Art of Modeling Defined

"The art of modeling consists of identifying regularities in a system and then creating a mathematical process that emulates, to a limited degree, these properties."
-Foster Morrison

Backyard Football

"I'm not as worried about my son being injured playing [backyard] football as I am in contemplating the little straitjacket world he's being fitted for. Those children decided on the rules, supplied their equipment --a ball-- and played their game without any adult supervision. I'm leery of them being told that someone will always tell them exactly what to do, and simultaneously unerringly protect them not only from harm, but hurt feelings."
-Sippican Cottage

"If one considered life as a simple loan, one would perhaps be less exacting. We possess actually nothing; everything goes through us."

"We work not only to produce but to give value to time."

"Do all the work you can; that is the whole philosophy of the good way of life."

-Sippican Cottage

"The problem [with society] isn't too few laws and regulations but too many. Human history consists of a strong and unrestrained pressure to convert output into structure. The structure may at first be useful, but eventually it merely exists for its own sake, and after a while grows far beyond necessity, even beyond endurance.

Sometimes there are such rapid gains in output that the structure can't stifle them; but slowly it continues to increase, to regulate, and to control. Examples are the various Industrial Revolutions and the most recent was the Computer Revolution."

-Jerry Pournelle

The Perfect Use Interface

"A perfect gadget (or device user interface) is something a luddite could figure out in seconds and a hacker could tinker around with for endless hours."
-aladdinzane