I don't think cut and paste has been the source of the problems with the
systems I've worked on (could be a symptom of one or more of the problems.)
What I see is long-term systems built around short-term, usually
competitive goals, by people who are competing both with one another (for
jobs, promo
Hi Michael,
I was really thinking of something deeper than a Delphi-style repository. Often
I've had to negotiate between two diametrically opposed groups. I do this by
resorting to what a mentor once taught me as 'mange by fact'. If you strip away
the emotions, opinions, assumptions, etc. you
Hi Alan,
Is the gift really that bad? It certainly is an interesting question.
I'm a frequent blogger on the topic of what could probably be described as the
ongoing 'software crisis'. We definitely build bigger systems these days, but
the quality has likely been declining. There is great soft
I have a pretty good example of this. I would like to look up whether
there's a difference between cigarettes and e-cigarettes for short and long
term health. I know people who experience weight gain on e-cigarettes, and
lose weight on regular cigarettes.
On Sep 8, 2013 9:46 AM, "Alan Kay" wrote
Hi Paul
When I said "even scientists go against their training" I was also pointing out
really deep problems in humanity's attempts at thinking (we are quite terrible
thinkers!).
If we still make most decisions without realizing why, and use conventional
"thinking tools" as ways to rationaliz
Hi Alan,
I agree that there is, and probably will always be, a necessity to 'think
outside of the box', although if the box was larger, it would be less
necessary. But I wasn't really thinking about scientists and the pursuit of new
knowledge, but rather the trillions? of mundane decisions that
Hi Paul
I'm sure you are aware that yours is a very "Engelbartian" point of view, and I
think there is still much value in trying to make things better in this
direction.
However, it's also worth noting the studies over the last 40 years (and
especially recently) that show how often even scien
