Smart Questions

Man has made some machines that can answer questions provided the facts are profusely stored in them, but we will never be able to make a machine that will ask questions. The ability to ask the right question is more than half the battle of finding the answer. - Thomas J. Watson


  Machines are always inside the box. People can think outside the box.

Legacy

The only thing you take with you when you're gone is what you leave behind. - John Allston

  Don't bother leaving things; ideas are immortal.

Rap Music

Rap music... sounds like somebody feeding a rhyming dictionary to a popcorn popper. - Tom Robbins

  Yup.

Fast Lane

There are no speed limits on the road to excellence. - David W. Johnson

So be sure to go faster than any who might stop you.

Self Control

Man has six organs to serve him and he is master only of three. He cannot control his eye, ear or nose, but can his mouth, hand and foot. - Leone Levi


  Inputs can't be controlled; outputs can. If you try to control inputs you will be known as a .......not very nice person.

What To Do

Support the strong, give courage to the timid, remind the indifferent, and warn the opposed. - Whitney Young

 And treat yourself kindly.

For Themselves

Men are not against you; they are merely for themselves. - Gene Fowler

Men, women, classmates, neighbors, politicians are all the same; out for themselves though their actions, on the surface, may look otherwise.

No There Shouldn't

Where you find the laws most numerous, there you will find the greatest injustice. - Arcesilaus

Remember that when you are tempted to say "There ought to be a law."

Rush Hour

There are no traffic jams when you go the extra mile. - Anonymous

And no speed limit.

Newton Paraphrased

For every expert there is an equal and opposite expert. - Arthur C. Clarke

Beware of so-called experts.

Who Are You?

Acting like someone you're not is exactly what it takes to realize you're capable of more than you ever knew. - Rob Sheridan

So much for being just who you are! If you are just "who you are" you will never advance.

Free and Equal

A society that puts equality ahead of freedom will end up with neither. - Milton Friedman

Remember the distinction between equality and equality of opportunity.

The Root of Problems

When solving problems, dig at the roots instead of just hacking at the leaves. - Anthony J. D'Angelo

The root of a problem is its true cause.

Speech

Speech is conveniently located midway between thought and action, where it often substitutes for both. - John Andrew Holmes 

Know what you speak and act according to your words.

Simple

Only those who have the patience to do simple things perfectly ever acquire the skill to do difficult things easily. - Unknown 

The task, no matter how trivial, deserves your full attention.

Cause and Effect

It is common error to infer that things which are consecutive in order of time have necessarily the relation of cause and effect. - Jacob Bigelow

Cause and effect are related by time but being related by time does not infer cause and effect.

Compromise

Compromise? That's when you give away half the things you want. That's when you give the other guy half of what's rightfully yours. - Sue Grafton

Otherwise known as taking it in the shorts.

Why Wait?

If it is to be, it is up to me. - Unknown

You can wait a long time for somebody else to do it.

The Perfect Job

If you have a job without aggravations, you don't have a job. - Malcolm Forbes 

In employment, as in other activities, there is no perfection.

Be Tough Pleasantly

I'm tough, I'm ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay. - Madonna

You can be tough, ambitious and know what you want and still be pleasant.

Cause of Happiness

The secret of happiness is to make others believe they are the cause of it. - Al Batt

Happy wife, happy life.

Tell Me About Your Future

You can't base your life on the past or present. You have to tell me about your future. - Chuck Palahniuk 

Goals can change, history can't.

Great Seamanship

Good seamanship is recovering from an incident at sea. Great seamanship is avoiding an incident at sea. - Unknown

Strive for greatness.

Question

Can perfection be enhanced? If perfection is enhanced was the original version flawed? - Lyle

New Discoveries

There is no harm in doubt and skepticism, for it is through these that new discoveries are made. - Richard Feynman 

Doubt and skepticism are not an end in themselves.

Communicate

It is the responsibility of the sender to make sure the receiver understands the message. - Joseph Batten

Which is why you should never stop working on your communication skills.

Amputee

If you don't have a leg to stand on, you can't put your foot down. - Dave Weinbaum

Remain well-grounded in reality.

Government Numbers

There are 10^11 stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge number. But it's only a hundred billion. It's less than the national deficit! We used to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should call them economical numbers. - Richard Feynman

I think "government numbers" would be more to the point.

Neither Rhyme or Reason

I was promis'd on a time,
To have a reason for my rhyme:
But from that time unto this season,
I had neither rhyme or reason. - Edmund Spenser

Follow the link to better understand the origin of "rhyme or reason."

The True Meaning of Life

I got to thinking of my friend, Larry, who I worked with in the drafting department of a steel construction business while I was going to college. Larry and I would play cribbage at lunchtime and swap stories. One day I told him of a story I had read for Religion class. It was the story of the old Buddhist monk who was teaching the young monks. He ask them to tell him the meaning of life, and to each explanation he said "No, that is not the meaning of life."  Another old monk had joined them during this questioning and was asked the same question. He put his sandals on top of his head, rose and walked off. The teacher then said "He is right."

A few days later the head engineer came in and gave us a glowing report on a project we had completed. He commended us on our fine work which we received with appreciation because it was an uncommon occurrence at this firm. A few minutes later the head draftsman returned from an install of another project.  He stood in front of the room and read us the riot act for what seemed a very long time. He told us how  no-good, lazy, stupid, and worthless we were. I have to pause here and tell you that this was before the advent of computers and we used pencils and pens on our drawings. We all kept a roll of toilet paper at our tables for wiping up spills. Well after the head draftsman finished chewing us out, I looked over at Larry. He reached for his roll of toilet paper and put it on top of his head. It stuck me as so funny I burst out in laughter. I didn't get fired but probably only because we were so short handed.

I really miss Larry,. He died of multiple sclerosis a year of two later.