A guideline in the process of stepwise refinement should be the principle to decompose decisions as much as possible, to untangle aspects which are only seemingly interdependent, and to defer those decisions which concern details of representation as long as possible. -- Niklaus Wirth

What do Americans look for in a car? I've heard many answers when I've asked this question. The answers include excellent safety ratings, great gas mileage, handling, and cornering ability, among others. I don't believe any of these. That's because the first principle of the Culture Code is that the only effective way to understand what people truly mean is to ignore what they say. This is not to suggest that people intentionally lie or misrepresent themselves. What it means is that, when asked direct questions about their interests and preferences, people tend to give answers they believe the questioner wants to hear. Again, this is not because they intend to mislead. It is because people respond to these questions with their cortexes, the parts of their brains that control intelligence rather than emotion or instinct. They ponder a question, they process a question, and when they deliver an answer, it is the product of deliberation. They believe they are telling the truth. A lie detector would confirm this. In most cases, however, they aren't saying what they mean. -- The culture code.

The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution. -- Bertrand Russell

Making All Software Into Tools Reduces Risk. -- smoothspan.com

Just like carpentry, measure twice cut once. -- Super-sizing YouTube with Python (Mike Solomon, [email protected])

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent. -- Eleanor Roosevelt

Do what you can, where you are, with what you have. –Teddy Roosevelt

Fortune sides with him who dares. ~Virgil

Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor. ~Truman Capote

Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs. –Farrah Gray