keep you focused on being productive.
- ...
- 4. Write a daily jobs-to-do list [at the end of the day], so you commit yourself to doing some tasks the next day. Enjoy crossing the jobs off as you complete them. Write the list in order, mixing in the enjoyable jobs with the tough ones, and stick to the order.
- ...
- 8. Consider delegating the job or paying someone else to do it. ... is there someone else who would enjoy this task, or for whom you could do something else in exchange ?
- ...
- 22. Determine to enjoy the task as well as the result. ... When you go to the supermarket you could make it a game to get the most miserable of the checkout operators to smile. ...
Chapter 5: Time-wasters: can you reduce them ?
...
Write very short letters and memos. Use postcards or post-it notes. Never write more than one side of A4: no one will read it !
...
Chapter 6: Gaining control: the effect of other people on your time
... Some companies have signalling conventions, like a paper cup on the computer terminal meaning `I am in the middle of writing a complex program'. ...
Chapter 10: Efficient systems: what should you do every day ?
...
Master actions list
... simply a single list of every job that you have got to do, all written down in one place. ...
- any order
- every job, big or small
- ... on a collection of cards, or on pages in a ring file, or listed on a computer or computerized diary.
...
From your master list you can then extract the jobs that you will do each day ... the ideal mix is to cover all the urgent ones while still fitting in some of the non-urgent but important ones. ...
Daily jobs-to-do list
...
- ten items at the most
- written on a small piece of paper
- always with you
- added to as the day continues
- crossed out as you go.
...
downloading information on to paper frees up your mind to think.
...
You know, Mr. Secretary, I have found out in the course of a long public life that the things I did not say never hurt me.-- Calvin Coolidge http://www.bartleby.com/66/38/14838.html
beeper ethics" essay by William G. O'Neill http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/jfq_pubs/jq019625.pdf
[DAV: what does "orders" mean in the list... a crude analogy: in order to be a good driver a mastery of traffic ordinances -- such as speed limits, turning on red, etc. -- is not adequate if one does not know the route to a destination. ...
... it is better to suffer evil than to commit it ...
Ethics is always about truth at the level of the meaning of life. To propose, as is the vogue, that one can approach ethics simply as a dimension of management, as setting out the rules while claiming little more than that certain things work well in getting the job done without ignominy or complication, is insufficient. ...
... ethics cannot be ultimately subordinated to any other system or purpose ...
Deficiencies in education on moral values leave us open to networks of rationalizations on conscience. Some of the most bothersome of these come from the teleopathic (excessively devoted to a cause or purpose) bent of mind which inclines people to extremes in pursuit of corporate goals or profits by any promising strategy. Personally, teleopathy -- as expounded by Kenneth Goodpaster -- becomes excessive devotion to career, to advancement through gradations of goals during a professional life. For the sake of corporate goals or career, no amount of overtime, supererogation, or neglect of personal concerns or duties can be thought to be utterly blameworthy. Being a team player or getting ahead overrides all.
... Operative values too frequently flow directly from the highly situated principle of maximizing profits. ...
... Questions of ethics or morality at base have to do with wisdom and virtue and are not only concerned with the best way of doing something but with what is worth doing. When wisdom and virtuous principle are well understood, our most important and efficacious institutions and activities can be related to these.
A person needs to be
about somethingat his or her core and feel deeply why some things are worthwhile and others are worth everything. Whether a person resolves this well or poorly, rightly or wrongly, the effort is crucial to being fully human. It is especially important in the case of members of the Armed Forces as well as others for whom honor is quintessential. Conscience, duty, orders, leadership, professionalism, loyalty, courage, and judgment -- and their evil opposite qualities -- all derive from the inner development of a person. This progress may be advanced in silence and solitude, through reflection, or amidst a profusion of difficult, even stressful activities.
Conscience, duty, orders, leadership, professionalism, loyalty, courage, and judgment? ]
http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.htmlEvery human is in certain respects
a. like all other humans.
b. like some other humans.
c. like no other human.
The thing with this technology, is if it's doable, somebody's going to do it. Being indignant won't make it go away.-- Steve Douville (steve at douville.net) 1999-06-10 http://www.phpbuilder.com/mail/php3-list/199906/1047.php
Systems simple enough to be understood are not complicated enough to behave intelligently-- subtillioN 02/26/2003 http://www.kurzweilai.net/mindx/frame.html?main=/mindx/show_thread.php?rootID%3D15105 [FIXME: I disagree. I think. Perhaps it depends on what you mean by "intelligently". Or perhaps "understood". Humans behave intelligently, right ? And I know many things about humans, from low-level details (atoms, DNA, cells, ...) to high-level details (some humans can speak more than one language). ... stuff about infinite regress: Yes, that is a trap ... but it doesn't mean that something cannot be contained in itself. idea_space.html#quines ]
Imagination is more important than reason. ... for machines will reason and men will dare to dream-- Albert Einstein ( Princeton 1943 on being consulted about Colossus at Bletchley Park )
The young one hesitates at every decision, and his thoughts are weighed down by everyday cares; but the old one does all by habit, and his thoughts are free to ponder deep matters.-- Llegisia proverb; Jim Henry III http://www.mindspring.com/~jimhenry/caligo/llegisia.htm
FIDE, SED CUI VIDE. Trust, but take care whom (you trust).
FIDES SOLA IUSTIFICAT. Faith alone justifies. --Martin Luther
HOMO SUM, HUMANI NIL A ME ALIENUM PUTO. I am a man; nothing human is alien to me. --Terence, Heautontimorumenos, I:1, l. 77
[
nihil humani alieni mihi puto( nothing human is alien to me ) -- Michel de Montaigne (possibly quoting someone else ?) ]
HOC IUBET DEUS UT NON SIMUS HOMINES.... DEUS ENIM DEUM TE VULT FACERE. God commands not that you be men.... For God wants to make you a god. --St. Augustine, Serm. 166
IN SILVAM NE LIGNA FERAS. Don't carry logs into the forest. ("Don't carry coals to Newcastle"). --Horace, Satirae, 1:10:34 [DAV: "Don't carry the water to the desert" famous contemporary christian song -- singer ?]
IN VANUM LABORAT QUI OMNIBUS PLACERE CONTENDIT. He labors in vain who endeavors to please everyone. --Roman proverb
INTERFICE ERROREM, DILIGERE ERRANTEM (ODISSE ERRORES, DILIGERE ERRANTES). Kill the sin, live the sinner (to hate sins, to love sinners). --St. Augustine
INVENIAM VIAM AUT FACIAM. I shall find a way, or I shall make one. --Peary, discoverer of the North Pole
MELIUS TARDE (TARDUM) QUAM NUMQUAM. Better late than never.
MULTUM, NON MULTA. Much, not many things. ("Quality, not quantity," a Latin translation of the Greek aphorism "ou polla', alla` poly'") --Pliny the Younger
NE SUPRA CREPIDAM SUTOR IUDICARET. Let a cobbler not judge beyond a sandal. ("Stick with what you know.") --Apelles, as quoted by Pliny the Elder
NEMO LIBER EST QUI CORPORI SERVIT. No one is free who is a slave to his body. --Seneca
NON ENIM TAM PRAECLARUM EST SCIRE LATINE QUAM TURPE NESCIRE. It is not so much excellent to know [good] Latin, as it is a shame not to know it. --Cicero, Brutus 37:140
NON EST AD ASTRA MOLLIS E TERRIS VIA. There is no easy way from the earth to the stars. --Seneca
NON IN MULTILOQUI SED IN PURITATE CORDIS. Not in the multitude of words, but in the purity of heart. --St. Benedict
NON NUMERO HORAS NISI SERENAS. I do not count the hours unless (they are) sunny. --Motto on a sundial
NON SCHOLAE SED VITAE DISCIMUS. We learn not for school but for life.
NULLUS EST INSTAR DOMUS. There is no place like home.
OPTIMUS MAGISTER BONUS LIBER. The best teacher is a good book.
PECUNIA IN ARBORIBUS NON CRESCIT. Money does not grow on trees.
PRIMA SIBI CHARITAS. First, charity to oneself. ("Charity begins at home.")
PRIMUM NON NOCERE. The first thing is to do no harm. --Hippocratic Oath [ Primum Non Nocere (First do no Harm) ]
PRINCIPIIS OBSTA; SERO MEDICINA PARATUR, CUM MALA PER LONGAS CONVALUERE MORAS. Resist the beginnings; too late is the medicine prepared, when the disease has gained strength by long delay. ("Nip it in the bud.") --Ovid, Remedia Amoris, 91
PURIS OMNIA PURA. To the pure all things are pure. [DAV: quoting Titus 1:15 ]
QUID HOC AD AETERNITATEM? What (good is) this for eternity? --St. Bernard
SANCTA SIMPLICITAS. Holy simplicity.
--Most of us as men are experts on women, until we marry one. ... Heartfelt, non-critical listening is a rare phenomenon in our fast-paced, analytical culture. Listening takes time. Listening takes energy. Listening takes courage. To be honest, it often seems a lot easier just to give them chocolates.
...
The dangers of listening to womenarticle by Reverend Ed Hird http://www3.telus.net/st_simons/cr9805.htm
--... Another danger of listening to women is that we might have to change. None of us like being controlled. ... Sometimes we confuse our fear of change with our fear of being controlled. Without change, there is no growth. Without change, there is no future. ...
The dangers of listening to womenarticle by Reverend Ed Hird http://www3.telus.net/st_simons/cr9805.htm
--...
The Good Book says that our hearts are deceitful, and that no one can really understand them. (Jeremiah 17:9) We have an amazing ability to fool ourselves. Have you noticed how often we judge our spouses by their actions, and ourselves by our good intentions. ...
The dangers of listening to womenarticle by Reverend Ed Hird http://www3.telus.net/st_simons/cr9805.htm [FIXME: move to communism vs. capitalism]
At the heart of right conduct for Jains lie the five great vows:
- Nonviolence (Ahimsa) not to cause harm to any living beings
- Truthfulness (Satya) to speak the harmless truth only
- Non-stealing (Asteya) not to take anything not properly given
- Chastity (Brahmacharya) not to indulge in sensual pleasure
- Non-possession/Non-attachment (Aparigraha) complete detachment from people, places, and material things.
I am a scientist and a historian (and a historian of science), not a moral philosopher or political activist. I am more interested in how the world really works, not on how it should work according to some set of philosophical or political beliefs.-- Dr. Michael Shermer http://www.skepticnews.com/
"Success is a journey, not a destination." - Ben Sweetland
"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." - Anne Frank
"Any darn fool can make something complex; it takes a genius to make something simple." - Pete Seeger
One machine can do the combined work of fifty ordinary men. There is no machine that can do the work of one extraordinary man. -- unknown
"I would like to be allowed to admire a man's opinion as I would his dog - without being expected to take it home with me. " - Frank A Clark
"Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness." - Martin Luther King Jr.
[FIXME: to read]
You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.-- http://www.jagshouse.com/pearls.html
-- Ronald Reagan http://www.tonycooke.org/resources/july_4th.htm"My fellow citizens, those of you here in this hall, and those of you at home. I want you to know that I have always had the highest respect for you, for your common sense and intelligence and for your decency. I have always believed in you and in what you could accomplish for yourselves and others.
And whatever else history may say about me when I'm gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears; to your confidence rather than your doubts. My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with liberty's lamp guiding your steps and opportunity's arm steadying your way.
My fondest hope for each one of you, and especially for the young people here, is that you will love your country, not for her power or wealth, but for her selflessness and her idealism. May each of you have the heart to conceive, the understanding to direct, and the hand to execute works that will make the world a little better for your having been here.
May all of you as Americans never forget your heroic origins, never fail to seek Divine guidance, and never lose your natural God-given optimism.
And finally, my fellow Americans, may every dawn be a great new beginning for America and every evening bring us closer to that shining city upon a hill...My fellow Americans, on behalf of both of us, goodbye, and God bless each and every one of you and God bless this country we love."
If you stop to think, remember to start again.-- Josh Fellman <look at myveedub.com> Date: Fri, 23 May 2003 09:48:19 -0700 (PDT)
...
And indeed, there can be no doubt of von Neumann's genius. His very ability to realize his human limitation put him head and shoulders above the average programmer today . . . Average people can be trained to accept their humanity -- their inability to function like a machine -- and to value it and work with others so as to keep it under the kind of control needed if programming is to be successful (Weinberg 1998).... Programmers also benefit from
accidentallyoverhearing other conversations to which they can have vital contributions. ... programmers need contact with other programmers.
-- http://www.agilealliance.com/articles/articles/Kindergarten.pdf
-- Kevin Scaldeferri, possibly quoting someone else.The INTJ's Prayer:
Lord keep me open to others' ideas, WRONG though they may be.
-- Dan Stafford (quoting someone else ?) Word Whizzyrds http://whizzyrds.com/"Words are the mind's bridge -- its connection to all the Universe.
Love is the heart's bridge -- its connection to all other souls.
Loving words can work miracles !
see also
"Responsible Vulnerability Disclosure Process" http://www.wiretrip.net/rfp/txt/ietf-draft.txt
This is a time for a loud voice, open speech, and fearless thinking. I rejoice that I live in such a splendidly disturbing time.-- Helen Keller http://www.awakenedwoman.com/vigil_lappe.htm
We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly. -- Anonymous
Be tolerant of the human race. Your whole family belongs to it -- and some of your spouse's family does too. -- Anonymous
There is no realizable power that man cannot, in time, fashion the tools to attain, nor any power so secure that the naked ape will not abuse it. So it is written in the genetic cards - only physics and war hold him in check. And the wife who wants him home by five, of course. -- Encyclopaedia Apocryphia [#tools ?]
When was the last time that you did something for the first time?-- unknown
it was observations of the military by Cyril Northcote Parkinson that led to his famous dictum about bureaucratic inefficiency,Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.
The more advanced the technology the heavier and more dense the hammer required. ... for ... percussive maintenance-- Russell McMahon 2004-01-04
"The nine core Principles of 4GC."
-- Eric Renson 2012, a hero in the story "Manna" by Marshall Brain
The signal fires of the Plains Indians and the campfires of our fore-bears have long since ceased to send their flashing messages across the plain or mark the spot of the evening bivouac, but in the hearts of their sons and daughters there burns a brighter glow and a fiercer flame. It is our determination to climb ever upward along the pathway of human progress that leads to the stars. ... We shall not now, in the midst of the storm whose thunders roll around this world, be unworthy of their courage. ... They had the faith to go up and possess the land. With the mantle of their spirit upon our shoulders, let us march on into a brighter and more glorious dawn!
If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything, is ready, we shall never begin.-- Ivan Turgenev
-- David Cary Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. -- Luke 12:32
http://www.theconnexion.net/cgi-bin/blogwiki.pl?Blog_EthicsBlog Ethics
- Publish as fact only that which you believe to be true.
- If material exists online, link to it when you reference it.
- Publicly correct any misinformation.
- Write each entry as if it could not be changed; add to, but do not rewrite or delete, any entry.
- Disclose any conflict of interest.
- Note questionable and biased sources.
Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood -- or Death.-- ???
Here are my definitions:
Information: Anything that people need to be aware of in order to make better decisions. For example, the weather report, a new workplace policy, when your taxes are due, etc.
Design: The discipline of developing structures which enhance people's lives. For example, a well-designed house, website or newsletter improves your quality of life more than one that is poorly-designed.
So if you can agree with those definitions, a good definition for information design might be:
Information design: The discipline of developing structures which allow people to find information that's relevant to them, and use it to make decisions which enhance their lives.
-- http://communicationnation.blogspot.com/2005/11/what-is-information-design.html
Plans are nothing; planning is everything. -- Eisenhower http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/d/dwightdei149111.html
"If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog." -- Eisenhower (or was it Truman?)
"My resolution would be ... world peace and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies." -- Natalia Golovatcheva 2006-Jan
Validate syntax: http://validator.w3.org/check?pw;uri=http://rdrop.com/~cary/html/creed.html
Started: 1997 Dec 15.
Original Author: David Cary.
Current maintainer: David Cary.
Send comments, suggestions, bug reports to
David Cary
d.cary@ieee.org.
end
http://david.carybros.com/html/creed.html