CQ2: Ed Murphy

"A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked...."

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:49:52 -0700

“A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. The inverse proposition also appears to be true: A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be made to work. You have to start over, beginning with a working simple system.”

- Gall’s Law

"There was no sex in Ireland before television."

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:43:31 -0700

“There was no sex in Ireland before television.”

- Oliver J. Flanagan

(who goes swimming in the Holy See)

"It is impossible even for the Sanskrit scholar who has not lived in India to appreciate fully the..."

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:47:29 -0700

“It is impossible even for the Sanskrit scholar who has not lived in India to appreciate fully the merits of this later poetry, much more so for those who can only become acquainted with it in translations. For, in the first place, the metres, artificial and elaborate though they are, have a beauty of their own which cannot [ 280 ]be reproduced in other languages. Again, to understand it thoroughly, the reader must have seen the tropical plains and forests of Hindustan steeped in intense sunshine or bathed in brilliant moonlight; he must have viewed the silent ascetic seated at the foot of the sacred fig-tree; he must have experienced the feelings inspired by the approach of the monsoon; he must have watched beast and bird disporting themselves in tank and river; he must know the varying aspects of Nature in the different seasons; in short, he must be acquainted with all the sights and sounds of an Indian landscape, the mere allusion to one of which may call up some familiar scene or touch some chord of sentiment. Otherwise, for instance, the mango-tree, the red Açoka, the orange Kadamba, the various creepers, the different kinds of lotus, the mention of each of which should convey a vivid picture, are but empty names. Without a knowledge, moreover, of the habits, modes of thought, and traditions of the people, much must remain meaningless. But those who are properly equipped can see many beauties in classical Sanskrit poetry which are entirely lost to others. Thus a distinguished scholar known to the present writer has entered so fully into the spirit of that poetry, that he is unable to derive pleasure from any other.”

- A History of Sanskrit Literature

"Jack of all trades, master of none; though oft-times better than a master of one."

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:59:30 -0700

“Jack of all trades, master of none;
though oft-times better than a master of one.”

-

# unemployed per job opening

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:07:58 -0700

# unemployed per job opening

Glastonbury 2009

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:39:00 -0700

Glastonbury 2009

"When it comes to cheese, there’s goat people, there’s sheep people and there’s cow..."

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:32:30 -0700

“When it comes to cheese, there’s goat people, there’s sheep people and there’s cow people. None of them see eye to eye, and all are biased. The stereotype is sheep people like landscape; they like to see the flock on the hillside, which looks pretty, but a sheep person doesn’t really like the animal itself. Goat people like the animal and make the cheese to support the animal. And cow people like heavy machinery.”

- Living the dream, with goats

"A “Fifth Edition” consisting of a single Western Union telegram page filled with the..."

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:26:52 -0700

“A “Fifth Edition” consisting of a single Western Union telegram page filled with the letter M was published as an appendix to the Loompanics and SJ Games re-printings of the 4th Edition.”

- Principia Discordia

"The severity of Madoff’s sentence changes his options. A lighter sentence might have allowed..."

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:06:04 -0700

“The severity of Madoff’s sentence changes his options. A lighter sentence might have allowed Madoff’s team to negotiate his placement from medium security to low, based mostly on his age and notoriety, says Ellis; a 150-year sentence means he will now have to lobby to go from high security to medium. Medium security facilities look similar to low-security institutions, but the inmates are much more likely to be inside for violent crimes. If Madoff gets medium security, says Webster, “He will be assaulted, there’s no doubt about that.” It’s that much of a certainty? “God, yes. Oh, God, yes.””

- Madoff Goes to Prison

"We’re running out of water. The Ganges, Yellow, Yangtze, Indus, Brahmaputra, and Mekong rivers..."

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:35:58 -0700

“We’re running out of water. The Ganges, Yellow, Yangtze, Indus, Brahmaputra, and Mekong rivers collectively irrigate the food crops for nearly a billion people. The glaciers that have fed them for eons are rapidly melting. Within a lifetime, these rivers are projected to be seasonally dry.”

- Greywater

"Looking at median household incomes in every mid-to-high end area in [California], I come up with..."

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 22:16:29 -0700

“Looking at median household incomes in every mid-to-high end area in [California], I come up with the same conclusion…the mid-to-high housing bands are still 33% to 50% overvalued on average.”

- The New Homeowner Hallucination: “We’ll Rent For A Year And Then Sell When The Market Comes Back”

"In a Los Angeles Times article, Ms. Hedren was described as being a pivotal figure in the modern..."

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:06:30 -0700

“In a Los Angeles Times article, Ms. Hedren was described as being a pivotal figure in the modern development of Vietnamese owned nail salons in the US. She was apparently drawn to the plight of Vietnamese refugees from the Vietnam War and, in 1975, helped 20 Vietnamese immigrants by having her manicurist teach them the skills of the trade. This single event in history has been cited as the genesis of the modern proliferation of Vietnamese owned nail salons in the US.[21] [edit]”

- Tippi Hedren

true, dat

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:48:10 -0700

true, dat

keep being awesome! (via passiveaggressivenotes)

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:20:57 -0700

keep being awesome! (via passiveaggressivenotes)

American Girl in Italy

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:38:53 -0700

American Girl in Italy

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:27:56 -0700

Leben Hifi

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:18:56 -0700

Leben Hifi

"Hancock was represented at a hearing at Perth District Court on 12 November 2008 at which he asked..."

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:58:35 -0700

“Hancock was represented at a hearing at Perth District Court on 12 November 2008 at which he asked that he be spared an automatic six-month driving ban[4]. It was revealed during the hearing that he had at least three previous convictions for speeding. Despite this, his solicitor asked that he be spared a ban, or that any ban be limited to one week rather than the six months which is normal in similar circumstances for people who do not regularly appear on TV quiz shows.”

- Nick Hancock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ghost in the Machine: The Clash (via iri5)

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:42:09 -0700

Ghost in the Machine: The Clash (via iri5)

F##k yea

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:50:33 -0700

F##k yea