fortunes revision 1.23
1!07/11 PDP a ni deppart m'I !pleH 2% 3(1) Alexander the Great was a great general. 4(2) Great generals are forewarned. 5(3) Forewarned is forearmed. 6(4) Four is an even number. 7(5) Four is certainly an odd number of arms for a man to have. 8(6) The only number that is both even and odd is infinity. 9 10Therefore, Alexander the Great had an infinite number of arms. 11% 12(1) Everything depends. 13(2) Nothing is always. 14(3) Everything is sometimes. 15% 161.79 x 10^12 furlongs per fortnight -- it's not just a good idea, it's 17the law! 18% 1910.0 times 0.1 is hardly ever 1.0. 20% 21100 buckets of bits on the bus 22100 buckets of bits 23Take one down, short it to ground 24FF buckets of bits on the bus 25 26FF buckets of bits on the bus 27FF buckets of bits 28Take one down, short it to ground 29FE buckets of bits on the bus 30 31ad infinitum... 32% 33$100 invested at 7% interest for 100 years will become $100,000, at 34which time it will be worth absolutely nothing. 35 -- Lazarus Long, "Time Enough for Love" 36% 37101 USES FOR A DEAD MICROPROCESSOR 38 (1) Scarecrow for centipedes 39 (2) Dead cat brush 40 (3) Hair barrettes 41 (4) Cleats 42 (5) Self-piercing earrings 43 (6) Fungus trellis 44 (7) False eyelashes 45 (8) Prosthetic dog claws 46 . 47 . 48 . 49 (99) Window garden harrow (pulled behind Tonka tractors) 50 (100) Killer velcro 51 (101) Currency 52% 53186,282 miles per second: 54 55It isn't just a good idea, it's the law! 56% 572180, U.S. History question: 58 What 20th Century U.S. President was almost impeached and what 59office did he later hold? 60% 61$3,000,000 62% 63"355/113 -- Not the famous irrational number PI, but an incredible 64simulation!" 65% 6643rd Law of Computing: 67 Anything that can go wr 68fortune: Segmentation violation -- Core dumped 69% 7077. HO HUM -- The Redundant 71 72------- (7) This hexagram refers to a situation of extreme 73--- --- (8) boredom. Your programs always bomb off. Your wife 74------- (7) smells bad. Your children have hives. You are working 75---O--- (6) on an accounting system, when you want to develop the 76---X--- (9) GREAT AMERICAN COMPILER. You give up hot dates to 77--- --- (8) nurse sick computers. What you need now is sex. 78 79Nine in the second place means: 80 The yellow bird approaches the malt shop. Misfortune. 81 82Six in the third place means: 83 In former times men built altars to honor the Internal Revenue 84 Service. Great Dragons! Are you in trouble! 85% 867:30, Channel 5: The Bionic Dog (Action/Adventure) 87 The Bionic Dog drinks too much and kicks over the National 88 Redwood Forest. 89% 907:30, Channel 5: The Bionic Dog (Action/Adventure) 91 The Bionic Dog gets a hormonal short-circuit and violates the 92 Mann Act with an interstate Greyhound bus. 93% 9499 blocks of crud on the disk, 9599 blocks of crud! 96You patch a bug, and dump it again: 97100 blocks of crud on the disk! 98 99100 blocks of crud on the disk, 100100 blocks of crud! 101You patch a bug, and dump it again: 102101 blocks of crud on the disk! ... 103% 104A "No" uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than a 105"Yes" merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble. 106 -- Mahatma Ghandi 107% 108A [golf] ball hitting a tree shall be deemed not to have hit the tree. 109Hitting a tree is simply bad luck and has no place in a scientific 110game. The player should estimate the distance the ball would have 111traveled if it had not hit the tree and play the ball from there, 112preferably atop a nice firm tuft of grass. 113 -- Donald A. Metz 114% 115A [golf] ball sliced or hooked into the rough shall be lifted and 116placed in the fairway at a point equal to the distance it carried or 117rolled into the rough. Such veering right or left frequently results 118from friction between the face of the club and the cover of the ball 119and the player should not be penalized for the erratic behavior of the 120ball resulting from such uncontrollable physical 121phenomena. 122 -- Donald A. Metz 123% 124A baby is an alimentary canal with a loud voice at one end and no 125responsibility at the other. 126% 127A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. 128 -- Carl Sandburg 129% 130A bachelor is a selfish, undeserving guy who has cheated some woman out 131of a divorce. 132 -- Don Quinn 133% 134A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining 135and wants it back the minute it begins to rain. 136 -- Mark Twain 137% 138A billion here, a couple of billion there -- first thing you know it 139adds up to be real money. 140 -- Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen 141% 142A bird in the bush usually has a friend in there with him. 143% 144A bird in the hand is worth what it will bring. 145% 146A bird in the hand makes it awfully hard to blow your nose. 147% 148... A booming voice says, "Wrong, cretin!", and you notice that you 149have turned into a pile of dust. 150% 151A bore is someone who persists in holding his own views after we have 152enlightened him with ours. 153% 154A budget is just a method of worrying before you spend money, as well 155as afterward. 156% 157A candidate is a person who gets money from the rich and votes from the 158poor to protect them from each other. 159% 160A celebrity is a person who is known for his well-knownness. 161% 162A child can go only so far in life without potty training. It is not 163mere coincidence that six of the last seven presidents were potty 164trained, not to mention nearly half of the nation's state legislators. 165 -- Dave Barry 166% 167A child of five could understand this! Fetch me a child of five. 168% 169A chubby man with a white beard and a red suit will approach you soon. 170Avoid him. He's a Commie. 171% 172A citizen of America will cross the ocean to fight for democracy, but 173won't cross the street to vote in a national election. 174 -- Bill Vaughan 175% 176A city is a large community where people are lonesome together 177 -- Herbert Prochnow 178% 179A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody 180wants to read. 181 -- Mark Twain 182% 183A closed mouth gathers no foot. 184% 185A computer, to print out a fact, 186Will divide, multiply, and subtract. 187 But this output can be 188 No more than debris, 189If the input was short of exact. 190 -- Gigo 191% 192A conclusion is simply the place where someone got tired of thinking. 193% 194A CONS is an object which cares. 195 -- Bernie Greenberg. 196% 197A consultant is a person who borrows your watch, tells you what time it 198is, pockets the watch, and sends you a bill for it. 199% 200A continuing flow of paper is sufficient to continue the flow of paper. 201 -- Dyer 202% 203A copy of the universe is not what is required of art; one of the 204damned things is ample. 205 -- Rebecca West 206% 207A countryman between two lawyers is like a fish between two cats. 208 -- Ben Franklin 209% 210A crusader's wife slipped from the garrison 211And had an affair with a Saracen. 212 She was not oversexed, 213 Or jealous or vexed, 214She just wanted to make a comparison. 215% 216A cynic is a person searching for an honest man, with a stolen 217lantern. 218 -- Edgar A. Shoaff 219% 220A day for firm decisions!!!!! Or is it? 221% 222A day without sunshine is like night. 223% 224A diplomat is a man who can convince his wife she'd look stout in a fur 225coat. 226% 227A diplomat is someone who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that 228you will look forward to the trip. 229% 230 A disciple of another sect once came to Drescher as he was 231eating his morning meal. "I would like to give you this personality 232test", said the outsider, "because I want you to be happy." 233 Drescher took the paper that was offered him and put it into 234the toaster -- "I wish the toaster to be happy too". 235% 236A diva who specializes in risqu'e arias is an off-coloratura soprano ... 237% 238 A doctor, an architect, and a computer scientist were arguing 239about whose profession was the oldest. In the course of their 240arguments, they got all the way back to the Garden of Eden, whereupon 241the doctor said, "The medical profession is clearly the oldest, because 242Eve was made from Adam's rib, as the story goes, and that was a simply 243incredible surgical feat." 244 The architect did not agree. He said, "But if you look at the 245Garden itself, in the beginning there was chaos and void, and out of 246that, the Garden and the world were created. So God must have been an 247architect." 248 The computer scientist, who had listened to all of this said, 249"Yes, but where do you think the chaos came from?" 250% 251A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of. 252 -- Ogden Nash 253% 254A dozen, a gross, and a score, 255Plus three times the square root of four, 256 Divided by seven, 257 Plus five times eleven, 258Equals nine squared plus zero, no more. 259% 260A famous Lisp Hacker noticed an Undergraduate sitting in front of a 261Xerox 1108, trying to edit a complex Klone network via a browser. 262Wanting to help, the Hacker clicked one of the nodes in the network 263with the mouse, and asked "what do you see?" Very earnestly, the 264Undergraduate replied "I see a cursor." The Hacker then quickly 265pressed the boot toggle at the back of the keyboard, while 266simultaneously hitting the Undergraduate over the head with a thick 267Interlisp Manual. The Undergraduate was then Enlightened. 268% 269A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the 270subject. 271 -- Winston Churchill 272% 273A fool must now and then be right by chance. 274% 275A fool's brain digests philosophy into folly, science into 276superstition, and art into pedantry. Hence University education. 277 -- G. B. Shaw 278% 279A fool-proof method for sculpting an elephant: first, get a huge block 280of marble; then you chip away everything that doesn't look like an 281elephant. 282% 283A formal parsing algorithm should not always be used. 284 -- D. Gries 285% 286"A fractal is by definition a set for which the Hausdorff Besicovitch 287dimension strictly exceeds the topological dimension." 288 -- Mandelbrot, "The Fractal Geometry of Nature" 289% 290A free society is one where it is safe to be unpopular. 291 -- Adlai Stevenson 292% 293A Galileo could no more be elected president of the United States than 294he could be elected Pope of Rome. Both high posts are reserved for men 295favored by God with an extraordinary genius for swathing the bitter 296facts of life in bandages of self-illusion. 297 -- H. L. Mencken 298% 299A general leading the State Department resembles a dragon commanding 300ducks. 301 -- New York Times, Jan. 20, 1981 302% 303A girl and a boy bump into each other -- surely an accident. 304A girl and a boy bump and her handkerchief drops -- surely another accident. 305But when a girl gives a boy a dead squid -- *____that ___had __to ____mean _________something*. 306 -- S. Morganstern, "The Silent Gondoliers" 307% 308A gleekzorp without a tornpee is like a quop without a fertsneet (sort 309of). 310% 311A good question is never answered. It is not a bolt to be tightened 312into place but a seed to be planted and to bear more seed toward the 313hope of greening the landscape of idea. 314 -- John Ciardi 315% 316A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely 317rearranging their prejudices. 318 -- William James 319% 320A great nation is any mob of people which produces at least one honest 321man a century. 322% 323A hypothetical paradox: 324 What would happen in a battle between an Enterprise security 325team, who always get killed soon after appearing, and a squad of 326Imperial Stormtroopers, who can't hit the broad side of a planet? 327 -- Tom Galloway 328% 329A is for Amy who fell down the stairs, B is for Basil assaulted by bears. 330C is for Clair who wasted away, D is for Desmond thrown out of the sleigh. 331E is for Ernest who choked on a peach, F is for Fanny, sucked dry by a leech. 332G is for George, smothered under a rug, H is for Hector, done in by a thug. 333I is for Ida who drowned in the lake, J is for James who took lye, by mistake. 334K is for Kate who was struck with an axe, L is for Leo who swallowed some tacks. 335M is for Maud who was swept out to sea, N is for Nevil who died of enui. 336O is for Olive, run through with an awl, P is for Prue, trampled flat in a brawl 337Q is for Quinton who sank in a mire, R is for Rhoda, consumed by a fire. 338S is for Susan who parished of fits, T is for Titas who flew into bits. 339U is for Una who slipped down a drain, V is for Victor, squashed under a train. 340W is for Winie, embedded in ice, X is for Xercies, devoured by mice. 341Y is for Yoric whose head was bashed in, Z is for Zilla who drank too much gin. 342 -- Edward Gorey "The Gastly Crumb Tines" 343% 344A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance. 345% 346A jury consists of 12 persons chosen to decide 347who has the better lawyer. 348 -- Robert Frost 349% 350A lack of leadership is no substitute for inaction. 351% 352A lack of leadership is no substitute for inaction. 353% 354A lack of leadership is no substitute for inaction. 355% 356A lady with one of her ears applied 357To an open keyhole heard, inside, 358Two female gossips in converse free -- 359The subject engaging them was she. 360"I think", said one, "and my husband thinks 361That she's a prying, inquisitive minx!" 362As soon as no more of it she could hear 363The lady, indignant, removed her ear. 364"I will not stay," she said with a pout, 365"To hear my character lied about!" 366 -- Gopete Sherany 367% 368A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming is 369not worth knowing. 370% 371A language that doesn't have everything is actually easier to program 372in than some that do. 373 -- Dennis M. Ritchie 374% 375A large number of installed systems work by fiat. That is, they work 376by being declared to work. 377 -- Anatol Holt 378% 379A Law of Computer Programming: 380 Make it possible for programmers to write in English and you 381will find the programmers cannot write in English. 382% 383A limerick packs laughs anatomical 384Into space that is quite economical. 385 But the good ones I've seen 386 So seldom are clean, 387And the clean ones so seldom are comical. 388% 389A LISP programmer knows the value of everything, but the cost of 390nothing. 391% 392A little inaccuracy sometimes saves tons of explanation. 393 -- H. H. Munroe 394% 395A long memory is the most subversive idea in America. 396% 397A long-forgotten loved one will appear soon. Buy the negatives at any 398price. 399% 400A Los Angeles judge ruled that "a citizen may snore with immunity in 401his own home, even though he may be in possession of unusual and 402exceptional ability in that particular field." 403% 404A lot of people are afraid of heights. Not me. I'm afraid of widths. 405 -- Steve Wright 406% 407A lot of people I know believe in positive thinking, and so do I. I 408believe everything positively stinks. 409 -- Lew Col 410% 411 A man goes to a tailor to try on a new custom-made suit. The 412first thing he notices is that the arms are too long. 413 "No problem," says the tailor. "Just bend them at the elbow 414and hold them out in front of you. See, now it's fine." 415 "But the collar is up around my ears!" 416 "It's nothing. Just hunch your back up a little ... no, a 417little more ... that's it." 418 "But I'm stepping on my cuffs!" the man cries in desperation. 419 "Nu, bend you knees a little to take up the slack. There you 420go. Look in the mirror -- the suit fits perfectly." 421 So, twisted like a pretzel, the man lurches out onto the 422street. Reba and Florence see him go by. 423 "Oh, look," says Reba, "that poor man!" 424 "Yes," says Florence, "but what a beautiful suit." 425 -- Arthur Naiman, "Every Goy's Guide to Yiddish" 426% 427A man said to the Universe: "Sir, I exist!" 428 429"However," replied the Universe, "the fact has not created in me a 430sense of obligation." 431 -- Stephen Crane 432% 433A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small package. 434% 435 A master was explaining the nature of Tao to one of his 436novices. "The Tao is embodied in all software -- regardless of how 437insignificant," said the master. 438 439 "Is Tao in a hand-held calculator?" asked the novice. 440 441 "It is," came the reply. 442 443 "Is the Tao in a video game?" continued the novice. 444 445 "It is even in a video game," said the master. 446 447 "And is the Tao in the DOS for a personal computer?" 448 449 The master coughed and shifted his position slightly. "The 450lesson is over for today," he said. 451 -- "The Tao of Programming" 452% 453A mathematician is a machine for converting coffee into theorems. 454% 455A Mexican newspaper reports that bored Royal Air Force pilots stationed 456on the Falkland Islands have devised what they consider a marvelous new 457game. Noting that the local penguins are fascinated by airplanes, the 458pilots search out a beach where the birds are gathered and fly slowly 459along it at the water's edge. Perhaps ten thousand penguins turn their 460heads in unison watching the planes go by, and when the pilots turn 461around and fly back, the birds turn their heads in the opposite 462direction, like spectators at a slow-motion tennis match. Then, the 463paper reports, "The pilots fly out to sea and directly to the penguin 464colony and overfly it. Heads go up, up, up, and ten thousand penguins 465fall over gently onto their backs. 466 -- Audobon Society Magazine 467% 468 A musician of more ambition than talent composed an elegy at 469the death of composer Edward MacDowell. She played the elegy for the 470pianist Josef Hoffman, then asked his opinion. "Well, it's quite 471nice," he replied, but don't you think it would be better if ..." 472 "If what?" asked the composer. 473 "If ... if you had died and MacDowell had written the elegy?" 474% 475A neighbor came to Nasrudin, asking to borrow his donkey. "It is out 476on loan," the teacher replied. At that moment, the donkey brayed 477loudly inside the stable. "But I can hear it bray, over there." "Whom 478do you believe," asked Nasrudin, "me or a donkey?" 479% 480A new dramatist of the absurd 481Has a voice that will shortly be heard. 482 I learn from my spies 483 He's about to devise 484An unprintable three-letter word. 485% 486A new koan: 487 488 If you have some ice cream, I will give it to you. 489 490 If you have no ice cream, I will take it away from you. 491 492It is an ice cream koan. 493% 494A new supply of round tuits has arrived and are available from Mary. 495Anyone who has been putting off work until they got a round tuit now 496has no excuse for further procrastination. 497% 498A New York City judge ruled that if two women behind you at the movies 499insist on discussing the probable outcome of the film, you have the 500right to turn around and blow a Bronx cheer at them. 501% 502A New York City ordinance prohibits the shooting of rabbits from the 503rear of a Third Avenue street car -- if the car is in motion. 504% 505 A novel approach is to remove all power from the system, which 506removes most system overhead so that resources can be fully devoted to 507doing nothing. Benchmarks on this technique are promising; tremendous 508amounts of nothing can be produced in this manner. Certain hardware 509limitations can limit the speed of this method, especially in the 510larger systems which require a more involved & less efficient 511power-down sequence. 512 An alternate approach is to pull the main breaker for the 513building, which seems to provide even more nothing, but in truth has 514bugs in it, since it usually inhibits the systems which keep the beer 515cool. 516% 517A novice was trying to fix a broken Lisp machine by turning the power 518off and on. Knight, seeing what the student was doing spoke sternly: 519"You can not fix a machine by just power-cycling it with no 520understanding of what is going wrong." Knight turned the machine off 521and on. The machine worked. 522% 523A nuclear war can ruin your whole day. 524% 525A pedestal is as much a prison as any small, confined space. 526 -- Gloria Steinem 527% 528A penny saved is ridiculous. 529% 530A person is just about as big as the things that make them angry. 531% 532A physicist is an atom's way of knowing about atoms. 533 -- George Wald 534% 535A pig is a jolly companion, 536Boar, sow, barrow, or gilt -- 537A pig is a pal, who'll boost your morale, 538Though mountains may topple and tilt. 539When they've blackballed, bamboozled, and burned you, 540When they've turned on you, Tory and Whig, 541Though you may be thrown over by Tabby and Rover, 542You'll never go wrong with a pig, a pig, 543You'll never go wrong with a pig! 544 -- Thomas Pynchon, "Gravity's Rainbow" 545% 546 A Plan for the Improvement of English Spelling 547 by Mark Twain 548 549 For example, in Year 1 that useless letter "c" would be dropped 550to be replased either by "k" or "s", and likewise "x" would no longer 551be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which "c" would be retained 552would be the "ch" formation, which will be dealt with later. Year 2 553might reform "w" spelling, so that "which" and "one" would take the 554same konsonant, wile Year 3 might well abolish "y" replasing it with 555"i" and Iear 4 might fiks the "g/j" anomali wonse and for all. 556 Jenerally, then, the improvement would kontinue iear bai iear 557with Iear 5 doing awai with useless double konsonants, and Iears 6-12 558or so modifaiing vowlz and the rimeining voist and unvoist konsonants. 559Bai Iear 15 or sou, it wud fainali bi posibl tu meik ius ov thi 560ridandant letez "c", "y" and "x" -- bai now jast a memori in the maindz 561ov ould doderez -- tu riplais "ch", "sh", and "th" rispektivli. 562 Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud 563hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld. 564% 565"A power so great, it can only be used for Good or Evil!" 566 -- Firesign Theatre, "The Giant Rat of Summatra" 567% 568A priest asked: What is Fate, Master? 569 570And he answered: 571 572It is that which gives a beast of burden its reason for existence. 573 574It is that which men in former times had to bear upon their backs. 575 576It is that which has caused nations to build byways from City to City 577upon which carts and coaches pass, and alongside which inns have come 578to be built to stave off Hunger, Thirst and Weariness. 579 580And that is Fate? said the priest. 581 582Fate ... I thought you said Freight, responded the Master. 583 584That's all right, said the priest. I wanted to know what Freight was 585too. 586 -- Kehlog Albran, "The Profit" 587% 588 A priest was walking along the cliffs at Dover when he came 589upon two locals pulling another man ashore on the end of a rope. 590"That's what I like to see", said the priest, "A man helping his fellow 591man". 592 As he was walking away, one local remarked to the other, "Well, 593he sure doesn't know the first thing about shark fishing." 594% 595A professor is one who talks in someone else's sleep. 596% 597"A programmer is a person who passes as an exacting expert on the basis 598of being able to turn out, after innumerable punching, an infinite 599series of incomprehensive answers calculated with micrometric 600precisions from vague assumptions based on debatable figures taken from 601inconclusive documents and carried out on instruments of problematical 602accuracy by persons of dubious reliability and questionable mentality 603for the avowed purpose of annoying and confounding a hopelessly 604defenseless department that was unfortunate enough to ask for the 605information in the first place." 606 -- IEEE Grid news magazine 607% 608A psychiatrist is a person who will give you expensive answers that 609your wife will give you for free. 610% 611A public debt is a kind of anchor in the storm; but if the anchor be 612too heavy for the vessel, she will be sunk by that very weight which 613was intended for her preservation. 614 -- Colton 615% 616A putt that stops close enough to the cup to inspire such comments as 617"you could blow it in" may be blown in. This rule does not apply if 618the ball is more than three inches from the hole, because no one wants 619to make a travesty of the game. 620 -- Donald A. Metz 621% 622"A raccoon tangled with a 23,000 volt line today. The results blacked 623out 1400 homes and, of course, one raccoon." 624 -- Steel City News 625% 626"A radioactive cat has eighteen half-lives." 627% 628A reading from the Book of Armaments, Chapter 4, Verses 16 to 20: 629 630Then did he raise on high the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, saying, 631"Bless this, O Lord, that with it thou mayst blow thine enemies to tiny 632bits, in thy mercy." And the people did rejoice and did feast upon the 633lambs and toads and tree-sloths and fruit-bats and orangutans and 634breakfast cereals ... Now did the Lord say, "First thou pullest the 635Holy Pin. Then thou must count to three. Three shall be the number of 636the counting and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt 637thou not count, neither shalt thou count two, excepting that thou then 638proceedeth to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being 639the number of the counting, be reached, then lobbest thou the Holy Hand 640Grenade in the direction of thine foe, who, being naughty in my sight, 641shall snuff it." 642 -- Monty Python, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" 643% 644A real patriot is the fellow who gets a parking ticket and rejoices 645that the system works. 646% 647A real person has two reasons for doing anything ... a good reason and 648the real reason. 649% 650A recent study has found that concentrating on difficult off-screen 651objects, such as the faces of loved ones, causes eye strain in computer 652scientists. Researchers into the phenomenon cite the added 653concentration needed to "make sense" of such unnatural three 654dimensional objects ... 655% 656A Riverside, California, health ordinance states that two persons may 657not kiss each other without first wiping their lips with carbolized 658rosewater. 659% 660A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man 661contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral. 662 -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery 663% 664A sense of humor keen enough to show a man his own absurdities will 665keep him from the commission of all sins, or nearly all, save those 666that are worth committing. 667 -- Samuel Butler 668% 669 A Severe Strain on the Credulity 670 671As a method of sending a missile to the higher, and even to the highest 672parts of the earth's atmospheric envelope, Professor Goddard's rocket 673is a practicable and therefore promising device. It is when one 674considers the multiple-charge rocket as a traveler to the moon that one 675begins to doubt ... for after the rocket quits our air and really 676starts on its journey, its flight would be neither accelerated nor 677maintained by the explosion of the charges it then might have left. 678Professor Goddard, with his "chair" in Clark College and countenancing 679of the Smithsonian Institution, does not know the relation of action to 680re-action, and of the need to have something better than a vacuum 681against which to react ... Of course he only seems to lack the 682knowledge ladled out daily in high schools. 683 -- New York Times Editorial, 1920 684% 685A sine curve goes off to infinity or at least the end of the blackboard 686 -- Prof. Steiner 687% 688... A solemn, unsmiling, sanctimonious old iceberg who looked like he 689was waiting for a vacancy in the Trinity. 690 -- Mark Twain 691% 692A straw vote only shows which way the hot air blows. 693 -- O'Henry 694% 695A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many 696bad measures. 697 -- Daniel Webster 698% 699A student who changes the course of history is probably taking an 700exam. 701% 702A student, in hopes of understanding the Lambda-nature, came to 703Greenblatt. As they spoke a Multics system hacker walked by. "Is it 704true," asked the student, "that PL-1 has many of the same data types as 705Lisp?" Almost before the student had finished his question, Greenblatt 706shouted, "FOO!", and hit the student with a stick. 707% 708A successful [software] tool is one that was used to do something 709undreamed of by its author. 710 -- S. C. Johnson 711% 712A tautology is a thing which is tautological. 713% 714A total abstainer is one who abstains from everything but abstention, 715and especially from inactivity in the affairs of others. 716 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 717% 718A transistor protected by a fast-acting fuse will protect the fuse by 719blowing first. 720% 721A triangle which has an angle of 135 degrees is called an obscene 722triangle. 723% 724A truly wise man never plays leapfrog with a unicorn. 725% 726A university is what a college becomes when the faculty loses interest 727in students. 728 -- John Ciardi 729% 730"A University without students is like an ointment without a fly." 731 -- Ed Nather, professor of astronomy at UT Austin 732% 733A UNIX saleslady, Lenore, 734Enjoys work, but she likes the beach more. 735 She found a good way 736 To combine work and play: 737She sells C shells by the seashore. 738% 739A vacuum is a hell of a lot better than some of the stuff that nature 740replaces it with. 741 -- Tennessee Williams 742% 743A very intelligent turtle 744Found programming UNIX a hurdle 745 The system, you see, 746 Ran as slow as did he, 747And that's not saying much for the turtle. 748% 749A well adjusted person is one who makes the same mistake twice without 750getting nervous. 751% 752A witty saying proves nothing, but saying something pointless gets 753people's attention. 754% 755"A witty saying proves nothing." 756 -- Voltaire 757% 758"A wizard cannot do everything; a fact most magicians are reticent to 759admit, let alone discuss with prospective clients. Still, the fact 760remains that there are certain objects, and people, that are, for one 761reason or another, completely immune to any direct magical spell. It 762is for this group of beings that the magician learns the subtleties of 763using indirect spells. It also does no harm, in dealing with these 764matters, to carry a large club near your person at all times." 765 -- The Teachings of Ebenezum, Volume VIII 766% 767A year spent in artificial intelligence is enough to make one believe 768in God. 769% 770A.A.A.A.A.: 771 An organization for drunks who drive 772% 773AAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaccccccccckkkkkk!!!!!!!!! 774You brute! Knock before entering a ladies room! 775% 776Abandon the search for Truth; settle for a good fantasy. 777% 778"About the time we think we can make ends meet, somebody moves the 779ends." 780 -- Herbert Hoover 781% 782Absence makes the heart go wander. 783% 784Absent, adj.: 785 Exposed to the attacks of friends and acquaintances; defamed; 786slandered. 787% 788Absentee, n.: 789 A person with an income who has had the forethought to remove 790himself from the sphere of exaction. 791 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 792% 793Abstainer, n.: 794 A weak person who yields to the temptation of denying himself a 795pleasure. 796 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 797% 798Absurdity, n.: 799 A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own 800opinion. 801 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 802% 803Academic politics is the most vicious and bitter form of politics, 804because the stakes are so low. 805 -- Wallace Sayre 806% 807Accident, n.: 808 A condition in which presence of mind is good, but absence of 809body is better. 810% 811Accidents cause History. 812 813If Sigismund Unbuckle had taken a walk in 1426 and met Wat Tyler, the 814Peasant's Revolt would never have happened and the motor car would not 815have been invented until 2026, which would have meant that all the oil 816could have been used for lamps, thus saving the electric light bulb and 817the whale, and nobody would have caught Moby Dick or Billy Budd. 818 -- Mike Harding, "The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac" 819% 820According to Arkansas law, Section 4761, Pope's Digest: "No person 821shall be permitted under any pretext whatever, to come nearer than 822fifty feet of any door or window of any polling room, from the opening 823of the polls until the completion of the count and the certification of 824the returns." 825% 826According to Kentucky state law, every person must take a bath at least 827once a year. 828% 829According to my best recollection, I don't remember. 830 -- Vincent "Jimmy Blue Eyes" Alo 831% 832According to the latest official figures, 43% of all statistics are 833totally worthless. 834% 835According to the obituary notices, a mean and unimportant person never 836dies. 837% 838"According to the Rand McNally Places-Rated Almanac, the best place to 839live in America is the city of Pittsburgh. The city of New York came 840in twenty-fifth. Here in New York we really don't care too much. 841Because we know that we could beat up their city anytime." 842 -- David Letterman 843% 844Accordion, n.: 845 A bagpipe with pleats. 846% 847Accuracy, n.: 848 The vice of being right 849% 850 ACHTUNG!!! 851 852Das machine is nicht fur gefingerpoken und mittengrabben. Ist easy 853schnappen der springenwerk, blowenfusen und corkenpoppen mit 854spitzensparken. Ist nicht fur gewerken by das dummkopfen. Das 855rubbernecken sightseeren keepen hands in das pockets. Relaxen und 856vatch das blinkenlights!!! 857% 858Acid -- better living through chemistry. 859% 860Acid absorbs 47 times it's weight in excess Reality. 861% 862Acquaintance, n.: 863 A person whom we know well enough to borrow from, but not well 864enough to lend to. 865 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 866% 867"Acting is an art which consists of keeping the audience from 868coughing." 869% 870Actor: "I'm a smash hit. Why, yesterday during the last act, I had 871 everyone glued in their seats!" 872Oliver Herford: "Wonderful! Wonderful! Clever of you to think of 873 it!" 874% 875Actor: So what do you do for a living? 876Doris: I work for a company that makes deceptively shallow serving 877 dishes for Chinese restaurants. 878 -- Woody Allen, "Without Feathers" 879% 880Actors will happen even in the best-regulated families. 881% 882ADA, n.: 883 Something you need only know the name of to be an Expert in 884Computing. Useful in sentences like, "We had better develop an ADA 885awareness." 886% 887Admiration, n.: 888 Our polite recognition of another's resemblance to ourselves. 889 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 890% 891Adolescence, n.: 892 The stage between puberty and adultery. 893% 894"Adopted kids are such a pain -- you have to teach them how to look 895like you ..." 896 -- Gilda Radner 897% 898Adore, v.: 899 To venerate expectantly. 900 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 901% 902Adult, n.: 903 One old enough to know better. 904% 905Advertising is a valuable economic factor because it is the cheapest 906way of selling goods, particularly if the goods are worthless. 907 -- Sinclair Lewis 908% 909Advice to young men: Be ascetic, and if you can't be ascetic, 910then at least be asceptic. 911% 912After [Benjamin] Franklin came a herd of Electrical Pioneers whose 913names have become part of our electrical terminology: Myron Volt, Mary 914Louise Amp, James Watt, Bob Transformer, etc. These pioneers conducted 915many important electrical experiments. For example, in 1780 Luigi 916Galvani discovered (this is the truth) that when he attached two 917different kinds of metal to the leg of a frog, an electrical current 918developed and the frog's leg kicked, even though it was no longer 919attached to the frog, which was dead anyway. Galvani's discovery led 920to enormous advances in the field of amphibian medicine. Today, 921skilled veterinary surgeons can take a frog that has been seriously 922injured or killed, implant pieces of metal in its muscles, and watch it 923hop back into the pond just like a normal frog, except for the fact 924that it sinks like a stone. 925 -- Dave Barry, "What is Electricity?" 926% 927After a few boring years, socially meaningful rock 'n' roll died out. 928It was replaced by disco, which offers no guidance to any form of life 929more advanced than the lichen family. 930 -- Dave Barry, "Kids Today: They Don't Know Dum Diddly 931 Do" 932% 933After a number of decimal places, nobody gives a damn. 934% 935"... After all, all he did was string together a lot of old, well-known 936quotations." 937 -- H. L. Mencken, on Shakespeare 938% 939After all, what is your hosts' purpose in having a party? Surely not 940for you to enjoy yourself; if that were their sole purpose, they'd have 941simply sent champagne and women over to your place by taxi. 942 -- P. J. O'Rourke 943% 944After an instrument has been assembled, extra components will be found 945on the bench. 946% 947 After his Ignoble Disgrace, Satan was being expelled from 948Heaven. As he passed through the Gates, he paused a moment in thought, 949and turned to God and said, "A new creature called Man, I hear, is soon 950to be created." 951 "This is true," He replied. 952 "He will need laws," said the Demon slyly. 953 "What! You, his appointed Enemy for all Time! You ask for the 954right to make his laws?" 955 "Oh, no!" Satan replied, "I ask only that he be allowed to 956make his own." 957 It was so granted. 958 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 959% 960"After I asked him what he meant, he replied that freedom consisted of 961the unimpeded right to get rich, to use his ability, no matter what the 962cost to others, to win advancement." 963 -- Norman Thomas 964% 965After I run your program, let's make love like crazed weasels, OK? 966% 967After living in New York, you trust nobody, but you believe 968everything. Just in case. 969% 970After the last of 16 mounting screws has been removed from an access 971cover, it will be discovered that the wrong access cover has been 972removed. 973% 974Afternoon very favorable for romance. Try a single person for a 975change. 976% 977Afternoon, n.: 978 That part of the day we spend worrying about how we wasted the 979morning. 980% 981Age before beauty; and pearls before swine. 982 -- Dorothy Parker 983% 984Age, n.: 985 That period of life in which we compound for the vices that we 986still cherish by reviling those that we no longer have the enterprise 987to commit. 988 -- Ambrose Bierce 989% 990Ah say, son, you're about as sharp as a bowlin' ball. 991% 992Ah, but the choice of dreams to live, 993there's the rub. 994 995For all dreams are not equal, 996some exit to nightmare 997most end with the dreamer 998 999But at least one must be lived ... and died. 1000% 1001"Ah, you know the type. They like to blame it all on the Jews or the 1002Blacks, 'cause if they couldn't, they'd have to wake up to the fact 1003that life's one big, scary, glorious, complex and ultimately 1004unfathomable crapshoot -- and the only reason THEY can't seem to keep 1005up is they're a bunch of misfits and losers." 1006 -- A analysis of Neo-Nazis, from "The Badger" comic 1007% 1008Air is water with holes in it 1009% 1010Alas, I am dying beyond my means. 1011 -- Oscar Wilde, as he sipped champagne on his deathbed 1012% 1013Albert Einstein, when asked to describe radio, replied: "You see, wire 1014telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New 1015York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? 1016And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they 1017receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat." 1018% 1019Alden's Laws: 1020 (1) Giving away baby clothes and furniture is the major cause 1021 of pregnancy. 1022 (2) Always be backlit. 1023 (3) Sit down whenever possible. 1024% 1025Aleph-null bottles of beer on the wall, 1026Aleph-null bottles of beer, 1027 You take one down, and pass it around, 1028Aleph-null bottles of beer on the wall. 1029% 1030Alex Haley was adopted! 1031% 1032Alexander Graham Bell is alive and well in New York, and still waiting 1033for a dial tone. 1034% 1035Alimony is a system by which, when two people make a mistake, one of 1036them keeps paying for it. 1037 -- Peggy Joyce 1038% 1039All [zoos] actually offer to the public in return for the taxes spent 1040upon them is a form of idle and witless amusement, compared to which a 1041visit to a penitentiary, or even to a State legislature in session, is 1042informing, stimulating and ennobling. 1043 -- H. L. Mencken 1044% 1045All bridge hands are equally likely, but some are more equally likely 1046than others. 1047 -- Alan Truscott 1048% 1049All extremists should be taken out and shot. 1050% 1051All Finagle Laws may be bypassed by learning the simple art of doing 1052without thinking. 1053% 1054"All flesh is grass" 1055 -- Isiah 1056Smoke a friend today. 1057% 1058All I ask is a chance to prove that money can't make me happy. 1059% 1060All I ask of life is a constant and exaggerated sense of my own 1061importance. 1062% 1063All I can think of is a platter of organic PRUNE CRISPS being trampled 1064by an army of swarthy, Italian LOUNGE SINGERS ... 1065% 1066All I want is a warm bed and a kind word and unlimited power 1067 -- Ashleigh Brilliant 1068% 1069All men are mortal. Socrates was mortal. Therefore, all men are 1070Socrates. 1071 -- Woody Allen 1072% 1073"All my friends and I are crazy. That's the only thing that keeps us 1074sane." 1075% 1076"All my life I wanted to be someone; I guess I should have been more 1077specific." 1078 -- Jane Wagner 1079% 1080All of the true things I am about to tell you are shameless lies. 1081 -- The Book of Bokonon / Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 1082% 1083All other things being equal, a bald man cannot be elected President of 1084the United States. 1085 -- Vic Gold 1086% 1087All power corrupts, but we need electricity. 1088% 1089All programmers are playwrights and all computers are lousy actors. 1090% 1091All progress is based upon a universal innate desire on the part of 1092every organism to live beyond its income. 1093 -- Samuel Butler 1094% 1095All science is either physics or stamp collecting. 1096 -- E. Rutherford 1097% 1098"All snakes who wish to remain in Ireland will please raise their right 1099hands." 1100 -- Saint Patrick 1101% 1102All syllogisms have three parts, therefore this is not a syllogism. 1103% 1104All the big corporations depreciate their possessions, and you can, 1105too, provided you use them for business purposes. For example, if you 1106subscribe to the Wall Street Journal, a business-related newspaper, you 1107can deduct the cost of your house, because, in the words of U.S. 1108Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger in a landmark 1979 tax 1109decision: "Where else are you going to read the paper? Outside? What 1110if it rains?" 1111 -- Dave Barry, "Sweating Out Taxes" 1112% 1113"... all the modern inconveniences ..." 1114 -- Mark Twain 1115% 1116All the passions make us commit faults; love makes us commit the most 1117ridiculous ones. 1118 -- La Rochefoucauld 1119% 1120All the taxes paid over a lifetime by the average American are spent by 1121the government in less than a second. 1122 -- Jim Fiebig 1123% 1124All the world's a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed. 1125 -- Sean O'Casey 1126% 1127All the world's a VAX, 1128And all the coders merely butchers; 1129They have their exits and their entrails; 1130And one int in his time plays many widths, 1131His sizeof being _N bytes. At first the infant, 1132Mewling and puking in the Regent's arms. 1133And then the whining schoolboy, with his Sun, 1134And shining morning face, creeping like slug 1135Unwillingly to school. 1136 -- A Very Annoyed PDP-11 1137% 1138All theoretical chemistry is really physics; 1139and all theoretical chemists know it. 1140 -- Richard P. Feynman 1141% 1142All things are possible, except skiing thru a revolving door. 1143% 1144All this wheeling and dealing around, why, it isn't for money, it's for 1145fun. Money's just the way we keep score. 1146% 1147All true wisdom is found on T-shirts. 1148% 1149All wars are civil wars, because all men are brothers ... Each one owes 1150infinitely more to the human race than to the particular country in 1151which he was born. 1152 -- Francois Fenelon 1153% 1154Alliance, n.: 1155 In international politics, the union of two thieves who have 1156their hands so deeply inserted in each other's pocket that they cannot 1157separately plunder a third. 1158 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 1159% 1160Alone, adj.: 1161 In bad company. 1162 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 1163% 1164Although golf was originally restricted to wealthy, overweight 1165Protestants, today it's open to anybody who owns hideous clothing. 1166 -- Dave Barry 1167% 1168Although the moon is smaller than the earth, it is farther away. 1169% 1170Although we modern persons tend to take our electric lights, radios, 1171mixers, etc., for granted, hundreds of years ago people did not have 1172any of these things, which is just as well because there was no place 1173to plug them in. Then along came the first Electrical Pioneer, 1174Benjamin Franklin, who flew a kite in a lighting storm and received a 1175serious electrical shock. This proved that lighting was powered by the 1176same force as carpets, but it also damaged Franklin's brain so severely 1177that he started speaking only in incomprehensible maxims, such as "A 1178penny saved is a penny earned." Eventually he had to be given a job 1179running the post office. 1180 -- Dave Barry, "What is Electricity?" 1181% 1182Although written many years ago, Lady Chatterley's Lover has just been 1183reissued by the Grove Press, and this pictorial account of the 1184day-to-day life of an English gamekeeper is full of considerable 1185interest to outdoor minded readers, as it contains many passages on 1186pheasant-raising, the apprehending of poachers, ways to control vermin, 1187and other chores and duties of the professional gamekeeper. 1188Unfortunately, one is obliged to wade through many pages of extraneous 1189material in order to discover and savour those sidelights on the 1190management of a midland shooting estate, and in this reviewer's opinion 1191the book cannot take the place of J. R. Miller's "Practical 1192Gamekeeping." 1193 -- Ed Zern, "Field and Stream" (Nov. 1959) 1194% 1195Always borrow money from a pessimist; he doesn't expect to be paid 1196back. 1197% 1198Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. 1199% 1200"Always try to do things in chronological order; it's less confusing 1201that way." 1202% 1203Am I ranting? I hope so. My ranting gets raves. 1204% 1205 AMAZING BUT TRUE ... 1206 1207If all the salmon caught in Canada in one year were laid end to end 1208across the Sahara Desert, the smell would be absolutely awful. 1209% 1210 AMAZING BUT TRUE ... 1211 1212There is so much sand in Northern Africa that if it were spread out it 1213would completely cover the Sahara Desert. 1214% 1215Ambidextrous, adj.: 1216 Able to pick with equal skill a right-hand pocket or a left. 1217 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 1218% 1219Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. 1220 -- Charlie McCarthy 1221% 1222America may be unique in being a country which has leapt from barbarism 1223to decadence without touching civilization. 1224 -- John O'Hara 1225% 1226America was discovered by Amerigo Vespucci and was named after him, 1227until people got tired of living in a place called "Vespuccia" and 1228changed its name to "America". 1229 -- Mike Harding, "The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac" 1230% 1231American business long ago gave up on demanding that prospective 1232employees be honest and hardworking. It has even stopped hoping for 1233employees who are educated enough that they can tell the difference 1234between the men's room and the women's room without having little 1235pictures on the doors. 1236 -- Dave Barry, "Urine Trouble, Mister" 1237% 1238"Amnesia used to be my favorite word, but then I forgot it." 1239% 1240An age is called Dark not because the light fails to shine, but because 1241people refuse to see it. 1242 -- James Michener, "Space" 1243% 1244An American's a person who isn't afraid to criticize the President but 1245is always polite to traffic cops. 1246% 1247"An anthropologist at Tulane has just come back from a field trip to 1248New Guinea with reports of a tribe so primitive that they have Tide but 1249not new Tide with lemon-fresh Borax." 1250 -- David Letterman 1251% 1252An apple every eight hours will keep three doctors away. 1253% 1254 An architect's first work is apt to be spare and clean. He 1255knows he doesn't know what he's doing, so he does it carefully and with 1256great restraint. 1257 As he designs the first work, frill after frill and 1258embellishment after embellishment occur to him. These get stored away 1259to be used "next time". Sooner or later the first system is finished, 1260and the architect, with firm confidence and a demonstrated mastery of 1261that class of systems, is ready to build a second system. 1262 This second is the most dangerous system a man ever designs. 1263When he does his third and later ones, his prior experiences will 1264confirm each other as to the general characteristics of such systems, 1265and their differences will identify those parts of his experience that 1266are particular and not generalizable. 1267 The general tendency is to over-design the second system, using 1268all the ideas and frills that were cautiously sidetracked on the first 1269one. The result, as Ovid says, is a "big pile". 1270 -- Frederick Brooks, "The Mythical Man Month" 1271% 1272An artist should be fit for the best society and keep out of it. 1273% 1274An attorney was defending his client against a charge of first-degree 1275murder. "Your Honor, my client is accused of stuffing his lover's 1276mutilated body into a suitcase and heading for the Mexican border. 1277Just north of Tijuana a cop spotted her hand sticking out of the 1278suitcase. Now, I would like to stress that my client is *not* a 1279murderer. A sloppy packer, maybe..." 1280% 1281An authority is a person who can tell you more about something than you 1282really care to know. 1283% 1284An effective way to deal with predators is to taste terrible. 1285% 1286An elephant is a mouse with an operating system. 1287% 1288An English judge, growing weary of the barrister's long-winded 1289summation, leaned over the bench and remarked, "I've heard your 1290arguments, Sir Geoffrey, and I'm none the wiser!" Sir Geoffrey 1291responded, "That may be, Milord, but at least you're better informed!" 1292% 1293An Englishman never enjoys himself, except for a noble purpose. 1294 -- A. P. Herbert 1295% 1296An excellence-oriented '80s male does not wear a regular watch. He 1297wears a Rolex watch, because it weighs nearly six pounds and is 1298advertised only in excellence-oriented publications such as Fortune and 1299Rich Protestant Golfer Magazine. The advertisements are written in 1300incomplete sentences, which is how advertising copywriters denote 1301excellence: 1302 1303"The Rolex Hyperion. An elegant new standard in quality excellence and 1304discriminating handcraftsmanship. For the individual who is truly able 1305to discriminate with regard to excellent quality standards of crafting 1306things by hand. Fabricated of 100 percent 24-karat gold. No watch 1307parts or anything. Just a great big chunk on your wrist. Truly a 1308timeless statement. For the individual who is very secure. Who 1309doesn't need to be reminded all the time that he is very successful. 1310Much more successful than the people who laughed at him in high 1311school. Because of his acne. People who are probably nowhere near as 1312successful as he is now. Maybe he'll go to his 20th reunion, and 1313they'll see his Rolex Hyperion. Hahahahahahahahaha." 1314 -- Dave Barry, "In Search of Excellence" 1315% 1316An exotic journey in downtown Newark is in your future. 1317% 1318"... an experienced, industrious, ambitious, and often quite often 1319picturesque liar." 1320 -- Mark Twain 1321% 1322An idea is an eye given by God for the seeing of God. Some of these 1323eyes we cannot bear to look out of, we blind them as quickly as 1324possible. 1325 -- Russell Hoban, "Pilgermann" 1326% 1327An idea is not responsible for the people who believe in it. 1328% 1329 An old Jewish man reads about Einstein's theory of relativity 1330in the newspaper and asks his scientist grandson to explain it to him. 1331 "Well, zayda, it's sort of like this. Einstein says that if 1332you're having your teeth drilled without Novocain, a minute seems like 1333an hour. But if you're sitting with a beautiful woman on your lap, an 1334hour seems like a minute." 1335 The old man considers this profound bit of thinking for a 1336moment and says, "And from this he makes a living?" 1337 -- Arthur Naiman, "Every Goy's Guide to Yiddish" 1338% 1339"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of purge." 1340% 1341Anarchy may not be the best form of government, but it's better than no 1342government at all. 1343% 1344And as we stand on the edge of darkness 1345Let our chant fill the void 1346That others may know 1347 1348 In the land of the night 1349 The ship of the sun 1350 Is drawn by 1351 The grateful dead. 1352 1353 -- Tibetan "Book of the Dead," ca. 4000 BC. 1354% 1355... and furthermore ... I don't like your trousers. 1356% 1357And I heard Jeff exclaim, 1358As they strolled out of sight, 1359"Merry Christmas to all -- 1360You take credit cards, right?" 1361 -- "Outsiders" comic 1362% 1363... And malt does more than Milton can 1364To justify God's ways to man 1365 -- A. E. Housman 1366% 1367And on the seventh day, He exited from append mode. 1368% 1369"... And remember: if you don't like the news, go out and make some of 1370your own." 1371 -- "Scoop" Nisker, KFOG radio reporter 1372 Preposterous Words 1373% 1374And so, men, we can see that human skin is an even more complex and 1375fascinating organ than we thought it was, and if we want to keep it 1376looking good, we have to care for it as though it were our own. One 1377approach is to undergo a painful surgical procedure wherein your skin 1378is turned inside-out, so the young cells are on the outside, but then 1379of course you have the unpleasant side effect that your insides 1380gradually fill up with dead old cells and you explode. So this 1381procedure is pretty much limited to top Hollywood stars for whom 1382youthful beauty is a career necessity, such as Elizabeth Taylor and 1383Orson Welles. 1384 -- Dave Barry, "Saving Face" 1385% 1386"...and the fully armed nuclear warheads, are, of course, merely a 1387courtesy detail." 1388% 1389And this is a table ma'am. What in essence it consists of is a 1390horizontal rectilinear plane surface maintained by four vertical 1391columnar supports, which we call legs. The tables in this laboratory, 1392ma'am, are as advanced in design as one will find anywhere in the 1393world. 1394 -- Michael Frayn, "The Tin Men" 1395% 1396 "And what will you do when you grow up to be as big as me?" 1397asked the father of his little son. 1398 "Diet." 1399% 1400And yet, seasons must be taken with a grain of salt, for they too have 1401a sense of humor, as does history. Corn stalks comedy, comedy stalks 1402tragedy, and this too is historic. And yet, still, when corn meets 1403tragedy face to face, we have politics. 1404 -- Dalglish, Larsen and Sutherland, "Root Crops and 1405 Ground Cover" 1406% 1407Andrea: Unhappy the land that has no heroes. 1408Galileo: No, unhappy the land that _____needs heroes. 1409 -- Bertolt Brecht, "Life of Galileo" 1410% 1411Angels we have heard on High 1412Tell us to go out and Buy. 1413 -- Tom Lehrer 1414% 1415Ankh if you love Isis. 1416% 1417Anoint, v.: 1418 To grease a king or other great functionary already 1419sufficiently slippery. 1420 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 1421% 1422 Another Glitch in the Call 1423 ------- ------ -- --- ---- 1424 (Sung to the tune of a recent Pink Floyd song.) 1425 1426We don't need no indirection 1427We don't need no flow control 1428No data typing or declarations 1429Did you leave the lists alone? 1430 1431 Hey! Hacker! Leave those lists alone! 1432 1433Chorus: 1434 All in all, it's just a pure-LISP function call. 1435 All in all, it's just a pure-LISP function call. 1436% 1437Another good night not to sleep in a eucalyptus tree. 1438% 1439Another possible source of guidance for teenagers is television, but 1440television's message has always been that the need for truth, wisdom 1441and world peace pales by comparison with the need for a toothpaste that 1442offers whiter teeth *___and* fresher breath. 1443 -- Dave Barry, "Kids Today: They Don't Know Dum Diddly 1444 Do" 1445% 1446 Answers to Last Fortune's Questions: 1447 1448(1) None. (Moses didn't have an ark). 1449(2) Your mother, by the pigeonhole principle. 1450(3) I don't know. 1451(4) Who cares? 1452(5) 6 (or maybe 4, or else 3). Mr. Alfred J. Duncan of Podunk, 1453 Montana, submitted an interesting solution to Problem 5. 1454(6) There is an interesting solution to this problem on page 1029 of my 1455 book, which you can pick up for $23.95 at finer bookstores and 1456 bathroom supply outlets (or 99 cents at the table in front of 1457 Papyrus Books). 1458% 1459Anthony's Law of Force: 1460 Don't force it; get a larger hammer. 1461% 1462Anthony's Law of the Workshop: 1463 Any tool when dropped, will roll into the least accessible 1464 corner of the workshop. 1465 1466Corollary: 1467 On the way to the corner, any dropped tool will first strike 1468 your toes. 1469% 1470Antonym, n.: 1471 The opposite of the word you're trying to think of. 1472% 1473Any clod can have the facts, but having an opinion is an art. 1474 -- Charles McCabe 1475% 1476Any clod can have the facts, but having opinions is an art. 1477 -- Charles McCabe 1478% 1479Any dramatic series the producers want us to take seriously as a 1480representation of contemporary reality cannot be taken seriously as a 1481representation of anything -- except a show to be ignored by anyone 1482capable of sitting upright in a chair and chewing gum simultaneously. 1483 -- Richard Schickel 1484% 1485Any excuse will serve a tyrant. 1486 -- Aesop 1487% 1488Any father who thinks he's all important should remind himself that 1489this country honors fathers only one day a year while pickles get a 1490whole week. 1491% 1492Any fool can paint a picture, but it takes a wise person to be able to 1493sell it. 1494% 1495Any great truth can -- and eventually will -- be expressed as a cliche 1496-- a cliche is a sure and certain way to dilute an idea. For instance, 1497my grandmother used to say, "The black cat is always the last one off 1498the fence." I have no idea what she meant, but at one time, it was 1499undoubtedly true. 1500 -- Solomon Short 1501% 1502Any philosophy that can be put in a nutshell belongs there. 1503 -- Sydney J. Harris 1504% 1505Any small object that is accidentally dropped will hide under a larger 1506object. 1507% 1508Any stone in your boot always migrates against the pressure gradient to 1509exactly the point of most pressure. 1510 -- Milt Barber 1511% 1512Any sufficiently advanced bug is indistinguishable from a feature. 1513 -- Rich Kulawiec 1514% 1515Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged 1516demo. 1517% 1518Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. 1519 -- Arthur C. Clarke 1520% 1521Any time things appear to be going better, you have overlooked 1522something. 1523% 1524Any two philosophers can tell each other all they know in two hours. 1525 -- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. 1526% 1527Anybody can win, unless there happens to be a second entry. 1528% 1529Anybody who doesn't cut his speed at the sight of a police car is 1530probably parked. 1531% 1532Anybody with money to burn will easily find someone to tend the fire. 1533% 1534Anyone can do any amount of work provided it isn't the work he is 1535supposed to be doing at the moment. 1536 -- Robert Benchley 1537% 1538Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm. 1539 -- Publius Syrus 1540% 1541Anyone can make an omelet with eggs. The trick is to make one with 1542none. 1543% 1544Anyone who cannot cope with mathematics is not fully human. At best he 1545is a tolerable subhuman who has learned to wear shoes, bathe and not 1546make messes in the house. 1547 -- Lazarus Long, "Time Enough for Love" 1548% 1549Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist ought to have his head examined. 1550 -- Samuel Goldwyn 1551% 1552Anyone who hates Dogs and Kids Can't be All Bad. 1553 -- W. C. Fields 1554% 1555Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no 1556account be allowed to do the job. 1557 -- Douglas Adams, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" 1558% 1559Anyone who uses the phrase "easy as taking candy from a baby" has never 1560tried taking candy from a baby. 1561 -- Robin Hood 1562% 1563Anything free is worth what you pay for it. 1564% 1565Anything is good and useful if it's made of chocolate. 1566% 1567Anything is good if it's made of chocolate. 1568% 1569Anything labeled "NEW" and/or "IMPROVED" isn't. The label means the 1570price went up. The label "ALL NEW", "COMPLETELY NEW", or "GREAT NEW" 1571means the price went way up. 1572% 1573Anything that is good and useful is made of chocolate. 1574% 1575Anything worth doing is worth overdoing 1576% 1577"Apathy is not the problem, it's the solution" 1578% 1579Aphorism, n.: 1580 A concise, clever statement. 1581Afterism, n.: 1582 A concise, clever statement you don't think of until too late. 1583 -- James Alexander Thom 1584% 1585APL is a mistake, carried through to perfection. It is the language of 1586the future for the problems of the past: it creates a new generation of 1587coding bums. 1588% 1589"APL is a write-only language. I can write programs in APL, but I 1590can't read any of them." 1591 -- Roy Keir 1592% 1593Aquadextrous, adj.: 1594 Possessing the ability to turn the bathtub faucet on and off 1595with your toes. 1596 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 1597% 1598AQUARIUS (Jan 20 - Feb 18) 1599 You have an inventive mind and are inclined to be progressive. 1600 You lie a great deal. On the other hand, you are inclined to 1601 be careless and impractical, causing you to make the same 1602 mistakes over and over again. People think you are stupid. 1603% 1604Arbitrary systems, pl.n.: 1605 Systems about which nothing general can be said, save "nothing 1606general can be said." 1607% 1608ARCHDUKE FERDINAND FOUND ALIVE -- 1609 FIRST WORLD WAR A MISTAKE 1610% 1611Are you a turtle? 1612% 1613Are you a turtle? 1614% 1615"Arguments with furniture are rarely productive." 1616 -- Kehlog Albran, "The Profit" 1617% 1618ARIES (Mar 21 - Apr 19) 1619 You are the pioneer type and hold most people in contempt. You 1620 are quick tempered, impatient, and scornful of advice. You are 1621 not very nice. 1622% 1623Arithmetic is being able to count up to twenty without taking off your 1624shoes. 1625 -- Mickey Mouse 1626% 1627Armadillo: 1628 To provide weapons to a Spanish pickle 1629% 1630Arnold's Laws of Documentation: 1631 (1) If it should exist, it doesn't. 1632 (2) If it does exist, it's out of date. 1633 (3) Only documentation for useless programs transcends the 1634 first two laws. 1635% 1636Around computers it is difficult to find the correct unit of time to 1637measure progress. Some cathedrals took a century to complete. Can you 1638imagine the grandeur and scope of a program that would take as long? 1639 -- Epigrams in Programming, ACM SIGPLAN Sept. 1982 1640% 1641Art is anything you can get away with. 1642 -- Marshall McLuhan. 1643% 1644Art is either plagiarism or revolution. 1645 -- Paul Gauguin 1646% 1647Arthur's Laws of Love: 1648 (1) People to whom you are attracted invariably think you 1649 remind them of someone else. 1650 (2) The love letter you finally got the courage to send will be 1651 delayed in the mail long enough for you to make a fool of 1652 yourself in person. 1653% 1654Artistic ventures highlighted. Rob a museum. 1655% 1656As a professional humorist, I often get letters from readers who are 1657interested in the basic nature of humor. "What kind of a sick 1658perverted disgusting person are you," these letters typically ask, 1659"that you make jokes about setting fire to a goat?" ... 1660 -- Dave Barry, "Why Humor is Funny" 1661% 1662"As an adolescent I aspired to lasting fame, I craved factual 1663certainty, and I thirsted for a meaningful vision of human life -- so I 1664became a scientist. This is like becoming an archbishop so you can 1665meet girls." 1666 -- Matt Cartmill 1667% 1668As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not 1669certain, and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality. 1670 -- Albert Einstein 1671% 1672As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error. 1673 -- Weisert 1674% 1675As I was going up Punch Card Hill, 1676 Feeling worse and worser, 1677There I met a C.R.T. 1678 And it drop't me a cursor. 1679 1680C.R.T., C.R.T., 1681 Phosphors light on you! 1682If I had fifty hours a day 1683 I'd spend them all at you. 1684 1685 -- Uncle Colonel's Cursory Rhymes 1686% 1687As I was passing Project MAC, 1688I met a Quux with seven hacks. 1689Every hack had seven bugs; 1690Every bug had seven manifestations; 1691Every manifestation had seven symptoms. 1692Symptoms, manifestations, bugs, and hacks, 1693How many losses at Project MAC? 1694% 1695As long as I am mayor of this city [Jersey City, New Jersey] the great 1696industries are secure. We hear about constitutional rights, free 1697speech and the free press. Every time I hear these words I say to 1698myself, "That man is a Red, that man is a Communist". You never hear a 1699real American talk like that. 1700 -- Frank Hague (1896-1956) 1701% 1702As long as the answer is right, who cares if the question is wrong? 1703% 1704As long as war is regarded as wicked, it will always have its 1705fascination. When it is looked upon as vulgar, it will cease to be 1706popular. 1707 -- Oscar Wilde 1708% 1709As of next week, passwords will be entered in Morse code. 1710% 1711"As part of the conversion, computer specialists rewrote 1,500 1712programs; a process that traditionally requires some debugging." 1713 -- USA Today, referring to the IRS switchover to a new 1714 computer system. 1715% 1716As soon as we started programming, we found to our surprise that it 1717wasn't as easy to get programs right as we had thought. Debugging had 1718to be discovered. I can remember the exact instant when I realized 1719that a large part of my life from then on was going to be spent in 1720finding mistakes in my own programs. 1721 -- Maurice Wilkes discovers debugging, 1949 1722% 1723As the poet said, "Only God can make a tree" -- probably because it's 1724so hard to figure out how to get the bark on. 1725 -- Woody Allen 1726% 1727As the trials of life continue to take their toll, remember that there 1728is always a future in Computer Maintenance. 1729 -- National Lampoon, "Deteriorata" 1730% 1731As Will Rogers would have said, "There is no such things as a free 1732variable." 1733% 1734As with most fine things, chocolate has its season. There is a simple 1735memory aid that you can use to determine whether it is the correct time 1736to order chocolate dishes: any month whose name contains the letter A, 1737E, or U is the proper time for chocolate. 1738 -- Sandra Boynton, "Chocolate: The Consuming Passion" 1739% 1740As you know, birds do not have sexual organs because they would 1741interfere with flight. [In fact, this was the big breakthrough for the 1742Wright Brothers. They were watching birds one day, trying to figure 1743out how to get their crude machine to fly, when suddenly it dawned on 1744Wilbur. "Orville," he said, "all we have to do is remove the sexual 1745organs!" You should have seen their original design.] As a result, 1746birds are very, very difficult to arouse sexually. You almost never 1747see an aroused bird. So when they want to reproduce, birds fly up and 1748stand on telephone lines, where they monitor telephone conversations 1749with their feet. When they find a conversation in which people are 1750talking dirty, they grip the line very tightly until they are both 1751highly aroused, at which point the female gets pregnant. 1752 -- Dave Barry, "Sex and the Single Amoeba: What Every 1753 Teen Should Know" 1754% 1755As you reach for the web, a venomous spider appears. Unable to pull 1756your hand away in time, the spider promptly, but politely, bites you. 1757The venom takes affect quickly causing your lips to turn plaid along 1758with your complexion. You become dazed, and in your stupor you fall 1759from the limbs of the tree. Snap! Your head falls off and rolls all 1760over the ground. The instant before you croak, you hear the whoosh of 1761a vacuum being filled by the air surrounding your head. Worse yet, the 1762spider is suing you for damages. 1763% 1764As Zeus said to Narcissus, "Watch yourself." 1765% 1766ASHes to ASHes, DOS to DOS. 1767% 1768Ask five economists and you'll get five different explanations (six if 1769one went to Harvard). 1770 -- Edgar R. Fiedler 1771% 1772Ask not for whom the <CONTROL-G> tolls. 1773% 1774Ask Not for whom the Bell Tolls, and You will Pay only the 1775Station-to-Station rate. 1776% 1777Ask not for whom the telephone bell tolls ... if thou art in the 1778bathtub, it tolls for thee. 1779% 1780Ask your boss to reconsider -- it's so difficult to take "Go to hell" 1781for an answer. 1782% 1783"Asked by reporters about his upcoming marriage to a forty-two-year-old 1784woman, director Roman Polanski told reporters, `The way I look at it, 1785she's the equivalent of three fourteen-year-olds.'" 1786 -- David Letterman 1787% 1788Ass, n.: 1789 The masculine of "lass". 1790% 1791Associate with well-mannered persons and your manners will improve. 1792Run with decent folk and your own decent instincts will be 1793strengthened. Keep the company of bums and you will become a bum. 1794Hang around with rich people and you will end by picking up the check 1795and dying broke. 1796 -- Stanley Walker 1797% 1798"At a recent meeting in Snowmass, Colorado, a participant from Los 1799Angeles fainted from hyperoxygenation, and we had to hold his head 1800under the exhaust of a bus until he revived." 1801% 1802At any given moment, an arrow must be either where it is or where it is 1803not. But obviously it cannot be where it is not. And if it is where 1804it is, that is equivalent to saying that it is at rest. 1805 -- Zeno's paradox of the moving (still?) arrow 1806% 1807At Group L, Stoffel oversees six first-rate programmers, a managerial 1808challenge roughly comparable to herding cats. 1809 -- The Washington Post Magazine, 9 June, 1985 1810% 1811At Group L, Stoffel oversees six first-rate programmers, a managerial 1812challenge roughly comparable to herding cats. 1813 -- The Washington Post Magazine, June 9, 1985 1814% 1815... at least I thought I was dancing, 'til somebody stepped on my hand. 1816 -- J. B. White 1817% 1818"At least they're ___________EXPERIENCED incompetents" 1819% 1820At no time is freedom of speech more precious than when a man hits his 1821thumb with a hammer. 1822 -- Marshall Lumsden 1823% 1824At the source of every error which is blamed on the computer you will 1825find at least two human errors, including the error of blaming it on 1826the computer. 1827% 1828Atlanta makes it against the law to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole 1829or street lamp. 1830% 1831Atlee is a very modest man. And with reason. 1832 -- Winston Churchill 1833% 1834Authors (and perhaps columnists) eventually rise to the top of whatever 1835depths they were once able to plumb. 1836 -- Stanley Kaufman 1837% 1838Automobile, n.: 1839 A four-wheeled vehicle that runs up hills and down 1840pedestrians. 1841% 1842Avoid Quiet and Placid persons unless you are in Need of Sleep. 1843 -- National Lampoon, "Deteriorata" 1844% 1845Avoid reality at all costs. 1846% 1847"Avoid revolution or expect to get shot. Mother and I will grieve, but 1848we will gladly buy a dinner for the National Guardsman who shot you." 1849 -- Dr. Paul Williamson, father of a student entering 1850 school in the fall after the Kent State shootings 1851% 1852Bacchus, n.: 1853 A convenient deity invented by the ancients as an excuse for 1854getting drunk. 1855 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 1856% 1857Bagbiter: 1858 1. n.; Equipment or program that fails, usually 1859intermittently. 2. adj.: Failing hardware or software. "This 1860bagbiting system won't let me get out of spacewar." Usage: verges on 1861obscenity. Grammatically separable; one may speak of "biting the 1862bag". Synonyms: LOSER, LOSING, CRETINOUS, BLETCHEROUS, BARFUCIOUS, 1863CHOMPER, CHOMPING. 1864% 1865Bagdikian's Observation: 1866 Trying to be a first-rate reporter on the average American 1867newspaper is like trying to play Bach's "St. Matthew Passion" on a 1868ukelele. 1869% 1870Baker's First Law of Federal Geometry: 1871 A block grant is a solid mass of money surrounded on all sides 1872by governors. 1873% 1874Ban the bomb. Save the world for conventional warfare. 1875% 1876Banectomy, n.: 1877 The removal of bruises on a banana. 1878 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 1879% 1880Bank error in your favor. Collect $200. 1881% 1882Barach's Rule: 1883 An alcoholic is a person who drinks more than his own 1884physician. 1885% 1886Bare feet magnetize sharp metal objects so they point upward from the 1887floor -- especially in the dark. 1888% 1889Barometer, n.: 1890 An ingenious instrument which indicates what kind of weather we 1891are having. 1892 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 1893% 1894Barth's Distinction: 1895 There are two types of people: those who divide people into two 1896types, and those who don't. 1897% 1898Baruch's Observation: 1899 If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. 1900% 1901Baseball is a skilled game. It's America's game -- it, and high 1902taxes. 1903 -- Will Rogers 1904% 1905Basic is a high level languish. 1906APL is a high level anguish. 1907% 1908"BASIC is the Computer Science equivalent of `Scientific Creationism'." 1909% 1910Basic, n.: 1911 A programming language. Related to certain social diseases in 1912that those who have it will not admit it in polite company. 1913% 1914Bathquake, n.: 1915 The violent quake that rattles the entire house when the water 1916faucet is turned on to a certain point. 1917 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 1918% 1919Be a better psychiatrist and the world will beat a psychopath to your 1920door. 1921% 1922BE ALERT!!!! (The world needs more lerts ...) 1923% 1924Be assured that a walk through the ocean of most Souls would scarcely 1925get your Feet wet. Fall not in Love, therefore: it will stick to your 1926face. 1927 -- National Lampoon, "Deteriorata" 1928% 1929Be braver -- you can't cross a chasm in two small jumps. 1930% 1931Be careful of reading health books, you might die of a misprint. 1932 -- Mark Twain 1933% 1934Be different: conform. 1935% 1936Be free and open and breezy! Enjoy! Things won't get any better so 1937get used to it. 1938% 1939Be security conscious -- National defense is at stake. 1940% 1941Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors and 1942miss 1943 -- Lazarus Long, "Time Enough for Love" 1944% 1945Bees are very busy souls 1946They have no time for birth controls 1947And that is why in times like these 1948There are so many Sons of Bees. 1949% 1950 Before he became a hermit, Zarathud was a young Priest, and 1951took great delight in making fools of his opponents in front of his 1952followers. 1953 One day Zarathud took his students to a pleasant pasture and 1954there he confronted The Sacred Chao while She was contentedly grazing. 1955 "Tell me, you dumb beast," demanded the Priest in his 1956commanding voice, "why don't you do something worthwhile? What is your 1957Purpose in Life, anyway?" 1958 Munching the tasty grass, The Sacred Chao replied "MU". (The 1959Chinese ideogram for NO-THING.) 1960 Upon hearing this, absolutely nobody was enlightened. 1961 Primarily because nobody understood Chinese. 1962 -- Camden Benares, "Zen Without Zen Masters" 1963% 1964Before Xerox, five carbons were the maximum extension of anybody's 1965ego. 1966% 1967Begathon, n.: 1968 A multi-day event on public television, used to raise money so 1969you won't have to watch commercials. 1970% 1971Behold the warranty ... the bold print giveth and the fine print taketh 1972away. 1973% 1974Beifeld's Principle: 1975 The probability of a young man meeting a desirable and 1976receptive young female increases by pyramidal progression when he is 1977already in the company of: (1) a date, (2) his wife, (3) a better 1978looking and richer male friend. 1979% 1980"Being disintegrated makes me ve-ry an-gry!" <huff, huff> 1981% 1982"Being disintegrated makes me ve-ry an-gry!" <huff, huff> 1983% 1984Bell Labs Unix -- Reach out and grep someone. 1985% 1986Bennett's Laws of Horticulture: 1987 (1) Houses are for people to live in. 1988 (2) Gardens are for plants to live in. 1989 (3) There is no such thing as a houseplant. 1990% 1991"Benson, you are so free of the ravages of intelligence" 1992 -- Time Bandits 1993% 1994Besides the device, the box should contain: 1995 1996* Eight little rectangular snippets of paper that say "WARNING" 1997 1998* A plastic packet containing four 5/17 inch pilfer grommets and two 1999 club-ended 6/93 inch boxcar prawns. 2000 2001YOU WILL NEED TO SUPPLY: a matrix wrench and 60,000 feet of tram 2002cable. 2003 2004IF ANYTHING IS DAMAGED OR MISSING: You IMMEDIATELY should turn to your 2005spouse and say: "Margaret, you know why this country can't make a car 2006that can get all the way through the drive-through at Burger King 2007without a major transmission overhaul? Because nobody cares, that's 2008why." 2009 2010WARNING: This is assuming your spouse's name is Margaret. 2011 -- Dave Barry, "Read This First!" 2012% 2013Best of all is never to have been born. Second best is to die soon. 2014% 2015better !pout !cry 2016better watchout 2017lpr why 2018santa claus <north pole >town 2019 2020cat /etc/passwd >list 2021ncheck list 2022ncheck list 2023cat list | grep naughty >nogiftlist 2024cat list | grep nice >giftlist 2025santa claus <north pole > town 2026 2027who | grep sleeping 2028who | grep awake 2029who | egrep 'bad|good' 2030for (goodness sake) { 2031 be good 2032} 2033% 2034Better dead than mellow. 2035% 2036Between 1950 and 1952, a bored weatherman, stationed north of Hudson 2037Bay, left a monument that neither government nor time can eradicate. 2038Using a bulldozer abandoned by the Air Force, he spent two years and 2039great effort pushing boulders into a single word. 2040 2041It can be seen from 10,000 feet, silhouetted against the snow. 2042Government officials exchanged memos full of circumlocutions (no Latin 2043equivalent exists) but failed to word an appropriation bill for the 2044destruction of this cairn, that wouldn't alert the press and embarrass 2045both Parliament and Party. 2046 2047It stands today, a monument to human spirit. If life exists on other 2048planets, this may be the first message received from us. 2049 -- The Realist, November, 1964. 2050% 2051"Beware of bugs in the above code; I have only proved it correct, not 2052tried it." 2053 -- Donald Knuth 2054% 2055Beware of computerized fortune-tellers! 2056% 2057Beware of low-flying butterflies. 2058% 2059Beware of Programmers who carry screwdrivers. 2060 -- Leonard Brandwein 2061% 2062Beware of self-styled experts: an ex is a has-been, and a spurt is a 2063drip under pressure. 2064% 2065"Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and 2066finds himself no wiser than before," Bokonon tells us. "He is full of 2067murderous resentment of people who are ignorant without having come by 2068their ignorance the hard way." 2069 -- Kurt Vonnegut, "Cat's Cradle" 2070% 2071Beware of the Turing Tar-pit in which everything is possible but 2072nothing of interest is easy. 2073% 2074Binary, adj.: 2075 Possessing the ability to have friends of both sexes. 2076% 2077"Biology is the only science in which multiplication means the same 2078thing as division." 2079% 2080Bipolar, adj.: 2081 Refers to someone who has homes in Nome, Alaska, and Buffalo, 2082New York 2083% 2084Birth, n.: 2085 The first and direst of all disasters. 2086 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 2087% 2088Bizarreness is the essence of the exotic 2089% 2090Bizoos, n.: 2091 The millions of tiny individual bumps that make up a 2092basketball. 2093 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 2094% 2095... bleakness ... desolation ... plastic forks ... 2096% 2097Blessed are the young for they shall inherit the national debt. 2098% 2099Blessed are they who Go Around in Circles, for they Shall be Known as 2100Wheels. 2101% 2102BLISS is ignorance 2103% 2104Blood flows down one leg and up the other. 2105% 2106Blood is thicker than water, and much tastier. 2107% 2108Blore's Razor: 2109 Given a choice between two theories, take the one which is 2110funnier. 2111% 2112Board the windows, up your car insurance, and don't leave any booze in 2113plain sight. It's St. Patrick's day in Chicago again. The legend has 2114it that St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. In fact, he was 2115arrested for drunk driving. The snakes left because people kept 2116throwing up on them. 2117% 2118Boling's postulate: 2119 If you're feeling good, don't worry. You'll get over it. 2120% 2121Bolub's Fourth Law of Computerdom: 2122 Project teams detest weekly progress reporting because it so 2123vividly manifests their lack of progress. 2124% 2125Bombeck's Rule of Medicine: 2126 Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died. 2127% 2128BOO! We changed Coke again! BLEAH! BLEAH! 2129% 2130Boob's Law: 2131 You always find something in the last place you look. 2132% 2133Bore, n.: 2134 A guy who wraps up a two-minute idea in a two-hour vocabulary. 2135 -- Walter Winchell 2136% 2137Bore, n.: 2138 A person who talks when you wish him to listen. 2139 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 2140% 2141Boren's Laws: 2142 (1) When in charge, ponder. 2143 (2) When in trouble, delegate. 2144 (3) When in doubt, mumble. 2145% 2146Boss, n.: 2147 According to the Oxford English Dictionary, in the Middle Ages 2148the words "boss" and "botch" were largely synonymous, except that boss, 2149in addition to meaning "a supervisor of workers" also meant "an 2150ornamental stud." 2151% 2152Boston State House is the hub of the Solar System. You couldn't pry 2153that out of a Boston man if you had the tire of all creation 2154straightened out for a crowbar. 2155 -- O. W. Holmes 2156% 2157Boston, n.: 2158 Ludwig van Beethoven being jeered by 50,000 sports fans for 2159finishing second in the Irish jig competition. 2160% 2161Boy, life takes a long time to live. 2162 -- Steven Wright 2163% 2164Boy, n.: 2165 A noise with dirt on it. 2166% 2167Boys are beyond the range of anybody's sure understanding, at least 2168when they are between the ages of 18 months and 90 years. 2169 -- James Thurber 2170% 2171Boys will be boys, and so will a lot of middle-aged men. 2172 -- Kin Hubbard 2173% 2174Brace yourselves. We're about to try something that borders on the 2175unique: an actually rather serious technical book which is not only 2176(gasp) vehemently anti-Solemn, but also (shudder) takes sides. I tend 2177to think of it as `Constructive Snottiness.' 2178 -- Mike Padlipsky, Foreword to "Elements of Networking 2179 Style" 2180% 2181Bradley's Bromide: 2182 If computers get too powerful, we can organize them into a 2183committee -- that will do them in. 2184% 2185Brady's First Law of Problem Solving: 2186 When confronted by a difficult problem, you can solve it more 2187easily by reducing it to the question, "How would the Lone Ranger have 2188handled this?" 2189% 2190Brain fried -- Core dumped 2191% 2192Brain, n.: 2193 The apparatus with which we think that we think. 2194 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 2195% 2196Brain, v. [as in "to brain"]: 2197 To rebuke bluntly, but not pointedly; to dispel a source of 2198error in an opponent. 2199 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 2200% 2201Breast Feeding should not be attempted by fathers with hairy chests, 2202since they can make the baby sneeze and give it wind. 2203 -- Mike Harding, "The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac" 2204% 2205Bride, n.: 2206 A woman with a fine prospect of happiness behind her. 2207 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 2208% 2209Bringing computers into the home won't change either one, but may 2210revitalize the corner saloon. 2211% 2212British Israelites: 2213 The British Israelites believe the white Anglo-Saxons of 2214Britain to be descended from the ten lost tribes of Israel deported by 2215Sargon of Assyria on the fall of Sumeria in 721 B.C. ... They further 2216believe that the future can be foretold by the measurements of the 2217Great Pyramid, which probably means it will be big and yellow and in 2218the hand of the Arabs. They also believe that if you sleep with your 2219head under the pillow a fairy will come and take all your teeth. 2220 -- Mike Harding, "The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac" 2221% 2222Broad-mindedness, n.: 2223 The result of flattening high-mindedness out. 2224% 2225Brontosaurus Principle: 2226 Organizations can grow faster than their brains can manage them 2227in relation to their environment and to their own physiology: when 2228this occurs, they are an endangered species. 2229 -- Thomas K. Connellan 2230% 2231Brook's Law: 2232 Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later 2233% 2234Brooke's Law: 2235 Whenever a system becomes completely defined, some damn fool 2236discovers something which either abolishes the system or expands it 2237beyond recognition. 2238% 2239Bubble Memory, n.: 2240 A derogatory term, usually referring to a person's 2241intelligence. See also "vacuum tube". 2242% 2243Bucy's Law: 2244 Nothing is ever accomplished by a reasonable man. 2245% 2246Bug, n.: 2247 An aspect of a computer program which exists because the 2248programmer was thinking about Jumbo Jacks or stock options when s/he 2249wrote the program. 2250 2251Fortunately, the second-to-last bug has just been fixed. 2252 -- Ray Simard 2253% 2254Bugs, pl. n.: 2255 Small living things that small living boys throw on small 2256living girls. 2257% 2258BULLWINKLE: "You just leave that to my pal. He's the brains of the 2259 outfit." 2260GENERAL: "What does that make YOU?" 2261BULLWINKLE: "What else? An executive..." 2262 -- Jay Ward 2263% 2264Bumper sticker: 2265 2266"All the parts falling off this car are of the very finest British 2267manufacture" 2268% 2269Bureaucrat, n.: 2270 A person who cuts red tape sideways. 2271 -- J. McCabe 2272% 2273Bureaucrat, n.: 2274 A politician who has tenure. 2275% 2276Bureaucrats cut red tape -- lengthwise. 2277% 2278Burn's Hog Weighing Method: 2279 (1) Get a perfectly symmetrical plank and balance it across a 2280 sawhorse. 2281 (2) Put the hog on one end of the plank. 2282 (3) Pile rocks on the other end until the plank is again 2283 perfectly balanced. 2284 (4) Carefully guess the weight of the rocks. 2285 -- Robert Burns 2286% 2287... But as records of courts and justice are admissible, it can 2288easily be proved that powerful and malevolent magicians once existed 2289and were a scourge to mankind. The evidence (including confession) 2290upon which certain women were convicted of witchcraft and executed was 2291without a flaw; it is still unimpeachable. The judges' decisions based 2292on it were sound in logic and in law. Nothing in any existing court 2293was ever more thoroughly proved than the charges of witchcraft and 2294sorcery for which so many suffered death. If there were no witches, 2295human testimony and human reason are alike destitute of value. 2296 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 2297% 2298"But don't you worry, its for a cause -- feeding global corporations 2299paws." 2300% 2301"But I don't like Spam!!!!" 2302% 2303... But if we laugh with derision, we will never understand. Human 2304intellectual capacity has not altered for thousands of years so far as 2305we can tell. If intelligent people invested intense energy in issues 2306that now seem foolish to us, then the failure lies in our understanding 2307of their world, not in their distorted perceptions. Even the standard 2308example of ancient nonsense -- the debate about angels on pinheads -- 2309makes sense once you realize that theologians were not discussing 2310whether five or eighteen would fit, but whether a pin could house a 2311finite or an infinite number. 2312 -- S. J. Gould, "Wide Hats and Narrow Minds" 2313% 2314But in our enthusiasm, we could not resist a radical overhaul of the 2315system, in which all of its major weaknesses have been exposed, 2316analyzed, and replaced with new weaknesses. 2317 -- Bruce Leverett, "Register Allocation in Optimizing 2318 Compilers" 2319% 2320"But officer, I was only trying to gain enough speed so I could coast 2321to the nearest gas station." 2322% 2323But scientists, who ought to know 2324Assure us that it must be so. 2325Oh, let us never, never doubt 2326What nobody is sure about. 2327 -- Hilaire Belloc 2328% 2329But soft you, the fair Ophelia: 2330Ope not thy ponderous and marble jaws, 2331But get thee to a nunnery -- go! 2332 -- Mark "The Bard" Twain 2333% 2334But the greatest Electrical Pioneer of them all was Thomas Edison, who 2335was a brilliant inventor despite the fact that he had little formal 2336education and lived in New Jersey. Edison's first major invention in 23371877, was the phonograph, which could soon be found in thousands of 2338American homes, where it basically sat until 1923, when the record was 2339invented. But Edison's greatest achievement came in 1879, when he 2340invented the electric company. Edison's design was a brilliant 2341adaptation of the simple electrical circuit: the electric company sends 2342electricity through a wire to a customer, then immediately gets the 2343electricity back through another wire, then (this is the brilliant 2344part) sends it right back to the customer again. 2345 2346This means that an electric company can sell a customer the same batch 2347of electricity thousands of times a day and never get caught, since 2348very few customers take the time to examine their electricity closely. 2349In fact the last year any new electricity was generated in the United 2350States was 1937; the electric companies have been merely re-selling it 2351ever since, which is why they have so much free time to apply for rate 2352increases. 2353 -- Dave Barry, "What is Electricity?" 2354% 2355"But this has taken us far afield from interface, which is not a bad 2356place to be, since I particularly want to move ahead to the kludge. 2357Why do people have so much trouble understanding the kludge? What is a 2358kludge, after all, but not enough Ks, not enough ROMs, not enough RAMs, 2359poor quality interface and too few bytes to go around? Have I 2360explained yet about the bytes?" 2361% 2362... But we've only fondled the surface of that subject. 2363 -- Virginia Masters 2364% 2365"But what we need to know is, do people want nasally-insertable 2366computers?" 2367% 2368Buzz off, Banana Nose; Relieve mine eyes 2369Of hateful soreness, purge mine ears of corn; 2370Less dear than army ants in apple pies 2371Art thou, old prune-face, with thy chestnuts worn, 2372Dropt from thy peeling lips like lousy fruit; 2373Like honeybees upon the perfum'd rose 2374They suck, and like the double-breasted suit 2375Are out of date; therefore, Banana Nose, 2376Go fly a kite, thy welcome's overstayed; 2377And stem the produce of thy waspish wits: 2378Thy logick, like thy locks, is disarrayed; 2379Thy cheer, like thy complexion, is the pits. 2380Be off, I say; go bug somebody new, 2381Scram, beat it, get thee hence, and nuts to you. 2382% 2383By doing just a little every day, you can gradually let the task 2384completely overwhelm you. 2385% 2386"By necessity, by proclivity, and by delight, we all quote. In fact, 2387it is as difficult to appropriate the thoughts of others as it is to 2388invent. (R. Emerson)" 2389 -- Quoted from a fortune cookie program 2390 (whose author claims, "Actually, stealing IS easier.") 2391 [to which I reply, "You think it's easy for me to 2392 misconstrue all these misquotations?!?"] 2393% 2394"By the time they had diminished from 50 to 8, the other dwarves began 2395to suspect 'Hungry' ..." 2396 -- Gary Larson, "The Far Side" 2397% 2398By trying, we can easily learn to endure adversity -- another man's, I 2399mean. 2400 -- Mark Twain 2401% 2402Bypasses are devices that allow some people to dash from point A to 2403point B very fast while other people dash from point B to point A very 2404fast. People living at point C, being a point directly in between, are 2405often given to wonder what's so great about point A that so many people 2406from point B are so keen to get there and what's so great about point B 2407that so many people from point A are so keen to get _____there. They often 2408wish that people would just once and for all work out where the hell 2409they wanted to be. 2410 -- Douglas Adams, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" 2411% 2412C, n.: 2413 A programming language that is sort of like Pascal except more 2414like assembly except that it isn't very much like either one, or 2415anything else. It is either the best language available to the art 2416today, or it isn't. 2417 -- Ray Simard 2418% 2419Cabbage, n.: 2420 A familiar kitchen-garden vegetable about as large and wise as 2421a man's head. 2422 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 2423% 2424"Cable is not a luxury, since many areas have poor TV reception." 2425 -- The mayor of Tucson, Arizona, 1989 2426% 2427Cahn's Axiom: 2428 When all else fails, read the instructions. 2429% 2430California is a fine place to live -- if you happen to be an orange. 2431 -- Fred Allen 2432% 2433California, n.: 2434 From Latin "calor", meaning "heat" (as in English "calorie" or 2435Spanish "caliente"); and "fornia'" for "sexual intercourse" or 2436"fornication." Hence: Tierra de California, "the land of hot sex." 2437 -- Ed Moran 2438% 2439Call on God, but row away from the rocks. 2440 -- Indian proverb 2441% 2442"Calling J-Man Kink. Calling J-Man Kink. Hash missile sighted, target 2443Los Angeles. Disregard personal feelings about city and intercept." 2444% 2445"Calvin Coolidge looks as if he had been weaned on a pickle." 2446 -- Alice Roosevelt Longworth 2447% 2448"Calvin Coolidge was the greatest man who ever came out of Plymouth 2449Corner, Vermont." 2450 -- Clarence Darrow 2451% 2452Campus sidewalks never exist as the straightest line between two 2453points. 2454 -- M. M. Johnston 2455% 2456Canada Bill Jone's Motto: 2457 It's morally wrong to allow suckers to keep their money. 2458 2459Supplement: 2460 A .44 magnum beats four aces. 2461% 2462Canada Post doesn't really charge 32 cents for a stamp. It's 2 cents 2463for postage and 30 cents for storage. 2464 -- Gerald Regan, Cabinet Minister, 12/31/83 Financial 2465 Post 2466% 2467Cancel me not -- for what then shall remain? 2468Abscissas, some mantissas, modules, modes, 2469A root or two, a torus and a node: 2470The inverse of my verse, a null domain. 2471 -- Stanislaw Lem, "Cyberiad" 2472% 2473CANCER (June 21 - July 22) 2474 You are sympathetic and understanding to other people's 2475problems. They think you are a sucker. You are always putting things 2476off. That's why you'll never make anything of yourself. Most welfare 2477recipients are Cancer people. 2478% 2479Canonical, adj.: 2480 The usual or standard state or manner of something. A true 2481story: One Bob Sjoberg, new at the MIT AI Lab, expressed some 2482annoyance at the use of jargon. Over his loud objections, we made a 2483point of using jargon as much as possible in his presence, and 2484eventually it began to sink in. Finally, in one conversation, he used 2485the word "canonical" in jargon-like fashion without thinking. 2486 Steele: "Aha! We've finally got you talking jargon too!" 2487 Stallman: "What did he say?" 2488 Steele: "He just used `canonical' in the canonical way." 2489% 2490CAPRICORN (Dec 23 - Jan 19) 2491 You are conservative and afraid of taking risks. You don't do 2492much of anything and are lazy. There has never been a Capricorn of any 2493importance. Capricorns should avoid standing still for too long as 2494they take root and become trees. 2495% 2496Captain Penny's Law: 2497 You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of 2498the people all of the time, but you Can't Fool Mom. 2499% 2500Carelessly planned projects take three times longer to complete than 2501expected. Carefully planned projects take four times longer to 2502complete than expected, mostly because the planners expect their 2503planning to reduce the time it takes. 2504% 2505Carmel, New York, has an ordinance forbidding men to wear coats and 2506trousers that don't match. 2507% 2508Carperpetuation (kar' pur pet u a shun), n.: 2509 The act, when vacuuming, of running over a string at least a 2510dozen times, reaching over and picking it up, examining it, then 2511putting it back down to give the vacuum one more chance. 2512 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 2513% 2514Cat, n.: 2515 Lapwarmer with built-in buzzer. 2516% 2517Cauliflower is nothing but Cabbage with a College Education. 2518 -- Mark Twain 2519% 2520Caution: breathing may be hazardous to your health. 2521% 2522CChheecckk yyoouurr dduupplleexx sswwiittcchh.. 2523% 2524Cecil, you're my final hope 2525Of finding out the true Straight Dope 2526For I have been reading of Schrodinger's cat 2527But none of my cats are at all like that. 2528This unusual animal (so it is said) 2529Is simultaneously alive and dead! 2530What I don't understand is just why he 2531Can't be one or the other, unquestionably. 2532My future now hangs in between eigenstates. 2533In one I'm enlightened, in the other I ain't. 2534If *you* understand, Cecil, then show me the way 2535And rescue my psyche from quantum decay. 2536But if this queer thing has perplexed even you, 2537Then I will *___and* I won't see you in Schrodinger's zoo. 2538 -- Randy F., Chicago, "The Straight Dope, a compendium 2539 of human knowledge" by Cecil Adams 2540% 2541Celebrate Hannibal Day this year. Take an elephant to lunch. 2542% 2543Celestial navigation is based on the premise that the Earth is the 2544center of the universe. The premise is wrong, but the navigation 2545works. An incorrect model can be a useful tool. 2546 -- Kelvin Throop III 2547% 2548Census Taker to Housewife: Did you ever have the measles, and, if so, 2549how many? 2550% 2551Cerebus: I'd love to lick apricot brandy out of your navel. 2552Jaka: Look, Cerebus-- Jaka has to tell you ... something 2553Cerebus: If Cerebus had a navel, would you lick apricot brandy 2554 out of it? 2555Jaka: Ugh! 2556Cerebus: You don't like apricot brandy? 2557 -- Cerebus #6, "The Secret" 2558% 2559Certain old men prefer to rise at dawn, taking a cold bath and a long 2560walk with an empty stomach and otherwise mortifying the flesh. They 2561then point with pride to these practices as the cause of their sturdy 2562health and ripe years; the truth being that they are hearty and old, 2563not because of their habits, but in spite of them. The reason we find 2564only robust persons doing this thing is that it has killed all the 2565others who have tried it. 2566 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 2567% 2568Certainly there are things in life that money can't buy, but it's very funny-- 2569 Did you ever try buying them without money? 2570 -- Ogden Nash 2571% 2572 Chapter 1 2573 2574The story so far: 2575 2576 In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot 2577of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move. 2578% 2579Character Density, n.: 2580 The number of very weird people in the office. 2581% 2582Checkuary, n.: 2583 The thirteenth month of the year. Begins New Year's Day and 2584ends when a person stops absentmindedly writing the old year on his 2585checks. 2586% 2587Chef, n.: 2588 Any cook who swears in French. 2589% 2590Chemicals, n.: 2591 Noxious substances from which modern foods are made. 2592% 2593Chemistry is applied theology. 2594 -- Augustus Stanley Owsley III 2595% 2596Chicago law prohibits eating in a place that is on fire. 2597% 2598Chicago Transit Authority Rider's Rule #36: 2599 Never ever ask the tough looking gentleman wearing El Rukn 2600headgear where he got his "pyramid powered pizza warmer". 2601 -- Chicago Reader 3/27/81 2602% 2603Chicago Transit Authority Rider's Rule #84: 2604 The CTA has complimentary pop-up timers available on request 2605for overheated passengers. When your timer pops up, the driver will 2606cheerfully baste you. 2607 -- Chicago Reader 5/28/82 2608% 2609Chicago, n.: 2610 Where the dead still vote ... early and often! 2611% 2612Chicken Little only has to be right once. 2613% 2614Chicken Little was right. 2615% 2616Chicken Soup, n.: 2617 An ancient miracle drug containing equal parts of aureomycin, 2618cocaine, interferon, and TLC. The only ailment chicken soup can't cure 2619is neurotic dependence on one's mother. 2620 -- Arthur Naiman, "Every Goy's Guide to Yiddish" 2621% 2622Children are natural mimic who act like their parents despite every 2623effort to teach them good manners. 2624% 2625Children are unpredictable. You never know what inconsistency they're 2626going to catch you in next. 2627 -- Franklin P. Jones 2628% 2629Children aren't happy without something to ignore, 2630And that's what parents were created for. 2631 -- Ogden Nash 2632% 2633Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for 2634word what you shouldn't have said. 2635% 2636Chism's Law of Completion: 2637 The amount of time required to complete a government project is 2638precisely equal to the length of time already spent on it. 2639% 2640Chisolm's First Corollary to Murphy's Second Law: 2641 When things just can't possibly get any worse, they will. 2642% 2643Chivalry, Schmivalry! 2644 Roger the thief has a 2645 method he uses for 2646 sneaky attacks: 2647Folks who are reading are 2648 Characteristically 2649 Always Forgetting to 2650 Guard their own bac ... 2651% 2652Christ: 2653 A man who was born at least 5,000 years ahead of his time. 2654% 2655Churchill's Commentary on Man: 2656 Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the 2657time he will pick himself up and continue on. 2658% 2659Cigarette, n.: 2660 A fire at one end, a fool at the other, and a bit of tobacco in 2661between. 2662% 2663Cinemuck, n.: 2664 The combination of popcorn, soda, and melted chocolate which 2665covers the floors of movie theaters. 2666 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 2667% 2668Clairvoyant, n.: 2669 A person, commonly a woman, who has the power of seeing that 2670which is invisible to her patron -- namely, that he is a blockhead. 2671 -- Ambrose Bierce 2672% 2673Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like 2674shoveling the walk before it stops snowing. 2675 -- Phyllis Diller 2676% 2677Cleanliness is next to impossible. 2678% 2679Cleveland still lives. God ____must be dead. 2680% 2681"Cleveland? Yes, I spent a week there one day." 2682% 2683Cloning is the sincerest form of flattery. 2684% 2685Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on 2686society. 2687 -- Mark Twain 2688% 2689COBOL programs are an exercise in Artificial Inelegance. 2690% 2691Cocaine -- the thinking man's Dristan. 2692% 2693Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum -- 2694"I think that I think, therefore I think that I am." 2695 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 2696% 2697"Cogito ergo I'm right and you're wrong." 2698 -- Blair Houghton 2699% 2700Coincidence, n.: 2701 You weren't paying attention to the other half of what was 2702going on. 2703% 2704Coincidences are spiritual puns. 2705 -- G. K. Chesterton 2706% 2707Cold, adj.: 2708 When the local flashers are handing out written descriptions. 2709% 2710Cold, adj.: 2711 When the politicians walk around with their hands in their own 2712pockets. 2713% 2714Collaboration, n.: 2715 A literary partnership based on the false assumption that the 2716other fellow can spell. 2717% 2718College football is a game which would be much more interesting if the 2719faculty played instead of the students, and even more interesting if 2720the trustees played. There would be a great increase in broken arms, 2721legs, and necks, and simultaneously an appreciable diminution in the 2722loss to humanity. 2723 -- H. L. Mencken 2724% 2725Colvard's Logical Premises: 2726 All probabilities are 50%. Either a thing will happen or it 2727 won't. 2728 2729Colvard's Unconscionable Commentary: 2730 This is especially true when dealing with someone you're 2731 attracted to. 2732 2733Grelb's Commentary 2734 Likelihoods, however, are 90% against you. 2735% 2736Come, every frustum longs to be a cone, 2737And every vector dreams of matrices. 2738Hark to the gentle gradient of the breeze: 2739It whispers of a more ergodic zone. 2740 -- Stanislaw Lem, "Cyberiad" 2741% 2742Come, let us hasten to a higher plane, 2743Where dyads tread the fairy fields of Venn, 2744Their indices bedecked from one to _n, 2745Commingled in an endless Markov chain! 2746 -- Stanislaw Lem, "Cyberiad" 2747% 2748Command, n.: 2749 Statement presented by a human and accepted by a computer in 2750such a manner as to make the human feel as if he is in control. 2751% 2752 COMMENT 2753 2754Oh, life is a glorious cycle of song, 2755A medley of extemporanea; 2756And love is thing that can never go wrong; 2757And I am Marie of Roumania. 2758 -- Dorothy Parker 2759% 2760Commitment, n.: 2761 Commitment can be illustrated by a breakfast of ham and eggs. 2762The chicken was involved, the pig was committed. 2763% 2764Committee Rules: 2765 (1) Never arrive on time, or you will be stamped a beginner. 2766 (2) Don't say anything until the meeting is half over; this 2767 stamps you as being wise. 2768 (3) Be as vague as possible; this prevents irritating the 2769 others. 2770 (4) When in doubt, suggest that a subcommittee be appointed. 2771 (5) Be the first to move for adjournment; this will make you 2772 popular -- it's what everyone is waiting for. 2773% 2774Committee, n.: 2775 A group of men who individually can do nothing but as a group 2776decide that nothing can be done. 2777 -- Fred Allen 2778% 2779Committees have become so important nowadays that subcommittees have to 2780be appointed to do the work. 2781% 2782Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at 2783different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing. 2784 -- Clive James 2785% 2786Common sense is instinct, and enough of it is genius. 2787 -- Josh Billings 2788% 2789Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen. 2790 -- Albert Einstein 2791% 2792Comparing information and knowledge is like asking whether the fatness 2793of a pig is more or less green than the designated hitter rule." 2794 -- David Guaspari 2795% 2796Computer programmers do it byte by byte 2797% 2798Computer Science is merely the post-Turing decline in formal systems 2799theory. 2800% 2801Computers are not intelligent. They only think they are. 2802% 2803Computers are useless. They can only give you answers. 2804 -- Pablo Picasso 2805% 2806Computers can figure out all kinds of problems, except the things in 2807the world that just don't add up. 2808% 2809Computers will not be perfected until they can compute how much more 2810than the estimate the job will cost. 2811% 2812Conceit causes more conversation than wit. 2813 -- LaRouchefoucauld 2814% 2815Concept, n.: 2816 Any "idea" for which an outside consultant billed you more than 2817$25,000. 2818% 2819... [concerning quotation marks] even if we *___did* quote anybody in this 2820business, it probably would be gibberish. 2821 -- Thom McLeod 2822% 2823Condense soup, not books! 2824% 2825Confession is good for the soul only in the sense that a tweed coat is 2826good for dandruff. 2827 -- Peter de Vries 2828% 2829Confidence is the feeling you have before you understand the 2830situation. 2831% 2832Congratulations! You have purchased an extremely fine device that 2833would give you thousands of years of trouble-free service, except that 2834you undoubtably will destroy it via some typical bonehead consumer 2835maneuver. Which is why we ask you to PLEASE FOR GOD'S SAKE READ THIS 2836OWNER'S MANUAL CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU UNPACK THE DEVICE. YOU ALREADY 2837UNPACKED IT, DIDN'T YOU? YOU UNPACKED IT AND PLUGGED IT IN AND TURNED 2838IT ON AND FIDDLED WITH THE KNOBS, AND NOW YOUR CHILD, THE SAME CHILD 2839WHO ONCE SHOVED A POLISH SAUSAGE INTO YOUR VIDEOCASSETTE RECORDER AND 2840SET IT ON "FAST FORWARD", THIS CHILD ALSO IS FIDDLING WITH THE KNOBS, 2841RIGHT? AND YOU'RE JUST NOW STARTING TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS, 2842RIGHT??? WE MIGHT AS WELL JUST BREAK THESE DEVICES RIGHT AT THE 2843FACTORY BEFORE WE SHIP THEM OUT, YOU KNOW THAT? 2844 -- Dave Barry, "Read This First!" 2845% 2846Connector Conspiracy, n: 2847 [probably came into prominence with the appearance of the 2848KL-10, none of whose connectors match anything else] The tendency of 2849manufacturers (or, by extension, programmers or purveyors of anything) 2850to come up with new products which don't fit together with the old 2851stuff, thereby making you buy either all new stuff or expensive 2852interface devices. 2853% 2854Conscience is a mother-in-law whose visit never ends. 2855 -- H. L. Mencken 2856% 2857Conscience is the inner voice that warns us somebody is looking 2858 -- H. L. Mencken 2859% 2860Conscience is what hurts when everything else feels so good. 2861% 2862Conscious is when you are aware of something and conscience is when you 2863wish you weren't. 2864% 2865"Consequences, Schmonsequences, as long as I'm rich." 2866 -- "Ali Baba Bunny" [1957, Chuck Jones] 2867% 2868Consultants are mystical people who ask a company for a number and then 2869give it back to them. 2870% 2871"Contrariwise," continued Tweedledee, "if it was so, it might be, and 2872if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic!" 2873 -- Lewis Carroll, "Through the Looking Glass" 2874% 2875"Contrary to popular belief, penguins are not the salvation of modern 2876technology. Neither do they throw parties for the urban proletariat." 2877% 2878Conversation, n.: 2879 A vocal competition in which the one who is catching his breath 2880is called the listener. 2881% 2882Conway's Law: 2883 In any organization there will always be one person who knows 2884 what is going on. 2885 2886 This person must be fired. 2887% 2888Coronation, n.: 2889 The ceremony of investing a sovereign with the outward and 2890visible signs of his divine right to be blown skyhigh with a dynamite 2891bomb. 2892 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 2893% 2894Corrupt, adj.: 2895 In politics, holding an office of trust or profit. 2896% 2897Corrupt, stupid grasping functionaries will make at least as big a 2898muddle of socialism as stupid, selfish and acquisitive employers can 2899make of capitalism. 2900 -- Walter Lippmann 2901% 2902Corruption is not the #1 priority of the Police Commissioner. His job 2903is to enforce the law and fight crime. 2904 -- P.B.A. President E. J. Kiernan 2905% 2906Court, n.: 2907 A place where they dispense with justice. 2908 -- Arthur Train 2909% 2910Coward, n.: 2911 One who in a perilous emergency thinks with his legs. 2912 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 2913% 2914Crash programs fail because they are based on the theory that, with 2915nine women pregnant, you can get a baby a month. 2916 -- Wernher von Braun 2917% 2918Crime does not pay ... as well as politics. 2919 -- A. E. Newman 2920% 2921Critic, n.: 2922 A person who boasts himself hard to please because nobody tries 2923to please him. 2924 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 2925% 2926Croll's Query: 2927 If tin whistles are made of tin, what are foghorns made of? 2928% 2929cursor address, n: 2930 "Hello, cursor!" 2931 -- Stan Kelly-Bootle, "The Devil's DP Dictionary" 2932% 2933"Cutting the space budget really restores my faith in humanity. It 2934eliminates dreams, goals, and ideals and lets us get straight to the 2935business of hate, debauchery, and self-annihilation." 2936 -- Johnny Hart 2937% 2938"Cutting the space budget really restores my faith in humanity. It 2939eliminates dreams, goals, and ideals and lets us get straight to the 2940business of hate, debauchery, and self-annihilation." 2941 -- Johnny Hart 2942% 2943Cynic, n.: 2944 A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not 2945as they ought to be. Hence the custom among the Scythians of plucking 2946out a cynic's eyes to improve his vision. 2947 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 2948% 2949Cynic, n.: 2950 One who looks through rose-colored glasses with a jaundiced 2951eye. 2952% 2953Dare to be naive. 2954 -- R. Buckminster Fuller 2955% 2956Darth Vader sleeps with a Teddywookie. 2957% 2958Dave Mack: "Your stupidity, Allen, is simply not up to par." 2959Allen Gwinn: "Yours is." 2960% 2961Dawn, n.: 2962 The time when men of reason go to bed. 2963 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 2964% 2965Day of inquiry. You will be subpoenaed. 2966% 2967%DCL-MEM-BAD, bad memory 2968VMS-F-PDGERS, pudding between the ears 2969% 2970Dealing with failure is easy: work hard to improve. Success is also 2971easy to handle: you've solved the wrong problem. Work hard to 2972improve. 2973% 2974Dear Lord: 2975 I just want *___one* one-armed manager so I never have to hear "On 2976the other hand", again. 2977% 2978Dear Miss Manners: 2979 My home economics teacher says that one must never place one's 2980elbows on the table. However, I have read that one elbow, in between 2981courses, is all right. Which is correct? 2982 2983Gentle Reader: 2984 For the purpose of answering examinations in your home 2985economics class, your teacher is correct. Catching on to this 2986principle of education may be of even greater importance to you now 2987than learning correct current table manners, vital as Miss Manners 2988believes that is. 2989% 2990Dear Miss Manners: 2991 Please list some tactful ways of removing a man's saliva from 2992your face. 2993 2994Gentle Reader: 2995 Please list some decent ways of acquiring a man's saliva on 2996your face ... 2997% 2998Dear Mister Language Person: I am curious about the expression, "Part 2999of this complete breakfast". The way it comes up is, my 5-year-old 3000will be watching TV cartoon shows in the morning, and they'll show a 3001commercial for a children's compressed breakfast compound such as 3002"Froot Loops" or "Lucky Charms", and they always show it sitting on a 3003table next to some actual food such as eggs, and the announcer always 3004says: "Part of this complete breakfast". Don't that really mean, 3005"Adjacent to this complete breakfast", or "On the same table as this 3006complete breakfast"? And couldn't they make essentially the same claim 3007if, instead of Froot Loops, they put a can of shaving cream there, or a 3008dead bat? 3009 3010Answer: Yes. 3011 -- Dave Barry, "Tips for Writer's" 3012% 3013Dear Mister Language Person: What is the purpose of the apostrophe? 3014 3015Answer: The apostrophe is used mainly in hand-lettered small business 3016signs to alert the reader than an "S" is coming up at the end of a 3017word, as in: WE DO NOT EXCEPT PERSONAL CHECK'S, or: NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR 3018ANY ITEM'S. Another important grammar concept to bear in mind when 3019creating hand- lettered small-business signs is that you should put 3020quotation marks around random words for decoration, as in "TRY" OUR HOT 3021DOG'S, or even TRY "OUR" HOT DOG'S. 3022 -- Dave Barry, "Tips for Writer's" 3023% 3024Death is God's way of telling you not to be such a wise guy. 3025% 3026Death is life's way of telling you you've been fired. 3027 -- R. Geis 3028% 3029Death is Nature's way of recycling human beings. 3030% 3031"Death is nature's way of saying `Howdy'". 3032% 3033Death is nature's way of telling you to slow down 3034% 3035Death is only a state of mind. 3036 3037Only it doesn't leave you much time to think about anything else. 3038% 3039Death to all fanatics! 3040% 3041Decision maker, n.: 3042 The person in your office who was unable to form a task force 3043before the music stopped. 3044% 3045Decisions of the judges will be final unless shouted down by a really 3046overwhelming majority of the crowd present. Abusive and obscene 3047language may not be used by contestants when addressing members of the 3048judging panel, or, conversely, by members of the judging panel when 3049addressing contestants (unless struck by a boomerang). 3050 -- Mudgeeraba Creek Emu-Riding and Boomerang-Throwing 3051 Assoc. 3052% 3053 Deck Us All With Boston Charlie 3054 3055Deck us all with Boston Charlie, 3056Walla Walla, Wash., an' Kalamazoo! 3057Nora's freezin' on the trolley, 3058Swaller dollar cauliflower, alleygaroo! 3059 3060Don't we know archaic barrel, 3061Lullaby Lilla Boy, Louisville Lou. 3062Trolley Molly don't love Harold, 3063Boola boola Pensacoola hullabaloo! 3064 -- Walt Kelly 3065% 3066"Deep" is a word like "theory" or "semantic" -- it implies all sorts of 3067marvelous things. It's one thing to be able to say "I've got a 3068theory", quite another to say "I've got a semantic theory", but, ah, 3069those who can claim "I've got a deep semantic theory", they are truly 3070blessed. 3071 -- Randy Davis 3072% 3073default, n.: 3074 [Possibly from Black English "De fault wid dis system is you, 3075mon."] The vain attempt to avoid errors by inactivity. "Nothing will 3076come of nothing: speak again." -- King Lear. 3077 -- Stan Kelly-Bootle, "The Devil's DP Dictionary" 3078% 3079#define BITCOUNT(x) (((BX_(x)+(BX_(x)>>4)) & 0x0F0F0F0F) % 255) 3080#define BX_(x) ((x) - (((x)>>1)&0x77777777) \ 3081 - (((x)>>2)&0x33333333) \ 3082 - (((x)>>3)&0x11111111)) 3083 3084 -- really weird C code to count the number of bits in a word 3085% 3086 DELETE A FORTUNE! 3087 3088Don't some of these fortunes just drive you nuts?! Wouldn't you like 3089to see some of them deleted from the system? You can! Just mail to 3090"fortune" with the fortune you hate most, and we MIGHT make sure it 3091gets expunged. 3092% 3093Deliberation, n.: 3094 The act of examining one's bread to determine which side it is 3095buttered on. 3096 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 3097% 3098"Deliver yesterday, code today, think tomorrow." 3099% 3100Demand the establishment of the government 3101in its rightful home at Disneyland. 3102% 3103Democracy is a device that insures we shall be governed no better than 3104we deserve. 3105 -- George Bernard Shaw 3106% 3107Democracy is a form of government in which it is permitted to wonder 3108aloud what the country could do under first-class management. 3109 -- Senator Soaper 3110% 3111Democracy is a form of government that substitutes election by the 3112incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few. 3113 -- G. B. Shaw 3114% 3115Democracy is a government where you can say what you think even if you 3116don't think. 3117% 3118Democracy is also a form of worship. It is the worship of Jackals by 3119Jackasses. 3120 -- H. L. Mencken 3121% 3122Democracy is good. I say this because other systems are worse. 3123 -- Jawaharlal Nehru 3124% 3125Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people 3126are right more than half of the time. 3127 -- E. B. White 3128% 3129Democracy, n.: 3130 A government of the masses. Authority derived through mass 3131meeting or any other form of direct expression. Results in mobocracy. 3132Attitude toward property is communistic... negating property rights. 3133Attitude toward law is that the will of the majority shall regulate, 3134whether it is based upon deliberation or governed by passion, 3135prejudice, and impulse, without restraint or regard to consequences. 3136Result is demagogism, license, agitation, discontent, anarchy. 3137 -- U. S. Army Training Manual No. 2000-25 (1928-1932), 3138 since withdrawn. 3139% 3140Demographic polls show that you have lost credibility across the 3141board. Especially with those 14 year-old Valley girls. 3142% 3143Dentist, n.: 3144 A Prestidigitator who, putting metal in one's mouth, pulls 3145coins out of one's pockets. 3146 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 3147% 3148Despising machines to a man, 3149The Luddites joined up with the Klan, 3150 And ride out by night 3151 In a sheeting of white 3152To lynch all the robots they can. 3153 -- C. M. and G. A. Maxson 3154% 3155Dessert is probably the most important stage of the meal, since it will 3156be the last thing your guests remember before they pass out all over 3157the table. 3158 -- The Anarchist Cookbook 3159% 3160 DETERIORATA 3161 3162Go placidly amid the noise and waste, 3163And remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof. 3164Avoid quiet and passive persons, unless you are in need of sleep. 3165Rotate your tires. 3166Speak glowingly of those greater than yourself, 3167And heed well their advice -- even though they be turkeys. 3168Know what to kiss -- and when. 3169Remember that two wrongs never make a right, 3170But that three do. 3171Wherever possible, put people on "HOLD". 3172Be comforted, that in the face of all aridity and disillusionment, 3173And despite the changing fortunes of time, 3174There is always a big future in computer maintenance. 3175 3176 You are a fluke of the universe ... 3177 You have no right to be here. 3178 Whether you can hear it or not, the universe 3179 Is laughing behind your back. 3180 -- National Lampoon 3181% 3182DeVries's Dilemma: 3183 If you hit two keys on the typewriter, the one you don't want 3184hits the paper. 3185% 3186Did I say 2? I lied. 3187% 3188Did you know ... 3189 3190That no-one ever reads these things? 3191% 3192Did you know that clones never use mirrors? 3193 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 3194% 3195Did you know that if you took all the economists in the world and lined 3196them up end to end, they'd still point in the wrong direction? 3197% 3198Did you know that the voice tapes easily identify the Russian pilot 3199that shot down the Korean jet? At one point he definitely states: 3200 3201 "Natasha! First we shoot jet, then we go after moose and 3202 squirrel." 3203 3204 -- ihuxw!tommyo 3205% 3206Die, v.: 3207 To stop sinning suddenly. 3208 -- Elbert Hubbard 3209% 3210"Die? I should say not, dear fellow. No Barrymore would allow such a 3211conventional thing to happen to him." 3212 -- John Barrymore's dying words 3213% 3214Different all twisty a of in maze are you, passages little. 3215% 3216Dimensions will always be expressed in the least usable term. 3217Velocity, for example, will be expressed in furlongs per fortnight. 3218% 3219Diplomacy is the art of saying "nice doggy" until you can find a rock. 3220% 3221Disc space -- the final frontier! 3222% 3223Disclaimer: "These opinions are my own, though for a small fee they be 3224yours too." 3225 -- Dave Haynie 3226% 3227Disclaimer: Any resemblance between the above views and those of my 3228employer, my terminal, or the view out my window are purely 3229coincidental. Any resemblance between the above and my own views is 3230non-deterministic. The question of the existence of views in the 3231absence of anyone to hold them is left as an exercise for the reader. 3232The question of the existence of the reader is left as an exercise for 3233the second god coefficient. (A discussion of non-orthogonal, 3234non-integral polytheism is beyond the scope of this article.) 3235% 3236Disco is to music what Etch-A-Sketch is to art. 3237% 3238Distinctive, adj.: 3239 A different color or shape than our competitors. 3240% 3241Distress, n.: 3242 A disease incurred by exposure to the prosperity of a friend. 3243 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 3244% 3245District of Columbia pedestrians who leap over passing autos to escape 3246injury, and then strike the car as they come down, are liable for any 3247damage inflicted on the vehicle. 3248% 3249Do infants have as much fun in infancy as adults do in adultery? 3250% 3251Do molecular biologists wear designer genes? 3252% 3253Do not believe in miracles -- rely on them. 3254% 3255Do not drink coffee in early a.m. It will keep you awake until noon. 3256% 3257Do not meddle in the affairs of troff, for it is subtle and quick to 3258anger. 3259% 3260"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for you are crunchy and good 3261with ketchup." 3262% 3263Do not read this fortune under penalty of law. 3264Violators will be prosecuted. 3265(Penal Code sec. 2.3.2 (II.a.)) 3266% 3267Do not sleep in a eucalyptus tree tonight. 3268% 3269Do not try to solve all life's problems at once -- learn to dread each 3270day as it comes. 3271 -- Donald Kaul 3272% 3273Do something unusual today. Pay a bill. 3274% 3275Do what comes naturally now. Seethe and fume and throw a tantrum. 3276% 3277Do you have lysdexia? 3278% 3279Do you realize how many holes there could be if people would just take 3280the time to take the dirt out of them? 3281% 3282"Do you think what we're doing is wrong?" 3283"Of course it's wrong! It's illegal!" 3284"I've never done anything illegal before." 3285"I thought you said you were an accountant!" 3286% 3287Documentation is like sex: when it is good, it is very, very good; and 3288when it is bad, it is better than nothing. 3289 -- Dick Brandon 3290% 3291Documentation is the castor oil of programming. Managers know it must 3292be good because the programmers hate it so much. 3293% 3294Does the name Pavlov ring a bell? 3295% 3296Don't abandon hope: your Tom Mix decoder ring arrives tomorrow. 3297% 3298Don't be humble ... you're not that great. 3299 -- Golda Meir 3300% 3301Don't believe everything you hear or anything you say. 3302% 3303Don't change the reason, just change the excuses! 3304 -- Joe Cointment 3305% 3306"Don't come back until you have him", the Tick-Tock Man said quietly, 3307sincerely, extremely dangerously. 3308 3309They used dogs. They used probes. They used cardio plate crossoffs. 3310They used teepers. They used bribery. They used stick tites. They 3311used intimidation. They used torment. They used torture. They used 3312finks. They used cops. They used search and seizure. They used 3313fallaron. They used betterment incentives. They used finger prints. 3314They used the bertillion system. They used cunning. They used guile. 3315They used treachery. They used Raoul-Mitgong but he wasn't much help. 3316They used applied physics. They used techniques of criminology. And 3317what the hell, they caught him. 3318 3319 -- Harlan Ellison, "Repent, Harlequin, said the 3320 Tick-Tock Man" 3321% 3322Don't cook tonight -- starve a rat today! 3323% 3324Don't feed the bats tonight. 3325% 3326Don't get even -- get odd! 3327% 3328Don't get suckered in by the comments -- they can be terribly 3329misleading. Debug only code. 3330 -- Dave Storer 3331% 3332"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes 3333you nothing. It was here first." 3334 -- Mark Twain 3335% 3336Don't go surfing in South Dakota for a while. 3337% 3338Don't hate yourself in the morning -- sleep till noon. 3339% 3340Don't hit a man when he's down -- kick him; it's easier. 3341% 3342Don't kiss an elephant on the lips today. 3343% 3344Don't knock President Fillmore. He kept us out of Vietnam. 3345% 3346Don't let people drive you crazy when you know it's in walking 3347distance. 3348% 3349Don't let your mind wander -- it's too little to be let out alone. 3350% 3351Don't look back, the lemmings are gaining on you. 3352% 3353Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today, because if you enjoy 3354it today you can do it again tomorrow. 3355% 3356"Don't say yes until I finish talking." 3357 -- Darryl F. Zanuck 3358% 3359Don't steal; thou'lt never thus compete successfully in business. 3360Cheat. 3361 -- Ambrose Bierce 3362% 3363Don't suspect your friends -- turn them in! 3364 -- "Brazil" 3365% 3366Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent. 3367 -- Walt Kelly 3368% 3369Don't take life too seriously -- you'll never get out of it alive. 3370% 3371Don't tell any big lies today. Small ones can be just as effective. 3372% 3373"Don't tell me I'm burning the candle at both ends -- tell me where to 3374get more wax!!" 3375% 3376Don't worry about avoiding temptation -- as you grow older, it starts 3377avoiding you. 3378 -- The Old Farmer's Almanac 3379% 3380"Don't worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any 3381good, you'll have to ram them down people's throats." 3382 -- Howard Aiken 3383% 3384Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already 3385tomorrow in Australia. 3386 -- Charles Schultz 3387% 3388Don't worry over what other people are thinking about you. They're too 3389busy worrying over what you are thinking about them. 3390% 3391Don't you feel more like you do now than you did when you came in? 3392% 3393Don: I didn't know you had a cousin Penelope, Bill! Was she 3394 pretty? 3395W. C.: Well, her face was so wrinkled it looked like seven miles of 3396 bad road. She had so many gold teeth, Don, she use to have to 3397 sleep with her head in a safe. She died in Bolivia. 3398Don: Oh Bill, it must be hard to lose a relative. 3399W. C.: It's almost impossible. 3400 -- W. C. Fields, from "The Further Adventures of Larson 3401 E. Whipsnade and other Tarradiddles" 3402% 3403 Double Bucky 3404 (Sung to the tune of "Rubber Duckie") 3405 3406Double bucky, you're the one! 3407You make my keyboard lots of fun 3408 Double bucky, an additional bit or two: 3409(Vo-vo-de-o!) 3410Control and Meta side by side, 3411Augmented ASCII, nine bits wide! 3412 Double bucky, a half a thousand glyphs, plus a few! 3413 3414Double bucky, left and right 3415OR'd together, outta sight! 3416 Double bucky, I'd like a whole word of 3417 Double bucky, I'm happy I heard of 3418 Double bucky, I'd like a whole word of you! 3419 3420 -- (C) 1978 by Guy L. Steele, Jr. 3421% 3422Double-Blind Experiment, n.: 3423 An experiment in which the chief researcher believes he is 3424fooling both the subject and the lab assistant. Often accompanied by a 3425belief in the tooth fairy. 3426% 3427Down with categorical imperative! 3428% 3429"Drawing on my fine command of language, I said nothing." 3430% 3431Drew's Law of Highway Biology: 3432 The first bug to hit a clean windshield lands directly in front 3433of your eyes. 3434% 3435Drink Canada Dry! You might not succeed, but it *__is* fun trying. 3436% 3437Drive defensively. Buy a tank. 3438% 3439Drugs may be the road to nowhere, but at least they're the scenic 3440route! 3441% 3442Ducharme's Axiom: 3443 If you view your problem closely enough you will recognize 3444yourself as part of the problem. 3445% 3446Ducharme's Precept: 3447 Opportunity always knocks at the least opportune moment. 3448% 3449Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, and a dark side, and 3450it holds the universe together ... 3451 -- Carl Zwanzig 3452% 3453Due to a shortage of devoted followers, the production of great leaders 3454has been discontinued. 3455% 3456Due to circumstances beyond your control, you are master of your fate 3457and captain of your soul. 3458% 3459Due to lack of disk space, this fortune database has been 3460discontinued. 3461% 3462 During a grouse hunt in North Carolina two intrepid sportsmen 3463were blasting away at a clump of trees near a stone wall. Suddenly a 3464red-faced country squire popped his head over the wall and shouted, 3465"Hey, you almost hit my wife." 3466 "Did I?" cried the hunter, aghast. "Terribly sorry. Have a 3467shot at mine, over there." 3468% 3469During the next two hours, the system will be going up and down several 3470times, often with lin~po_~{po ~poz~ppo\~{ o n~po_~{o[po ~y oodsou>#w4k**n~po_~{ol;lkld;f;g;dd;po\~{o 3471% 3472"Dying is a very dull, dreary affair. And my advice to you is to have 3473nothing whatever to do with it." 3474 -- W. Somerset Maugham 3475% 3476E Pluribus Unix 3477% 3478Eagleson's Law: 3479 Any code of your own that you haven't looked at for six or more 3480months, might as well have been written by someone else. (Eagleson is 3481an optimist, the real number is more like three weeks.) 3482% 3483Earn cash in your spare time -- blackmail your friends 3484% 3485/earth is 98% full ... please delete anyone you can. 3486% 3487Earth is a beta site. 3488% 3489"Earth is a great, big funhouse without the fun." 3490 -- Jeff Berner 3491% 3492Easiest Color to Solve on a Rubik's Cube: 3493 Black. Simply remove all the little colored stickers on the 3494cube, and each of side of the cube will now be the original color of 3495the plastic underneath -- black. According to the instructions, this 3496means the puzzle is solved. 3497 -- Steve Rubenstein 3498% 3499 Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow they may make it illegal. 3500% 3501"Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you may work." 3502% 3503Economics is extremely useful as a form of employment for economists. 3504 -- John Kenneth Galbraith 3505% 3506Economics, n.: 3507 Economics is the study of the value and meaning of J. K. 3508Galbraith ... 3509 -- Mike Harding, "The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac" 3510% 3511Economists can certainly disappoint you. One said that the economy 3512would turn up by the last quarter. Well, I'm down to mine and it 3513hasn't. 3514 -- Robert Orben 3515% 3516Economists state their GNP growth projections to the nearest tenth of a 3517percentage point to prove they have a sense of humor. 3518 -- Edgar R. Fiedler 3519% 3520Ed Sullivan will be around as long as someone else has talent. 3521 -- Fred Allen 3522% 3523Education is the process of casting false pearls before real swine. 3524 -- Irsin Edman 3525% 3526Eeny, Meeny, Jelly Beanie, the spirits are about to speak! 3527 -- Bullwinkle Moose 3528% 3529Eggheads unite! You have nothing to lose but your yolks. 3530 -- Adlai Stevenson 3531% 3532Eggnog is a traditional holiday drink invented by the English. Many 3533people wonder where the word "eggnog" comes from. The first syllable 3534comes from the English word "egg", meaning "egg". I don't know where 3535the "nog" comes from. 3536 3537To make eggnog, you'll need rum, whiskey, wine gin and, if they are in 3538season, eggs... 3539% 3540Egotism is the anesthetic given by a kindly nature to relieve the pain 3541of being a damned fool. 3542 -- Bellamy Brooks 3543% 3544Egotist, n.: 3545 A person of low taste, more interested in himself than me. 3546 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 3547% 3548Ehrman's Commentary: 3549 (1) Things will get worse before they get better. 3550 (2) Who said things would get better? 3551% 3552Eighty percent of air pollution comes from plants and trees. 3553 -- Ronald Reagan, famous movie star 3554% 3555Eleanor Rigby 3556 Sits at the keyboard 3557 And waits for a line on the screen 3558Lives in a dream 3559Waits for a signal 3560 Finding some code 3561 That will make the machine do some more. 3562What is it for? 3563 3564All the lonely users, where do they all come from? 3565All the lonely users, why does it take so long? 3566% 3567Electrical Engineers do it with less resistance. 3568% 3569 Electricity is actually made up of extremely tiny particles, 3570called electrons, that you cannot see with the naked eye unless you 3571have been drinking. Electrons travel at the speed of light, which in 3572most American homes is 110 volts per hour. This is very fast. In the 3573time it has taken you to read this sentence so far, an electron could 3574have traveled all the way from San Francisco to Hackensack, New Jersey, 3575although God alone knows why it would want to. 3576 The five main kinds of electricity are alternating current, 3577direct current, lightning, static, and European. Most American homes 3578have alternating current, which means that the electricity goes in one 3579direction for a while, then goes in the other direction. This prevents 3580harmful electron buildup in the wires. 3581 -- Dave Barry, "The Taming of the Screw" 3582% 3583Electrocution, n.: 3584 Burning at the stake with all the modern improvements. 3585% 3586Elevators smell different to midgets 3587% 3588Emerson's Law of Contrariness: 3589 Our chief want in life is somebody who shall make us do what we 3590can. Having found them, we shall then hate them for it. 3591% 3592Encyclopedia Salesmen: 3593 Invite them all in. Nip out the back door. Phone the police 3594and tell them your house is being burgled. 3595 -- Mike Harding, "The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac" 3596% 3597Endless Loop: n., see Loop, Endless. 3598Loop, Endless: n., see Endless Loop. 3599 -- Random Shack Data Processing Dictionary 3600% 3601Entropy isn't what it used to be. 3602% 3603Enzymes are things invented by biologists that explain things which 3604otherwise require harder thinking. 3605 -- Jerome Lettvin 3606% 3607Epperson's law: 3608 When a man says it's a silly, childish game, it's probably 3609something his wife can beat him at. 3610% 3611Equal bytes for women. 3612% 3613Error in operator: add beer 3614% 3615Es brilig war. Die schlichte Toven 3616 Wirrten und wimmelten in Waben; 3617Und aller-m"umsige Burggoven 3618 Dir mohmen R"ath ausgraben. 3619 -- Lewis Carrol, "Through the Looking Glass" 3620% 3621Eternal nothingness is fine if you happen to be dressed for it. 3622 -- Woody Allen 3623% 3624Etymology, n.: 3625 Some early etymological scholars came up with derivations that 3626were hard for the public to believe. The term "etymology" was formed 3627from the Latin "etus" ("eaten"), the root "mal" ("bad"), and "logy" 3628("study of"). It meant "the study of things that are hard to swallow." 3629 -- Mike Kellen 3630% 3631Even if you do learn to speak correct English, whom are you going to 3632speak it to? 3633 -- Clarence Darrow 3634% 3635"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit 3636there." 3637 -- Will Rogers 3638% 3639"Even the best of friends cannot attend each other's funeral." 3640 -- Kehlog Albran, "The Profit" 3641% 3642Even though they raised the rate for first class mail in the United 3643States we really shouldn't complain -- it's still only two cents a 3644day. 3645% 3646Ever notice that even the busiest people are never too busy to tell you 3647just how busy they are. 3648% 3649Ever since prehistoric times, wise men have tried to understand what, 3650exactly, make people laugh. That's why they were called "wise men." 3651All the other prehistoric people were out puncturing each other with 3652spears, and the wise men were back in the cave saying: "How about: 3653Would you please take my wife? No. How about: Here is my wife, please 3654take her right now. No How about: Would you like to take something? 3655My wife is available. No. How about ..." 3656 -- Dave Barry, "Why Humor is Funny" 3657% 3658Every absurdity has a champion who will defend it. 3659% 3660Every creature has within him the wild, uncontrollable urge to punt. 3661% 3662Every four seconds a woman has a baby. Our problem is to find this 3663woman and stop her. 3664% 3665"Every group has a couple of experts. And every group has at least one 3666idiot. Thus are balance and harmony (and discord) maintained. It's 3667sometimes hard to remember this in the bulk of the flamewars that all 3668of the hassle and pain is generally caused by one or two 3669highly-motivated, caustic twits." 3670 -- Chuq Von Rospach, about Usenet 3671% 3672Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired 3673signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not 3674fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not 3675spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the 3676genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way 3677of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is 3678humanity hanging on a cross of iron. 3679 -- Dwight Eisenhower, April 16, 1953 3680% 3681Every Horse has an Infinite Number of Legs (proof by intimidation): 3682 3683Horses have an even number of legs. Behind they have two legs, and in 3684front they have fore-legs. This makes six legs, which is certainly an 3685odd number of legs for a horse. But the only number that is both even 3686and odd is infinity. Therefore, horses have an infinite number of 3687legs. Now to show this for the general case, suppose that somewhere, 3688there is a horse that has a finite number of legs. But that is a horse 3689of another color, and by the [above] lemma ["All horses are the same 3690color"], that does not exist. 3691% 3692Every improvement in communication makes the bore more terrible. 3693 -- Frank Moore Colby 3694% 3695Every journalist has a novel in him, which is an excellent place for it. 3696% 3697Every little picofarad has a nanohenry all its own. 3698 -- Don Vonada 3699% 3700"Every man has his price. Mine is $3.95." 3701% 3702Every man is as God made him, ay, and often worse. 3703 -- Miguel de Cervantes 3704% 3705"Every morning, I get up and look through the 'Forbes' list of the 3706richest people in America. If I'm not there, I go to work" 3707 -- Robert Orben 3708% 3709Every nonzero finite dimensional inner product space has an orthonormal basis. 3710 3711It makes sense, when you don't think about it. 3712% 3713Every program has at least one bug and can be shortened by at least one 3714instruction -- from which, by induction, one can deduce that every 3715program can be reduced to one instruction which doesn't work. 3716% 3717Every program has two purposes -- one for which it was written and 3718another for which it wasn't. 3719% 3720Every program is a part of some other program, and rarely fits. 3721% 3722Every solution breeds new problems. 3723% 3724Every successful person has had failures but repeated failure is no 3725guarantee of eventual success. 3726% 3727"Every time I think I know where it's at, they move it." 3728% 3729Every word is like an unnecessary stain on silence and nothingness. 3730 -- Beckett 3731% 3732Everybody is somebody else's weirdo. 3733 -- Dykstra 3734% 3735Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die. 3736% 3737Everyone can be taught to sculpt: Michelangelo would have had to be 3738taught how ___not to. So it is with the great programmers. 3739% 3740Everyone is a genius. It's just that some people are too stupid to 3741realize it. 3742% 3743Everyone knows that dragons don't exist. But while this simplistic 3744formulation may satisfy the layman, it does not suffice for the 3745scientific mind. The School of Higher Neantical Nillity is in fact 3746wholly unconcerned with what ____does exist. Indeed, the banality of 3747existence has been so amply demonstrated, there is no need for us to 3748discuss it any further here. The brilliant Cerebron, attacking the 3749problem analytically, discovered three distinct kinds of dragon: the 3750mythical, the chimerical, and the purely hypothetical. They were all, 3751one might say, nonexistent, but each nonexisted in an entirely 3752different way ... 3753 -- Stanislaw Lem, "Cyberiad" 3754% 3755Everyone talks about apathy, but no one ____does anything about it. 3756% 3757Everything is controlled by a small evil group to which, unfortunately, 3758no one we know belongs. 3759% 3760Everything is worth precisely as much as a belch, the difference being 3761that a belch is more satisfying. 3762 -- Ingmar Bergman 3763% 3764Everything should be built top-down, except the first time. 3765% 3766Everything you know is wrong! 3767% 3768Everything you've learned in school as "obvious" becomes less and less 3769obvious as you begin to study the universe. For example, there are no 3770solids in the universe. There's not even a suggestion of a solid. 3771There are no absolute continuums. There are no surfaces. There are no 3772straight lines. 3773 -- R. Buckminster Fuller 3774% 3775 Excellence is THE trend of the '80s. Walk into any shopping 3776mall bookstore, go to the rack where they keep the best-sellers such as 3777"Garfield Gets Spayed", and you'll see a half-dozen books telling you 3778how to be excellent: "In Search of Excellence", "Finding Excellence", 3779"Grasping Hold of Excellence", "Where to Hide Your Excellence at Night 3780So the Cleaning Personnel Don't Steal It", etc. 3781 -- Dave Barry, "In Search of Excellence" 3782% 3783Excellent day for drinking heavily. Spike office water cooler. 3784% 3785Excellent day for putting Slinkies on an escalator. 3786% 3787Excellent day to have a rotten day. 3788% 3789Excellent time to become a missing person. 3790% 3791Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from 3792acquiring the deadening effect of a habit. 3793 -- W. Somerset Maugham 3794% 3795Excessive login or logout messages are a sure sign of senility. 3796% 3797Executive ability is deciding quickly and getting somebody else to do 3798the work. 3799 -- John G. Pollard 3800% 3801Expect the worst, it's the least you can do. 3802% 3803Expense Accounts, n.: 3804 Corporate food stamps. 3805% 3806Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it. 3807 -- Olivier 3808% 3809Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you recognize a mistake 3810when you make it again. 3811 -- F. P. Jones 3812% 3813Experience is the worst teacher. It always gives the test first and 3814the instruction afterward. 3815% 3816Experience is what causes a person to make new mistakes instead of old 3817ones. 3818% 3819Experience is what you get when you were expecting something else. 3820% 3821Experience varies directly with equipment ruined. 3822% 3823Expert, n.: 3824 Someone who comes from out of town and shows slides. 3825% 3826Extract from Official Sweepstakes Rules: 3827 3828 NO PURCHASE REQUIRED TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE 3829 3830To claim your prize without purchase, do the following: (a) Carefully 3831cut out your computer-printed name and address from upper right hand 3832corner of the Prize Claim Form. (b) Affix computer-printed name and 3833address -- with glue or cellophane tape (no staples or paper clips) -- 3834to a 3x5 inch index card. (c) Also cut out the "No" paragraph (lower 3835left hand corner of Prize Claim Form) and affix it to the 3x5 card 3836below your address label. (d) Then print on your 3x5 card, above your 3837computer-printed name and address the words "CARTER & VAN PEEL 3838SWEEPSTAKES" (Use all capital letters.) (e) Finally place 3x5 card 3839(without bending) into a plain envelope [NOTE: do NOT use the 3840Official Prize Claim and CVP Perfume Reply Envelope or you may be 3841disqualified], and mail to: CVP, Box 1320, Westbury, NY 11595. Print 3842this address correctly. Comply with above instructions carefully and 3843completely or you may be disqualified from receiving your prize. 3844% 3845F u cn rd ths u cnt spl wrth a dm! 3846% 3847f u cn rd ths, itn tyg h myxbl cd. 3848% 3849f u cn rd ths, u cn gt a gd jb n cmptr prgrmmng. 3850% 3851F: When into a room I plunge, I 3852 Sometimes find some VIOLET FUNGI. 3853 Then I linger, darkly brooding 3854 On the poison they're exuding. 3855 -- The Roguelet's ABC 3856% 3857Facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable. 3858% 3859Fairy Tale, n.: 3860 A horror story to prepare children for the newspapers. 3861% 3862Faith is the quality that enables you to eat blackberry jam on a picnic 3863without looking to see whether the seeds move. 3864% 3865Faith, n: 3866 That quality which enables us to believe what we know to be 3867untrue. 3868% 3869Fakir, n: 3870 A psychologist whose charismatic data have inspired almost 3871religious devotion in his followers, even though the sources seem to 3872have shinnied up a rope and vanished. 3873% 3874Familiarity breeds attempt 3875% 3876Families, when a child is born 3877Want it to be intelligent. 3878I, through intelligence, 3879Having wrecked my whole life, 3880Only hope the baby will prove 3881Ignorant and stupid. 3882Then he will crown a tranquil life 3883By becoming a Cabinet Minister 3884 -- Su Tung-p'o 3885% 3886Famous last words: 3887% 3888Famous last words: 3889 (1) "Don't worry, I can handle it." 3890 (2) "You and what army?" 3891 (3) "If you were as smart as you think you are, you wouldn't be 3892 a cop." 3893% 3894Famous last words: 3895 (1) Don't unplug it, it will just take a moment to fix. 3896 (2) Let's take the shortcut, he can't see us from there. 3897 (3) What happens if you touch these two wires tog-- 3898 (4) We won't need reservations. 3899 (5) It's always sunny there this time of the year. 3900 (6) Don't worry, it's not loaded. 3901 (7) They'd never (be stupid enough to) make him a manager. 3902% 3903Famous, adj.: 3904 Conspicuously miserable. 3905 -- Ambrose Bierce 3906% 3907Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the 3908Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun. 3909Orbiting this at a distance of roughly ninety-eight million miles is an 3910utterly insignificant little blue-green planet whose ape-descended life 3911forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches 3912are a pretty neat idea ... 3913 -- Douglas Adams, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" 3914% 3915Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it 3916every six months. 3917 -- Oscar Wilde 3918% 3919Fats Loves Madelyn 3920% 3921Feel disillusioned? I've got some great new illusions ... 3922% 3923Fertility is hereditary. If your parents didn't have any children, 3924neither will you. 3925% 3926 Festivity Level 1: Your guests are chatting amiably with each 3927other, admiring your Christmas-tree ornaments, singing carols around 3928the upright piano, sipping at their drinks and nibbling hors 3929d'oeuvres. 3930 Festivity Level 2: Your guests are talking loudly -- sometimes 3931to each other, and sometimes to nobody at all, rearranging your 3932Christmas-tree ornaments, singing "I Gotta Be Me" around the upright 3933piano, gulping their drinks and wolfing down hors d'oeuvres. 3934 Festivity Level 3: Your guests are arguing violently with 3935inanimate objects, singing "I can't get no satisfaction," gulping down 3936other peoples' drinks, wolfing down Christmas tree ornaments and 3937placing hors d'oeuvres in the upright piano to see what happens when 3938the little hammers strike. 3939 Festivity Level 4: Your guests, hors d'oeuvres smeared all over 3940their naked bodies are performing a ritual dance around the burning 3941Christmas tree. The piano is missing. 3942 3943 You want to keep your party somewhere around level 3, unless 3944you rent your home and own Firearms, in which case you can go to level 39454. The best way to get to level 3 is egg-nog. 3946% 3947Fifth Law of Applied Terror: 3948 If you are given an open-book exam, you will forget your book. 3949 3950Corollary: 3951 If you are given a take-home exam, you will forget where you 3952live. 3953% 3954Fifth Law of Procrastination: 3955 Procrastination avoids boredom; one never has the feeling that 3956there is nothing important to do. 3957% 3958Fifty flippant frogs 3959Walked by on flippered feet 3960And with their slime they made the time 3961Unnaturally fleet. 3962% 3963 FIGHTING WORDS 3964 3965Say my love is easy had, 3966 Say I'm bitten raw with pride, 3967Say I am too often sad -- 3968 Still behold me at your side. 3969 3970Say I'm neither brave nor young, 3971 Say I woo and coddle care, 3972Say the devil touched my tongue -- 3973 Still you have my heart to wear. 3974 3975But say my verses do not scan, 3976 And I get me another man! 3977 -- Dorothy Parker 3978% 3979Fights between cats and dogs are prohibited by statute in Barber, North 3980Carolina. 3981% 3982Finagle's Creed: 3983 Science is true. Don't be misled by facts. 3984% 3985Finagle's First Law: 3986 If an experiment works, something has gone wrong. 3987% 3988Finagle's fourth Law: 3989 Once a job is fouled up, anything done to improve it only makes 3990it worse. 3991% 3992Finagle's Second Law: 3993 No matter what the anticipated result, there will always be 3994someone eager to (a) misinterpret it, (b) fake it, or (c) believe it 3995happened according to his own pet theory. 3996% 3997Finagle's Third Law: 3998 In any collection of data, the figure most obviously correct, 3999 beyond all need of checking, is the mistake 4000 4001Corollaries: 4002 (1) Nobody whom you ask for help will see it. 4003 (2) The first person who stops by, whose advice you really 4004 don't want to hear, will see it immediately. 4005% 4006Finding out what goes on in the C.I.A. is like performing acupuncture 4007on a rock. 4008 -- New York Times, Jan. 20, 1981 4009% 4010Fine day to throw a party. Throw him as far as you can. 4011% 4012Fine day to work off excess energy. Steal something heavy. 4013% 4014Fine's Corollary: 4015 Functionality breeds Contempt. 4016% 4017Finish the sentence below in 25 words or less: 4018 4019 "Love is what you feel just before you give someone a good ..." 4020 4021Mail your answer along with the top half of your supervisor to: 4022 4023 P.O. Box 35 4024 Baffled Greek, Michigan 4025% 4026First Corollary of Taber's Second Law: 4027 Machines that piss people off get murdered. 4028 -- Pat Taber 4029% 4030First Law of Bicycling: 4031 No matter which way you ride, it's uphill and against the 4032wind. 4033% 4034First Law of Procrastination: 4035 Procrastination shortens the job and places the responsibility 4036for its termination on someone else (i.e., the authority who imposed 4037the deadline). 4038% 4039First Law of Socio-Genetics: 4040 Celibacy is not hereditary. 4041% 4042First Rule of History: 4043 History doesn't repeat itself -- historians merely repeat each 4044other. 4045% 4046"First things first -- but not necessarily in that order" 4047 -- The Doctor, "Doctor Who" 4048% 4049First, a few words about tools. 4050 4051Basically, a tool is an object that enables you to take advantage of 4052the laws of physics and mechanics in such a way that you can seriously 4053injure yourself. Today, people tend to take tools for granted. If 4054you're ever walking down the street and you notice some people who look 4055particularly smug, the odds are that they are taking tools for 4056granted. If I were you, I'd walk right up and smack them in the face. 4057 -- Dave Barry, "The Taming of the Screw" 4058% 4059Five is a sufficiently close approximation to infinity. 4060 -- Robert Firth 4061% 4062Flappity, floppity, flip 4063The mouse on the m"obius strip; 4064 The strip revolved, 4065 The mouse dissolved 4066In a chronodimensional skip. 4067% 4068FLASH! Intelligence of mankind decreasing. Details at ... uh, when 4069the little hand is on the .... 4070% 4071Flon's Law: 4072 There is not now, and never will be, a language in which it is 4073the least bit difficult to write bad programs. 4074% 4075Florence Flask was ... dressing for the opera when she turned to her 4076husband and screamed, "Erlenmeyer! My joules! Someone has stolen my 4077joules!" 4078 4079"Now, now, my dear," replied her husband, "keep your balance and reflux 4080a moment. Perhaps they're mislead." 4081 4082"No, I know they're stolen," cried Florence. "I remember putting them 4083in my burette ... We must call a copper." 4084 4085Erlenmeyer did so, and the flatfoot who turned up, one Sherlock Ohms, 4086said the outrage looked like the work of an arch-criminal by the name 4087of Lawrence Ium. 4088 4089"We must be careful -- he's a free radical, ultraviolet, and 4090dangerous. His girlfriend is a chlorine at the Palladium. Maybe I can 4091catch him there." With that, he jumped on his carbon cycle in an 4092activated state and sped off along the reaction pathway ... 4093 -- Daniel B. Murphy, "Precipitations" 4094% 4095flowchart, n. & v.: 4096 [From flow "to ripple down in rich profusion, as hair" + chart 4097"a cryptic hidden-treasure map designed to mislead the uninitiated."] 40981. n. The solution, if any, to a class of Mascheroni construction 4099problems in which given algorithms require geometrical representation 4100using only the 35 basic ideograms of the ANSI template. 2. n. Neronic 4101doodling while the system burns. 3. n. A low-cost substitute for 4102wallpaper. 4. n. The innumerate misleading the illiterate. "A 4103thousand pictures is worth ten lines of code." -- The Programmer's 4104Little Red Vade Mecum, Mao Tse T'umps. 5. v.intrans. To produce 4105flowcharts with no particular object in mind. 6. v.trans. To obfuscate 4106(a problem) with esoteric cartoons. 4107 -- Stan Kelly-Bootle, "The Devil's DP Dictionary" 4108% 4109Flugg's Law: 4110 When you need to knock on wood is when you realize that the 4111world is composed of vinyl, naugahyde and aluminum. 4112% 4113Flying saucers on occasion 4114 Show themselves to human eyes. 4115Aliens fume, put off invasion 4116 While they brand these tales as lies. 4117% 4118Fog Lamps, n.: 4119 Excessively (often obnoxiously) bright lamps mounted on the 4120fronts of automobiles; used on dry, clear nights to indicate that the 4121driver's brain is in a fog. 4122 4123See also "Idiot Lights". 4124% 4125Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing. 4126 -- Walt Kelly, "Putluck Pogo" 4127% 4128For 20 dollars, I'll give you a good fortune next time ... 4129% 4130For a man to truly understand rejection, he must first be ignored by a 4131cat. 4132% 4133"For an adequate time call 555-3321" 4134% 4135For an idea to be fashionable is ominous, since it must afterwards be 4136always old-fashioned. 4137% 4138For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, 4139and wrong. 4140 -- H. L. Mencken 4141% 4142For every credibility gap, there is a gullibility fill. 4143 -- R. Clopton 4144% 4145 "For I perceive that behind this seemingly unrelated sequence 4146of events, there lurks a singular, sinister attitude of mind." 4147 4148 "Whose?" 4149 4150 "MINE! HA-HA!" 4151% 4152For large values of one, one equals two, for small values of two. 4153% 4154For my son, Robert, this is proving to be the high-point of his entire 4155life to date. He has had his pajamas on for two, maybe three days 4156now. He has the sense of joyful independence a 5-year-old child gets 4157when he suddenly realizes that he could be operating an acetylene torch 4158in the coat closet and neither parent [because of the flu] would have 4159the strength to object. He has been foraging for his own food, which 4160means his diet consists entirely of "food" substances which are 4161advertised only on Saturday-morning cartoon shows; substances that are 4162the color of jukebox lights and that, for legal reasons, have their 4163names spelled wrong, as in New Creemy Chok-'n'-Cheez Lumps o' Froot 4164("part of this complete breakfast"). 4165 -- Dave Barry, "Molecular Homicide" 4166% 4167For perfect happiness, remember two things: 4168 (1) Be content with what you've got. 4169 (2) Be sure you've got plenty. 4170% 4171For some reason a glaze passes over people's faces when you say 4172"Canada". Maybe we should invade South Dakota or something. 4173 -- Sandra Gotlieb, wife of the Canadian ambassador to 4174 the U.S. 4175% 4176For some reason, this fortune reminds everyone of Marvin Zelkowitz. 4177% 4178"For that matter, compare your pocket computer with the massive jobs of 4179a thousand years ago. Why not, then, the last step of doing away with 4180computers altogether?" 4181 -- Jehan Shuman 4182% 4183For those who like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing they 4184like. 4185 -- Abraham Lincoln 4186% 4187"For three days after death hair and fingernails continue to grow but 4188phone calls taper off." 4189 -- Johnny Carson 4190% 4191For years a secret shame destroyed my peace -- 4192I'd not read Eliot, Auden or MacNiece. 4193But now I think a thought that brings me hope: 4194Neither had Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Pope. 4195 -- Justin Richardson. 4196% 4197For your penance, say five Hail Marys and one loud BLAH! 4198% 4199Forgetfulness, n.: 4200 A gift of God bestowed upon debtors in compensation for their 4201destitution of conscience. 4202% 4203Forms follow function, and often obliterate it. 4204% 4205FORTUNE DISCUSSES THE OBSCURE FILMS! #6 4206 4207RAZORBACK: Paul Harbride, 1984, 2 hours 25 min. 4208 One of the great Australian films of the early 1980's, and 4209 arguably the best movie ever made about a large, man-eating 4210 hog. Some violence. With Gregory Harrison. 4211% 4212fortune's Contribution of the Month to the Animal Rights Debate: 4213 4214 I'll stay out of animals' way if they'll stay out of mine. 4215 "Hey you, get off my plate" 4216 -- Roger Midnight 4217% 4218Fortune's Fictitious Country Song Title of the Week: 4219 "How Can I Miss You if You Won't Go Away?" 4220% 4221Fortune's graffito of the week (or maybe even month): 4222 4223 Don't Write On Walls! 4224 4225 (and underneath) 4226 4227 You want I should type? 4228% 4229Fortune's Law of the Week (this week, from Kentucky): 4230 No female shall appear in a bathing suit at any airport in this 4231State unless she is escorted by two officers or unless she is armed 4232with a club. The provisions of this statute shall not apply to females 4233weighing less than 90 pounds nor exceeding 200 pounds, nor shall it 4234apply to female horses. 4235% 4236Fortune's nomination for All-Time Champion and Protector of Youthful 4237Morals goes to Representative Clare E. Hoffman of Michigan. During an 4238impassioned House debate over a proposed bill to "expand oyster and 4239clam research," a sharp-eared informant transcribed the following 4240exchange between our hero and Rep. John D. Dingell, also of Michigan. 4241 4242DINGELL: There are places in the world at the present time where we are 4243 having to artificially propagate oysters and clams. 4244HOFFMAN: You mean the oysters I buy are not nature's oysters? 4245DINGELL: They may or may not be natural. The simple fact of the matter 4246 is that female oysters through their living habits cast out 4247 large amounts of seed and the male oysters cast out large 4248 amounts of fertilization ... 4249HOFFMAN: Wait a minute! I do not want to go into that. There are many 4250 teenagers who read The Congressional Record. 4251% 4252Fortune's Office Door Sign of the Week: 4253 4254 Incorrigible punster -- Do not incorrige. 4255% 4256FORTUNE'S PARTY TIPS #14 4257 4258Tired of finding that other people are helping themselves to your good 4259liquor at BYOB parties? Take along a candle, which you insert and 4260light after you've opened the bottle. No one ever expects anything 4261drinkable to be in a bottle which has a candle stuck in its neck. 4262% 4263Fortune's Real-Life Courtroom Quote #18: 4264 4265Q: Are you married? 4266A: No, I'm divorced. 4267Q: And what did your husband do before you divorced him? 4268A: A lot of things I didn't know about. 4269% 4270Fortune's Real-Life Courtroom Quote #19: 4271 4272Q: Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people? 4273A: All my autopsies have been performed on dead people. 4274% 4275Fortune's Real-Life Courtroom Quote #29: 4276 4277THE JUDGE: Now, as we begin, I must ask you to banish all present 4278 information and prejudice from your minds, if you have 4279 any ... 4280% 4281Fortune's Real-Life Courtroom Quote #32: 4282 4283Q: Do you know how far pregnant you are right now? 4284A: I will be three months November 8th. 4285Q: Apparently then, the date of conception was August 8th? 4286A: Yes. 4287Q: What were you and your husband doing at that time? 4288% 4289Fortune's Real-Life Courtroom Quote #37: 4290 4291Q: Did he pick the dog up by the ears? 4292A: No. 4293Q: What was he doing with the dog's ears? 4294A: Picking them up in the air. 4295Q: Where was the dog at this time? 4296A: Attached to the ears. 4297% 4298Fortune's Real-Life Courtroom Quote #3: 4299 4300Q: When he went, had you gone and had she, if she wanted to and were 4301 able, for the time being excluding all the restraints on her not to 4302 go, gone also, would he have brought you, meaning you and she, with 4303 him to the station? 4304MR. BROOKS: Objection. That question should be taken out and shot. 4305% 4306Fortune's Real-Life Courtroom Quote #41: 4307 4308Q: Now, Mrs. Johnson, how was your first marriage terminated? 4309A: By death. 4310Q: And by whose death was it terminated? 4311% 4312Fortune's Real-Life Courtroom Quote #52: 4313 4314Q: What is your name? 4315A: Ernestine McDowell. 4316Q: And what is your marital status? 4317A: Fair. 4318% 4319Fortune's Real-Life Courtroom Quote #7: 4320 4321Q: What happened then? 4322A: He told me, he says, "I have to kill you because you can identify 4323 me." 4324Q: Did he kill you? 4325A: No. 4326% 4327fortune: cpu time/usefulness ratio too high -- core dumped. 4328% 4329Fortune: You will be attacked next Wednesday at 3:15 p.m. by six samuri 4330sword wielding purple fish glued to Harley-Davidson motorcycles. 4331 4332Oh, and have a nice day! 4333 -- Bryce Nesbitt '84 4334% 4335Fourth Law of Applied Terror: 4336 The night before the English History mid-term, your Biology 4337instructor will assign 200 pages on planaria. 4338 4339Corollary: 4340 Every instructor assumes that you have nothing else to do 4341except study for that instructor's course. 4342% 4343Fourth Law of Revision: 4344 It is usually impractical to worry beforehand about 4345interferences -- if you have none, someone will make one for you. 4346% 4347Fourth Law of Thermodynamics: If the probability of success is not 4348almost one, it is damn near zero. 4349 -- David Ellis 4350% 4351Frankfort, Kentucky, makes it against the law to shoot off a 4352policeman's tie. 4353% 4354Fresco's Discovery: 4355 If you knew what you were doing you'd probably be bored. 4356% 4357Friends, Romans, Hipsters, 4358Let me clue you in; 4359I come to put down Caesar, not to groove him. 4360The square kicks some cats are on stay with them; 4361The hip bits, like, go down under; so let it lay with Caesar. The cool Brutus 4362Gave you the message: Caesar had big eyes; 4363If that's the sound, someone's copping a plea, 4364And, like, old Caesar really set them straight. 4365Here, copacetic with Brutus and the studs, -- for Brutus is a real cool cat; 4366So are they all, all cool cats, -- 4367Come I to make this gig at Caesar's laying down. 4368% 4369Frisbeetarianism, n.: 4370 The belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and 4371gets stuck. 4372% 4373Frobnicate, v.: 4374 To manipulate or adjust, to tweak. Derived from FROBNITZ. 4375Usually abbreviated to FROB. Thus one has the saying "to frob a 4376frob". See TWEAK and TWIDDLE. Usage: FROB, TWIDDLE, and TWEAK 4377sometimes connote points along a continuum. FROB connotes aimless 4378manipulation; TWIDDLE connotes gross manipulation, often a coarse 4379search for a proper setting; TWEAK connotes fine-tuning. If someone is 4380turning a knob on an oscilloscope, then if he's carefully adjusting it 4381he is probably tweaking it; if he is just turning it but looking at the 4382screen he is probably twiddling it; but if he's just doing it because 4383turning a knob is fun, he's frobbing it. 4384% 4385Frobnitz, pl. Frobnitzem (frob'nitsm) n.: 4386 An unspecified physical object, a widget. Also refers to 4387electronic black boxes. This rare form is usually abbreviated to 4388FROTZ, or more commonly to FROB. Also used are FROBNULE, FROBULE, and 4389FROBNODULE. Starting perhaps in 1979, FROBBOZ (fruh-bahz'), pl. 4390FROBBOTZIM, has also become very popular, largely due to its exposure 4391via the Adventure spin-off called Zork (Dungeon). These can also be 4392applied to non-physical objects, such as data structures. 4393% 4394[From an announcement of a congress of the International Ontopsychology 4395Association, in Rome]: 4396 4397The Ontopsychological school, availing itself of new research criteria 4398and of a new telematic epistemology, maintains that social modes do not 4399spring from dialectics of territory or of class, or of consumer goods, 4400or of means of power, but rather from dynamic latencies capillarized in 4401millions of individuals in system functions which, once they have 4402reached the event maturation, burst forth in catastrophic phenomenology 4403engaging a suitable stereotype protagonist or duty marionette (general, 4404president, political party, etc.) to consummate the act of social 4405schizophrenia in mass genocide. 4406% 4407From the "Guiness Book of World Records", 1973: 4408 4409Certain passages in several laws have always defied interpretation and 4410the most inexplicable must be a matter of opinion. A judge of the 4411Court of Session of Scotland has sent the editors of this book his 4412candidate which reads, "In the Nuts (unground), (other than ground 4413nuts) Order, the expression nuts shall have reference to such nuts, 4414other than ground nuts, as would but for this amending Order not 4415qualify as nuts (unground)(other than ground nuts) by reason of their 4416being nuts (unground)." 4417% 4418From the moment I picked your book up until I put it down I was 4419convulsed with laughter. Some day I intend reading it. 4420 -- Groucho Marx, from "The Book of Insults" 4421% 4422[From the operation manual for the CI-300 Dot Matrix Line Printer, made 4423in Japan]: 4424 4425The excellent output machine of MODEL CI-300 as extraordinary DOT 4426MATRIX LINE PRINTER, built in two MICRO-PROCESSORs as well as EAROM, is 4427featured by permitting wonderful co-existence such as; "high quality 4428against low cost", "diversified functions with compact design", 4429"flexibility in accessibleness and durability of approx. 2000,000,00 4430Dot/Head", "being sophisticated in mechanism but possibly agile 4431operating under noises being extremely suppressed" etc. 4432 4433And as a matter of course, the final goal is just simply to help 4434achieve "super shuttle diplomacy" between cool data, perhaps earned by 4435HOST COMPUTER, and warm heart of human being. 4436% 4437From the Pro 350 Pocket Service Guide, p. 49, Step 5 of the 4438instructions on removing an I/O board from the card cage, comes a new 4439experience in sound: 4440 4441 5. Turn the handle to the right 90 degrees. The pin-spreading 4442 sound is normal for this type of connector. 4443% 4444From too much love of living, 4445From hope and fear set free, 4446We thank with brief thanksgiving, 4447Whatever gods may be, 4448That no life lives forever, 4449That dead men rise up never, 4450That even the weariest river winds somewhere safe to sea. 4451 -- Swinburne 4452% 4453Fuch's Warning: 4454 If you actually look like your passport photo, you aren't well 4455enough to travel. 4456% 4457Fudd's First Law of Opposition: 4458 Push something hard enough and it will fall over. 4459% 4460Furbling, v.: 4461 Having to wander through a maze of ropes at an airport or bank 4462even when you are the only person in line. 4463 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 4464% 4465Furious activity is no substitute for understanding. 4466 -- H. H. Williams 4467% 4468Future looks spotty. You will spill soup in late evening. 4469% 4470G. B. Shaw to William Douglas Home: "Go on writing plays, my boy. One 4471of these days a London producer will go into his office and say to his 4472secretary, `Is there a play from Shaw this morning?' and when she says 4473`No,' he will say, `Well, then we'll have to start on the rubbish.' And 4474that's your chance, my boy." 4475% 4476Garbage In -- Gospel Out. 4477% 4478Garter, n.: 4479 An elastic band intended to keep a woman from coming out of her 4480stockings and desolating the country. 4481 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 4482% 4483Gauls! We have nothing to fear; except perhaps that the sky may fall 4484on our heads tomorrow. But as we all know, tomorrow never comes!! 4485 -- Adventures of Asterix. 4486% 4487Gay shlafen: Yiddish for "go to sleep". 4488 4489 Now doesn't "gay shlafen" have a softer, more soothing sound 4490than the harsh, staccato "go to sleep"? Listen to the difference: 4491 "Go to sleep, you little wretch!" ... "Gay shlafen, darling." 4492Obvious, isn't it? 4493 Clearly the best thing you can do for you children is to start 4494speaking Yiddish right now and never speak another word of English as 4495long as you live. This will, of course, entail teaching Yiddish to all 4496your friends, business associates, the people at the supermarket, and 4497so on, but that's just the point. It has to start with committed 4498individuals and then grow ... 4499 Some minor adjustments will have to be made, of course: those 4500signs written in what look like Yiddish letters won't be funny when 4501everything is written in Yiddish. And we'll have to start driving on 4502the left side of the road so we won't be reading the street signs 4503backwards. But is that too high a price to pay for world peace? I 4504think not, my friend, I think not. 4505 -- Arthur Naiman, "Every Goy's Guide to Yiddish" 4506% 4507 "Gee, Mudhead, everyone at More Science High has an 4508extracurricular activity except you." 4509 "Well, gee, doesn't Louise count?" 4510 "Only to ten, Mudhead." 4511 4512 -- Firesign Theater 4513% 4514"Gee, Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore." 4515% 4516GEMINI (May 21 - June 20) 4517 You are a quick and intelligent thinker. People like you 4518because you are bisexual. However, you are inclined to expect too much 4519for too little. This means you are cheap. Geminis are known for 4520committing incest. 4521% 4522GEMINI (May 21 to Jun. 20) 4523 Good news and bad news highlighted. Enjoy the good news while 4524you can; the bad news will make you forget it. You will enjoy praise 4525and respect from those around you; everybody loves a sucker. A short 4526trip is in the stars, possibly to the men's room. 4527% 4528Genderplex, n.: 4529 The predicament of a person in a restaurant who is unable to 4530determine his or her designated restroom (e.g., turtles and 4531tortoises). 4532 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 4533% 4534Genetics explains why you look like your father, and if you don't, why 4535you should. 4536% 4537Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus 4538handicapped. 4539 -- Elbert Hubbard 4540% 4541Genius, n.: 4542 A chemist who discovers a laundry additive that rhymes with 4543"bright". 4544% 4545George Orwell 1984. Northwestern 0. 4546 -- Chicago Reader 10/15/82 4547% 4548George Orwell was an optimist. 4549% 4550George Washington was first in war, first in peace -- and the first to 4551have his birthday juggled to make a long weekend. 4552 -- Ashley Cooper 4553% 4554Gerrold's Laws of Infernal Dynamics: 4555 (1) An object in motion will always be headed in the wrong 4556 direction. 4557 (2) An object at rest will always be in the wrong place. 4558 (3) The energy required to change either one of these states 4559 will always be more than you wish to expend, but never so 4560 much as to make the task totally impossible. 4561% 4562Get forgiveness now -- tomorrow you may no longer feel guilty. 4563% 4564 Get GUMMed 4565 --- ------ 4566The Gurus of Unix Meeting of Minds (GUMM) takes place Wednesday, April 45671, 2076 (check THAT in your perpetual calendar program), 14 feet above 4568the ground directly in front of the Milpitas Gumps. Members will grep 4569each other by the hand (after intro), yacc a lot, smoke filtered 4570chroots in pipes, chown with forks, use the wc (unless uuclean), fseek 4571nice zombie processes, strip, and sleep, but not, we hope, od. Three 4572days will be devoted to discussion of the ramifications of whodo. Two 4573seconds have been allotted for a complete rundown of all the user- 4574friendly features of Unix. Seminars include "Everything You Know is 4575Wrong", led by Tom Kempson, "Batman or Cat:man?" led by Richie Dennis 4576"cc C? Si! Si!" led by Kerwin Bernighan, and "Document Unix, Are You 4577Kidding?" led by Jan Yeats. No Reader Service No. is necessary because 4578all GUGUs (Gurus of Unix Group of Users) already know everything we 4579could tell them. 4580 -- Dr. Dobb's Journal, June '84 4581% 4582Get Revenge! Live long enough to be a problem for your children! 4583% 4584 -- Gifts for Children -- 4585 4586This is easy. You never have to figure out what to get for children, 4587because they will tell you exactly what they want. They spend months 4588and months researching these kinds of things by watching Saturday- 4589morning cartoon-show advertisements. Make sure you get your children 4590exactly what they ask for, even if you disapprove of their choices. If 4591your child thinks he wants Murderous Bob, the Doll with the Face You 4592Can Rip Right Off, you'd better get it. You may be worried that it 4593might help to encourage your child's antisocial tendencies, but believe 4594me, you have not seen antisocial tendencies until you've seen a child 4595who is convinced that he or she did not get the right gift. 4596 -- Dave Barry, "Christmas Shopping: A Survivor's Guide" 4597% 4598 -- Gifts for Men -- 4599 4600Men are amused by almost any idiot thing -- that is why professional 4601ice hockey is so popular -- so buying gifts for them is easy. But you 4602should never buy them clothes. Men believe they already have all the 4603clothes they will ever need, and new ones make them nervous. For 4604example, your average man has 84 ties, but he wears, at most, only 4605three of them. He has learned, through humiliating trial and error, 4606that if he wears any of the other 81 ties, his wife will probably laugh 4607at him ("You're not going to wear THAT tie with that suit, are you?"). 4608So he has narrowed it down to three safe ties, and has gone several 4609years without being laughed at. If you give him a new tie, he will 4610pretend to like it, but deep inside he will hate you. 4611 4612If you want to give a man something practical, consider tires. More 4613than once, I would have gladly traded all the gifts I got for a new set 4614of tires. 4615 -- Dave Barry, "Christmas Shopping: A Survivor's Guide" 4616% 4617 Gimmie That Old Time Religion 4618We will follow Zarathustra, We will worship like the Druids, 4619Zarathustra like we use to, Dancing naked in the woods, 4620I'm a Zarathustra booster, Drinking strange fermented fluids, 4621And he's good enough for me! And it's good enough for me! 4622 (chorus) (chorus) 4623 4624In the church of Aphrodite, 4625The priestess wears a see-through nightie, 4626She's a mighty righteous sightie, 4627And she's good enough for me! 4628 (chorus) 4629 4630CHORUS: Give me that old time religion, 4631 Give me that old time religion, 4632 Give me that old time religion, 4633 'Cause it's good enough for me! 4634% 4635Ginsberg's Theorem: 4636 (1) You can't win. 4637 (2) You can't break even. 4638 (3) You can't even quit the game. 4639 4640Freeman's Commentary on Ginsberg's theorem: 4641 Every major philosophy that attempts to make life seem 4642 meaningful is based on the negation of one part of Ginsberg's 4643 Theorem. To wit: 4644 4645 (1) Capitalism is based on the assumption that you can win. 4646 (2) Socialism is based on the assumption that you can break 4647 even. 4648 (3) Mysticism is based on the assumption that you can quit the 4649 game. 4650% 4651Give me a Plumber's friend the size of the Pittsburgh dome, and a place 4652to stand, and I will drain the world. 4653% 4654"Give me enough medals, and I'll win any war." 4655 -- Napoleon 4656% 4657Give me the Luxuries, and the Hell with the Necessities! 4658% 4659Give thought to your reputation. Consider changing name and moving to 4660a new town. 4661% 4662Give your child mental blocks for Christmas. 4663% 4664"Given the choice between accomplishing something and just lying 4665around, I'd rather lie around. No contest." 4666 -- Eric Clapton 4667% 4668Giving up on assembly language was the apple in our Garden of Eden: 4669Languages whose use squanders machine cycles are sinful. The LISP 4670machine now permits LISP programmers to abandon bra and fig-leaf. 4671 -- Epigrams in Programming, ACM SIGPLAN Sept. 1982 4672% 4673Glib's Fourth Law of Unreliability: 4674 Investment in reliability will increase until it exceeds the 4675probable cost of errors, or until someone insists on getting some 4676useful work done. 4677% 4678Gnagloot, n.: 4679 A person who leaves all his ski passes on his jacket just to 4680impress people. 4681 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 4682% 4683Go 'way! You're bothering me! 4684% 4685Go climb a gravity well! 4686% 4687Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what value there may 4688be in owning a piece thereof. 4689 -- National Lampoon, "Deteriorata" 4690% 4691//GO.SYSIN DD *, DOODAH, DOODAH 4692% 4693God did not create the world in seven days; he screwed around for six 4694days and then pulled an all-nighter. 4695% 4696God doesn't play dice. 4697 -- Albert Einstein 4698% 4699"God gives burdens; also shoulders" 4700 4701Jimmy Carter cited this Jewish saying in his concession speech at the 4702end of the 1980 election. At least he said it was a Jewish saying; I 4703can't find it anywhere. I'm sure he's telling the truth though; why 4704would he lie about a thing like that? 4705 -- Arthur Naiman, "Every Goy's Guide to Yiddish" 4706% 4707God has intended the great to be great and the little to be little ... 4708The trade unions, under the European system, destroy liberty ... I do 4709not mean to say that a dollar a day is enough to support a workingman 4710... not enough to support a man and five children if he insists on 4711smoking and drinking beer. But the man who cannot live on bread and 4712water is not fit to live! A family may live on good bread and water in 4713the morning, water and bread at midday, and good bread and water at 4714night! 4715 -- Rev. Henry Ward Beecher 4716% 4717God is a comic playing to an audience that's afraid to laugh. 4718% 4719God is a polytheist. 4720% 4721God is Dead 4722 -- Nietzsche 4723Nietzsche is Dead 4724 -- God 4725Nietzsche is God 4726 -- The Dead 4727% 4728God is not dead! He's alive and autographing bibles at Cody's 4729% 4730God is real, unless declared integer. 4731% 4732God is really only another artist. He invented the giraffe, the 4733elephant and the cat. He has no real style, He just goes on trying 4734other things. 4735 -- Pablo Picasso 4736% 4737God is the tangential point between zero and infinity. 4738 -- Alfred Jarry 4739% 4740God isn't dead, he just couldn't find a parking place. 4741% 4742God made machine language; all the rest is the work of man. 4743% 4744God made the Idiot for practice, and then He made the School Board 4745 -- Mark Twain 4746% 4747God made the integers; all else is the work of Man. 4748 -- Kronecker 4749% 4750God made the world in six days, and was arrested on the seventh. 4751% 4752God may be subtle, but He isn't plain mean. 4753 -- Albert Einstein 4754% 4755God must love the Common Man; He made so many of them. 4756% 4757God rest ye CS students now, 4758Let nothing you dismay. 4759The VAX is down and won't be up, 4760Until the first of May. 4761The program that was due this morn, 4762Won't be postponed, they say. 4763 4764 Oh, tidings of comfort and joy, 4765 Comfort and joy, 4766 Oh, tidings of comfort and joy. 4767 4768The bearings on the drum are gone, 4769The disk is wobbling, too. 4770We've found a bug in Lisp, and Algol 4771Can't tell false from true. 4772And now we find that we can't get 4773At Berkeley's 4.2. 4774 4775 (chorus) 4776% 4777Going to church does not make a person religious, nor does going to 4778school make a person educated, any more than going to a garage makes a 4779person a car. 4780% 4781Gold, n.: 4782 A soft malleable metal relatively scarce in distribution. It 4783is mined deep in the earth by poor men who then give it to rich men who 4784immediately bury it back in the earth in great prisons, although gold 4785hasn't done anything to them. 4786 -- Mike Harding, "The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac" 4787% 4788Goldenstern's Rules: 4789 (1) Always hire a rich attorney 4790 (2) Never buy from a rich salesman. 4791% 4792Good advice is something a man gives when he is too old to set a bad 4793example. 4794 -- La Rouchefoucauld 4795% 4796Good day for a change of scene. Repaper the bedroom wall. 4797% 4798Good day for overcoming obstacles. Try a steeplechase. 4799% 4800Good day to avoid cops. Crawl to school. 4801% 4802Good day to let down old friends who need help. 4803% 4804Good leaders being scarce, following yourself is allowed. 4805% 4806Good news is just life's way of keeping you off balance. 4807% 4808Good news. Ten weeks from Friday will be a pretty good day. 4809% 4810Good night to spend with family, but avoid arguments with your mate's 4811new lover. 4812% 4813"Good-bye. I am leaving because I am bored." 4814 -- George Saunders' dying words 4815% 4816Gordon's first law: 4817 If a research project is not worth doing, it is not worth doing 4818well. 4819% 4820"Gosh that takes me back... or is it forward? That's the trouble with 4821time travel, you never can tell." 4822 -- Doctor Who "Androids of Tara" 4823% 4824Got Mole problems? 4825Call Avogardo 6.02 x 10^23 4826% 4827Goto, n.: 4828 A programming tool that exists to allow structured programmers 4829to complain about unstructured programmers. 4830 -- Ray Simard 4831% 4832Government [is] an illusion the governed should not encourage. 4833 -- John Updike, "Couples" 4834% 4835Government lies, and newspapers lie, but in a democracy they are 4836different lies. 4837% 4838Government spending? I don't know what it's all about. I don't know 4839any more about this thing than an economist does, and, God knows, he 4840doesn't know much. 4841 -- Will Rogers 4842% 4843Grabel's Law: 4844 2 is not equal to 3 -- not even for large values of 2. 4845% 4846Graduate life -- it's not just a job, it's an indenture. 4847% 4848Graduate life: It's not just a job. It's an indenture. 4849% 4850Grandpa Charnock's Law: 4851 You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive. 4852% 4853Gravity is a myth, the Earth sucks. 4854% 4855Gray's Law of Programming: 4856 `_n+1' trivial tasks are expected to be accomplished in the same 4857time as `_n' tasks. 4858 4859Logg's Rebuttal to Gray's Law: 4860 `_n+1' trivial tasks take twice as long as `_n' trivial tasks. 4861% 4862Great minds run in great circles. 4863% 4864 GREAT MOMENTS IN AMERICAN HISTORY #21 -- July 30, 1917 4865 4866On this day, New York City hotel detectives burst in and caught then- 4867Senator Warren G. Harding in bed with an underage girl. He bought them 4868off with a $20 bribe, and later remarked thankfully, "I thought I 4869wouldn't get out of that under $1000!" Always one to learn from his 4870mistakes, in later years President Harding carried on his affairs in a 4871tiny closet in the White House Cabinet Room while Secret Service men 4872stood lookout. 4873% 4874Green light in a.m. for new projects. Red light in P.M. for traffic 4875tickets. 4876% 4877Greener's Law: 4878 Never argue with a man who buys ink by the barrel. 4879% 4880Grelb's Reminder: 4881 Eighty percent of all people consider themselves to be above 4882average drivers. 4883% 4884"Grub first, then ethics." 4885 -- Bertolt Brecht 4886% 4887Gurmlish, n.: 4888 The red warning flag at the top of a club sandwich which 4889prevents the person from biting into it and puncturing the roof of his 4890mouth. 4891 -- Rich Hall & Friends, "Sniglets" 4892% 4893Gyroscope, n.: 4894 A wheel or disk mounted to spin rapidly about an axis and also 4895free to rotate about one or both of two axes perpendicular to each 4896other and the axis of spin so that a rotation of one of the two 4897mutually perpendicular axes results from application of torque to the 4898other when the wheel is spinning and so that the entire apparatus 4899offers considerable opposition depending on the angular momentum to any 4900torque that would change the direction of the axis of spin. 4901 -- Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary 4902% 4903H. L. Mencken suffers from the hallucination that he is H. L. 4904Mencken -- there is no cure for a disease of that magnitude. 4905 -- Maxwell Bodenheim 4906% 4907H. L. Mencken's Law: 4908 Those who can -- do. 4909 Those who can't -- teach. 4910 4911Martin's Extension: 4912 Those who cannot teach -- administrate. 4913% 4914H: If a 'GOBLIN (HOB) waylays you, 4915 Slice him up before he slays you. 4916 Nothing makes you look a slob 4917 Like running from a HOB'LIN (GOB). 4918 -- The Roguelet's ABC 4919% 4920Hacker's Law: 4921 The belief that enhanced understanding will necessarily stir a 4922nation to action is one of mankind's oldest illusions. 4923% 4924Hacking's just another word for nothing left to kludge. 4925% 4926... Had this been an actual emergency, we would have fled in terror, 4927and you would not have been informed. 4928% 4929Hail to the sun god 4930He sure is a fun god 4931Ra! Ra! Ra! 4932% 4933Hain't we got all the fools in town on our side? And hain't that a big 4934enough majority in any town? 4935 -- Mark Twain, "Huckleberry Finn" 4936% 4937Half Moon tonight. (At least it's better than no Moon at all.) 4938% 4939Half-done: 4940 This is the best way to eat a kosher dill -- when it's still 4941crunchy, light green, yet full of garlic flavor. The difference 4942between this and the typical soggy dark green cucumber corpse is like 4943the difference between life and death. 4944 You may find it difficult to find a good half-done kosher dill 4945there in Seattle, so what you should do is take a cab out to the 4946airport, fly to New York, take the JFK Express to Jay Street-Borough 4947Hall, transfer to an uptown F, get off at East Broadway, walk north on 4948Essex (along the park), make your first left onto Hester Street, walk 4949about fifteen steps, turn ninety degrees left, and stop. Say to the 4950man, "Let me have a nice half-done." 4951 Worth the trouble, wasn't it? 4952 -- Arthur Naiman, "Every Goy's Guide to Yiddish" 4953% 4954Hall's Laws of Politics: 4955 (1) The voters want fewer taxes and more spending. 4956 (2) Citizens want honest politicians until they want something 4957 fixed. 4958 (3) Constituency drives out consistency (i.e., liberals defend 4959 military spending, and conservatives social spending in 4960 their own districts). 4961% 4962Hand, n.: 4963 A singular instrument worn at the end of a human arm and 4964commonly thrust into somebody's pocket. 4965 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 4966% 4967Hanlon's Razor: 4968 Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by 4969stupidity. 4970% 4971Hanson's Treatment of Time: 4972 There are never enough hours in a day, but always too many days 4973before Saturday. 4974% 4975Happiness is having a scratch for every itch. 4976 -- Ogden Nash 4977% 4978Happiness isn't something you experience; it's something you remember. 4979 -- Oscar Levant 4980% 4981Happiness, n.: 4982 An agreeable sensation arising from contemplating the misery of 4983another. 4984 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 4985% 4986Hard work may not kill you, but why take chances? 4987% 4988Hardware, n.: 4989 The parts of a computer system that can be kicked. 4990% 4991Hark ye, Clinker, you are a most notorious offender. You stand 4992convicted of sickness, hunger, wretchedness, and want. 4993 -- Tobias Smollet 4994% 4995Hark, Hark, the dogs do bark 4996The Duke is fond of kittens 4997He likes to take their insides out 4998And use them for his mittens 4999 From "The Thirteen Clocks" 5000% 5001Hark, the Herald Tribune sings, 5002Advertising wondrous things. 5003 -- Tom Lehrer 5004% 5005Harris's Lament: 5006 All the good ones are taken. 5007% 5008Harrisberger's Fourth Law of the Lab: 5009 Experience is directly proportional to the amount of equipment 5010ruined. 5011% 5012Harry is heavily into camping, and every year in the late fall, he 5013makes us all go to Assateague, which is an island on the Atlantic Ocean 5014famous for its wild horses. I realize that the concept of wild horses 5015probably stirs romantic notions in many of you, but this is because you 5016have never met any wild horses in person. In person, they are like 5017enormous hooved rats. They amble up to your camp site, and their 5018attitude is: "We're wild horses. We're going to eat your food, knock 5019down your tent and poop on your shoes. We're protected by federal law, 5020just like Richard Nixon." 5021 -- Dave Barry, "Tenting Grandpa Bob" 5022% 5023Hartley's First Law: 5024 You can lead a horse to water, but if you can get him to float 5025on his back, you've got something. 5026% 5027Hartley's Second Law: 5028 Never sleep with anyone crazier than yourself. 5029% 5030Harvard Law: 5031 Under the most rigorously controlled conditions of pressure, 5032temperature, volume, humidity, and other variables, the organism will 5033do as it damn well pleases. 5034% 5035"Has anyone had problems with the computer accounts?" 5036"Yes, I don't have one." 5037"Okay, you can send mail to one of the tutors ..." 5038 -- E. D'Azevedo, Computer Science 372 5039% 5040Has everyone noticed that all the letters of the word "database" are 5041typed with the left hand? Now the layout of the QWERTYUIOP typewriter 5042keyboard was designed, among other things, to facilitate the even use 5043of both hands. It follows, therefore, that writing about databases is 5044not only unnatural, but a lot harder than it appears. 5045% 5046 Has your family tried 'em? 5047 5048 POWDERMILK BISCUITS 5049 5050 Heavens, they're tasty and expeditious! 5051 5052 They're made from whole wheat, to give shy persons the 5053 strength to get up and do what needs to be done. 5054 5055 POWDERMILK BISCUITS 5056 5057 Buy them ready-made in the big blue box with the picture of the 5058 biscuit on the front, or in the brown bag with the dark stains 5059 that indicate freshness. 5060% 5061Hatred, n.: 5062 A sentiment appropriate to the occasion of another's 5063superiority. 5064 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 5065% 5066Have an adequate day. 5067% 5068Have an adequate day. 5069% 5070Have people realized that the purpose of the fortune cookie program is 5071to defuse project tensions? When did you ever see a cheerful cookie, a 5072non-cynical, or even an informative cookie? 5073 5074Perhaps inadvertently, we have a channel for our aggressions. This 5075still begs the question of whether the cookie releases the pressure or 5076only serves to blunt the warning signs. 5077 5078 Long live the revolution! 5079 Have a nice day. 5080% 5081Have you ever noticed that the people who are always trying to tell 5082you, "There's a time for work and a time for play," never find the time 5083for play? 5084% 5085Have you ever wondered what makes Californians so calm? Besides drugs, 5086I mean. The answer is hot tubs. A hot tub is a redwood container 5087filled with water that you sit in naked with members of the opposite 5088sex, none of whom is necessarily your spouse. After a few hours in 5089their hot tubs, Californians don't give a damn about earthquakes or 5090mass murderers. They don't give a damn about anything , which is why 5091they are able to produce "Laverne and Shirley" week after week. 5092 -- Dave Barry, "The Taming of the Screw" 5093% 5094"Have you lived here all your life?" 5095"Oh, twice that long." 5096% 5097Have you noticed that all you need to grow healthy, vigorous grass is a 5098crack in your sidewalk? 5099% 5100Have you noticed the way people's intelligence capabilities decline 5101sharply the minute they start waving guns around? 5102 -- Dr. Who 5103% 5104Have you reconsidered a computer career? 5105% 5106"He did decide, though, that with more time and a great deal of mental 5107effort, he could probably turn the activity into an acceptable 5108perversion." 5109 -- Mick Farren, "When Gravity Fails" 5110% 5111"He flung himself on his horse and rode madly off in all directions" 5112% 5113He had occasional flashes of silence that made his conversation 5114perfectly delightful. 5115 -- Sydney Smith 5116% 5117He had that rare weird electricity about him -- that extremely wild and 5118heavy presence that you only see in a person who has abandoned all hope 5119of ever behaving "normally." 5120 -- Hunter S. Thompson, "Fear and Loathing '72" 5121% 5122He hadn't a single redeeming vice. 5123 -- Oscar Wilde 5124% 5125"He is now rising from affluence to poverty." 5126 -- Mark Twain 5127% 5128He looked at me as if I was a side dish he hadn't ordered. 5129% 5130He played the king as if afraid someone else would play the ace. 5131 -- John Mason Brown, drama critic 5132% 5133He thought he saw an albatross 5134That fluttered 'round the lamp. 5135He looked again and saw it was 5136A penny postage stamp. 5137"You'd best be getting home," he said, 5138"The nights are rather damp." 5139% 5140He was a fiddler, and consequently a rogue. 5141 -- Jonathon Swift 5142% 5143"He was a modest, good-humored boy. It was Oxford that made him 5144insufferable." 5145% 5146"He was so narrow minded he could see through a keyhole with both 5147eyes ..." 5148% 5149He who attacks the fundamentals of the American broadcasting industry 5150attacks democracy itself. 5151 -- William S. Paley, chairman of CBS 5152% 5153He who Laughs, Lasts. 5154% 5155"He's just a politician trying to save both his faces ..." 5156% 5157He's the kind of guy, that, well, if you were ever in a jam he'd be 5158there ... with two slices of bread and some chunky peanut butter. 5159% 5160"He's the kind of man for the times that need the kind of man he is ..." 5161% 5162HE: Let's end it all, bequeathin' our brains to science. 5163SHE: What?!? Science got enough trouble with their ___OWN brains. 5164 -- Walt Kelley 5165% 5166Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die. 5167% 5168Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying 5169of nothing. 5170 -- Redd Foxx 5171% 5172Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying 5173of nothing. 5174 -- Redd Foxx 5175% 5176Heaven, n.: 5177 A place where the wicked cease from troubling you with talk of 5178their personal affairs, and the good listen with attention while you 5179expound your own. 5180 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 5181% 5182Heavy, adj.: 5183 Seduced by the chocolate side of the force. 5184% 5185"Heisenberg may have slept here" 5186% 5187Hell hath no fury like a bureaucrat scorned. 5188 -- Milton Friedman 5189% 5190Heller's Law: 5191 The first myth of management is that it exists. 5192 5193Johnson's Corollary: 5194 Nobody really knows what is going on anywhere within the 5195organization. 5196% 5197"Hello," he lied. 5198 -- Don Carpenter quoting a Hollywood agent 5199% 5200Help a swallow land at Capistrano. 5201% 5202Help fight continental drift. 5203% 5204Help me, I'm a prisoner in a Fortune cookie file! 5205% 5206Help stamp out and abolish redundancy. 5207% 5208Help! I'm trapped in a PDP 11/70! 5209% 5210HELP! MY TYPEWRITER IS BROKEN! 5211 -- E. E. CUMMINGS 5212% 5213Her locks an ancient lady gave 5214Her loving husband's life to save; 5215And men -- they honored so the dame -- 5216Upon some stars bestowed her name. 5217 5218But to our modern married fair, 5219Who'd give their lords to save their hair, 5220No stellar recognition's given. 5221There are not stars enough in heaven. 5222% 5223"Here at the Phone Company, we serve all kinds of people; from 5224Presidents and Kings to the scum of the earth ..." 5225% 5226Here I sit, broken-hearted, 5227All logged in, but work unstarted. 5228First net.this and net.that, 5229And a hot buttered bun for net.fat. 5230 5231The boss comes by, and I play the game, 5232Then I turn back to net.flame. 5233Is there a cure (I need your views), 5234For someone trapped in net.news? 5235 5236I need your help, I say 'tween sobs, 5237'Cause I'll soon be listed in net.jobs. 5238% 5239Here in my heart, I am Helen; 5240 I'm Aspasia and Hero, at least. 5241I'm Judith, and Jael, and Madame de Sta"el; 5242 I'm Salome, moon of the East. 5243 5244Here in my soul I am Sappho; 5245 Lady Hamilton am I, as well. 5246In me R'ecamier vies with Kitty O'Shea, 5247 With Dido, and Eve, and poor nell. 5248 5249I'm all of the glamorous ladies 5250 At whose beckoning history shook. 5251But you are a man, and see only my pan, 5252 So I stay at home with a book. 5253 -- Dorothy Parker 5254% 5255Here is a simple experiment that will teach you an important electrical 5256lesson: On a cool, dry day, scuff your feet along a carpet, then reach 5257your hand into a friend's mouth and touch one of his dental fillings. 5258Did you notice how your friend twitched violently and cried out in 5259pain? This teaches us that electricity can be a very powerful force, 5260but we must never use it to hurt others unless we need to learn an 5261important electrical lesson. 5262 5263It also teaches us how an electrical circuit works. When you scuffed 5264your feet, you picked up batches of "electrons", which are very small 5265objects that carpet manufacturers weave into carpets so they will 5266attract dirt. The electrons travel through your bloodstream and 5267collect in your finger, where they form a spark that leaps to your 5268friend's filling, then travels down to his feet and back into the 5269carpet, thus completing the circuit. 5270 5271Amazing Electronic Fact: If you scuffed your feet long enough without 5272touching anything, you would build up so many electrons that your 5273finger would explode! But this is nothing to worry about unless you 5274have carpeting. 5275 -- Dave Barry, "What is Electricity?" 5276% 5277 Here is the fact of the week, maybe even the fact of the 5278month. According to probably reliable sources, the Coca-Cola people 5279are experiencing severe marketing anxiety in China. 5280 The words "Coca-Cola" translate into Chinese as either 5281(depending on the inflection) "wax-fattened mare" or "bite the wax 5282tadpole". 5283 Bite the wax tadpole. 5284 There is a sort of rough justice, is there not? 5285 The trouble with this fact, as lovely as it is, is that it's 5286hard to get a whole column out of it. I'd like to teach the world to 5287bite a wax tadpole. Coke -- it's the real wax-fattened mare. Not bad, 5288but broad satiric vistas do not open up. 5289 -- John Carrol, San Francisco Chronicle 5290% 5291"Here's something to think about: How come you never see a headline like 5292`Psychic Wins Lottery'?" 5293 -- Jay Leno 5294% 5295Heuristics are bug ridden by definition. If they didn't have bugs, 5296then they'd be algorithms. 5297% 5298"Hey! Who took the cork off my lunch??!" 5299 -- W. C. Fields 5300% 5301Hi there! This is just a note from me, to you, to tell you, the person 5302reading this note, that I can't think up any more famous quotes, jokes, 5303nor bizarre stories, so you may as well go home. 5304% 5305"Hi, I'm Preston A. Mantis, president of Consumers Retail Law Outlet. 5306As you can see by my suit and the fact that I have all these books of 5307equal height on the shelves behind me, I am a trained legal attorney. 5308Do you have a car or a job? Do you ever walk around? If so, you 5309probably have the makings of an excellent legal case. Although of 5310course every case is different, I would definitely say that based on my 5311experience and training, there's no reason why you shouldn't come out 5312of this thing with at least a cabin cruiser. 5313 5314"Remember, at the Preston A. Mantis Consumers Retail Law Outlet, our 5315motto is: 'It is very difficult to disprove certain kinds of pain.'" 5316 -- Dave Barry, "Pain and Suffering" 5317% 5318Hier liegt ein Mann ganz obnegleich; 5319Im Leibe dick, an Suden reich. 5320Wir haben ihn in das Grab gesteckt, Here lies a man with sundry flaws 5321Weil es uns dunkt er sei verreckt. And numerous Sins upon his head; 5322 We buried him today because 5323 As far as we can tell, he's dead. 5324 -- PDQ Bach's epitaph, as requested by his cousin Betty 5325 Sue Bach and written by the local doggerel catcher; 5326 "The Definitive Biography of PDQ Bach", Peter 5327 Schickele 5328% 5329Higgeldy Piggeldy, 5330Hamlet of Elsinore 5331Ruffled the critics by 5332Dropping this bomb: 5333"Phooey on Freud and his 5334Psychoanalysis -- 5335Oedipus, Shmoedipus, 5336I just love Mom." 5337% 5338Hindsight is an exact science. 5339% 5340Hippogriff, n.: 5341 An animal (now extinct) which was half horse and half griffin. 5342The griffin was itself a compound creature, half lion and half eagle. 5343The hippogriff was actually, therefore, only one quarter eagle, which 5344is two dollars and fifty cents in gold. The study of zoology is full 5345of surprises. 5346 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 5347% 5348Hire the morally handicapped. 5349% 5350"His great aim was to escape from civilization, and, as soon as he had 5351money, he went to Southern California." 5352% 5353"His mind is like a steel trap -- full of mice" 5354 -- Foghorn Leghorn 5355% 5356"His super power is to turn into a scotch terrier." 5357% 5358History is curious stuff 5359 You'd think by now we had enough 5360Yet the fact remains I fear 5361 They make more of it every year. 5362% 5363History repeats itself. That's one thing wrong with history. 5364% 5365History, n.: 5366 Papa Hegel he say that all we learn from history is that we 5367learn nothing from history. I know people who can't even learn from 5368what happened this morning. Hegel must have been taking the long 5369view. 5370 -- Chad C. Mulligan, "The Hipcrime Vocab" 5371% 5372Hlade's Law: 5373 If you have a difficult task, give it to a lazy person -- they 5374will find an easier way to do it. 5375% 5376Hoare's Law of Large Problems: 5377 Inside every large problem is a small problem struggling to get 5378out. 5379% 5380Hofstadter's Law: 5381 It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take 5382Hofstadter's Law into account. 5383% 5384Hollywood is where if you don't have happiness you send out for it. 5385 -- Rex Reed 5386% 5387 Home centers are designed for the do-it-yourselfer who's 5388willing to pay higher prices for the convenience of being able to shop 5389for lumber, hardware, and toasters all in one location. Notice I say 5390"shop for", as opposed to "obtain". This is the major drawback of home 5391centers: they are always out of everything except artificial Christmas 5392trees. The home center employees have no time to reorder merchandise 5393because they are too busy applying little price stickers to every 5394object -- every board, washer, nail and screw -- in the entire store ... 5395 Let's say a piece in your toilet tank breaks, so you remove the 5396broken part, take it to the home center, and ask an employee if he has 5397a replacement. The employee, who has never is his life even seen the 5398inside of a toilet tank, will peer at the broken part in very much the 5399same way that a member of a primitive Amazon jungle tribe would look at 5400an electronic calculator, and then say, "We're expecting a shipment of 5401these sometime around the middle of next week". 5402 -- Dave Barry, "The Taming of the Screw" 5403% 5404Home of Doberman Propulsion Laboratories: 5405The ultimate in watchdog weaponry. 5406 -- Chris Shaw 5407% 5408"Honesty is the best policy, but insanity is a better defense" 5409% 5410Honesty pays, but it doesn't seem to pay enough to suit some people. 5411 -- F. M. Hubbard 5412% 5413Honk if you hate bumper stickers that say "Honk if ..." 5414% 5415Honk if you love peace and quiet. 5416% 5417Honorable, adj.: 5418 Afflicted with an impediment in one's reach. In legislative 5419bodies, it is customary to mention all members as honorable; as, "the 5420honorable gentleman is a scurvy cur." 5421 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 5422% 5423Horngren's Observation: 5424 Among economists, the real world is often a special case. 5425% 5426Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on 5427people. 5428 -- W. C. Fields 5429% 5430Horses are forbidden to eat fire hydrants in Marshalltown, Iowa. 5431% 5432"Houston, Tranquillity Base here. The Eagle has landed." 5433 -- Neil Armstrong 5434% 5435How can you be in two places at once when you're not anywhere at all? 5436% 5437How come only your friends step on your new white sneakers? 5438% 5439How come wrong numbers are never busy? 5440% 5441"How do I love thee? My accumulator overflows." 5442% 5443How do you explain school to a higher intelligence? 5444 -- Elliot, "E.T." 5445% 5446How doth the little crocodile 5447 Improve his shining tail, 5448And pour the waters of the Nile 5449 On every golden scale! 5450 5451How cheerfully he seems to grin, 5452 How neatly spreads his claws, 5453And welcomes little fishes in, 5454 With gently smiling jaws! 5455 -- Lewis Carrol, "Alice in Wonderland" 5456% 5457How doth the VAX's C compiler 5458Improve its object code. 5459And even as we speak does it 5460Increase the system load. 5461 5462How patiently it seems to run 5463And spit out error flags, 5464While users, with frustration, all 5465Tear their clothes to rags. 5466% 5467How doth the VAX's C-compiler 5468Improve its object code. 5469And even as we speak does it 5470Increase the system load. 5471 5472How patiently it seems to run 5473And spit out error flags, 5474While users, with frustration, all 5475Tear all their clothes to rags. 5476% 5477How long a minute is depends on which side of the bathroom door you're 5478on. 5479% 5480How many hardware engineers does it take to change a lightbulb? 5481None: "We'll fix it in software." 5482 5483How many software engineers does it take to change a lightbulb? 5484None: "We'll document it in the manual." 5485 5486How many tech writers does it take to change a lightbulb? 5487None: "The user can work it out." 5488% 5489"How many hors d'oeuvres you are allowed to take off a tray being 5490carried by a waiter at a nice party?" 5491 5492Two, but there are ways around it, depending on the style of the hors 5493d'oeuvre. If they're those little pastry things where you can't tell 5494what's inside, you take one, bite off about two-thirds of it, then 5495say: "This is cheese! I hate cheese!" Then you put the rest of it 5496back on the tray and bite another one and go, "Darn it! Another 5497cheese!" and so on. 5498 -- Dave Barry, "The Stuff of Etiquette" 5499% 5500 How many seconds are there in a year? If I tell you there are 55013.155 x 10^7, you won't even try to remember it. On the other hand, 5502who could forget that, to within half a percent, pi seconds is a 5503nanocentury. 5504 -- Tom Duff, Bell Labs 5505% 5506How much does it cost to entice a dope-smoking UNIX system guru to 5507Dayton? 5508 -- Brian Boyle, UNIX/WORLD's First Annual Salary Survey 5509% 5510How wonderful opera would be if there were no singers. 5511% 5512How wonderful opera would be if there were no singers. 5513% 5514HOW YOU CAN TELL THAT IT'S GOING TO BE A ROTTEN DAY: 5515 #1040 Your income tax refund cheque bounces. 5516% 5517HOW YOU CAN TELL THAT IT'S GOING TO BE A ROTTEN DAY: 5518 #15 Your pet rock snaps at you. 5519% 5520HOW YOU CAN TELL THAT IT'S GOING TO BE A ROTTEN DAY: 5521 5522 #32: You call your answering service and they've never heard of 5523 you. 5524% 5525Howe's Law: 5526 Everyone has a scheme that will not work. 5527% 5528However, never daunted, I will cope with adversity in my traditional 5529manner ... sulking and nausea. 5530 -- Tom K. Ryan 5531% 5532HR 3128. Omnibus Budget Reconciliation, Fiscal 1986. Martin, R-Ill., 5533motion that the House recede from its disagreement to the Senate 5534amendment making changes in the bill to reduce fiscal 1986 deficits. 5535The Senate amendment was an amendment to the House amendment to the 5536Senate amendment to the House amendment to the Senate amendment to the 5537bill. The original Senate amendment was the conference agreement on 5538the bill. Agreed to. 5539 -- Albuquerque Journal 5540% 5541 Hug O' War 5542 5543I will not play at tug o' war. 5544I'd rather play at hug o' war, 5545Where everyone hugs 5546Instead of tugs, 5547Where everyone giggles 5548And rolls on the rug, 5549Where everyone kisses, 5550And everyone grins, 5551And everyone cuddles, 5552And everyone wins. 5553 -- Shel Silverstein 5554% 5555Human beings were created by water to transport it uphill. 5556% 5557Human cardiac catheterization was introduced by Werner Forssman in 55581929. Ignoring his department chief, and tying his assistant to an 5559operating table to prevent his interference, he placed a uretheral 5560catheter into a vein in his arm, advanced it to the right atrium [of 5561his heart], and walked upstairs to the x-ray department where he took 5562the confirmatory x-ray film. In 1956, Dr. Forssman was awarded the 5563Nobel Prize. 5564% 5565Hummingbirds never remember the words to songs. 5566% 5567"Humor is a drug which it's the fashion to abuse." 5568 -- William Gilbert 5569% 5570Hurewitz's Memory Principle: 5571 The chance of forgetting something is directly proportional 5572to ..... to ........ uh .............. 5573% 5574I also believe that academic freedom should protect the right of a 5575professor or student to advocate Marxism, socialism, communism, or any 5576other minority viewpoint -- no matter how distasteful to the majority. 5577 -- Richard M. Nixon 5578 5579What are our schools for if not indoctrination against Communism? 5580 -- Richard M. Nixon 5581% 5582"I am convinced that the manufacturers of carpet odor removing powder 5583have included encapsulated time released cat urine in their products. 5584This technology must be what prevented its distribution during my mom's 5585reign. My carpet smells like piss, and I don't have a cat. Better go 5586by some more." 5587 -- timw@zeb.USWest.COM 5588% 5589I am more bored than you could ever possibly be. Go back to work. 5590% 5591"I am not an Economist. I am an honest man!" 5592 -- Paul McCracken 5593% 5594"I am not now, and never have been, a girlfriend of Henry Kissinger." 5595 -- Gloria Steinem 5596% 5597I am not now, nor have I ever been, a member of the demigodic party. 5598 -- Dennis Ritchie 5599% 5600"I am not sure what this is, but an `F' would only dignify it." 5601 -- English Professor 5602% 5603"I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the 5604great ordeal of meeting me is another matter." 5605 -- Winston Churchill 5606% 5607"I am returning this otherwise good typing paper to you because someone 5608has printed gibberish all over it and put your name at the top." 5609 -- English Professor, Ohio University 5610% 5611I am so optimistic about beef prices that I've just leased a pot roast 5612with an option to buy. 5613% 5614"I am the mother of all things, and all things should wear a sweater." 5615% 5616"I am, in point of fact, a particularly haughty and exclusive person, 5617of pre-Adamite ancestral descent. You will understand this when I tell 5618you that I can trace my ancestry back to a protoplasmal primordial 5619atomic globule. Consequently, my family pride is something 5620inconceivable. I can't help it. I was born sneering." 5621 -- Pooh-Bah, "The Mikado", Gilbert & Sullivan 5622% 5623"I appreciate the fact that this draft was done in haste, but some of 5624the sentences that you are sending out in the world to do your work for 5625you are loitering in taverns or asleep beside the highway." 5626 -- Dr. Dwight Van de Vate, Professor of Philosophy, 5627 University of Tennessee at Knoxville 5628% 5629"I argue very well. Ask any of my remaining friends. I can win an 5630argument on any topic, against any opponent. People know this, and 5631steer clear of me at parties. Often, as a sign of their great respect, 5632they don't even invite me." 5633 -- Dave Barry 5634% 5635'I believe in getting into hot water; it keeps you clean." 5636 -- G. K. Chesterton 5637% 5638"I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat." 5639 -- Will Rogers 5640% 5641"I bet the human brain is a kludge." 5642 -- Marvin Minsky 5643% 5644I brake for chezlogs! 5645% 5646I call them as I see them. If I can't see them, I make them up. 5647 -- Biff Barf 5648% 5649I can feel for her because, although I have never been an Alaskan 5650prostitute dancing on the bar in a spangled dress, I still get very 5651bored with washing and ironing and dishwashing and cooking day after 5652relentless day. 5653 -- Betty MacDonald 5654% 5655I can read your mind, and you should be ashamed of yourself. 5656% 5657"I can remember when a good politician had to be 75 percent ability and 565825 percent actor, but I can well see the day when the reverse could be 5659true." 5660 -- Harry Truman 5661% 5662"I can resist anything but temptation." 5663% 5664"I can't complain, but sometimes I still do." 5665 -- Joe Walsh 5666% 5667"I can't decide whether to commit suicide or go bowling." 5668 -- Florence Henderson 5669% 5670I can't understand it. I can't even understand the people who can 5671understand it. 5672 -- Queen Juliana of the Netherlands. 5673% 5674I can't understand why a person will take a year or two to write a 5675novel when he can easily buy one for a few dollars. 5676 -- Fred Allen 5677% 5678"I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year's fashions." 5679 -- Lillian Hellman 5680% 5681I cannot conceive that anybody will require multiplications at the rate 5682of 40,000 or even 4,000 per hour ... 5683 -- F. H. Wales (1936) 5684% 5685I cannot overemphasize the importance of good grammar. 5686 5687What a crock. I could easily overemphasize the importance of good 5688grammar. For example, I could say: "Bad grammar is the leading cause 5689of slow, painful death in North America," or "Without good grammar, the 5690United States would have lost World War II." 5691 -- Dave Barry, "An Utterly Absurd Look at Grammar" 5692% 5693 "I cannot read the fiery letters," said Frito Bugger in a 5694quavering voice. 5695 "No," said GoodGulf, "but I can. The letters are Elvish, of 5696course, of an ancient mode, but the language is that of Mordor, which 5697I will not utter here. They are lines of a verse long known in 5698Elven-lore: 5699 5700 "This Ring, no other, is made by the elves, 5701 Who'd pawn their own mother to grab it themselves. 5702 Ruler of creeper, mortal, and scallop, 5703 This is a sleeper that packs quite a wallop. 5704 The Power almighty rests in this Lone Ring. 5705 The Power, alrighty, for doing your Own Thing. 5706 If broken or busted, it cannot be remade. 5707 If found, send to Sorhed (with postage prepaid)." 5708 -- Harvard Lampoon, "Bored of the Rings" 5709% 5710" I changed my headlights the other day. I put in strobe lights 5711instead! Now when I drive at night, it looks like everyone else is 5712standing still ..." 5713 -- Steven Wright 5714% 5715I could dance till the cows come home. On second thought, I'd rather 5716dance with the cows till you come home. 5717 -- Groucho Marx 5718% 5719"I couldn't remember when I had been so disappointed. Except perhaps 5720the time I found out that M&Ms really *do* melt in your hand ..." 5721 -- Peter Oakley 5722% 5723"I didn't know it was impossible when I did it." 5724% 5725I didn't like the play, but I saw it under adverse conditions. The 5726curtain was up. 5727% 5728 I disapprove of the F-word, not because it's dirty, but because 5729we use it as a substitute for thoughtful insults, and it frequently 5730leads to violence. What we ought to do, when we anger each other, say, 5731in traffic, is exchange phone numbers, so that later on, when we've had 5732time to think of witty and learned insults or look them up in the 5733library, we could call each other up: 5734 5735 You: Hello? Bob? 5736 Bob: Yes? 5737 You: This is Ed. Remember? The person whose parking space you 5738 took last Thursday? Outside of Sears? 5739 Bob: Oh yes! Sure! How are you, Ed? 5740 You: Fine, thanks. Listen, Bob, the reason I'm calling is: 5741 "Madam, you may be drunk, but I am ugly, and ..." No, wait. 5742 I mean: "you may be ugly, but I am Winston Churchill 5743 and ..." No, wait. (Sound of reference book thudding onto 5744 the floor.) S-word. Excuse me. Look, Bob, I'm going to 5745 have to get back to you. 5746 Bob: Fine. 5747 -- Dave Barry, "$#$%#^%!^%&@%@!" 5748% 5749I do hate sums. There is no greater mistake than to call arithmetic an 5750exact science. There are permutations and aberrations discernible to 5751minds entirely noble like mine; subtle variations which ordinary 5752accountants fail to discover; hidden laws of number which it requires a 5753mind like mine to perceive. For instance, if you add a sum from the 5754bottom up, and then again from the top down, the result is always 5755different. 5756 -- Mrs. La Touche (19th cent.) 5757% 5758"I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them." 5759 -- Isaac Asimov 5760% 5761"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us 5762with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forego their use." 5763 -- Galileo Galilei 5764% 5765"I do not know myself, and God forbid that I should." 5766 -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 5767% 5768"I don't believe in astrology. But then I'm an Aquarius, and Aquarians 5769don't believe in astrology." 5770 -- James R. F. Quirk 5771% 5772I don't believe there really IS a GAS SHORTAGE.. I think it's all just 5773a BIG HOAX on the part of the plastic sign salesmen -- to sell more 5774numbers!! 5775% 5776I don't care for the Sugar Smacks commercial. I don't like the idea of 5777a frog jumping on my Breakfast. 5778 -- Lowell, Chicago Reader 10/15/82 5779% 5780"I don't care who does the electing as long as I get to do the 5781nominating" 5782 -- Boss Tweed 5783% 5784"I don't have any solution but I certainly admire the problem." 5785 -- Ashleigh Brilliant 5786% 5787"I don't have to take this abuse from you -- I've got hundreds of 5788people waiting to abuse me." 5789 -- Bill Murray, "Ghostbusters" 5790% 5791I don't know anything about music. In my line you don't have to. 5792 -- Elvis Presley 5793% 5794"I don't know anything about music. In my line you don't have to." 5795 -- Elvis Presley 5796% 5797 "I don't know what you mean by `glory,'" Alice said 5798 Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. "Of course you don't -- 5799till I tell you. I meant `there's a nice knock-down argument for 5800you!'" 5801 "But glory doesn't mean `a nice knock-down argument,'" Alice 5802objected. 5803 "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful 5804tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor 5805less." 5806 "The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean 5807so many different things." 5808 "The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master-- 5809that's all." 5810 -- Lewis Carrol, "Through the Looking Glass" 5811% 5812"I don't like spinach, and I'm glad I don't, because if I liked it I'd 5813eat it, and I just hate it." 5814 -- Clarence Darrow 5815% 5816"I don't mind going nowhere as long as it's an interesting path." 5817 -- Ronald Mabbitt 5818% 5819I don't mind what Congress does, as long as they don't do it in the 5820streets and frighten the horses. 5821 -- Victor Hugo 5822% 5823"I don't object to sex before marriage, but two minutes before?!?" 5824% 5825"I don't think so," said Ren'e Descartes. Just then, he vanished. 5826% 5827"I don't think they could put him in a mental hospital. On the other 5828hand, if he were already in, I don't think they'd let him out." 5829% 5830I don't want to alarm anybody, but there is an excellent chance that 5831the Earth will be destroyed in the next several days. Congress is 5832thinking about eliminating a federal program under which scientists 5833broadcast signals to alien beings. This would be a large mistake. 5834Alien beings have nuclear blaster death cannons. You cannot cut off 5835their federal programs as if they were merely poor people ... 5836 -- Davy Barry, "THE ALIENS ARE COMING, THE ALIENS ARE 5837 COMING!" 5838% 5839I doubt, therefore I might be. 5840% 5841"I dread success. To have succeeded is to have finished one's business 5842on earth, like the male spider, who is killed by the female the moment 5843he has succeeded in his courtship. I like a state of continual 5844becoming, with a goal in front and not behind." 5845 -- George Bernard Shaw 5846% 5847"I drink to make other people interesting." 5848 -- George Jean Nathan 5849% 5850I fell asleep reading a dull book, and I dreamt that I was reading on, 5851so I woke up from sheer boredom. 5852% 5853I for one cannot protest the recent M.T.A. fare hike and the 5854accompanying promises that this would in no way improve service. For 5855the transit system, as it now operates, has hidden advantages that 5856can't be measured in monetary terms. 5857 5858Personally, I feel that it is well worth 75 cents or even $1 to have 5859that unimpeachable excuse whenever I am late to anything: "I came by 5860subway." Those four words have such magic in them that if Godot should 5861someday show up and mumble them, any audience would instantly 5862understand his long delay. 5863% 5864"I found out why my car was humming. It had forgotten the words." 5865% 5866"I gained nothing at all from Supreme Enlightenment, and for that very 5867reason it is called Supreme Enlightenment." 5868 -- Gotama Buddha 5869% 5870I gave up Smoking, Drinking and Sex. It was the most *__________horrifying* 20 5871minutes of my life! 5872% 5873'I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it." 5874 -- Mae West 5875% 5876I get up each morning, gather my wits. 5877 Pick up the paper, read the obits. 5878If I'm not there I know I'm not dead. 5879 So I eat a good breakfast and go back to bed. 5880% 5881I get up each morning, gather my wits. 5882Pick up the paper, read the obits. 5883If I'm not there I know I'm not dead. 5884So I eat a good breakfast and go back to bed. 5885 5886Oh, how do I know my youth is all spent? 5887My get-up-and-go has got-up-and-went. 5888But in spite of it all, I'm able to grin, 5889And think of the places my get-up has been. 5890 -- Pete Seeger 5891% 5892"I had to censor everything my sons watched ... even on the Mary Tyler 5893Moore show I heard the word 'damn'!" 5894 -- Mary Lou Bax 5895% 5896"I had to hit him -- he was starting to make sense." 5897% 5898"I hate it when my foot falls asleep during the day cause that means 5899it's going to be up all night." 5900 -- Steven Wright 5901% 5902"I hate quotations." 5903 -- Ralph Waldo Emerson 5904% 5905I have a simple philosophy: 5906 5907 Fill what's empty. 5908 Empty what's full. 5909 Scratch where it itches. 5910 -- A. R. Longworth 5911% 5912"I have a very firm grasp on reality! I can reach out and strangle it 5913any time!" 5914% 5915"I have come up with a sure-fire concept for a hit television show, 5916which would be called `A Live Celebrity Gets Eaten by a Shark'." 5917 -- Dave Barry, "The Wonders of Sharks on TV" 5918% 5919I have discovered the art of deceiving diplomats. I tell them the truth 5920and they never believe me. 5921 -- Camillo Di Cavour 5922% 5923I have great faith in fools -- self confidence my friends call it. 5924 -- Edgar Allan Poe 5925% 5926"I have just read your lousy review buried in the back pages. You 5927sound like a frustrated old man who never made a success, an 5928eight-ulcer man on a four-ulcer job, and all four ulcers working. I 5929have never met you, but if I do you'll need a new nose and plenty of 5930beefsteak and perhaps a supporter below. Westbrook Pegler, a 5931guttersnipe, is a gentleman compared to you. You can take that as more 5932of an insult than as a reflection on your ancestry." 5933 -- President Harry S Truman 5934% 5935I have learned 5936To spell hors d'oeuvres 5937Which still grates on 5938Some people's n'oeuvres. 5939 -- Warren Knox 5940% 5941"I have made mistakes but I have never made the mistake of claiming 5942that I have never made one." 5943 -- James Gordon Bennett 5944% 5945"I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to 5946make it shorter." 5947 -- Blaise Pascal 5948% 5949I have more humility in my little finger than you have in your whole 5950____BODY! 5951 -- from "Cerebus" #82 5952% 5953"I have seen the future and it is just like the present, only longer." 5954 -- Kehlog Albran, "The Profit" 5955% 5956"I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best." 5957 -- Oscar Wilde 5958% 5959"I have the world's largest collection of seashells. I keep it 5960scattered around the beaches of the world ... Perhaps you've seen it. 5961 -- Steven Wright 5962% 5963"I have to convince you, or at least snow you ..." 5964 -- Prof. Romas Aleliunas, CS 435 5965% 5966"I have two very rare photographs: one is a picture of Houdini locking 5967his keys in his car; the other is a rare photograph of Norman Rockwell 5968beating up a child." 5969 -- Steven Wright 5970% 5971I have yet to see any problem, however complicated, which, when looked 5972at in the right way, did not become still more complicated. 5973 -- Poul Anderson 5974% 5975"I haven't lost my mind -- it's backed up on tape somewhere." 5976% 5977"I haven't lost my mind; I know exactly where I left it." 5978% 5979I just forgot my whole philosophy of life!!! 5980% 5981"I just need enough to tide me over until I need more." 5982 -- Bill Hoest 5983% 5984I know it all. I just can't remember it all at once. 5985% 5986"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World 5987War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." 5988 -- Albert Einstein 5989% 5990"I know the answer! The answer lies within the heart of all mankind! 5991The answer is twelve? I think I'm in the wrong building." 5992 -- Charles Schulz 5993% 5994"I like being single. I'm always there when I need me." 5995 -- Art Leo 5996% 5997I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to 5998promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want 5999peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of 6000the way and let them have it. 6001 -- Dwight D. Eisenhower 6002% 6003"I like work ... I can sit and watch it for hours." 6004% 6005"I like your game but we have to change the rules." 6006% 6007"I love Saturday morning cartoons, what classic humour! This is what 6008entertainment is all about ... Idiots, explosives and falling anvils." 6009 -- Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson 6010% 6011"I love to eat them Smurfies 6012 Smurfies what I love to eat 6013 Bite they ugly heads off, 6014 Nibble on they bluish feet." 6015% 6016"I may appear to be just sitting here like a bucket of tapioca, but 6017don't let appearances fool you. I'm approaching old age ... at the 6018speed of light." 6019 -- Prof. Cosmo Fishhawk 6020% 6021"I may not be totally perfect, but parts of me are excellent." 6022 -- Ashleigh Brilliant 6023% 6024"I must have a prodigious quantity of mind; it takes me as much as a 6025week sometimes to make it up." 6026 -- Mark Twain, "The Innocents Abroad" 6027% 6028I must have slipped a disk -- my pack hurts 6029% 6030"I never fail to convince an audience that the best thing they could do 6031was to go away." 6032% 6033"I never met a piece of chocolate I didn't like." 6034% 6035I often quote myself; it adds spice to my conversation. 6036 -- G. B. Shaw 6037% 6038"I only touch base with reality on an as-needed basis!" 6039 -- Royal Floyd Mengot (Klaus) 6040% 6041"I played lead guitar in a band called The Federal Duck, which is the 6042kind of name that was popular in the '60s as a result of controlled 6043substances being in widespread use. Back then, there were no 6044restrictions, in terms of talent, on who could make an album, so we 6045made one, and it sounds like a group of people who have been given 6046powerful but unfamiliar instruments as a therapy for a degenerative 6047nerve disease." 6048 -- Dave Barry, "The Snake" 6049% 6050I predict that today will be remembered until tomorrow! 6051% 6052"I profoundly believe it takes a lot of practice to become a moral 6053slob." 6054 -- William F. Buckley 6055% 6056 "I quite agree with you," said the Duchess; "and the moral of 6057that is -- `Be what you would seem to be' -- or, if you'd like it put 6058more simply -- `Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it 6059might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not 6060otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be 6061otherwise.'" 6062 -- Lewis Carrol, "Alice in Wonderland" 6063% 6064I realize that the MX missile is none of our concern. I realize that 6065the whole point of living in a democracy is that we pay professional 6066congresspersons to concern themselves with things like the MX missile 6067so we can be free to concern ourselves with getting hold of the 6068plumber. 6069 6070But from time to time, I feel I must address major public issues such 6071as this, because in a free and open society, where the very future of 6072the world hinges on decisions made by our elected leaders, you never 6073win large cash journalism awards if you stick to the topics I usually 6074write about, such as nose-picking. 6075 -- Dave Barry, "At Last, the Ultimate Deterrent Against 6076 Political Fallout" 6077% 6078I really hate this damned machine 6079I wish that they would sell it. 6080It never does quite what I want 6081But only what I tell it. 6082% 6083"I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person." 6084% 6085I see a good deal of talk from Washington about lowering taxes. I hope 6086they do get 'em lowered enough so people can afford to pay 'em. 6087 -- Will Rogers 6088% 6089I see the eigenvalue in thine eye, 6090I hear the tender tensor in thy sigh. 6091Bernoulli would have been content to die 6092Had he but known such _a-squared cos 2(phi)! 6093 -- Stanislaw Lem, "Cyberiad" 6094% 6095I sent a letter to the fish, 6096I told them, "This is what I wish." 6097The little fishes of the sea, 6098They sent an answer back to me. 6099The little fishes' answer was 6100"We cannot do it, sir, because ..." 6101I sent a letter back to say 6102It would be better to obey. 6103But someone came to me and said 6104"The little fishes are in bed." 6105I said to him, and I said it plain 6106"Then you must wake them up again." 6107I said it very loud and clear, 6108I went and shouted in his ear. 6109But he was very stiff and proud, 6110He said "You needn't shout so loud." 6111And he was very proud and stiff, 6112He said "I'll go and wake them if ..." 6113I took a kettle from the shelf, 6114I went to wake them up myself. 6115But when I found the door was locked 6116I pulled and pushed and kicked and knocked, 6117And when I found the door was shut, 6118I tried to turn the handle, But ... 6119 6120 "Is that all?" asked Alice. 6121 "That is all." said Humpty Dumpty. "Goodbye." 6122 -- Lewis Carrol, "Through the Looking Glass" 6123% 6124"I shot an arrow into the air, and it stuck." 6125 -- Graffito in Los Angeles 6126% 6127"... I should explain that I was wearing a black velvet cape that was 6128supposed to make me look like the dashing, romantic Zorro but which 6129actually made me look like a gigantic bat wearing glasses ..." 6130 -- Dave Barry, "The Wet Zorro Suit and Other Turning 6131 Points in l'Amour" 6132% 6133"I stayed up all night playing poker with tarot cards. I got a full 6134house and four people died." 6135 -- Steven Wright 6136% 6137"I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to 6138see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph." 6139 -- Shirley Temple 6140% 6141I suggest you locate your hot tub outside your house, so it won't do 6142too much damage if it catches fire or explodes. First you decide which 6143direction your hot tub should face for maximum solar energy. After 6144much trial and error, I have found that the best direction for a hot 6145tub to face is up. 6146 -- Dave Barry, "The Taming of the Screw" 6147% 6148"I think it is true for all _n. I was just playing it safe with _n >= 3 6149because I couldn't remember the proof." 6150 -- Baker, Pure Math 351a 6151% 6152"I think sex is better than logic, but I can't prove it." 6153% 6154I think that all good, right thinking people in this country are sick 6155and tired of being told that all good, right thinking people in this 6156country are fed up with being told that all good, right thinking people 6157in this country are fed up with being sick and tired. I'm certainly 6158not, and I'm sick and tired of being told that I am. 6159 -- Monty Python 6160% 6161I think that I shall never see 6162A billboard lovely as a tree. 6163Perhaps, unless the billboards fall 6164I'll never see a tree at all. 6165 -- Ogden Nash 6166% 6167I think that I shall never see 6168A thing as lovely as a tree. 6169But as you see the trees have gone 6170They went this morning with the dawn. 6171A logging firm from out of town 6172Came and chopped the trees all down. 6173But I will trick those dirty skunks 6174And write a brand new poem called 'Trunks'. 6175% 6176"I think the sky is blue because it's a shift from black through purple 6177to blue, and it has to do with where the light is. You know, the 6178farther we get into darkness, and there's a shifting of color of light 6179into the blueness, and I think as you go farther and farther away from 6180the reflected light we have from the sun or the light that's bouncing 6181off this earth, uh, the darker it gets ... I think if you look at the 6182color scale, you start at black, move it through purple, move it on 6183out, it's the shifting of color. We mentioned before about the stars 6184singing, and that's one of the effects of the shifting of colors." 6185 -- Pat Robertson, The 700 Club 6186% 6187I think we can all agree that there is not enough common courtesy shown 6188... HEY! PAY ATTENTION WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU DAMMIT! I said I think 6189we can all agree that there is not enough common courtesy shown today. 6190When we take the time to be courteous to each other, we find that we 6191are happier and less likely to engage in nuclear war. This point was 6192driven home by the recent summit talks, where Nancy Reagan and Raisa 6193Gorbachev, each of whose husband thinks the other's husband is vermin, 6194were able to sit down at a high-level tea and engage in courteous 6195conversation ... 6196 -- Dave Barry, "The Stuff of Etiquette" 6197% 6198"I thought you were trying to get into shape." 6199"I am. The shape I've selected is a triangle." 6200% 6201" ... I told my doctor I got all the exercise I needed being a 6202pallbearer for all my friends who run and do exercises!" 6203 -- Winston Churchill 6204% 6205I took a course in speed reading and was able to read War and Peace in 6206twenty minutes. It's about Russia. 6207 -- Woody Allen 6208% 6209I used to be an agnostic, but now I'm not so sure. 6210% 6211"I used to get high on life but lately I've built up a resistance." 6212% 6213"I used to think I was indecisive, but now I'm not so sure." 6214% 6215"I used to think that the brain was the most wonderful organ in my 6216body. Then I realized who was telling me this." 6217 -- Emo Phillips 6218% 6219I used to work in a fire hydrant factory. You couldn't park anywhere 6220near the place. 6221 -- Steven Wright 6222% 6223I value kindness to human beings first of all, and kindness to 6224animals. I don't respect the law; I have a total irreverence for 6225anything connected with society except that which makes the roads 6226safer, the beer stronger, the food cheaper, and old men and women 6227warmer in the winter, and happier in the summer. 6228 -- Brendan Behan 6229% 6230"I want to buy a husband who, every week when I sit down to watch `St. 6231Elsewhere', won't scream, `FORGET IT, BLANCHE ... IT'S TIME FOR "HEE 6232HAW"!!'" 6233 -- Berke Breathed, "Bloom County" 6234% 6235I was born because it was a habit in those days, people didn't know 6236anything else ... I was not a Child Prodigy, because a Child Prodigy is 6237a child who knows as much when it is a child as it does when it grows 6238up. 6239 -- Will Rogers 6240% 6241"I was drunk last night, crawled home across the lawn. By accident I 6242put the car key in the door lock. The house started up. So I figured 6243what the hell, and drove it around the block a few times. I thought I 6244should go park it in the middle of the freeway and yell at everyone to 6245get off my driveway." 6246 -- Steven Wright 6247% 6248"I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I 6249didn't know." 6250 -- Mark Twain 6251% 6252I was part of that strange race of people aptly described as spending 6253their lives doing things they detest to make money they don't want to 6254buy things they don't need to impress people they dislike. 6255 -- Emile Henry Gauvreay 6256% 6257"I was playing poker the other night ... with Tarot cards. I got a full 6258house and four people died." 6259 -- Steven Wright 6260% 6261"I went into a general store, and they wouldn't sell me anything 6262specific". 6263 -- Steven Wright 6264% 6265I went on to test the program in every way I could devise. I strained 6266it to expose its weaknesses. I ran it for high-mass stars and low-mass 6267stars, for stars born exceedingly hot and those born relatively cold. 6268I ran it assuming the superfluid currents beneath the crust to be 6269absent -- not because I wanted to know the answer, but because I had 6270developed an intuitive feel for the answer in this particular case. 6271Finally I got a run in which the computer showed the pulsar's 6272temperature to be less than absolute zero. I had found an error. I 6273chased down the error and fixed it. Now I had improved the program to 6274the point where it would not run at all. 6275 -- George Greenstein, "Frozen Star: Of Pulsars, Black 6276 Holes and the Fate of Stars" 6277% 6278"I went to a job interview the other day, the guy asked me if I had any 6279questions , I said yes, just one, if you're in a car traveling at the 6280speed of light and you turn your headlights on, does anything happen? 6281 6282He said he couldn't answer that, I told him sorry, but I couldn't work 6283for him then. 6284 -- Steven Wright 6285% 6286"I went to the hardware store and bought some used paint. It was in 6287the shape of a house. I also bought some batteries, but they weren't 6288included." 6289 -- Steven Wright 6290% 6291"I went to the museum where they had all the heads and arms from the 6292statues that are in all the other museums." 6293 -- Steven Wright 6294% 6295I went to the race track once and bet on a horse that was so good that 6296it took seven others to beat him! 6297% 6298"I wish there was a knob on the TV to turn up the intelligence. 6299There's a knob called `brightness', but it doesn't work." 6300 -- Gallagher 6301% 6302"I wouldn't recommend sex, drugs or insanity for everyone, but they've 6303always worked for me." 6304 -- Hunter S. Thompson 6305% 6306"I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous." 6307% 6308"I'd love to go out with you, but I did my own thing and now I've got 6309to undo it." 6310% 6311"I'd love to go out with you, but I have to floss my cat." 6312% 6313"I'd love to go out with you, but I have to stay home and see if I 6314snore." 6315% 6316"I'd love to go out with you, but I never go out on days that end in 6317`Y.'" 6318% 6319"I'd love to go out with you, but I want to spend more time with my 6320blender." 6321% 6322"I'd love to go out with you, but I'm attending the opening of my 6323garage door." 6324% 6325"I'd love to go out with you, but I'm converting my calendar watch from 6326Julian to Gregorian." 6327% 6328"I'd love to go out with you, but I'm doing door-to-door collecting for 6329static cling." 6330% 6331"I'd love to go out with you, but I'm having all my plants neutered." 6332% 6333"I'd love to go out with you, but I'm staying home to work on my 6334cottage cheese sculpture." 6335% 6336"I'd love to go out with you, but I'm taking punk totem pole carving." 6337% 6338"I'd love to go out with you, but I've been scheduled for a karma 6339transplant." 6340% 6341"I'd love to go out with you, but it's my parakeet's bowling night." 6342% 6343"I'd love to go out with you, but my favorite commercial is on TV." 6344% 6345"I'd love to go out with you, but the last time I went out, I never 6346came back." 6347% 6348"I'd love to go out with you, but the man on television told me to say 6349tuned." 6350% 6351"I'd love to go out with you, but there are important world issues that 6352need worrying about." 6353% 6354"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy." 6355% 6356"I'll carry your books, I'll carry a tune, I'll carry on, carry over, 6357carry forward, Cary Grant, cash & carry, Carry Me Back To Old Virginia, 6358I'll even Hara Kari if you show me how, but I will *not* carry a gun." 6359 -- Hawkeye, M*A*S*H 6360% 6361I'll defend to the death your right to say that, but I never said I'd 6362listen to it! 6363 -- Tom Galloway with apologies to Voltaire 6364% 6365I'll grant thee random access to my heart, 6366Thoul't tell me all the constants of thy love; 6367And so we two shall all love's lemmas prove 6368And in our bound partition never part. 6369 -- Stanislaw Lem, "Cyberiad" 6370% 6371"I'll rob that rich person and give it to some poor deserving slob. 6372That will *prove* I'm Robin Hood." 6373 -- Daffy Duck, "Robin Hood Daffy", [1958, Chuck Jones] 6374% 6375"I'm a creationist; I refuse to believe that I could have evolved from 6376man." 6377% 6378I'm a Lisp variable -- bind me! 6379% 6380"I'm all for computer dating, but I wouldn't want one to marry my 6381sister." 6382% 6383I'm changing my name to Chrysler 6384I'm going down to Washington, D.C. 6385I'll tell some power broker 6386 What they did for Iacocca 6387Will be perfectly acceptable to me! 6388I'm changing my name to Chrysler, 6389I'm heading for that great receiving line. 6390When they hand a million grand out, 6391 I'll be standing with my hand out, 6392Yessir, I'll get mine! 6393 -- Tom Paxton 6394% 6395I'm defending her honor, which is more than she ever did. 6396% 6397"I'm defending her honor, which is more than she ever did." 6398% 6399"I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to 6400die in." 6401 -- George McGovern 6402% 6403I'm going to Boston to see my doctor. He's a very sick man. 6404 -- Fred Allen 6405% 6406I'm going to live forever, or die trying! 6407 -- Spider Robinson 6408% 6409... I'm IMAGINING a sensuous GIRAFFE, CAVORTING in the BACK ROOM of a 6410KOSHER DELI!! 6411% 6412"I'm in Pittsburgh. Why am I here?" 6413 -- Harold Urey, Nobel Laureate 6414% 6415i'm living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be 6416living apart. 6417 -- e. e. cummings 6418% 6419I'm N-ary the tree, I am, 6420N-ary the tree, I am, I am. 6421I'm getting traversed by the parser next door, 6422She's traversed me seven times before. 6423And ev'ry time it was an N-ary (N-ary!) 6424Never wouldn't ever do a binary. (No sir!) 6425I'm 'er eighth tree that was N-ary. 6426N-ary the tree I am, I am, 6427N-ary the tree I am. 6428% 6429"I'm not under the alkafluence of inkahol that some thinkle peep I am. 6430It's just the drunker I sit here the longer I get." 6431% 6432"I'm prepared for all emergencies but totally unprepared for everyday 6433life." 6434% 6435I'm proud to be paying taxes in the United States. The only thing is 6436-- I could be just as proud for half the money. 6437 -- Arthur Godfrey 6438% 6439I'm rated PG-34!! 6440% 6441"I'm really enjoying not talking to you ... Let's not talk again ____REAL 6442soon ..." 6443% 6444"I'm returning this note to you, instead of your paper, because it 6445(your paper) presently occupies the bottom of my bird cage." 6446 -- English Professor, Providence College 6447% 6448I'm very good at integral and differential calculus, 6449I know the scientific names of beings animalculous; 6450In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral, 6451I am the very model of a modern Major-General. 6452 -- Gilbert & Sullivan, "Pirates of Penzance" 6453% 6454"I'm willing to sacrifice anything for this cause, even other people's 6455lives" 6456% 6457I've built a better model than the one at Data General 6458For data bases vegetable, animal, and mineral 6459My OS handles CPUs with multiplexed duality; 6460My PL/1 compiler shows impressive functionality. 6461My storage system's better than magnetic core polarity, 6462You never have to bother checking out a bit for parity; 6463There isn't any reason to install non-static floor matting; 6464My disk drive has capacity for variable formatting. 6465 6466I feel compelled to mention what I know to be a gloating point: 6467There's lots of room in memory for variables floating-point, 6468Which shows for input vegetable, animal, and mineral 6469I've built a better model than the one at Data General. 6470 6471 -- Steve Levine, "A Computer Song" (To the tune of 6472 "Modern Major General", from "Pirates of Penzance", 6473 by Gilbert & Sullivan) 6474% 6475I've enjoyed just about as much of this as I can stand. 6476% 6477I've found my niche. If you're wondering why I'm not there, there was 6478this little hole in the bottom ... 6479 -- John Croll 6480% 6481I've given up reading books; I find it takes my mind off myself. 6482% 6483I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it. 6484 -- Groucho Marx 6485% 6486I've known him as a man, as an adolescent and as a child -- sometimes 6487on the same day. 6488% 6489"I've seen better heads on half a pint of beer." 6490% 6491"I've seen, I SAY, I've seen better heads on a mug of beer" 6492 -- Senator Claghorn 6493% 6494I've touch'd the highest point of all my greatness; 6495And from that full meridian of my glory 6496I haste now to my setting. I shall fall, 6497Like a bright exhalation in the evening 6498And no man see me more. 6499 -- Shakespeare 6500% 6501IBM had a PL/I, 6502 Its syntax worse than JOSS; 6503And everywhere this language went, 6504 It was a total loss. 6505% 6506Idaho state law makes it illegal for a man to give his sweetheart a box 6507of candy weighing less than fifty pounds. 6508% 6509Ideas don't stay in some minds very long because they don't like 6510solitary confinement. 6511% 6512Idiot Box, n.: 6513 The part of the envelope that tells a person where to place the 6514stamp when they can't quite figure it out for themselves. 6515 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 6516% 6517Idiot, n.: 6518 A member of a large and powerful tribe whose influence in human 6519affairs has always been dominant and controlling. 6520 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 6521% 6522If a 6600 used paper tape instead of core memory, it would use up tape 6523at about 30 miles/second. 6524 -- Grishman, Assembly Language Programming 6525% 6526If A = B and B = C, then A = C, except where void or prohibited by law. 6527 -- Roy Santoro 6528% 6529"If a camel flies, no one laughs if it doesn't get very far." 6530 -- Paul White 6531% 6532If a camel is a horse designed by a committee, then a consensus 6533forecast is a camel's behind. 6534 -- Edgar R. Fiedler 6535% 6536If A equals success, then the formula is _A = _X + _Y + _Z. _X is work. _Y 6537is play. _Z is keep your mouth shut. 6538 -- Albert Einstein 6539% 6540If a group of _N persons implements a COBOL compiler, there will be _N-1 6541passes. Someone in the group has to be the manager. 6542 -- T. Cheatham 6543% 6544If a jury in a criminal trial stays out for more than twenty-four 6545hours, it is certain to vote acquittal, save in those instances where 6546it votes guilty. 6547 -- Joseph C. Goulden 6548% 6549If a listener nods his head when you're explaining your program, wake 6550him up. 6551% 6552If a President doesn't do it to his wife, he'll do it to his country. 6553% 6554If a putt passes over the hole without dropping, it is deemed to have 6555dropped. The law of gravity holds that any object attempting to 6556maintain a position in the atmosphere without something to support it 6557must drop. The law of gravity supercedes the law of golf. 6558 -- Donald A. Metz 6559% 6560"If a team is in a positive frame of mind, it will have a good 6561attitude. If it has a good attitude, it will make a commitment to 6562playing the game right. If it plays the game right, it will win -- 6563unless, of course, it doesn't have enough talent to win, and no manager 6564can make goose-liver pate out of goose feathers, so why worry?" 6565 -- Sparky Anderson 6566% 6567If all be true that I do think, 6568There be Five Reasons why one should Drink; 6569Good friends, good wine, or being dry, 6570Or lest we should be by-and-by, 6571Or any other reason why. 6572% 6573If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular 6574error. 6575 -- John Kenneth Galbraith 6576% 6577If all the Chinese simultaneously jumped into the Pacific off a 10 foot 6578platform erected 10 feet off their coast, it would cause a tidal wave 6579that would destroy everything in this country west of Nebraska. 6580% 6581If all the world's a stage, I want to operate the trap door. 6582 -- Paul Beatty 6583% 6584If all the world's economists were laid end to end, we wouldn't reach a 6585conclusion. 6586 -- William Baumol 6587% 6588If an S and an I and an O and a U 6589With an X at the end spell Su; 6590And an E and a Y and an E spell I, 6591Pray what is a speller to do? 6592Then, if also an S and an I and a G 6593And an HED spell side, 6594There's nothing much left for a speller to do 6595But to go commit siouxeyesighed. 6596 -- Charles Follen Adams, "An Orthographic Lament" 6597% 6598If anything can go wrong, it will. 6599% 6600If at first you don't succeed, give up, no use being a damn fool. 6601% 6602If at first you don't succeed, redefine success. 6603% 6604If bankers can count, how come they have eight windows and only four 6605tellers? 6606% 6607"If dolphins are so smart, why did Flipper work for television?" 6608% 6609If entropy is increasing, where is it coming from? 6610% 6611If everybody minded their own business, the world would go 6612around a deal faster. 6613 -- The Duchess, "Through the Looking Glass" 6614% 6615If everything is coming your way then you're in the wrong lane. 6616% 6617... If forced to travel on an airplane, try and get in the cabin with 6618the Captain, so you can keep an eye on him and nudge him if he falls 6619asleep or point out any mountains looming up ahead ... 6620 -- Mike Harding, "The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac" 6621% 6622If God didn't mean for us to juggle, tennis balls wouldn't come three 6623to a can. 6624% 6625If God had intended Man to Smoke, He would have set him on Fire. 6626% 6627If God had intended Man to Walk, He would have given him Feet. 6628% 6629If God had intended Man to Watch TV, He would have given him Rabbit 6630Ears. 6631% 6632If God had intended Men to Smoke, He would have put Chimneys in their 6633Heads. 6634% 6635If God had meant for us to be in the Army, we would have been born with 6636green, baggy skin. 6637% 6638If God had meant for us to be naked, we would have been born that way. 6639% 6640If God had not given us sticky tape, it would have been necessary to 6641invent it. 6642% 6643If God had wanted you to go around nude, He would have given you bigger 6644hands. 6645% 6646If God is dead, who will save the Queen? 6647% 6648If God is perfect, why did He create discontinuous functions? 6649% 6650"If God lived on Earth, people would knock out all His windows." 6651 -- Yiddish saying 6652% 6653If God wanted us to be brave, why did he give us legs? 6654 -- Marvin Kitman 6655% 6656"If I am elected, the concrete barriers around the WHITE HOUSE will be 6657replaced by tasteful foam replicas of ANN MARGARET!" 6658% 6659If I could drop dead right now, I'd be the happiest man alive! 6660 -- Samuel Goldwyn 6661% 6662If I don't drive around the park, 6663I'm pretty sure to make my mark. 6664If I'm in bed each night by ten, 6665I may get back my looks again. 6666If I abstain from fun and such, 6667I'll probably amount to much; 6668But I shall stay the way I am, 6669Because I do not give a damn. 6670 -- Dorothy Parker 6671% 6672If I don't see you in the future, I'll see you in the pasture. 6673% 6674If I had a plantation in Georgia and a home in Hell, I'd sell the 6675plantation and go home. 6676 -- Eugene P. Gallagher 6677% 6678If I had any humility I would be perfect. 6679 -- Ted Turner 6680% 6681"If I had only known, I would have been a locksmith." 6682 -- Albert Einstein 6683% 6684If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the 6685shoulders of giants. 6686 -- Isaac Newton 6687 6688In the sciences, we are now uniquely privileged to sit side by side 6689with the giants on whose shoulders we stand. 6690 -- Gerald Holton 6691 6692If I have not seen as far as others, it is because giants were standing 6693on my shoulders. 6694 -- Hal Abelson 6695 6696In computer science, we stand on each other's feet. 6697 -- Brian K. Reid 6698% 6699If I kiss you, that is a psychological interaction. 6700 6701On the other hand, if I hit you over the head with a brick, that is 6702also a psychological interaction. 6703 6704The difference is that one is friendly and the other is not so 6705friendly. 6706 6707The crucial point is if you can tell which is which. 6708 -- Dolph Sharp, "I'm O.K., You're Not So Hot" 6709% 6710If I traveled to the end of the rainbow 6711As Dame Fortune did intend, 6712Murphy would be there to tell me 6713The pot's at the other end. 6714 -- Bert Whitney 6715% 6716If ignorance is bliss, why aren't there more happy people? 6717% 6718If it's Tuesday, this must be someone else's fortune. 6719% 6720If Jesus Christ were to come today, people would not even crucify him. 6721They would ask him to dinner, and hear what he had to say, and make fun 6722of it. 6723 -- Thomas Carlyle 6724% 6725"If just one piece of mail gets lost, well, they'll just think they 6726forgot to send it. But if *two* pieces of mail get lost, hell, they'll 6727just think the other guy hasn't gotten around to answering his mail. 6728And if *fifty* pieces of mail get lost, can you imagine it, if *fifty* 6729pieces of mail get lost, why they'll think someone *else* is broken! 6730And if 1Gb of mail gets lost, they'll just *know* that Arpa is down and 6731think it's a conspiracy to keep them from their God given right to 6732receive Net Mail ..." 6733 -- Leith (Casey) Leedom 6734% 6735If life is a stage, I want some better lighting. 6736% 6737If little else, the brain is an educational toy. 6738 -- Tom Robbins 6739% 6740If little green men land in your back yard, hide any little green women 6741you've got in the house. 6742 -- Mike Harding, "The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac" 6743% 6744If mathematically you end up with the wrong answer, try multiplying by 6745the page number. 6746% 6747If money can't buy happiness, I guess you'll just have to rent it. 6748% 6749"If once a man indulges himself in murder, very soon he comes to think 6750little of robbing; and from robbing he next comes to drinking and 6751Sabbath-breaking, and from that to incivility and procrastination." 6752 -- Thomas De Quincey (1785 - 1859) 6753% 6754If one studies too zealously, one easily loses his pants. 6755 -- A. Einstein. 6756% 6757If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit 6758in my name at a Swiss bank. 6759 -- Woody Allen, "Without Feathers" 6760% 6761If only I could be respected without having to be respectable. 6762% 6763If only one could get that wonderful feeling of accomplishment without 6764having to accomplish anything. 6765% 6766If Patrick Henry thought that taxation without representation was bad, 6767he should see how bad it is with representation. 6768% 6769If scientific reasoning were limited to the logical processes of 6770arithmetic, we should not get very far in our understanding of the 6771physical world. One might as well attempt to grasp the game of poker 6772entirely by the use of the mathematics of probability. 6773 -- Vannevar Bush 6774% 6775If someone had told me I would be Pope one day, I would have studied 6776harder. 6777 -- Pope John Paul I 6778% 6779"If that makes any sense to you, you have a big problem." 6780 -- C. Durance, Computer Science 234 6781% 6782If the aborigine drafted an IQ test, all of Western civilization would 6783presumably flunk it. 6784 -- Stanley Garn 6785% 6786If the code and the comments disagree, then both are probably wrong. 6787 -- Norm Schryer 6788% 6789If the colleges were better, if they really had it, you would need to 6790get the police at the gates to keep order in the inrushing multitude. 6791See in college how we thwart the natural love of learning by leaving 6792the natural method of teaching what each wishes to learn, and insisting 6793that you shall learn what you have no taste or capacity for. The 6794college, which should be a place of delightful labor, is made odious 6795and unhealthy, and the young men are tempted to frivolous amusements to 6796rally their jaded spirits. I would have the studies elective. 6797Scholarship is to be created not by compulsion, but by awakening a pure 6798interest in knowledge. The wise instructor accomplishes this by 6799opening to his pupils precisely the attractions the study has for 6800himself. The marking is a system for schools, not for the college; for 6801boys, not for men; and it is an ungracious work to put on a professor. 6802 -- Ralph Waldo Emerson 6803% 6804"If the King's English was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for 6805me!" 6806 -- "Ma" Ferguson, Governor of Texas (circa 1920) 6807% 6808If the odds are a million to one against something occurring, chances 6809are 50-50 it will. 6810% 6811If the weather is extremely bad, church attendance will be down. If 6812the weather is extremely good, church attendance will be down. If the 6813bulletin covers are in short supply, however, church attendance will 6814exceed all expectations. 6815 -- Reverend Chichester 6816% 6817If there are epigrams, there must be meta-epigrams. 6818% 6819If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that 6820will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong. 6821% 6822If there is no God, who pops up the next Kleenex? 6823 -- Art Hoppe 6824% 6825If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, they can sure make 6826something out of you. 6827 -- Muhammad Ali 6828% 6829If this fortune didn't exist, somebody would have invented it. 6830% 6831If this is timesharing, give me my share right now. 6832% 6833If time heals all wounds, how come the belly button stays the same? 6834% 6835If today is the first day of the rest of your life, what the hell was 6836yesterday? 6837% 6838If two men agree on everything, you may be sure that one of them is 6839doing the thinking. 6840 -- Lyndon Baines Johnson 6841% 6842If two wrongs don't make a right, try three. 6843 -- Laurence J. Peter 6844% 6845"If value corrupts then absolute value corrupts absolutely" 6846% 6847"If we were meant to fly, we wouldn't keep losing our luggage." 6848% 6849If while you are in school, there is a shortage of qualified personnel 6850in a particular field, then by the time you graduate with the necessary 6851qualifications, that field's employment market is glutted. 6852 -- Marguerite Emmons 6853% 6854If you are a fatalist, what can you do about it? 6855 -- Ann Edwards-Duff 6856% 6857"If you can count your money, you don't have a billion dollars." 6858 -- J. Paul Getty 6859% 6860If you can lead it to water and force it to drink, it isn't a horse. 6861% 6862If you can read this, you're too close. 6863% 6864If you can survive death, you can probably survive anything. 6865% 6866If you can't be good, be careful. If you can't be careful, give me a 6867call. 6868% 6869If you can't learn to do it well, learn to enjoy doing it badly. 6870% 6871If you cannot convince them, confuse them. 6872 -- Harry S Truman 6873% 6874If you didn't get caught, did you really do it? 6875% 6876If you don't care where you are, then you ain't lost. 6877% 6878If you don't go to other men's funerals they won't go to yours. 6879 -- Clarence Day 6880% 6881If you don't have a nasty obituary you probably didn't matter. 6882 -- Freeman Dyson 6883% 6884"If you don't want your dog to have bad breath, do what I do: Pour a little 6885Lavoris in the toilet." 6886 -- Jay Leno 6887% 6888If you eat a live frog in the morning, nothing worse will happen to 6889either of you for the rest of the day. 6890% 6891"If you ever want to get anywhere in politics, my boy, you're going to 6892have to get a toehold in the public eye." 6893% 6894If you explain so clearly that nobody can misunderstand, somebody 6895will. 6896% 6897If you give Congress a chance to vote on both sides of an issue, it 6898will always do it. 6899 -- Les Aspin, D., Wisconsin 6900% 6901"If you go on with this nuclear arms race, all you are going to do is 6902make the rubble bounce" 6903 -- Winston Churchill 6904% 6905If you had any brains, you'd be dangerous. 6906% 6907If you have a procedure with 10 parameters, you probably missed some. 6908% 6909"If you have to hate, hate gently" 6910% 6911If you just try long enough and hard enough, you can always manage to 6912boot yourself in the posterior. 6913 -- A. J. Liebling 6914% 6915If you keep anything long enough, you can throw it away. 6916% 6917If you live in a country run by committee, be on the committee. 6918 -- Graham Summer 6919% 6920If you live to the age of a hundred you have it made because very few 6921people die past the age of a hundred. 6922 -- George Burns 6923% 6924If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; but if you 6925really make them think they'll hate you. 6926% 6927If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail. 6928 -- Maslow 6929% 6930If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which a procedure 6931can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way will promptly 6932develop. 6933% 6934If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite 6935you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man. 6936 -- Mark Twain 6937% 6938If you push the "extra ice" button on the soft drink vending machine, 6939you won't get any ice. If you push the "no ice" button, you'll get 6940ice, but no cup. 6941% 6942If you put garbage in a computer nothing comes out but garbage. But 6943this garbage, having passed through a very expensive machine, is 6944somehow enobled and none dare criticize it. 6945% 6946If you sit down at a poker game and don't see a sucker, get up. You're 6947the sucker. 6948% 6949If you stand on your head, you will get footprints in your hair. 6950% 6951If you stick a stock of liquor in your locker, 6952It is slick to stick a lock upon your stock. 6953 Or some joker who is slicker, 6954 Will trick you of your liquor, 6955If you fail to lock your liquor with a lock. 6956% 6957If you think education is expensive, try ignorance. 6958 -- Derek Bok, president of Harvard 6959% 6960If you think last Tuesday was a drag, wait till you see what happens 6961tomorrow! 6962% 6963If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car 6964payments. 6965 -- Earl Wilson 6966% 6967If you think the problem is bad now, just wait until we've solved it. 6968 -- Arthur Kasspe 6969% 6970If you think the United States has stood still, who built the largest 6971shopping center in the world? 6972 -- Richard M. Nixon 6973% 6974If you think the United States has stood still, who built the largest 6975shopping center in the world? 6976 -- Richard Nixon 6977% 6978If you throw a New Year's Party, the worst thing that you can do would 6979be to throw the kind of party where your guests wake up today, and call 6980you to say they had a nice time. Now you'll be be expected to throw 6981another party next year. 6982 6983What you should do is throw the kind of party where your guest wake up 6984several days from now and call their lawyers to find out if they've 6985been indicted for anything. You want your guests to be so anxious to 6986avoid a recurrence of your party that they immediately start planning 6987parties of their own, a year in advance, just to prevent you from 6988having another one ... 6989 6990If your party is successful, the police will knock on your door, unless 6991your party is very successful in which case they will lob tear gas 6992through your living room window. As host, your job is to make sure 6993that they don't arrest anybody. Or if they're dead set on arresting 6994someone, your job is to make sure it isn't you ... 6995% 6996If you took all the students that felt asleep in class and laid them 6997end to end, they'd be a lot more comfortable. 6998 -- "Graffiti in the Big Ten" 6999% 7000"If you understand what you're doing, you're not learning anything." 7001 -- A. L. 7002% 7003If you want divine justice, die. 7004 -- Nick Seldon 7005% 7006If you want to know what god thinks of money, just look at the people 7007he gave it to. 7008 -- Dorthy Parker 7009% 7010If you want to understand your government, don't begin by reading the 7011Constitution. It conveys precious little of the flavor of today's 7012statecraft. Instead, read selected portions of the Washington 7013telephone directory containing listings for all the organizations with 7014titles beginning with the word "National". 7015 -- George Will 7016% 7017If you want your spouse to listen and pay strict attention to every 7018word you say, talk in your sleep. 7019% 7020"If you wants to get elected president, you'se got to think up some 7021memoraboble homily so's school kids can be pestered into memorizin' it, 7022even if they don't know what it means." 7023 -- Walt Kelly, "The Pogo Party" 7024% 7025If you wish to live wisely, ignore sayings -- including this one. 7026% 7027If you're going to do something tonight that you'll be sorry for 7028tomorrow morning, sleep late. 7029 -- Henny Youngman 7030% 7031If you're happy, you're successful. 7032% 7033 If you're like most homeowners, you're afraid that many repairs 7034around your home are too difficult to tackle. So, when your furnace 7035explodes, you call in a so-called professional to fix it. The 7036"professional" arrives in a truck with lettering on the sides and 7037deposits a large quantity of tools and two assistants who spend the 7038better part of the week in your basement whacking objects at random 7039with heavy wrenches, after which the "professional" returns and gives 7040you a bill for slightly more money than it would cost you to run a 7041successful campaign for the U.S. Senate. 7042 And that's why you've decided to start doing things yourself. 7043You figure, "If those guys can fix my furnace, then so can I. How 7044difficult can it be?" 7045 Very difficult. In fact, most home projects are impossible, 7046which is why you should do them yourself. There is no point in paying 7047other people to screw things up when you can easily screw them up 7048yourself for far less money. This article can help you. 7049 -- Dave Barry, "The Taming of the Screw" 7050% 7051If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate. 7052% 7053If you're not very clever you should be conciliatory. 7054 -- Benjamin Disraeli 7055% 7056If you're right 90% of the time, why quibble about the remaining 3%? 7057% 7058"If you've done six impossible things before breakfast, why not round 7059it off with dinner at Milliway's, the restaurant at the end of the 7060universe?" 7061% 7062If you've seen one redwood, you've seen them all. 7063 -- Ronald Reagan 7064% 7065Ignisecond, n.: 7066 The overlapping moment of time when the hand is locking the car 7067door even as the brain is saying, "my keys are in there!" 7068 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 7069% 7070Il brilgue: les t^oves libricilleux 7071 Se gyrent et frillant dans le guave, 7072Enm^im'es sont les gougebosquex, 7073 Et le m^omerade horgrave. 7074 -- Lewis Carrol, "Through the Looking Glass" 7075% 7076Iles's Law: 7077 There is always an easier way to do it. When looking directly 7078at the easy way, especially for long periods, you will not see it. 7079Neither will Iles. 7080% 7081Illinois isn't exactly the land that God forgot -- it's more like the 7082land He's trying to ignore. 7083% 7084Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality. 7085 -- Jules de Gaultier 7086% 7087"Imagine if every Thursday your shoes exploded if you tied them the 7088usual way. This happens to us all the time with computers, and nobody 7089thinks of complaining." 7090 -- Jeff Raskin, interviewed in Doctor Dobb's Journal 7091% 7092Imagine that Cray computer decides to make a personal computer. It has 7093a 150 MHz processor, 200 megabytes of RAM, 1500 megabytes of disk 7094storage, a screen resolution of 4096 x 4096 pixels, relies entirely on 7095voice recognition for input, fits in your shirt pocket and costs $300. 7096What's the first question that the computer community asks? 7097 7098"Is it PC compatible?" 7099% 7100Immigration is the sincerest form of flattery. 7101 -- Jack Paar 7102% 7103Immortality -- a fate worse than death. 7104 -- Edgar A. Shoaff 7105% 7106Impartial, adj.: 7107 Unable to perceive any promise of personal advantage from 7108espousing either side of a controversy or adopting either of two 7109conflicting opinions. 7110 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 7111% 7112Important letters which contain no errors will develop errors in the 7113mail. Corresponding errors will show up in the duplicate while the 7114Boss is reading it. 7115% 7116Impossible, adj.: 7117 (1) I wouldn't like it and when it happens I won't approve; 7118(2) I can't be bothered; (3) God can't be bothered. Meaning (3) may 7119perhaps be valid but the others are 101% whaledreck. 7120 -- Chad C. Mulligan, "The Hipcrime Vocab" 7121% 7122In 1750 Issac Newton became discouraged when he fell up a flight of 7123stairs. 7124% 7125In 1869 the waffle iron was invented for people who had wrinkled 7126waffles. 7127% 7128In 1880 the French captured Detroit but gave it back ... they couldn't 7129get parts. 7130% 7131In 1914, the first crossword puzzle was printed in a newspaper. The 7132creator received $4000 down ... and $3000 across. 7133% 7134In 1915 pancake make-up was invented but most people still preferred 7135syrup. 7136% 7137In a five year period we can get one superb programming language. Only 7138we can't control when the five year period will begin. 7139% 7140 In a forest a fox bumps into a little rabbit, and says, "Hi, 7141junior, what are you up to?" 7142 "I'm writing a dissertation on how rabbits eat foxes," said the 7143rabbit. 7144 "Come now, friend rabbit, you know that's impossible!" 7145 "Well, follow me and I'll show you." They both go into the 7146rabbit's dwelling and after a while the rabbit emerges with a satisfied 7147expression on his face. 7148 Comes along a wolf. "Hello, what are we doing these days?" 7149 "I'm writing the second chapter of my thesis, on how rabbits 7150devour wolves." 7151 "Are you crazy? Where is your academic honesty?" 7152 "Come with me and I'll show you." As before, the rabbit comes 7153out with a satisfied look on his face and a diploma in his paw. 7154Finally, the camera pans into the rabbit's cave and, as everybody 7155should have guessed by now, we see a mean-looking, huge lion sitting 7156next to some bloody and furry remnants of the wolf and the fox. 7157 7158The moral: It's not the contents of your thesis that are important -- 7159it's your PhD advisor that really counts. 7160% 7161In a medium in which a News Piece takes a minute and an "In-Depth" 7162Piece takes two minutes, the Simple will drive out the Complex. 7163 -- Frank Mankiewicz 7164% 7165In a museum in Havana, there are two skulls of Christopher Columbus, 7166"one when he was a boy and one when he was a man." 7167 -- Mark Twain 7168% 7169In Africa some of the native tribes have a custom of beating the ground 7170with clubs and uttering spine chilling cries. Anthropologists call 7171this a form of primitive self-expression. In America we call it golf. 7172% 7173In America today ... we have Woody Allen, whose humor has become so 7174sophisticated that nobody gets it any more except Mia Farrow. All 7175those who think Mia Farrow should go back to making movies where the 7176devil gets her pregnant and Woody Allen should go back to dressing up 7177as a human sperm, please raise your hands. Thank you. 7178 -- Dave Barry, "Why Humor is Funny" 7179% 7180In America, any boy may become president and I suppose that's just one 7181of the risks he takes. 7182 -- Adlai Stevenson 7183% 7184In an organization, each person rises to the level of his own 7185incompetency 7186 -- The Peter Principle 7187% 7188In any formula, constants (especially those obtained from handbooks) 7189are to be treated as variables. 7190% 7191"In any world menu, Canada must be considered the vichyssoise of 7192nations -- it's cold, half-French, and difficult to stir." 7193 -- Stuart Keate 7194% 7195In Blythe, California, a city ordinance declares that a person must own 7196at least two cows before he can wear cowboy boots in public. 7197% 7198In Boston, it is illegal to hold frog-jumping contests in nightclubs. 7199% 7200In case of atomic attack, the federal ruling against prayer in schools 7201will be temporarily canceled. 7202% 7203In case of injury notify your superior immediately. He'll kiss it and 7204make it better. 7205% 7206In Columbia, Pennsylvania, it is against the law for a pilot to tickle 7207a female flying student under her chin with a feather duster in order 7208to get her attention. 7209% 7210In Corning, Iowa, it's a misdemeanor for a man to ask his wife to ride 7211in any motor vehicle. 7212% 7213"In defeat, unbeatable; in victory, unbearable." 7214 -- Winston Churchill, of Montgomery 7215% 7216In Denver it is unlawful to lend your vacuum cleaner to your next-door 7217neighbor. 7218% 7219In Devon, Connecticut, it is unlawful to walk backwards after sunset. 7220% 7221In Dr. Johnson's famous dictionary patriotism is defined as the last 7222resort of the scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but 7223inferior lexicographer I beg to submit that it is the first. 7224 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 7225% 7226In English, every word can be verbed. Would that it were so in our 7227programming languages. 7228% 7229In Greene, New York, it is illegal to eat peanuts and walk backwards on 7230the sidewalks when a concert is on. 7231% 7232In India, "cold weather" is merely a conventional phrase and has come 7233into use through the necessity of having some way to distinguish 7234between weather which will melt a brass door-knob and weather which 7235will only make it mushy. 7236 -- Mark Twain 7237% 7238In Lexington, Kentucky, it's illegal to carry an ice cream cone in your 7239pocket. 7240% 7241In Lowes Crossroads, Delaware, it is a violation of local law for any 7242pilot or passenger to carry an ice cream cone in their pocket while 7243either flying or waiting to board a plane. 7244% 7245In Memphis, Tennessee, it is illegal for a woman to drive a car unless 7246there is a man either running or walking in front of it waving a red 7247flag to warn approaching motorists and pedestrians. 7248% 7249In Ohio, if you ignore an orator on Decoration day to such an extent as 7250to publicly play croquet or pitch horseshoes within one mile of the 7251speaker's stand, you can be fined $25.00. 7252% 7253"In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the 7254universe." 7255 -- Carl Sagan, Cosmos 7256% 7257In our civilization, and under our republican form of government, 7258intelligence is so highly honored that it is rewarded by exemption from 7259the cares of office. 7260 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 7261% 7262In Pocataligo, Georgia, it is a violation for a woman over 200 pounds 7263and attired in shorts to pilot or ride in an airplane. 7264% 7265In Pocatello, Idaho, a law passed in 1912 provided that "The carrying 7266of concealed weapons is forbidden, unless same are exhibited to public 7267view." 7268% 7269In Riemann, Hilbert or in Banach space 7270Let superscripts and subscripts go their ways. 7271Our asymptotes no longer out of phase, 7272We shall encounter, counting, face to face. 7273 -- Stanislaw Lem, "Cyberiad" 7274% 7275In Seattle, Washington, it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon that 7276is over six feet in length. 7277% 7278In seeking the unattainable, simplicity only gets in the way. 7279 -- Epigrams in Programming, ACM SIGPLAN Sept. 1982 7280% 7281"In short, _N is Richardian if, and only if, _N is not Richardian." 7282% 7283In specifications, Murphy's Law supersedes Ohm's. 7284% 7285In Tennessee, it is illegal to shoot any game other than whales from a 7286moving automobile. 7287% 7288[In the 60's] there was madness in any direction, at any hour ... You 7289could strike sparks anywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense 7290that whatever we were doing was `right', that we were winning ... 7291 7292And that, I think, was the handle -- the sense of inevitable victory 7293over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we 7294didn't need that. Our energy would simply `prevail'. There was no 7295point in fighting -- on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; 7296we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave .... 7297 7298So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in 7299Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost 7300___see the high-water mark -- the place where the wave finally broke and 7301rolled back. 7302 -- Hunter S. Thompson, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" 7303% 7304In the beginning was the word. 7305But by the time the second word was added to it, 7306there was trouble. 7307For with it came syntax ... 7308 -- John Simon 7309% 7310In the days when Sussman was a novice Minsky once came to him as he sat 7311hacking at the PDP-6. "What are you doing?", asked Minsky. "I am 7312training a randomly wired neural net to play Tic-Tac-Toe." "Why is the 7313net wired randomly?", asked Minsky. "I do not want it to have any 7314preconceptions of how to play." Minsky shut his eyes. "Why do you 7315close your eyes?", Sussman asked his teacher. "So the room will be 7316empty." At that moment, Sussman was enlightened. 7317% 7318In the force if Yoda's so strong, construct a sentence with words in 7319the proper order then why can't he? 7320% 7321In the land of the dark, the Ship of the Sun is driven by the Grateful 7322Dead. 7323 -- Egyptian Book of the Dead 7324% 7325In the long run, every program becomes rococo, and then rubble. 7326 -- Alan Perlis 7327% 7328In the olden days in England, you could be hung for stealing a sheep or 7329a loaf of bread. However, if a sheep stole a loaf of bread and gave it 7330to you, you would only be tried for receiving, a crime punishable by 7331forty lashes with the cat or the dog, whichever was handy. If you 7332stole a dog and were caught, you were punished with twelve rabbit 7333punches, although it was hard to find rabbits big enough or strong 7334enough to punch you. 7335 -- Mike Harding, "The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac" 7336% 7337In the space of one hundred and seventy-six years the Mississippi has 7338shortened itself two hundred and forty-two miles. Therefore ... in the 7339Old Silurian Period the Mississippi River was upward of one million 7340three hundred thousand miles long ... seven hundred and forty-two years 7341from now the Mississippi will be only a mile and three-quarters long. 7342... There is something fascinating about science. One gets such 7343wholesome returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of 7344fact. 7345 -- Mark Twain 7346% 7347In the Top 40, half the songs are secret messages to the teen world to 7348drop out, turn on, and groove with the chemicals and light shows at 7349discotheques. 7350 -- Art Linkletter 7351% 7352In those days he was wiser than he is now -- he used to frequently take 7353my advice. 7354 -- Winston Churchill 7355% 7356In Tulsa, Oklahoma, it is against the law to open a soda bottle without 7357the supervision of a licensed engineer. 7358% 7359In West Union, Ohio, No married man can go flying without his spouse 7360along at any time, unless he has been married for more than 12 months. 7361% 7362Incumbent, n.: 7363 Person of liveliest interest to the outcumbents. 7364 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 7365% 7366... indifference is a militant thing ... when it goes away it leaves 7367smoking ruins, where lie citizens bayonetted through the throat. It is 7368not a children's pastime like mere highway robbery. 7369 -- Stephen Crane 7370% 7371Indifference will be the downfall of mankind, but who cares? 7372% 7373Individualists unite! 7374% 7375Infancy, n.: 7376 The period of our lives when, according to Wordsworth, "Heaven 7377lies about us." The world begins lying about us pretty soon 7378afterward. 7379 -- Ambrose Bierce 7380% 7381Information Center, n.: 7382 A room staffed by professional computer people whose job it is 7383to tell you why you cannot have the information you require. 7384% 7385Ingrate, n.: 7386 A man who bites the hand that feeds him, and then complains of 7387indigestion. 7388% 7389Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. 7390 -- Martin Luther King, Jr. 7391% 7392Ink, n.: 7393 A villainous compound of tannogallate of iron, gum-arabic, and 7394water, chiefly used to facilitate the infection of idiocy and promote 7395intellectual crime. 7396 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 7397% 7398Innovation is hard to schedule. 7399 -- Dan Fylstra 7400% 7401Insanity is hereditary. You get it from your kids. 7402% 7403Insanity is the final defense ... It's hard to get a refund when the 7404salesman is sniffing your crotch and baying at the moon. 7405% 7406Interpreter, n.: 7407 One who enables two persons of different languages to 7408understand each other by repeating to each what it would have been to 7409the interpreter's advantage for the other to have said. 7410 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 7411% 7412Intolerance is the last defense of the insecure. 7413% 7414 INVENTORY 7415Four be the things I am wiser to know: 7416Idleness, sorrow, a friend, and a foe. 7417 7418Four be the things I'd been better without: 7419Love, curiosity, freckles, and doubt. 7420 7421Three be the things I shall never attain: 7422Envy, content, and sufficient champagne. 7423 7424Three be the things I shall have till I die: 7425Laughter and hope and a sock in the eye. 7426% 7427Iron Law of Distribution: 7428 Them that has, gets. 7429% 7430"Irrationality is the square root of all evil" 7431 -- Douglas Hofstadter 7432% 7433Is it possible that software is not like anything else, that it is 7434meant to be discarded: that the whole point is to always see it as a 7435soap bubble? 7436% 7437Is not marriage an open question, when it is alleged, from the 7438beginning of the world, that such as are in the institution wish to get 7439out, and such as are out wish to get in? 7440 -- Ralph Emerson 7441% 7442Is your job running? You'd better go catch it! 7443% 7444Isn't it interesting that the same people who laugh at science fiction 7445listen to weather forecasts and economists? 7446 -- Kelvin Throop III 7447% 7448Isn't it strange that the same people that laugh at gypsy fortune 7449tellers take economists seriously? 7450% 7451Issawi's Laws of Progress: 7452 7453 The Course of Progress: 7454 Most things get steadily worse. 7455 7456 The Path of Progress: 7457 A shortcut is the longest distance between two points. 7458% 7459It appears that after his death, Albert Einstein found himself working 7460as the doorkeeper at the Pearly Gates. One slow day, he found that he 7461had time to chat with the new entrants. To the first one he asked, 7462"What's your IQ?" The new arrival replied, "190". They discussed 7463Einstein's theory of relativity for hours. When the second new arrival 7464came, Einstein once again inquired as to the newcomer's IQ. The answer 7465this time came "120". To which Einstein replied, "Tell me, how did the 7466Cubs do this year?" and they proceeded to talk for half an hour or so. 7467To the final arrival, Einstein once again posed the question, "What's 7468your IQ?". Upon receiving the answer "70", Einstein smiled and asked, 7469"Got a minute to tell me about VMS 4.0?" 7470% 7471It happened that a fire broke out backstage in a theater. The clown 7472came out to inform the public. They thought it was just a jest and 7473applauded. He repeated his warning, they shouted even louder. So I 7474think the world will come to an end amid general applause from all the 7475wits, who believe that it is a joke. 7476% 7477It has been observed that one's nose is never so happy as when it is 7478thrust into the affairs of another, from which some physiologists have 7479drawn the inference that the nose is devoid of the sense of smell. 7480 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 7481% 7482It has been said [by Anatole France], "it is not by amusing oneself 7483that one learns," and, in reply: "it is *____only* by amusing oneself that 7484one can learn." 7485 -- Edward Kasner and James R. Newman 7486% 7487It has been said that man is a rational animal. All my life I have 7488been searching for evidence which could support this. 7489 -- Bertrand Russell 7490% 7491It has just been discovered that research causes cancer in rats. 7492% 7493It is against the grain of modern education to teach children to 7494program. What fun is there in making plans, acquiring discipline in 7495organizing thoughts, devoting attention to detail, and learning to be 7496self-critical? 7497 -- Alan Perlis 7498% 7499It is against the law for a monster to enter the corporate limits of 7500Urbana, Illinois. 7501% 7502It is always preferable to visit home with a friend. Your parents will 7503not be pleased with this plan, because they want you all to themselves 7504and because in the presence of your friend, they will have to act like 7505mature human beings ... 7506 -- Playboy, January 1983 7507% 7508It is amusing that a virtue is made of the vice of chastity; and it's a 7509pretty odd sort of chastity at that, which leads men straight into the 7510sin of Onan, and girls to the waning of their color. 7511 -- Voltaire 7512% 7513It is an important and popular fact that things are not always what 7514they seem. For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed 7515that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so 7516much -- the wheel, New York wars and so on -- whilst all the dolphins 7517had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But 7518conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more 7519intelligent than man -- for precisely the same reasons. 7520 7521Curiously enough, the dolphins had long known of the impending 7522destruction of the of the planet Earth and had made many attempts to 7523alert mankind to the danger; but most of their communications were 7524misinterpreted ... 7525 -- Douglas Admas "The Hitch-Hikers' Guide To The 7526 Galaxy" 7527% 7528It is better for civilization to be going down the drain than to be 7529coming up it. 7530 -- Henry Allen 7531% 7532It is better never to have been born. But who among us has such luck? 7533One in a million, perhaps. 7534% 7535It is better to kiss an avocado than to get in a fight with an aardvark 7536% 7537It is by the fortune of God that, in this country, we have three 7538benefits: freedom of speech, freedom of thought, and the wisdom never 7539to use either. 7540 -- Mark Twain 7541% 7542It is difficult to produce a television documentary that is both 7543incisive and probing when every twelve minutes one is interrupted by 7544twelve dancing rabbits singing about toilet paper. 7545 -- Rod Serling 7546% 7547"It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is 7548lightly greased." 7549 -- Kehlog Albran, "The Profit" 7550% 7551It is easier to be a "humanitarian" than to render your own country its 7552proper due; it is easier to be a "patriot" than to make your community 7553a better place to live in; it is easier to be a "civic leader" than to 7554treat your own family with loving understanding; for the smaller the 7555focus of attention, the harder the task. 7556 -- Sydney J. Harris 7557% 7558It is easier to change the specification to fit the program than vice 7559versa. 7560% 7561It is easier to get forgiveness than permission. 7562% 7563It is easier to write an incorrect program than understand a correct 7564one. 7565% 7566It is generally agreed that "Hello" is an appropriate greeting because 7567if you entered a room and said "Goodbye," it could confuse a lot of 7568people. 7569 -- Dolph Sharp, "I'm O.K., You're Not So Hot" 7570% 7571It is illegal to drive more than two thousand sheep down Hollywood 7572Boulevard at one time. 7573% 7574It is illegal to say "Oh, Boy" in Jonesboro, Georgia. 7575% 7576It is impossible to experience one's death objectively and still carry 7577a tune. 7578 -- Woody Allen 7579% 7580It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so 7581ingenious. 7582% 7583It is impossible to travel faster than light, and certainly not 7584desirable, as one's hat keeps blowing off. 7585 -- Woody Allen 7586% 7587It is Mr. Mellon's credo that $200,000,000 can do no wrong. Our 7588offense consists in doubting it. 7589 -- Justice Robert H. Jackson 7590% 7591It is much easier to suggest solutions when you know nothing about the 7592problem. 7593% 7594It is necessary for the welfare of society that genius should be 7595privileged to utter sedition, to blaspheme, to outrage good taste, to 7596corrupt the youthful mind, and generally to scandalize one's uncles. 7597 -- George Bernard Shaw 7598% 7599It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail. 7600 -- Gore Vidal 7601% 7602It is not true that life is one damn thing after another -- it's one 7603damn thing over and over. 7604 -- Edna St. Vincent Millay 7605% 7606It is now 10 p.m. Do you know where Henry Kissinger is? 7607 -- Elizabeth Carpenter 7608% 7609It is now pitch dark. If you proceed, you will likely fall into a 7610pit. 7611% 7612It is one of the superstitions of the human mind to have imagined that 7613virginity could be a virtue. 7614 -- Voltaire 7615% 7616It is only people of small moral stature who have to stand on their 7617dignity. 7618% 7619It is only the great men who are truly obscene. If they had not dared 7620to be obscene, they could never have dared to be great. 7621 -- Havelock Ellis 7622% 7623It is practically impossible to teach good programming style to 7624students that have had prior exposure to BASIC: as potential 7625programmers they are mentally mutilated beyond hope of 7626regeneration. 7627 -- Dijkstra 7628% 7629It is said that the lonely eagle flies to the mountain peaks while the 7630lowly ant crawls the ground, but cannot the soul of the ant soar as 7631high as the eagle? 7632% 7633It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a 7634statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more 7635glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through 7636which we look, which morally we can do. To affect the quality of the 7637day, that is the highest of arts. 7638 -- Henry David Thoreau, "Where I Live" 7639% 7640It is Texas law that when two trains meet each other at a railroad 7641crossing, each shall come to a full stop, and neither shall proceed 7642until the other has gone. 7643% 7644It is the business of little minds to shrink. 7645 -- Carl Sandburg 7646% 7647It is the business of the future to be dangerous. 7648 -- Hawkwind 7649% 7650It is true that if your paperboy throws your paper into the bushes for 7651five straight days it can be explained by Newton's Law of Gravity. But 7652it takes Murphy's law to explain why it is happening to you. 7653% 7654It is very difficult to prophesy, especially when it pertains to the 7655future. 7656% 7657It looks like blind screaming hedonism won out. 7658% 7659It may be bad manners to talk with your mouth full, but it isn't too 7660good either if you speak when your head is empty. 7661% 7662It may be that your whole purpose in life is simply to serve as a 7663warning to others. 7664% 7665"It runs like _x, where _x is something unsavory" 7666 -- Prof. Romas Aleliunas, CS 435 7667% 7668It seems like the less a statesman amounts to, the more he loves the 7669flag. 7670% 7671It shall be unlawful for any suspicious person to be within the 7672municipality. 7673 -- Local ordinance, Euclid Ohio 7674% 7675"It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no talent for writing, 7676but I couldn't give up because by that time I was too famous." 7677 -- Robert Benchly 7678% 7679It was a book to kill time for those who liked it better dead. 7680% 7681"It was a virgin forest, a place where the Hand of Man had never set 7682foot." 7683% 7684It was one of those perfect summer days -- the sun was shining, a 7685breeze was blowing, the birds were singing, and the lawn mower was 7686broken ... 7687 -- James Dent 7688% 7689"It was pleasant to me to get a letter from you the other day. Perhaps 7690I should have found it pleasanter if I had been able to decipher it. I 7691don't think that I mastered anything beyond the date (which I knew) and 7692the signature (which I guessed at). There's a singular and a perpetual 7693charm in a letter of yours; it never grows old, it never loses its 7694novelty .... Other letters are read and thrown away and forgotten, but 7695yours are kept forever -- unread. One of them will last a reasonable 7696man a lifetime." 7697 -- Thomas Aldrich 7698% 7699 It was the next morning that the armies of Twodor marched east 7700laden with long lances, sharp swords, and death-dealing hangovers. The 7701thousands were led by Arrowroot, who sat limply in his sidesaddle, 7702nursing a whopper. Goodgulf, Gimlet, and the rest rode by him, praying 7703for their fate to be quick, painless, and if possible, someone else's. 7704 Many an hour the armies forged ahead, the war-merinos bleating 7705under their heavy burdens and the soldiers bleating under their melting 7706icepacks. 7707 -- The Harvard Lampoon, "Bored of the Rings" 7708% 7709It wasn't that she had a rose in her teeth, exactly. It was more like 7710the rose and the teeth were in the same glass. 7711% 7712It will be advantageous to cross the great stream ... the Dragon is on 7713the wing in the Sky ... the Great Man rouses himself to his Work. 7714% 7715It will be generally found that those who sneer habitually at human 7716nature and affect to despise it, are among its worst and least pleasant 7717examples. 7718 -- Charles Dickens 7719% 7720It would be nice if the Food and Drug Administration stopped issuing 7721warnings about toxic substances and just gave me the names of one or 7722two things still safe to eat. 7723 -- Robert Fuoss 7724% 7725It's a damn poor mind that can only think of one way to spell a word. 7726 -- Andrew Jackson 7727% 7728"It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, and I'm wearing Milkbone 7729underwear." 7730% 7731It's a good thing we don't get all the government we pay for. 7732% 7733"It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to have to paint it." 7734 -- Steven Wright 7735% 7736"It's a summons." 7737"What's a summons?" 7738"It means summon's in trouble." 7739 -- Rocky and Bullwinkle 7740% 7741It's a very *__UN*lucky week in which to be took dead. 7742 -- Churchy La Femme 7743% 7744It's always darkest just before it gets pitch black. 7745% 7746"It's bad luck to be superstitious." 7747 -- Andrew W. Mathis 7748% 7749It's better to be wanted for murder that not to be wanted at all. 7750 -- Marty Winch 7751% 7752"It's easier said than done." 7753 7754... and if you don't believe it, try proving that it's easier done than 7755said, and you'll see that "it's easier said that `it's easier done than 7756said' than it is done", which really proves that "it's easier said than 7757done". 7758% 7759It's easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them. 7760% 7761It's easier to get forgiveness for being wrong than forgiveness for 7762being right. 7763% 7764"It's Fabulous! We haven't seen anything like it in the last half an 7765hour!" 7766 -- Macy's 7767% 7768It's illegal in Wilbur, Washington, to ride an ugly horse. 7769% 7770It's is not, it isn't ain't, and it's it's, not its, if you mean it 7771is. If you don't, it's its. Then too, it's hers. It isn't her's. It 7772isn't our's either. It's ours, and likewise yours and theirs. 7773 -- Oxford University Press, Edpress News 7774% 7775It's just a jump to the left 7776 And then a step to the right. 7777Put your hands on your hips 7778 And pull your knees in tight. 7779But it's the pelvic thrust 7780 That really drives you insa-a-a-a-a-ane! 7781 7782 LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN! 7783 7784 -- Rocky Horror Picture Show 7785% 7786"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." 7787 -- Walt Disney 7788% 7789"It's Like This" 7790 7791Even the samurai 7792have teddy bears, 7793and even the teddy bears 7794get drunk. 7795% 7796It's lucky you're going so slowly, because you're going in the wrong 7797direction. 7798% 7799"It's men like him that give the Y chromosome a bad name." 7800% 7801It's more than magnificent -- it's mediocre. 7802 -- Sam Goldwyn 7803% 7804It's no surprise that things are so screwed up: everyone that knows how 7805to run a government is either driving taxicabs or cutting hair. 7806 -- George Burns 7807% 7808It's not an optical illusion, it just looks like one. 7809 -- Phil White 7810% 7811"It's not Camelot, but it's not Cleveland, either." 7812 -- Kevin White, mayor of Boston 7813% 7814It's not enough to be Hungarian; you must have talent too. 7815 -- Alexander Korda 7816% 7817"It's not just a computer -- it's your ass." 7818 -- Cal Keegan 7819% 7820It's not reality or how you perceive things that's important -- it's 7821what you're taking for it... 7822% 7823It's not so hard to lift yourself by your bootstraps once you're off 7824the ground. 7825 -- Daniel B. Luten 7826% 7827It's not that I'm afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it 7828happens. 7829 -- Woody Allen 7830% 7831It's not the valleys in life I dread so much as the dips. 7832 -- Garfield 7833% 7834It's odd, and a little unsettling, to reflect upon the fact that 7835English is the only major language in which "I" is capitalized; in many 7836other languages "You" is capitalized and the "i" is lower case. 7837 -- Sydney J. Harris 7838% 7839It's raisins that make Post Raisin Bran so raisiny ... 7840% 7841It's really quite a simple choice: Life, Death, or Los Angeles. 7842% 7843It's so stupid of modern civilization to have given up believing in the 7844Devil when he is the only explanation of it. 7845% 7846It's the opinion of some that crops could be grown on the moon. Which 7847raises the fear that it may not be long before we're paying somebody 7848not to. 7849 -- Franklin P. Jones 7850% 7851It's the thought, if any, that counts! 7852% 7853 JACK AND THE BEANSTACK 7854 by Mark Isaak 7855 7856 Long ago, in a finite state far away, there lived a JOVIAL 7857character named Jack. Jack and his relations were poor. Often their 7858hash table was bare. One day Jack's parent said to him, "Our matrices 7859are sparse. You must go to the market to exchange our RAM for some 7860BASICs." She compiled a linked list of items to retrieve and passed it 7861to him. 7862 So Jack set out. But as he was walking along a Hamilton path, 7863he met the traveling salesman. 7864 "Whither dost thy flow chart take thou?" prompted the salesman 7865in high-level language. 7866 "I'm going to the market to exchange this RAM for some chips 7867and Apples," commented Jack. 7868 "I have a much better algorithm. You needn't join a queue 7869there; I will swap your RAM for these magic kernels now." 7870 Jack made the trade, then backtracked to his house. But when 7871he told his busy-waiting parent of the deal, she became so angry she 7872started thrashing. 7873 "Don't you even have any artificial intelligence? All these 7874kernels together hardly make up one byte," and she popped them out the 7875window ... 7876% 7877Jacquin's Postulate on Democratic Government: 7878 No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the 7879legislature is in session. 7880% 7881James Joyce -- an essentially private man who wished his total 7882indifference to public notice to be universally recognized. 7883 -- Tom Stoppard 7884% 7885Jenkinson's Law: 7886 It won't work. 7887% 7888Jesus Saves, 7889Moses Invests, 7890But only Buddha pays Dividends. 7891% 7892Job Placement, n.: 7893 Telling your boss what he can do with your job. 7894% 7895Joe's sister puts spaghetti in her shoes! 7896% 7897Johnson's First Law: 7898 When any mechanical contrivance fails, it will do so at the 7899most inconvenient possible time. 7900% 7901Join in the new game that's sweeping the country. It's called 7902"Bureaucracy". Everybody stands in a circle. The first person to do 7903anything loses. 7904% 7905Join the march to save individuality! 7906% 7907Jone's Law: 7908 The man who smiles when things go wrong has thought of someone 7909to blame it on. 7910% 7911Jone's Motto: 7912 Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate. 7913% 7914Jones's First Law: 7915 Anyone who makes a significant contribution to any field of 7916endeavor, and stays in that field long enough, becomes an obstruction 7917to its progress -- in direct proportion to the importance of their 7918original contribution. 7919% 7920Just about every computer on the market today runs Unix, except the Mac 7921(and nobody cares about it). 7922 -- Bill Joy 6/21/85 7923% 7924Just as most issues are seldom black or white, so are most good 7925solutions seldom black or white. Beware of the solution that requires 7926one side to be totally the loser and the other side to be totally the 7927winner. The reason there are two sides to begin with usually is 7928because neither side has all the facts. Therefore, when the wise 7929mediator effects a compromise, he is not acting from political 7930motivation. Rather, he is acting from a deep sense of respect for the 7931whole truth. 7932 -- Stephen R. Schwambach 7933% 7934Just because everything is different doesn't mean anything has 7935changed. 7936 -- Irene Peter 7937% 7938Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they AREN'T after you. 7939% 7940Just because your doctor has a name for your condition doesn't mean he 7941knows what it is. 7942% 7943Just go with the flow control, roll with the crunches, and, when you 7944get a prompt, type like hell. 7945% 7946"Just once, I wish we would encounter an alien menace that wasn't 7947immune to bullets" 7948 -- The Brigader, "Dr. Who" 7949% 7950"Just out of curiosity does this actually mean something or have some 7951of the few remaining bits of your brain just evaporated?" 7952 -- Patricia O Tuama, rissa@killer.DALLAS.TX.US 7953% 7954Just remember: when you go to court, you are trusting your fate to 7955twelve people that weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty! 7956% 7957`Just the place for a Snark!' the Bellman cried, 7958 As he landed his crew with care; 7959Supporting each man on the top of the tide 7960 By a finger entwined in his hair. 7961 7962'Just the place for a Snark! I have said it twice: 7963 That alone should encourage the crew. 7964Just the place for a Snark! I have said it thrice: 7965 What I tell you three times is true.' 7966% 7967Just when you thought you were winning the rat race, along comes a 7968faster rat!!! 7969% 7970Justice always prevails ... three times out of seven! 7971 -- Michael J. Wagner 7972% 7973Justice is incidental to law and order. 7974 -- J. Edgar Hoover 7975% 7976Justice, n.: 7977 A decision in your favor. 7978% 7979K: Cobalt's metal, hard and shining; 7980 Cobol's wordy and confining; 7981 KOBOLDS topple when you strike them; 7982 Don't feel bad, it's hard to like them. 7983 -- The Roguelet's ABC 7984% 7985Kansas state law requires pedestrians crossing the highways at night to 7986wear tail lights. 7987% 7988Katz' Law: 7989 Man and nations will act rationally when all other 7990possibilities have been exhausted. 7991% 7992Keep America beautiful. Swallow your beer cans. 7993% 7994Keep Cool, but Don't Freeze 7995 - Hellman's Mayonnaise 7996% 7997Keep emotionally active. Cater to your favorite neurosis. 7998% 7999Keep grandma off the streets -- legalize bingo. 8000% 8001Keep in mind always the two constant Laws of Frisbee: 8002 (1) The most powerful force in the world is that of a disc 8003 straining to land under a car, just out of reach (this 8004 force is technically termed "car suck"). 8005 (2) Never precede any maneuver by a comment more predictive 8006 than "Watch this!" 8007% 8008Keep you Eye on the Ball, 8009Your Shoulder to the Wheel, 8010Your Nose to the Grindstone, 8011Your Feet on the Ground, 8012Your Head on your Shoulders. 8013Now ... try to get something DONE! 8014% 8015Ken Thompson has an automobile which he helped design. Unlike most 8016automobiles, it has neither speedometer, nor gas gage, nor any of the 8017numerous idiot lights which plague the modern driver. Rather, if the 8018driver makes any mistake, a giant "?" lights up in the center of the 8019dashboard. "The experienced driver", he says, "will usually know 8020what's wrong." 8021% 8022Kerr's Three Rules for a Successful College: 8023 Have plenty of football for the alumni, sex for the students, 8024and parking for the faculty. 8025% 8026Kids have *_____never* taken guidance from their parents. If you could 8027travel back in time and observe the original primate family in the 8028original tree, you would see the primate parents yelling at the primate 8029teenager for sitting around and sulking all day instead of hunting for 8030grubs and berries like dad primate. Then you'd see the primate 8031teenager stomp up to his branch and slam the leaves. 8032 -- Dave Barry, "Kids Today: They Don't Know Dum Diddly 8033 Do" 8034% 8035Kin, n.: 8036 An affliction of the blood 8037% 8038Kinkler's First Law: 8039 Responsibility always exceeds authority. 8040 8041Kinkler's Second Law: 8042 All the easy problems have been solved. 8043% 8044"Kirk to Enterprise -- beam down yeoman Rand and a six-pack." 8045% 8046Kirkland, Illinois, law forbids bees to fly over the village or through 8047any of its streets. 8048% 8049Kiss me twice. I'm schizophrenic. 8050% 8051Kiss your keyboard goodbye! 8052% 8053Klein bottle for rent -- inquire within. 8054% 8055Klein bottle for sale ... inquire within. 8056% 8057Kleptomaniac, n.: 8058 A rich thief. 8059 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 8060% 8061Know thyself. If you need help, call the C.I.A. 8062% 8063Know what I hate most? Rhetorical questions. 8064 -- Henry N. Camp 8065% 8066Krogt, n. (chemical symbol: Kr): 8067 The metallic silver coating found on fast-food game cards. 8068 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 8069% 8070Labor, n.: 8071 One of the processes by which A acquires property for B. 8072 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 8073% 8074Lackland's Laws: 8075 (1) Never be first. 8076 (2) Never be last. 8077 (3) Never volunteer for anything 8078% 8079Lactomangulation, n.: 8080 Manhandling the "open here" spout on a milk carton so badly 8081that one has to resort to using the "illegal" side. 8082 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 8083% 8084Ladybug, ladybug, 8085Look to your stern! 8086Your house is on fire, 8087Your children will burn! 8088So jump ye and sing, for 8089The very first time 8090The four lines above 8091Have been put into rhyme. 8092 -- Walt Kelly 8093% 8094Laetrile is the pits 8095% 8096Langsam's Laws: 8097 (1) Everything depends. 8098 (2) Nothing is always. 8099 (3) Everything is sometimes. 8100% 8101Larkinson's Law: 8102 All laws are basically false. 8103% 8104Lassie looked brilliant, in part because the farm family she lived with 8105was made up of idiots. Remember? One of them was always getting 8106pinned under the tractor, and Lassie was always rushing back to the 8107farmhouse to alert the other ones. She'd whimper and tug at their 8108sleeves, and they'd always waste precious minutes saying things: "Do 8109you think something's wrong? Do you think she wants us to follow her? 8110What is it, girl?", etc., as if this had never happened before, instead 8111of every week. What with all the time these people spent pinned under 8112the tractor, I don't see how they managed to grow any crops 8113whatsoever. They probably got by on federal crop supports, which 8114Lassie filed the applications for. 8115 -- Dave Barry 8116% 8117"Last night, I came home and realized that everything in my apartment 8118had been stolen and replaced with an exact duplicate. I told this to 8119my friend -- he said, `Do I know you?'" 8120 -- Steven Wright 8121% 8122"Last week a cop stopped me in my car. He asked me if I had a police 8123record. I said, no, but I have the new DEVO album. Cops have no sense 8124of humor." 8125% 8126Last yeer I kudn't spel Engineer. Now I are won. 8127% 8128Laugh at your problems; everybody else does. 8129% 8130"Laughter is the closest distance between two people." 8131 -- Victor Borge 8132% 8133Law of Communications: 8134 The inevitable result of improved and enlarged communications 8135between different levels in a hierarchy is a vastly increased area of 8136misunderstanding. 8137% 8138Law of Probable Dispersal: 8139 Whatever it is that hits the fan will not be evenly 8140distributed. 8141% 8142Law of Selective Gravity: 8143 An object will fall so as to do the most damage. 8144 8145Jenning's Corollary: 8146 The chance of the bread falling with the buttered side down is 8147directly proportional to the cost of the carpet. 8148% 8149Law of the Perversity of Nature: 8150 You cannot successfully determine beforehand which side of the 8151bread to butter. 8152% 8153Laws of Serendipity: 8154 8155 (1) In order to discover anything, you must be looking for 8156 something. 8157 (2) If you wish to make an improved product, you must already 8158 be engaged in making an inferior one. 8159% 8160Lazlo's Chinese Relativity Axiom: 8161 No matter how great your triumphs or how tragic your defeats -- 8162approximately one billion Chinese couldn't care less. 8163% 8164Learned men are the cisterns of knowledge, not the fountainheads. 8165% 8166Learning French is trivial: the word for horse is cheval, and 8167everything else follows in the same way. 8168 -- Alan J. Perlis 8169% 8170Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse. 8171% 8172Legalize free-enterprise murder: why should governments have all the 8173fun? 8174% 8175Legislation proposed in the Illinois State Legislature, May, 1907: 8176 "Speed upon county roads will be limited to ten miles an hour 8177unless the motorist sees a bailiff who does not appear to have had a 8178drink in 30 days, when the driver will be permitted to make what he 8179can." 8180% 8181Leibowitz's Rule: 8182 When hammering a nail, you will never hit your finger if you 8183hold the hammer with both hands. 8184% 8185LEO (July 23 - Aug 22) 8186 You consider yourself a born leader. Others think you are 8187 pushy. Most Leo people are bullies. You are vain and dislike 8188 honest criticism. Your arrogance is disgusting. Leo people 8189 are thieves. 8190% 8191LEO (July 23 - Aug 22) 8192 Your determination and sense of humor will come to the fore. 8193 Your ability to laugh at adversity will be a blessing because 8194 you've got a day coming you wouldn't believe. As a matter of 8195 fact, if you can laugh at what happens to you today, you've got 8196 a sick sense of humor. 8197% 8198Let He who taketh the Plunge Remember to return it by Tuesday. 8199% 8200"Let me assure you that to us here at First National, you're not just a 8201number. You're two numbers, a dash, three more numbers, another dash 8202and another number." 8203 -- James Estes 8204% 8205Let us live!!! 8206Let us love!!! 8207Let us share the deepest secrets of our souls!!! 8208 8209You first. 8210% 8211Let's just say that where a change was required, I adjusted. In every 8212relationship that exists, people have to seek a way to survive. If you 8213really care about the person, you do what's necessary, or that's the 8214end. For the first time, I found that I really could change, and the 8215qualities I most admired in myself I gave up. I stopped being loud and 8216bossy ... Oh, all right. I was still loud and bossy, but only behind 8217his back." 8218 -- Kate Hepburn, on Tracy and Hepburn 8219% 8220Let's say your wedding ring falls into your toaster, and when you stick 8221your hand in to retrieve it, you suffer Pain and Suffering as well as 8222Mental Anguish. You would sue: 8223 8224* The toaster manufacturer, for failure to include, in the instructions 8225 section that says you should never never never ever stick you hand 8226 into the toaster, the statement "Not even if your wedding ring falls 8227 in there". 8228 8229* The store where you bought the toaster, for selling it to an obvious 8230 cretin like yourself. 8231 8232* Union Carbide Corporation, which is not directly responsible in this 8233 case, but which is feeling so guilty that it would probably send you 8234 a large cash settlement anyway. 8235 -- Dave Barry 8236% 8237Let's talk about how to fill out your 1984 tax return. Here's an often 8238overlooked accounting technique that can save you thousands of 8239dollars: For several days before you put it in the mail, carry your 8240tax return around under your armpit. No IRS agent is going to want to 8241spend hours poring over a sweat-stained document. So even if you owe 8242money, you can put in for an enormous refund and the agent will 8243probably give it to you, just to avoid an audit. What does he care? 8244It's not his money. 8245 -- Dave Barry, "Sweating Out Taxes" 8246% 8247LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (The Times of London) 8248 8249Dear Sir, 8250 8251I am firmly opposed to the spread of microchips either to the home or 8252to the office. We have more than enough of them foisted upon us in 8253public places. They are a disgusting Americanism, and can only result 8254in the farmers being forced to grow smaller potatoes, which in turn 8255will cause massive unemployment in the already severely depressed 8256agricultural industry. 8257 8258Yours faithfully, 8259 Capt. Quinton D'Arcy, J. P. 8260 Sevenoaks 8261% 8262Lewis's Law of Travel: 8263 The first piece of luggage out of the chute doesn't belong to 8264anyone, ever. 8265% 8266Liar, n.: 8267 A lawyer with a roving commission. 8268 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 8269% 8270Liberty is always dangerous, but it is the safest thing we have. 8271 -- Harry Emerson Fosdick 8272% 8273LIBRA (Sep. 23 to Oct. 22) 8274 Your desire for justice and truth will be overshadowed by your 8275 desire for filthy lucre and a decent meal. Be gracious and 8276 polite. Someone is watching you, so stop staring like that. 8277% 8278LIBRA (Sept 23 - Oct 22) 8279 You are the artistic type and have a difficult time with 8280 reality. If you are a man, you are more than likely gay. 8281 Chances for employment and monetary gains are excellent. Most 8282 Libra women are prostitutes. All Libra people die of venereal 8283 disease. 8284% 8285Lie, n.: 8286 A very poor substitute for the truth, but the only one 8287discovered to date. 8288% 8289Lieberman's Law: 8290 Everybody lies, but it doesn't matter since nobody listens. 8291% 8292Life is a whim of several billion cells to be you for a while. 8293% 8294Life is a yo-yo, and mankind ties knots in the string. 8295% 8296"Life is like a bowl of soup with hairs floating on it. You have to 8297eat it nevertheless." 8298 -- Flaubert 8299% 8300"Life is like a buffet; it's not good but there's plenty of it." 8301% 8302Life is like a simile. 8303% 8304Life is like an analogy 8305% 8306Life is like an onion: you peel off layer after layer, then you find 8307there is nothing in it. 8308% 8309"Life is too important to take seriously." 8310 -- Corky Siegel 8311% 8312"Life may have no meaning -- or even worse, it may have a meaning of 8313which I disapprove." 8314% 8315"Life to you is a bold and dashing responsibility" 8316 -- a Mary Chung's fortune cookie 8317% 8318"Life would be much simpler and things would get done much faster if it 8319weren't for other people" 8320 -- Blore 8321% 8322Life would be so much easier if we could just look at the source code. 8323% 8324"Life, loathe it or ignore it, you can't like it." 8325 -- Marvin, "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" 8326% 8327Like so many Americans, she was trying to construct a life that made 8328sense from things she found in gift shops. 8329 -- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. 8330% 8331Like the ski resort of girls looking for husbands and husbands looking 8332for girls, the situation is not as symmetrical as it might seem. 8333 -- Alan McKay 8334% 8335Limericks are art forms complex, 8336Their topics run chiefly to sex. 8337 They usually have virgins, 8338 And masculine urgin's, 8339And other erotic effects. 8340% 8341Line Printer paper is strongest at the perforations. 8342% 8343Linus: I guess it's wrong always to be worrying about tomorrow. Maybe 8344 we should think only about today. 8345Charlie Brown: 8346 No, that's giving up. I'm still hoping that yesterday will get 8347 better. 8348% 8349Living in LA is like not having a date on Saturday night. 8350 -- Candice Bergen 8351% 8352Living on Earth may be expensive, but it includes an annual free trip 8353around the Sun. 8354% 8355Living your life is a task so difficult, it has never been attempted 8356before. 8357% 8358Lizzie Borden took an axe, 8359And plunged it deep into the VAX; 8360Don't you envy people who 8361Do all the things ___YOU want to do? 8362% 8363Loan-department manager: "There isn't any fine print. At these 8364interest rates, we don't need it." 8365% 8366Lobster: 8367 Everyone loves these delectable crustaceans, but many cooks are 8368squeamish about placing them into boiling water alive, which is the 8369only proper method of preparing them. Frankly, the easiest way to 8370eliminate your guilt is to establish theirs by putting them on trial 8371before they're cooked. The fact is, lobsters are among the most 8372ferocious predators on the sea floor, and you're helping reduce crime 8373in the reefs. Grasp the lobster behind the head, look it right in its 8374unmistakably guilty eyestalks and say, "Where were you on the night of 8375the 21st?", then flourish a picture of a scallop or a sole and shout, 8376"Perhaps this will refresh that crude neural apparatus you call a 8377memory!" The lobster will squirm noticeably. It may even take a swipe 8378at you with one of its claws. Incorrigible. Pop it into the pot. 8379Justice has been served, and shortly you and your friends will be, 8380too. 8381 -- "Cooking: The Art of Using Appliances and Utensils 8382 into Excuses and Apologies" 8383% 8384Lockwood's Long Shot: 8385 The chances of getting eaten up by a lion on Main Street aren't 8386one in a million, but once would be enough. 8387% 8388Logic is a little bird, sitting in a tree; that smells *_____awful*. 8389% 8390... Logically incoherent, semantically incomprehensible, and 8391legally ... impeccable! 8392% 8393Logicians have but ill defined 8394As rational the human kind. 8395Logic, they say, belongs to man, 8396But let them prove it if they can. 8397 -- Oliver Goldsmith 8398% 8399Look out! Behind you! 8400% 8401Look, we play the Star Spangled Banner before every game. You want us 8402to pay income taxes, too? 8403 -- Bill Veeck, Chicago White Sox 8404% 8405Loose bits sink chips. 8406% 8407Losing your drivers' license is just God's way of saying "BOOGA, 8408BOOGA!" 8409% 8410Lost interest? It's so bad I've lost apathy. 8411% 8412Loud burping while walking around the airport is prohibited in 8413Halstead, Kansas. 8414% 8415Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea. 8416% 8417Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea. 8418% 8419Love at first sight is one of the greatest labor-saving devices the 8420world has ever seen. 8421% 8422Love cannot be much younger than the lust for murder. 8423 -- Sigmund Freud 8424% 8425"Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it 8426flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come." 8427 -- Matt Groening 8428% 8429Love is a word that is constantly heard, 8430Hate is a word that is not. 8431Love, I am told, is more precious than gold. 8432Love, I have read, is hot. 8433But hate is the verb that to me is superb, 8434And Love but a drug on the mart. 8435Any kiddie in school can love like a fool, 8436But Hating, my boy, is an Art. 8437 -- Ogden Nash 8438% 8439"Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing; a confusion of the real with 8440the ideal never goes unpunished." 8441 -- Goethe 8442% 8443Love is sentimental measles. 8444% 8445Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence. 8446 -- H. L. Mencken 8447% 8448Love means having to say you're sorry every five minutes. 8449% 8450Love thy neighbor as thyself, but choose your neighborhood. 8451 -- Louise Beal 8452% 8453Love your enemies: they'll go crazy trying to figure out what you're up 8454to. 8455% 8456 Love's Drug 8457 8458My love is like an iron wand 8459 That conks me on the head, 8460My love is like the valium 8461 That I take before my bed, 8462My love is like the pint of scotch 8463 That I drink when I be dry; 8464And I shall love thee still, my dear, 8465 Until my wife is wise. 8466% 8467Lowery's Law: 8468 If it jams -- force it. If it breaks, it needed replacing 8469anyway. 8470% 8471LSD melts in your mind, not in your hand. 8472% 8473Lubarsky's Law of Cybernetic Entomology: 8474 There's always one more bug. 8475% 8476Lunatic Asylum, n.: 8477 The place where optimism most flourishes. 8478% 8479Lysistrata had a good idea. 8480% 8481"MacDonald has the gift on compressing the largest amount of words into 8482the smallest amount of thoughts." 8483 -- Winston Churchill 8484% 8485Machine-Independent, adj.: 8486 Does not run on any existing machine. 8487% 8488Machines certainly can solve problems, store information, correlate, 8489and play games -- but not with pleasure. 8490 -- Leo Rosten 8491% 8492Mad, adj.: 8493 Affected with a high degree of intellectual independence ... 8494 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 8495% 8496Madam, there's no such thing as a tough child -- if you parboil them 8497first for seven hours, they always come out tender. 8498 -- W. C. Fields 8499% 8500MAFIA, n: 8501 [Acronym for Mechanized Applications in Forced Insurance 8502Accounting.] An extensive network with many on-line and offshore 8503subsystems running under OS, DOS, and IOS. MAFIA documentation is 8504rather scanty, and the MAFIA sales office exhibits that testy 8505reluctance to bona fide inquiries which is the hallmark of so many DP 8506operations. From the little that has seeped out, it would appear that 8507MAFIA operates under a non-standard protocol, OMERTA, a tight-lipped 8508variant of SNA, in which extended handshakes also perform complex 8509security functions. The known timesharing aspects of MAFIA point to a 8510more than usually autocratic operating system. Screen prompts carry an 8511imperative, nonrefusable weighting (most menus offer simple YES/YES 8512options, defaulting to YES) that precludes indifference or delay. 8513Uniquely, all editing under MAFIA is performed centrally, using a 8514powerful rubout feature capable of erasing files, filors, filees, and 8515entire nodal aggravations. 8516 -- Stan Kelly-Bootle, "The Devil's DP Dictionary" 8517% 8518Magnet, n.: Something acted upon by magnetism 8519 8520Magnetism, n.: Something acting upon a magnet. 8521 8522The two definition immediately foregoing are condensed from the works 8523of one thousand eminent scientists, who have illuminated the subject 8524with a great white light, to the inexpressible advancement of human 8525knowledge. 8526 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 8527% 8528Magnocartic, adj.: 8529 Any automobile that, when left unattended, attracts shopping 8530carts. 8531 -- Sniglets, "Rich Hall & Friends" 8532% 8533Magpie, n.: 8534 A bird whose thievish disposition suggested to someone that it 8535might be taught to talk. 8536 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 8537% 8538Maier's Law: 8539 If the facts don't conform to the theory, they must be disposed 8540 of. 8541 8542Corollaries: 8543 (1) The bigger the theory, the better. 8544 (2) The experiment may be considered a success if no more than 8545 50% of the observed measurements must be discarded to 8546 obtain a correspondence with the theory. 8547% 8548Main's Law: 8549 For every action there is an equal and opposite government 8550program. 8551% 8552Maintainer's Motto: 8553 If we can't fix it, it ain't broke. 8554% 8555Major Premise: Sixty men can do a piece of work sixty times as quickly 8556 as one man. 8557 8558Minor Premise: One man can dig a posthole in sixty seconds. 8559 8560Conclusion: Sixty men can dig a posthole in one second. 8561 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 8562% 8563Majority, n.: 8564 That quality that distinguishes a crime from a law. 8565% 8566Make it myself? But I'm a physical organic chemist! 8567% 8568Making files is easy under the UNIX operating system. Therefore, users 8569tend to create numerous files using large amounts of file space. It 8570has been said that the only standard thing about all UNIX systems is 8571the message-of-the-day telling users to clean up their files. 8572 -- System V.2 administrator's guide 8573% 8574Malek's Law: 8575 Any simple idea will be worded in the most complicated way. 8576% 8577Man 1: Ask me the what the most important thing about telling a good 8578 joke is. 8579 8580Man 2: OK, what is the most impo -- 8581 8582Man 1: ______TIMING! 8583% 8584"Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain." 8585 -- Lily Tomlin 8586% 8587Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper when he is called 8588upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason. 8589 -- Oscar Wilde 8590% 8591Man is the best computer we can put aboard a spacecraft ... and the 8592only one that can be mass produced with unskilled labor. 8593 -- Wernher von Braun 8594% 8595Man is the only animal that blushes -- or needs to. 8596 -- Mark Twain 8597% 8598Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the 8599victims he intends to eat until he eats them. 8600 -- Samuel Butler 8601% 8602Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the 8603victims he intends to eat until he eats them. 8604 -- Samuel Butler (1835-1902) 8605% 8606Man usually avoids attributing cleverness to somebody else -- unless it 8607is an enemy. 8608 -- Albert Einstein 8609% 8610Man, n.: 8611 An animal so lost in rapturous contemplation of what he thinks 8612he is as to overlook what he indubitably ought to be. His chief 8613occupation is extermination of other animals and his own species, which, 8614however, multiplies with such insistent rapidity as to infest the whole 8615habitable earth and Canada. 8616 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 8617% 8618Mandrell: "You know what I think?" 8619Doctor: "Ah, ah that's a catch question. With a brain your size you 8620 don't think, right?" 8621 -- Dr. Who 8622% 8623Mankind's yearning to engage in sports is older than recorded history, 8624dating back to the time millions of years ago, when the first primitive 8625man picked up a crude club and a round rock, tossed the rock into the 8626air, and whomped the club into the sloping forehead of the first 8627primitive umpire. 8628 8629What inner force drove this first athlete? Your guess is as good as 8630mine. Better, probably, because you haven't had four beers. 8631 -- Dave Barry, "Sports is a Drag" 8632% 8633Manual, n.: 8634 A unit of documentation. There are always three or more on a 8635given item. One is on the shelf; someone has the others. The 8636information you need is in the others. 8637 -- Ray Simard 8638% 8639Many years ago in a period commonly know as Next Friday Afternoon, 8640there lived a King who was very Gloomy on Tuesday mornings because he 8641was so Sad thinking about how Unhappy he had been on Monday and how 8642completely Mournful he would be on Wednesday ... 8643 -- Walt Kelly 8644% 8645Mark's Dental-Chair Discovery: 8646 Dentists are incapable of asking questions that require a 8647simple yes or no answer. 8648% 8649Marriage is the only adventure open to the cowardly. 8650 -- Voltaire 8651% 8652Maryel brought her bat into Exit once and started whacking people on 8653the dance floor. Now everyone's doing it. It's called grand slam 8654dancing. 8655 -- Ransford, Chicago Reader 10/7/83 8656% 8657Maternity pay? Now every Tom, Dick and Harry will get pregnant. 8658 -- Malcolm Smith 8659% 8660Math is like love -- a simple idea but it can get complicated. 8661 -- R. Drabek 8662% 8663Mathematicians are like Frenchmen: whatever you say to them they 8664translate into their own language, and forthwith it is something 8665entirely different. 8666 -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 8667% 8668Mathematicians often resort to something called Hilbert space, which is 8669described as being n-dimensional. Like modern sex, any number can 8670play. 8671 -- Dr. Thor Wald, in "Beep/The Quincunx of Time", by 8672 James Blish 8673% 8674"Matrimony isn't a word, it's a sentence." 8675% 8676Matter cannot be created or destroyed, nor can it be returned without a 8677receipt. 8678% 8679Maturity is only a short break in adolescence. 8680 -- Jules Feiffer 8681% 8682May a Misguided Platypus lay its Eggs in your Jockey Shorts 8683% 8684May Euell Gibbons eat your only copy of the manual! 8685% 8686May the Fleas of a Thousand Camels infest one of your Erogenous Zones. 8687% 8688May your Tongue stick to the Roof of your Mouth with the Force of a 8689Thousand Caramels. 8690% 8691Maybe Computer Science should be in the College of Theology. 8692 -- R. S. Barton 8693% 8694Maybe you can't buy happiness, but these days you can certainly charge 8695it. 8696% 8697McGowan's Madison Avenue Axiom: 8698 If an item is advertised as "under $50", you can bet it's not 8699$19.95. 8700% 8701Meader's Law: 8702 Whatever happens to you, it will previously have happened to 8703everyone you know, only more so. 8704% 8705Measure with a micrometer. Mark with chalk. Cut with an axe. 8706% 8707Meeting, n.: 8708 An assembly of people coming together to decide what person or 8709department not represented in the room must solve a problem. 8710% 8711Men were real men, women were real women, and small, furry creatures 8712from Alpha Centauri were REAL small, furry creatures from Alpha 8713Centauri. Spirits were brave, men boldly split infinitives that no man 8714had split before. Thus was the Empire forged. 8715 -- "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", Douglas Adams 8716% 8717Men's skin is different from women's skin. It is usually bigger, and 8718it has more snakes tattooed on it. Also, if you examine a woman's skin 8719very closely, inch by inch, starting at her shapely ankles, then gently 8720tracing the slender curve of her calves, then moving up to her ... 8721 [EDITOR'S NOTE: To make room for news articles about important 8722 world events such as agriculture, we're going to delete the 8723 next few square feet of the woman's skin. Thank you.] 8724... until finally the two of you are lying there, spent, smoking your 8725cigarettes, and suddenly it hits you: Human skin is actually made up of 8726billions of tiny units of protoplasm, called "cells"! And what is even 8727more interesting, the ones on the outside are all dying! This is a 8728fact. Your skin is like an aggressive modern corporation, where the 8729older veteran cells, who have finally worked their way to the top and 8730obtained offices with nice views, are constantly being shoved out the 8731window head first, without so much as a pension plan, by younger 8732hotshot cells moving up from below. 8733 -- Dave Barry, "Saving Face" 8734% 8735Mencken and Nathan's Fifteenth Law of The Average American: 8736 The worst actress in the company is always the manager's wife. 8737% 8738Mencken and Nathan's Ninth Law of The Average American: 8739 The quality of a champagne is judged by the amount of noise the 8740cork makes when it is popped. 8741% 8742Mencken and Nathan's Second Law of The Average American: 8743 All the postmasters in small towns read all the postcards. 8744% 8745Mencken and Nathan's Sixteenth Law of The Average American: 8746 Milking a cow is an operation demanding a special talent that 8747is possessed only by yokels, and no person born in a large city can 8748never hope to acquire it. 8749% 8750Menu, n.: 8751 A list of dishes which the restaurant has just run out of. 8752% 8753Meskimen's Law: 8754 There's never time to do it right, but there's always time to 8755do it over. 8756% 8757MESSAGE ACKNOWLEDGED -- The Pershing II missiles have been launched. 8758% 8759Message will arrive in the mail. Destroy, before the FBI sees it. 8760% 8761methionylglutaminylarginyltyrosylglutamylserylleucylphenylalanylalanylglutamin- 8762ylleucyllysylglutamylarginyllysylglutamylglycylalanylphenylalanylvalylprolyl- 8763phenylalanylvalylthreonylleucylglycylaspartylprolylglycylisoleucylglutamylglu- 8764taminylserylleucyllysylisoleucylaspartylthreonylleucylisoleucylglutamylalanyl- 8765glycylalanylaspartylalanylleucylglutamylleucylglycylisoleucylprolylphenylala- 8766nylserylaspartylprolylleucylalanylaspartylglycylprolylthreonylisoleucylgluta- 8767minylasparaginylalanylthreonylleucylarginylalanylphenylalanylalanylalanylgly- 8768cylvalylthreonylprolylalanylglutaminylcysteinylphenylalanylglutamylmethionyl- 8769leucylalanylleucylisoleucylarginylglutaminyllysylhistidylprolylthreonylisoleu- 8770cylprolylisoleucylglycylleucylleucylmethionyltyrosylalanylasparaginylleucylva- 8771lylphenylalanylasparaginyllysylglycylisoleucylaspartylglutamylphenylalanyltyro- 8772sylalanylglutaminylcysteinylglutamyllysylvalylglycylvalylaspartylserylvalylleu- 8773cylvalylalanylaspartylvalylprolylvalylglutaminylglutamylserylalanylprolylphe- 8774nylalanylarginylglutaminylalanylalanylleucylarginylhistidylasparaginylvalylala- 8775nylprolylisoleucylphenylalanylisoleucylcysteinylprolylprolylaspartylalanylas- 8776partylaspartylaspartylleucylleucylarginylglutaminylisoleucylalanylseryltyrosyl- 8777glycylarginylglycyltyrosylthreonyltyrosylleucylleucylserylarginylalanylglycyl- 8778valylthreonylglycylalanylglutamylasparaginylarginylalanylalanylleucylprolylleu- 8779cylasparaginylhistidylleucylvalylalanyllysylleucyllysylglutamyltyrosylasparagi- 8780nylalanylalanylprolylprolylleucylglutaminylglycylphenylalanylglycylisoleucylse- 8781rylalanylprolylaspartylglutaminylvalyllysylalanylalanylisoleucylaspartylalanyl- 8782glycylalanylalanylglycylalanylisoleucylserylglycylserylalanylisoleucylvalylly- 8783sylisoleucylisoleucylglutamylglutaminylhistidylasparaginylisoleucylglutamylpro- 8784lylglutamyllysylmethionylleucylalanylalanylleucyllysylvalylphenylalanylvalyl- 8785glutaminylprolylmethionyllysylalanylalanylthreonylarginylserine, n.: 8786 The chemical name for tryptophan synthetase A protein, a 8787 1,913-letter enzyme with 267 amino acids. 8788 -- Mrs. Bryne's Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure, and 8789% 8790Mickey Mouse wears a Spiro Agnew watch. 8791% 8792Micro Credo: 8793 Never trust a computer bigger than you can lift. 8794% 8795"Microwave oven? Whaddya mean, it's a microwave oven? I've been 8796watching Channel 4 on the thing for two weeks." 8797% 8798"Might as well be frank, monsieur. It would take a miracle to get you 8799out of Casablanca and the Germans have outlawed miracles." 8800% 8801Mike: "The Fourth Dimension is a shambles?" 8802Bernie: "Nobody ever empties the ashtrays. People are SO 8803 inconsiderate." 8804 -- Gary Trudeau, "Doonesbury" 8805% 8806Miksch's Law: 8807 If a string has one end, then it has another end. 8808% 8809Military intelligence is a contradiction in terms. 8810 -- Groucho Marx 8811% 8812Military justice is to justice what military music is to music. 8813 -- Groucho Marx 8814% 8815Millihelen, adj: 8816 The amount of beauty required to launch one ship. 8817% 8818Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with 8819themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon. 8820 -- Susan Ertz 8821% 8822Millions of sensible people are too high-minded to concede that 8823politics is almost always the choice of the lesser evil. "Tweedledum 8824and Tweedledee," they say, "I will not vote." Having abstained, they 8825are presented with a President who appoints the people who are going to 8826rummage around in their lives for the next four years. Consider all 8827the people who sat home in a stew in 1968 rather than vote for Hubert 8828Humphrey. They showed Humphrey. Those people who taught Hubert 8829Humphrey a lesson will still be enjoying the Nixon Supreme Court when 8830Tricia and Julie begin to find silver threads among the gold and the 8831black. 8832 -- Russel Baker, "Ford without Flummery" 8833% 8834Mind! I don't mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there 8835is particularly dead about a door-nail. I might have been inclined, 8836myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in 8837the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my 8838unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Country's done for. You 8839will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as 8840dead as a door-nail. 8841% 8842Minnie Mouse is a slow maze learner. 8843% 8844Minors in Kansas City, Missouri, are not allowed to purchase cap 8845pistols; they may buy shotguns freely, however. 8846% 8847Misery loves company, but company does not reciprocate. 8848% 8849Misery no longer loves company. Nowadays it insists on it. 8850 -- Russell Baker 8851% 8852Misfortune, n.: 8853 The kind of fortune that never misses. 8854 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 8855% 8856Miss, n.: 8857 A title with which we brand unmarried women to indicate that 8858they are in the market. 8859 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 8860% 8861Mistakes are often the stepping stones to utter failure. 8862% 8863Mitchell's Law of Committees: 8864 Any simple problem can be made insoluble if enough meetings are 8865held to discuss it. 8866% 8867MOCK APPLE PIE (No Apples Needed) 8868 8869 Pastry to two crust 9-inch pie 36 RITZ Crackers 88702 cups water 2 cups sugar 88712 teaspoons cream of tartar 2 tablespoons lemon juice 8872 Grated rind of one lemon Butter or margarine 8873 Cinnamon 8874 8875Roll out bottom crust of pastry and fit into 9-inch pie plate. Break 8876RITZ Crackers coarsely into pastry-lined plate. Combine water, sugar 8877and cream of tartar in saucepan, boil gently for 15 minutes. Add lemon 8878juice and rind. Cool. Pour this syrup over Crackers, dot generously 8879with butter or margarine and sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover with top 8880crust. Trim and flute edges together. Cut slits in top crust to let 8881steam escape. Bake in a hot oven (425 F) 30 to 35 minutes, until crust 8882is crisp and golden. Serve warm. Cut into 6 to 8 slices. 8883 -- Found lurking on a Ritz Crackers box 8884% 8885Modern man is the missing link between apes and human beings. 8886% 8887Mohandas K. Gandhi often changed his mind publicly. An aide once asked 8888him how he could so freely contradict this week what he had said just 8889last week. The great man replied that it was because this week he knew 8890better. 8891% 8892Molecule, n.: 8893 The ultimate, indivisible unit of matter. It is distinguished 8894from the corpuscle, also the ultimate, indivisible unit of matter, by a 8895closer resemblance to the atom, also the ultimate, indivisible unit of 8896matter ... The ion differs from the molecule, the corpuscle and the 8897atom in that it is an ion ... 8898 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 8899% 8900Mollison's Bureaucracy Hypothesis: 8901 If an idea can survive a bureaucratic review and be implemented 8902it wasn't worth doing. 8903% 8904Monday is an awful way to spend one seventh of your life. 8905% 8906Monday, n.: 8907 In Christian countries, the day after the baseball game. 8908 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 8909% 8910Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons. 8911% 8912Money is the root of all evil, and man needs roots 8913% 8914Money is the root of all wealth. 8915% 8916Moon, n.: 8917 1. A celestial object whose phase is very important to 8918hackers. See PHASE OF THE MOON. 2. Dave Moon (MOON@MC). 8919% 8920Mophobia, n.: 8921 Fear of being verbally abused by a Mississippian. 8922% 8923 MORE SPORTS RESULTS: 8924The Beverly Hills Freudians tied the Chicago Rogerians 0-0 last 8925Saturday night. The match started with a long period of silence while 8926the Freudians waited for the Rogerians to free associate and the 8927Rogerians waited for the Freudians to say something they could 8928paraphrase. The stalemate was broken when the Freudians' best player 8929took the offensive and interpreted the Rogerians' silence as reflecting 8930their anal-retentive personalities. At this the Rogerians' star player 8931said "I hear you saying you think we're full of ka-ka." This started a 8932fight and the match was called by officials. 8933% 8934More than any time in history, mankind now faces a crossroads. One 8935path leads to despair and utter hopelessness, the other to total 8936extinction. Let us pray that we have the wisdom to choose correctly. 8937 -- Woody Allen 8938% 8939Mosher's Law of Software Engineering: 8940 Don't worry if it doesn't work right. If everything did, you'd 8941be out of a job. 8942% 8943Most fish live underwater, which is a terrible place to have sex 8944because virtually anywhere you lie down there will be stinging crabs 8945and large quantities of little fish staring at you with buggy little 8946eyes. So generally when two fish want to have sex, they swim around 8947and around for hours, looking for someplace to go, until finally the 8948female gets really tired and has a terrible headache, and she just 8949dumps her eggs right on the sand and swims away. Then the male, driven 8950by some timeless, noble instinct for survival, eats the eggs. So the 8951truth is that fish don't reproduce at all, but there are so many of 8952them that it doesn't make any difference. 8953 -- Dave Barry, "Sex and the Single Amoeba: What Every 8954 Teen Should Know" 8955% 8956Most people can't understand how others can blow their noses differently 8957than they do. 8958 -- Turgenev 8959% 8960Most people wouldn't know music if it came up and bit them on the ass. 8961 -- Frank Zappa 8962% 8963Mother is far too clever to understand anything she does not like. 8964 -- Arnold Bennett 8965% 8966Mother is the invention of necessity. 8967% 8968Mother told me to be good, but she's been wrong before. 8969% 8970Mr. Cole's Axiom: 8971 The sum of the intelligence on the planet is a constant; the 8972population is growing. 8973% 8974"Multiply in your head" (ordered the compassionate Dr. Adams) 8975"365,365,365,365,365,365 by 365,365,365,365,365,365. He [ten-year-old 8976Truman Henry Safford] flew around the room like a top, pulled his 8977pantaloons over the tops of his boots, bit his hands, rolled his eyes 8978in their sockets, sometimes smiling and talking, and then seeming to be 8979in an agony, until, in not more than one minute, said he, 8980133,491,850,208,566,925,016,658,299,941,583,255!" An electronic 8981computer might do the job a little faster but it wouldn't be as much 8982fun to watch. 8983 -- James R. Newman (The World of Mathematics) 8984% 8985Murphy's Discovery: 8986 Do you know Presidents talk to the country the way men talk to 8987women? They say, "Trust me, go all the way with me, and everything 8988will be all right." And what happens? Nine months later, you're in 8989trouble! 8990% 8991Murphy's Law is recursive. Washing your car to make it rain doesn't 8992work. 8993% 8994Murphy's Law of Research: 8995 Enough research will tend to support your theory. 8996% 8997"Murphy's Law, that brash proletarian restatement of Godel's Theorem ..." 8998 -- Thomas Pynchon, "Gravity's Rainbow" 8999% 9000 Murray and Esther, a middle-aged Jewish couple, are touring 9001Chile. Murray just got a new camera and is constantly snapping 9002pictures. One day, without knowing it, he photographs a top-secret 9003military installation. In an instant, armed troops surround Murray and 9004Esther and hustle them off to prison. 9005 They can't prove who they are because they've left their 9006passports in their hotel room. For three weeks they're tortured day 9007and night to get them to name their contacts in the liberation 9008movement.. Finally they're hauled in front of a military court, 9009charged with espionage, and sentenced to death. 9010 The next morning they're lined up in front of the wall where 9011they'll be shot. The sergeant in charge of the firing squad asks them 9012if they have any lasts requests. Esther wants to know if she can call 9013her daughter in Chicago. The sergeant says he's sorry, that's not 9014possible, and turns to Murray. 9015 "This is crazy!" Murray shouts. "We're not spies!" And he 9016spits in the sergeants face. 9017 "Murray!" Esther cries. "Please! Don't make trouble." 9018 -- Arthur Naiman, "Every Goy's Guide to Yiddish" 9019% 9020Mustgo, n.: 9021 Any item of food that has been sitting in the refrigerator so 9022long it has become a science project. 9023 -- Sniglets, "Rich Hall & Friends" 9024% 9025"My advice to you, my violent friend, is to seek out gold and sit on 9026it." 9027 -- "Grendel", by John Gardner 9028% 9029My band career ended late in my senior year when John Cooper and I 9030threw my amplifier out the dormitory window. We did not act in haste. 9031First we checked to make sure the amplifier would fit through the 9032frame, using the belt from my bathrobe to measure, then we picked up 9033the amplifier and backed up to my bedroom door. Then we rushed 9034forward, shouting "The WHO! The WHO!" and we launched my amplifier 9035perfectly, as though we had been doing it all our lives, clean through 9036the window and down onto the sidewalk, where a small but appreciative 9037crowd had gathered. I would like to be able to say that this was a 9038symbolic act, an effort on my part to break cleanly away from one state 9039in my life and move on to another, but the truth is, Cooper and I 9040really just wanted to find out what it would sound like. It sounded 9041OK. 9042 -- Dave Barry, "The Snake" 9043% 9044"My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless 9045there are three other people." 9046 -- Orson Welles 9047% 9048My God, I'm depressed! Here I am, a computer with a mind a thousand 9049times as powerful as yours, doing nothing but cranking out fortunes and 9050sending mail about softball games. And I've got this pain right 9051through my ALU. I've asked for it to be replaced, but nobody ever 9052listens. I think it would be better for us both if you were to just 9053log out again. 9054% 9055"My life is a soap opera, but who has the rights?" 9056 -- MadameX 9057% 9058My love runs by like a day in June, 9059 And he makes no friends of sorrows. 9060He'll tread his galloping rigadoon 9061 In the pathway or the morrows. 9062He'll live his days where the sunbeams start 9063 Nor could storm or wind uproot him. 9064My own dear love, he is all my heart -- 9065 And I wish somebody'd shoot him. 9066 -- Dorothy Parker 9067% 9068My love, he's mad, and my love, he's fleet, 9069 And a wild young wood-thing bore him! 9070The ways are fair to his roaming feet, 9071 And the skies are sunlit for him. 9072As sharply sweet to my heart he seems 9073 As the fragrance of acacia. 9074My own dear love, he is all my dreams -- 9075 And I wish he were in Asia. 9076 -- Dorothy Parker 9077% 9078My mother loved children -- she would have given anything if I had been 9079one. 9080 -- Groucho Marx 9081% 9082My opinions may have changed, but not the fact that I am right. 9083% 9084My own dear love, he is strong and bold 9085 And he cares not what comes after. 9086His words ring sweet as a chime of gold, 9087 And his eyes are lit with laughter. 9088He is jubilant as a flag unfurled -- 9089 Oh, a girl, she'd not forget him. 9090My own dear love, he is all my world -- 9091 And I wish I'd never met him. 9092 -- Dorothy Parker 9093% 9094... My pants just went on a wild rampage through a Long Island Bowling 9095Alley!! 9096% 9097"My pants just went on a wild rampage through a Long Island Bowling 9098Alley!!" 9099 -- Zippy the Pinhead 9100% 9101My pen is at the bottom of a page, 9102Which, being finished, here the story ends; 9103'Tis to be wished it had been sooner done, 9104But stories somehow lengthen when begun. 9105 -- Byron 9106% 9107My theology, briefly, is that the universe was dictated but not 9108signed. 9109 -- Christopher Morley 9110% 9111"My weight is perfect for my height -- which varies" 9112% 9113Mythology, n.: 9114 The body of a primitive people's beliefs concerning its 9115origin, early history, heroes, deities and so forth, as distinguished 9116from the true accounts which it invents later. 9117 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 9118% 9119 n = ((n >> 1) & 0x55555555) | ((n << 1) & 0xaaaaaaaa); 9120 n = ((n >> 2) & 0x33333333) | ((n << 2) & 0xcccccccc); 9121 n = ((n >> 4) & 0x0f0f0f0f) | ((n << 4) & 0xf0f0f0f0); 9122 n = ((n >> 8) & 0x00ff00ff) | ((n << 8) & 0xff00ff00); 9123 n = ((n >> 16) & 0x0000ffff) | ((n << 16) & 0xffff0000); 9124 9125 -- C code which reverses the bits in a word. 9126% 9127Naeser's Law: 9128 You can make it foolproof, but you can't make it 9129damnfoolproof. 9130% 9131NAPOLEON: What shall we do with this soldier, Guiseppe? Everything he 9132 says is wrong. 9133GUISEPPE: Make him a general, Excellency, and then everything he says 9134 will be right. 9135 -- G. B. Shaw, "The Man of Destiny" 9136% 9137Nasrudin called at a large house to collect for charity. The servant 9138said "My master is out." Nasrudin replied, "Tell your master that next 9139time he goes out, he should not leave his face at the window. Someone 9140might steal it." 9141% 9142Nasrudin returned to his village from the imperial capital, and the 9143villagers gathered around to hear what had passed. "At this time," 9144said Nasrudin, "I only want to say that the King spoke to me." All the 9145villagers but the stupidest ran off to spread the wonderful news. The 9146remaining villager asked, "What did the King say to you?" "What he 9147said -- and quite distinctly, for everyone to hear -- was 'Get out of 9148my way!'" The simpleton was overjoyed; he had heard words actually 9149spoken by the King, and seen the very man they were spoken to. 9150% 9151Nasrudin walked into a shop one day, and the owner came forward to 9152serve him. Nasrudin said, "First things first. Did you see me walk 9153into your shop?" "Of course." "Have you ever seen me before?" 9154"Never." "Then how do you know it was me?" 9155% 9156Nasrudin walked into a teahouse and declaimed, "The moon is more useful 9157than the sun." "Why?", he was asked. "Because at night we need the 9158light more." 9159% 9160Nasrudin was carrying home a piece of liver and the recipe for liver 9161pie. Suddenly a bird of prey swooped down and snatched the piece of 9162meat from his hand. As the bird flew off, Nasrudin called after it, 9163"Foolish bird! You have the liver, but what can you do with it without 9164the recipe?" 9165% 9166Nature abhors a hero. For one thing, he violates the law of 9167conservation of energy. For another, how can it be the survival of the 9168fittest when the fittest keeps putting himself in situations where he 9169is most likely to be creamed? 9170 -- Solomon Short 9171% 9172Nature and nature's laws lay hid in night, 9173God said, "Let Newton be," and all was light. 9174 9175It did not last; the devil howling "Ho! 9176Let Einstein be!" restored the status quo. 9177% 9178Nature is by and large to be found out of doors, a location where, it 9179cannot be argued, there are never enough comfortable chairs. 9180 -- Fran Leibowitz 9181% 9182Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's 9183character, give him power. 9184 -- Abraham Lincoln 9185% 9186Necessity is a mother. 9187% 9188Neckties strangle clear thinking. 9189 -- Lin Yutang 9190% 9191Never be led astray onto the path of virtue. 9192% 9193Never call a man a fool. Borrow from him. 9194% 9195Never call a man a fool; borrow from him. 9196% 9197Never commit yourself! Let someone else commit you. 9198% 9199Never count your chickens before they rip your lips off 9200% 9201Never drink coke in a moving elevator. The elevator's motion coupled 9202with the chemicals in coke produce hallucinations. People tend to 9203change into lizards and attack without warning, and large bats usually 9204fly in the window. Additionally, you begin to believe that elevators 9205have windows. 9206% 9207Never eat more than you can lift. 9208 -- Miss Piggy 9209% 9210Never hit a man with glasses. Hit him with a baseball bat. 9211% 9212Never let your schooling interfere with your education. 9213% 9214Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right. 9215 -- Salvor Hardin, "Foundation" 9216% 9217Never make anything simple and efficient when a way can be found to 9218make it complex and wonderful. 9219% 9220Never offend people with style when you can offend them with 9221substance. 9222 -- Sam Brown, "The Washington Post", January 26, 1977 9223% 9224Never put off till tomorrow what you can avoid all together. 9225% 9226Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. There might be a 9227law against it by that time. 9228% 9229Never settle with words what you can accomplish with a flame thrower. 9230% 9231Never tell a lie unless it is absolutely convenient. 9232% 9233Never try to outstubborn a cat. 9234 -- Lazarus Long, "Time Enough for Love" 9235% 9236Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes. 9237 -- Dr. Warren Jackson, Director, UTCS 9238% 9239"Never underestimate the power of a small tactical nuclear weapon." 9240% 9241Never worry about theory as long as the machinery does what it's 9242supposed to do. 9243 -- R. A. Heinlein 9244% 9245New crypt. See /usr/news/crypt. 9246% 9247New Hampshire law forbids you to tap your feet, nod your head, or in 9248any way keep time to the music in a tavern, restaurant, or cafe. 9249% 9250New members are urgently needed in the Society for Prevention of 9251Cruelty to Yourself. Apply within. 9252% 9253New members urgently required for SUICIDE CLUB, Watford area. 9254 -- Monty Python's Big Red Book 9255% 9256New systems generate new problems. 9257% 9258New Year's Eve is the time of year when a man most feels his age, and 9259his wife most often reminds him to act it. 9260 -- Webster's Unafraid Dictionary 9261% 9262New York is real. The rest is done with mirrors. 9263% 9264New York's got the ways and means; 9265Just won't let you be. 9266 -- The Grateful Dead 9267% 9268Newlan's Truism: 9269 An "acceptable" level of unemployment means that the government 9270economist to whom it is acceptable still has a job. 9271% 9272NEWS FLASH!! 9273 Today the East German pole-vault champion became the West 9274 German pole-vault champion. 9275% 9276 *** NEWSFLASH *** 9277Russian tanks steamrolling through New Jersey!!!! Details at eleven! 9278% 9279Newton's Fourth Law: Every action has an equal and opposite satisfaction. 9280% 9281Newton's Little-Known Seventh Law: 9282 A bird in the hand is safer than one overhead. 9283% 9284Next Friday will not be your lucky day. As a matter of fact, you don't 9285have a lucky day this year. 9286% 9287Next to being shot at and missed, nothing is really quite as satisfying 9288as an income tax refund. 9289 -- F. J. Raymond 9290% 9291"Nice boy, but about as sharp as a sack of wet mice." 9292 -- Foghorn Leghorn 9293% 9294Nihilism should commence with oneself. 9295% 9296Niklaus Wirth has lamented that, whereas Europeans pronounce his name 9297correctly (Ni-klows Virt), Americans invariably mangle it into 9298(Nick-les Worth). Which is to say that Europeans call him by name, but 9299Americans call him by value. 9300% 9301Nine megs for the secretaries fair, 9302Seven megs for the hackers scarce, 9303Five megs for the grads in smoky lairs, 9304Three megs for system source; 9305 9306One disk to rule them all, 9307One disk to bind them, 9308One disk to hold the files 9309And in the darkness grind 'em. 9310% 9311Nine-track tapes and seven-track tapes 9312 And tapes without any tracks; 9313Stretchy tapes and snarley tapes 9314 And tapes mixed up on the racks -- 9315 Take hold of the tape 9316 And pull off the strip, 9317 And then you'll be sure 9318 Your tape drive will skip. 9319 9320 -- Uncle Colonel's Cursory Rhymes 9321% 9322"Ninety percent of the time things turn out worse than you thought they 9323would. The other ten percent of the time you had no right to expect 9324that much." 9325 -- Augustine 9326% 9327Ninety-Ninety Rule of Project Schedules: 9328 The first ninety percent of the task takes ninety percent of 9329the time, and the last ten percent takes the other ninety percent. 9330% 9331"Nirvana? Thats the place where the powers that be and their friends 9332hang out. 9333 -- Zonker Harris 9334% 9335No animal should ever jump on the dining room furniture unless 9336absolutely certain he can hold his own in conversation. 9337 -- Fran Lebowitz 9338% 9339No committee could ever come up with anything as revolutionary as a 9340camel -- anything as practical and as perfectly designed to perform 9341effectively under such difficult conditions. 9342 -- Laurence J. Peter 9343% 9344No good deed goes unpunished. 9345 -- Clare Boothe Luce 9346% 9347No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop after 9348eating one peanut. 9349 -- Channing Pollock 9350% 9351No man is an island, but some of us are long peninsulas. 9352% 9353No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife in the shoulder blades will 9354seriously cramp his style. 9355% 9356No matter what other nations may say about the United States, 9357immigration is still the sincerest form of flattery. 9358% 9359No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. 9360 -- Eleanor Roosevelt 9361% 9362"No one gets too old to learn a new way of being stupid." 9363% 9364No part of this message may reproduce, store itself in a retrieval 9365system, or transmit disease, in any form, without the permissiveness of 9366the author. 9367 -- Chris Shaw 9368% 9369No plain fanfold paper could hold that fractal Puff -- 9370He grew so fast no plotting pack could shrink him far enough. 9371Compiles and simulations grew so quickly tame 9372And swapped out all their data space when Puff pushed his stack frame. 9373CHORUS: 9374 Puff the fractal dragon was written in C, 9375 And frolicked while processes switched in mainframe memory. 9376 Puff the fractal dragon was written in C, 9377 And frolicked while processes switched in mainframe memory. 9378Puff, he grew so quickly, while others moved like snails 9379And mini-Puffs would perch themselves on his gigantic tail. 9380All the student hackers loved that fractal Puff 9381But DCS did not like Puff, and finally said, "Enough!" 9382 (chorus) 9383Puff used more resources than DCS could spare. 9384The operator killed Puff's job -- he didn't seem to care. 9385A gloom fell on the hackers; it seemed to be the end, 9386But Puff trapped the exception, and grew from naught again! 9387 (chorus) 9388% 9389No problem is so formidable that you can't just walk away from it. 9390% 9391No problem is so large it can't be fit in somewhere. 9392% 9393"No proper program contains an indication which as an operator-applied 9394occurrence identifies an operator-defining occurrence which as an 9395indication-applied occurrence identifies an indication-defining 9396occurrence different from the one identified by the given indication as 9397an indication-applied occurrence." 9398 -- ALGOL 68 Report 9399% 9400"No self-respecting fish would want to be wrapped in that kind of 9401paper." 9402 -- Mike Royko on the Chicago Sun-Times after it was 9403 taken over by Rupert Murdoch 9404% 9405 No violence, gentlemen -- no violence, I beg of you! Consider 9406the furniture! 9407 -- Sherlock Holmes 9408% 9409"No, `Eureka' is Greek for `This bath is too hot.'" 9410 -- Dr. Who 9411% 9412Nobody can be exactly like me. Sometimes even I have trouble doing 9413it. 9414 -- Tallulah Bankhead 9415% 9416NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION 9417% 9418Nobody said computers were going to be polite. 9419% 9420Nobody suffers the pain of birth or the anguish of loving a child in 9421order for presidents to make wars, for governments to feed on the 9422substance of their people, for insurance companies to cheat the young 9423and rob the old. 9424 -- Lewis Lapham 9425% 9426Nobody wants constructive criticism. It's all we can do to put up with 9427constructive praise. 9428% 9429Non-Reciprocal Laws of Expectations: 9430 Negative expectations yield negative results. 9431 Positive expectations yield negative results. 9432% 9433Non-sequiturs make me eat lampshades. 9434% 9435Noncombatant, n.: 9436 A dead Quaker. 9437 -- Ambrose Bierce 9438% 9439Nondeterminism means never having to say you are wrong. 9440% 9441"Nondeterminism means never having to say you are wrong." 9442% 9443Nostalgia isn't what it used to be. 9444% 9445Not far from here, by a white sun, behind a green star, lived the 9446Steelypips, illustrious, industrious, and they hadn't a care: no spats 9447in their vats, no rules, no schools, no gloom, no evil influence of the 9448moon, no trouble from matter or antimatter -- for they had a machine, a 9449dream of a machine, with springs and gears and perfect in every 9450respect. And they lived with it, and on it, and under it, and inside 9451it, for it was all they had -- first they saved up all their atoms, 9452then they put them all together, and if one didn't fit, why they 9453chipped at it a bit, and everything was just fine ... 9454 -- Stanislaw Lem, "Cyberiad" 9455% 9456"Not Hercules could have knock'd out his brains, for he had none." 9457 -- Shakespeare 9458% 9459"Not only is this incomprehensible, but the ink is ugly and the paper 9460is from the wrong kind of tree." 9461 -- Professor W. 9462% 9463Notes for a ballet, "The Spell": ... Suddenly Sigmund hears the flutter 9464of wings, and a group of wild swans flies across the moon ... Sigmund 9465is astounded to see that their leader is part swan and part woman -- 9466unfortunately, divided lengthwise. She enchants Sigmund, who is 9467careful not to make any poultry jokes ... 9468 -- Woody Allen 9469% 9470Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing. 9471% 9472Nothing cures insomnia like the realization that it's time to get up. 9473% 9474Nothing is faster than the speed of light ... 9475 9476To prove this to yourself, try opening the refrigerator door before the 9477light comes on. 9478% 9479Nothing is illegal if one hundred businessmen decide to do it. 9480 -- Andrew Young 9481% 9482Nothing is more admirable than the fortitude with which millionaires 9483tolerate the disadvantages of their wealth. 9484 -- Nero Wolfe 9485% 9486Nothing makes one so vain as being told that one is a sinner. 9487Conscience makes egotists of us all. 9488 -- Oscar Wilde 9489% 9490Nothing recedes like success. 9491 -- Walter Winchell 9492% 9493Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited 9494love. 9495 -- Charlie Brown 9496% 9497November, n.: 9498 The eleventh twelfth of a weariness. 9499 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 9500% 9501Now and then an innocent person is sent to the legislature. 9502% 9503Now I lay me down to sleep 9504I pray the double lock will keep; 9505May no brick through the window break, 9506And, no one rob me till I awake. 9507% 9508"Now is the time for all good men to come to." 9509 -- Walt Kelly 9510% 9511Now that you've read Fortune's diet truths, you'll be prepared the next 9512time some housewife or boutique-owner-turned-diet-expert appears on TV 9513to plug her latest book. And, if you still feel a twinge of guilt for 9514eating coffee cake while listening to her exhortations, ask yourself 9515the following questions: 9516 9517(1) Do I dare trust a person who actually considers alfalfa sprouts a 9518 food? 9519(2) Was the author's sole motive in writing this book to get rich 9520 exploiting the forlorn hopes of chubby people like me? 9521(3) Would a longer life be worthwhile if it had to be lived as 9522 prescribed ... without French-fried onion rings, pizza with 9523 double cheese, or the occasional Mai-Tai? (Remember, living 9524 right doesn't really make you live longer, it just *seems* like 9525 longer.) 9526 9527That, and another piece of coffee cake, should do the trick. 9528% 9529"Now the Lord God planted a garden East of Whittier in a place called 9530Yorba Linda, and out of the ground he made to grow orange trees that 9531were good for food and the fruits thereof he labeled SUNKIST ..." 9532 -- "The Begatting of a President" 9533% 9534"Now this is a totally brain damaged algorithm. Gag me with a 9535smurfette." 9536 -- P. Buhr, Computer Science 354 9537% 9538... Now you're ready for the actual shopping. Your goal should be to 9539get it over with as quickly as possible, because the longer you stay in 9540the mall, the longer your children will have to listen to holiday songs 9541on the mall public-address system, and many of these songs can damage 9542children emotionally. For example: "Frosty the Snowman" is about a 9543snowman who befriends some children, plays with them until they learn 9544to love him, then melts. And "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is about 9545a young reindeer who, because of a physical deformity, is treated as an 9546outcast by the other reindeer. Then along comes good, old Santa. Does 9547he ignore the deformity? Does he look past Rudolph's nose and respect 9548Rudolph for the sensitive reindeer he is underneath? No. Santa asks 9549Rudolph to guide his sleigh, as if Rudolph were nothing more than some 9550kind of headlight with legs and a tail. So unless you want your 9551children exposed to this kind of insensitivity, you should shop 9552quickly. 9553 -- Dave Barry, "Christmas Shopping: A Survivor's Guide" 9554% 9555 Now, you might ask, "How do I get one of those complete home 9556tool sets for under $4?" An excellent question. 9557 Go to one of those really cheap discount stores where they sell 9558plastic furniture in colors visible from the planet Neptune and where 9559they have a food section specializing in cardboard cartons full of 9560Raisinets and malted milk balls manufactured during the Nixon 9561administration. In either the hardware or housewares department, 9562you'll find an item imported from an obscure Oriental country and 9563described as "Nine Tools in One", consisting of a little handle with 9564interchangeable ends representing inscrutable Oriental notions of tools 9565that Americans might use around the home. Buy it. 9566 This is the kind of tool set professionals use. Not only is it 9567inexpensive, but it also has a great safety feature not found in the 9568so-called quality tools sets: The handle will actually break right off 9569if you accidentally hit yourself or anything else, or expose it to 9570direct sunlight. 9571 -- Dave Barry, "The Taming of the Screw" 9572% 9573"Nuclear war can ruin your whole compile." 9574 -- Karl Lehenbauer 9575% 9576"Nuclear war would mean abolition of most comforts, and disruption of 9577normal routines, for children and adults alike." 9578 -- Willard F. Libby, "You *Can* Survive Atomic Attack" 9579% 9580"Nuclear war would really set back cable." 9581 -- Ted Turner 9582% 9583[Nuclear war] ... may not be desirable. 9584 -- Edwin Meese III 9585% 9586Nudists are people who wear one-button suits. 9587% 9588(null cookie; hope that's ok) 9589% 9590Numeric stability is probably not all that important when you're 9591guessing. 9592% 9593O give me a home, 9594Where the buffalo roam, 9595Where the deer and the antelope play, 9596Where seldom is heard 9597A discouraging word, 9598'Cause what can an antelope say? 9599% 9600O'Toole's Commentary on Murphy's Law: 9601 Murphy was an optimist. 9602% 9603"Of ______course it's the murder weapon. Who would frame someone with a 9604fake?" 9605% 9606Of all possible committee reactions to any given agenda item, the 9607reaction that will occur is the one which will liberate the greatest 9608amount of hot air. 9609 -- Thomas L. Martin 9610% 9611Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable. 9612 -- Plato 9613% 9614Of all the words of witch's doom 9615There's none so bad as which and whom. 9616The man who kills both which and whom 9617Will be enshrined in our Who's Whom. 9618 -- Fletcher Knebel 9619% 9620"Of course power tools and alcohol don't mix. Everyone knows power 9621tools aren't soluble in alcohol ..." 9622 -- Crazy Nigel 9623% 9624Of course there's no reason for it, it's just our policy. 9625% 9626Of what you see in books, believe 75%. Of newspapers, believe 50%. 9627And of TV news, believe 25% -- make that 5% if the anchorman wears a 9628blazer. 9629% 9630Office Automation, n.: 9631 The use of computers to improve efficiency by removing anyone 9632you would want to talk with over coffee. 9633% 9634Ogden's Law: 9635 The sooner you fall behind, the more time you have to catch 9636up. 9637% 9638Oh Dad! We're ALL Devo! 9639% 9640Oh don't the days seem lank and long 9641 When all goes right and none goes wrong, 9642And isn't your life extremely flat 9643 With nothing whatever to grumble at! 9644% 9645Oh, I am a C programmer and I'm okay 9646 I muck with indices and structs all day 9647And when it works, I shout hoo-ray 9648 Oh, I am a C programmer and I'm okay 9649% 9650Oh, I don't blame Congress. If I had $600 billion at my disposal, I'd 9651be irresponsible, too. 9652 -- Lichty & Wagner 9653% 9654Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth, 9655And danced the skies on laughter silvered wings; 9656Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth 9657Of sun-split clouds and done a hundred things 9658You have not dreamed of -- 9659Wheeled and soared and swung 9660High in the sunlit silence. 9661Hovering there 9662I've chased the shouting wind along and flung 9663My eager craft through footless halls of air. 9664Up, up along delirious, burning blue 9665I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace, 9666Where never lark, or even eagle flew; 9667And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod 9668The high untrespassed sanctity of space, 9669Put out my hand, and touched the face of God. 9670 -- John Gillespie Magee Jr., "High Flight" 9671% 9672Oh, well, I guess this is just going to be one of those lifetimes. 9673% 9674Oh, when I was in love with you, 9675 Then I was clean and brave, 9676And miles around the wonder grew 9677 How well did I behave. 9678 9679And now the fancy passes by, 9680 And nothing will remain, 9681And miles around they'll say that I 9682 Am quite myself again. 9683 -- A. E. Housman 9684% 9685Oh, wow! Look at the moon! 9686% 9687"OK, now let's look at four dimensions on the blackboard." 9688 -- Dr. Joy 9689% 9690OK, so you're a Ph.D. Just don't touch anything. 9691% 9692Old age is the most unexpected of things that can happen to a man. 9693 -- Trotsky 9694% 9695Old programmers never die. They just branch to a new address. 9696% 9697Old soldiers never die. Young ones do. 9698% 9699Oliver's Law: 9700 Experience is something you don't get until just after you need 9701it. 9702% 9703Omnibiblious, adj.: 9704 Indifferent to type of drink. "Oh, you can get me anything. 9705I'm omnibiblious." 9706% 9707OMNIVERSAL AWARENESS?? Oh, YEH!! First you need four GALLONS of 9708JELL-O and a BIG WRENCH!! ... I think you drop th' WRENCH in the JELL-O 9709as if it was a FLAVOR, or an INGREDIENT ... or ... I ... um ... 9710WHERE'S the WASHING MACHINES? 9711% 9712On a paper submitted by a physicist colleague: 9713 9714"This isn't right. This isn't even wrong." 9715 -- Wolfgang Pauli 9716% 9717On account of being a democracy and run by the people, we are the only 9718nation in the world that has to keep a government four years, no matter 9719what it does. 9720 -- Will Rogers 9721% 9722 On his first day as a bus driver, Maxey Eckstein handed in 9723receipts of $65. The next day his take was $67. The third day's 9724income was $62. But on the fourth day, Eckstein emptied no less than 9725$283 on the desk before the cashier. 9726 "Eckstein!" exclaimed the cashier. "This is fantastic. That 9727route never brought in money like this! What happened?" 9728 "Well, after three days on that cockamamie route, I figured 9729business would never improve, so I drove over to Fourteenth Street and 9730worked there. I tell you, that street is a gold mine!" 9731% 9732On Monday mornings I am dedicated to the proposition that all men are 9733created jerks. 9734 -- Avery 9735% 9736On Monday mornings I am dedicated to the proposition that all men are 9737created jerks. 9738 -- H. Allen Smith, "Let the Crabgrass Grow" 9739% 9740On the road, ZIPPY is a pinhead without a purpose, but never without a 9741POINT ... 9742% 9743On the subject of C program indentation: 9744 9745 "In My Egotistical Opinion, most people's C programs should be 9746 indented six feet downward and covered with dirt." 9747 -- Blair P. Houghton 9748% 9749"On two occasions I have been asked [by members of Parliament!], `Pray, 9750Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right 9751answers come out?' I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of 9752confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." 9753 -- Charles Babbage 9754% 9755On-line, adj.: 9756 The idea that a human being should always be accessible to a 9757computer. 9758% 9759Once ... in the wilds of Afghanistan, I lost my corkscrew, and we were 9760forced to live on nothing but food and water for days. 9761 -- W. C. Fields, "My Little Chickadee" 9762% 9763Once again, we come to the Holiday Season, a deeply religious time that 9764each of us observes, in his own way, by going to the mall of his 9765choice. 9766 9767In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians 9768called it "Christmas" and went to church; the Jews called it "Hanukka" 9769and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People 9770passing each other on the street would say "Merry Christmas!" or "Happy 9771Hanukka!" or (to the atheists) "Look out for the wall!" 9772 -- Dave Barry, "Christmas Shopping: A Survivor's Guide" 9773% 9774Once at a social gathering, Gladstone said to Disraeli, "I predict, 9775Sir, that you will die either by hanging or of some vile disease". 9776Disraeli replied, "That all depends upon whether I embrace your 9777principals or your mistress". 9778% 9779Once Law was sitting on the bench 9780 And Mercy knelt a-weeping. 9781"Clear out!" he cried, "disordered wench! 9782 Nor come before me creeping. 9783Upon your knees if you appear, 9784'Tis plain you have no standing here." 9785 9786Then Justice came. His Honor cried: 9787 "YOUR states? -- Devil seize you!" 9788"Amica curiae," she replied -- 9789 "Friend of the court, so please you." 9790"Begone!" he shouted -- "There's the door -- 9791I never saw your face before!" 9792 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 9793% 9794Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human 9795beings infinite distances continue to exist, a wonderful living side by 9796side can grow up, if they succeed in loving the distance between them 9797which makes it possible for each to see each other whole against the 9798sky. 9799 -- Rainer Rilke 9800% 9801 Once there lived a village of creatures along the bottom of a 9802great crystal river. Each creature in its own manner clung tightly to 9803the twigs and rocks of the river bottom, for clinging was their way of 9804life, and resisting the current what each had learned from birth. But 9805one creature said at last, "I trust that the current knows where it is 9806going. I shall let go, and let it take me where it will. Clinging, I 9807shall die of boredom." 9808 The other creatures laughed and said, "Fool! Let go, and that 9809current you worship will throw you tumbled and smashed across the 9810rocks, and you will die quicker than boredom!" 9811 But the one heeded them not, and taking a breath did let go, 9812and at once was tumbled and smashed by the current across the rocks. 9813Yet, in time, as the creature refused to cling again, the current 9814lifted him free from the bottom, and he was bruised and hurt no more. 9815 And the creatures downstream, to whom he was a stranger, cried, 9816"See a miracle! A creature like ourselves, yet he flies! See the 9817Messiah, come to save us all!" And the one carried in the current 9818said, "I am no more Messiah than you. The river delight to lift us 9819free, if only we dare let go. Our true work is this voyage, this 9820adventure. 9821 But they cried the more, "Saviour!" all the while clinging to 9822the rocks, making legends of a Saviour. 9823% 9824Once upon a time, when I was training to be a mathematician, a group of 9825us bright young students taking number theory discovered the names of 9826the smaller prime numbers. 9827 98282: The Odd Prime -- 9829 It's the only even prime, therefore is odd. QED. 98303: The True Prime -- 9831 Lewis Carroll: "If I tell you three times, it's true." 983231: The Arbitrary Prime -- 9833 Determined by unanimous unvote. We needed an arbitrary prime 9834 in case the prof asked for one, and so had an election. 91 9835 received the most votes (well, it *looks* prime) and 3+4i the 9836 next most. However, 31 was the only candidate to receive none 9837 at all. 9838 9839Since the composite numbers are formed from primes, their qualities are 9840derived from those primes. So, for instance, the number 6 is "odd but 9841true", while the powers of 2 are all extremely odd numbers. 9842% 9843... Once you're safely in the mall, you should tie your children to you 9844with ropes so the other shoppers won't try to buy them. Holiday 9845shoppers have been whipped into a frenzy by months of holiday 9846advertisements, and they will buy anything small enough to stuff into a 9847shopping bag. If your children object to being tied, threaten to take 9848them to see Santa Claus; that ought to shut them up. 9849 -- Dave Barry, "Christmas Shopping: A Survivor's Guide" 9850% 9851Once, adv.: 9852 Enough. 9853 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 9854% 9855One advantage of talking to yourself is that you know at least 9856somebody's listening. 9857 -- Franklin P. Jones 9858% 9859"One basic notion underlying Usenet is that it is a cooperative." 9860 9861Having been on USENET for going on ten years, I disagree with this. 9862The basic notion underlying USENET is the flame. 9863 -- Chuq Von Rospach 9864% 9865One can't proceed from the informal to the formal by formal means. 9866% 9867One cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs -- but it is amazing 9868how many eggs one can break without making a decent omelette. 9869 -- Professor Charles P. Issawi 9870% 9871One day the King decided that he would force all his subjects to tell 9872the truth. A gallows was erected in front of the city gates. A herald 9873announced, "Whoever would enter the city must first answer the truth to 9874a question which will be put to him." Nasrudin was first in line. The 9875captain of the guard asked him, "Where are you going? Tell the truth 9876-- the alternative is death by hanging." "I am going," said Nasrudin, 9877"to be hanged on that gallows." "I don't believe you." "Very well, if 9878I have told a lie, then hang me!" "But that would make it the truth!" 9879"Exactly," said Nasrudin, "your truth." 9880% 9881One difference between a man and a machine is that a machine is quiet 9882when well oiled. 9883% 9884One good reason why computers can do more work than people is that they 9885never have to stop and answer the phone. 9886% 9887One is not superior merely because one sees the world as odious. 9888 -- Chateaubriand (1768-1848) 9889% 9890One learns to itch where one can scratch. 9891 -- Ernest Bramah 9892% 9893One man's brain plus one other will produce one half as many ideas as 9894one man would have produced alone. These two plus two more will 9895produce half again as many ideas. These four plus four more begin to 9896represent a creative meeting, and the ratio changes to one quarter as 9897many ... 9898 -- Anthony Chevins 9899% 9900One man's theology is another man's belly laugh. 9901% 9902One monk said to the other, "The fish has flopped out of the net! How 9903will it live?" The other said, "When you have gotten out of the net, 9904I'll tell you." 9905% 9906One nice thing about egotists: they don't talk about other people. 9907% 9908One of my less pleasant chores when I was young was to read the Bible 9909from one end to the other. Reading the Bible straight through is at 9910least 70 percent discipline, like learning Latin. But the good parts 9911are, of course, simply amazing. God is an extremely uneven writer, but 9912when He's good, nobody can touch Him. 9913 -- John Gardner, NYT Book Review, Jan 1983 9914% 9915One of the lessons of history is that nothing is often a good thing to 9916do and always a clever thing to say. 9917 -- Will Durant 9918% 9919"... one of the main causes of the fall of the Roman Empire was that, 9920lacking zero, they had no way to indicate successful termination of 9921their C programs." 9922 -- Robert Firth 9923% 9924One of the oldest problems puzzled over in the Talmud is: "Why did God 9925create goyim?" The generally accepted answer is "________somebody has to buy 9926retail." 9927 -- Arthur Naiman, "Every Goy's Guide to Yiddish" 9928% 9929 One of the questions that comes up all the time is: How 9930enthusiastic is our support for UNIX? 9931 Unix was written on our machines and for our machines many 9932years ago. Today, much of UNIX being done is done on our machines. 9933Ten percent of our VAXs are going for UNIX use. UNIX is a simple 9934language, easy to understand, easy to get started with. It's great for 9935students, great for somewhat casual users, and it's great for 9936interchanging programs between different machines. And so, because of 9937its popularity in these markets, we support it. We have good UNIX on 9938VAX and good UNIX on PDP-11s. 9939 It is our belief, however, that serious professional users will 9940run out of things they can do with UNIX. They'll want a real system and 9941will end up doing VMS when they get to be serious about programming. 9942 With UNIX, if you're looking for something, you can easily and 9943quickly check that small manual and find out that it's not there. With 9944VMS, no matter what you look for -- it's literally a five-foot shelf of 9945documentation -- if you look long enough it's there. That's the 9946difference -- the beauty of UNIX is it's simple; and the beauty of VMS 9947is that it's all there. 9948 -- Ken Olsen, President of DEC, 1984 9949% 9950One of the rules of Busmanship, New York style, is never surrender your 9951seat to another passenger. This may seem callous, but it is the best 9952way, really. If one passenger were to give a seat to someone who 9953fainted in the aisle, say, the others on the bus would become 9954disoriented and imagine they were in Topeka, Kansas. 9955% 9956The Seventh Commandments for Technicians 9957 Work thou not on energized equipment, for if thou dost, thy 9958fellow workers will surely buy beers for thy widow and console her in 9959other ways. 9960% 9961The First Commandment for Technicians: 9962 Beware the lightening that lurketh in the undischarged 9963capacitor, lest it cause thee to bounce upon thy buttocks in a most 9964untechnician-like manner. 9965% 9966One Page Principle: 9967 A specification that will not fit on one page of 8.5x11 inch 9968paper cannot be understood. 9969 -- Mark Ardis 9970% 9971"One planet is all you get." 9972% 9973One promising concept that I came up with right away was that you could 9974manufacture personal air bags, then get a law passed requiring that 9975they be installed on congressmen to keep them from taking trips. Let's 9976say your congressman was trying to travel to Paris to do a fact-finding 9977study on how the French government handles diseases transmitted by 9978sherbet. Just when he got to the plane, his mandatory air bag, 9979strapped around his waist, would inflate -- FWWAAAAAAPPPP -- thus 9980rendering him too large to fit through the plane door. It could also 9981be rigged to inflate whenever the congressman proposed a law. ("Mr. 9982Speaker, people ask me, why should October be designated as Cuticle 9983Inspection Month? And I answer that FWWAAAAAAPPPP.") This would save 9984millions of dollars, so I have no doubt that the public would violently 9985support a law requiring airbags on congressmen. The problem is that 9986your potential market is very small: there are only around 500 members 9987of Congress, and some of them, such as House Speaker "Tip" O'Neil, are 9988already too large to fit on normal aircraft. 9989 -- Dave Barry, "'Mister Mediocre' Restaurants" 9990% 9991One reason why George Washington 9992Is held in such veneration: 9993He never blamed his problems 9994On the former Administration. 9995 -- George O. Ludcke 9996% 9997One seldom sees a monument to a committee. 9998% 9999One thing the inventors can't seem to get the bugs out of is fresh 10000paint. 10001% 10002"One thing they don't tell you about doing experimental physics is that 10003sometimes you must work under adverse conditions ... like a state of 10004sheer terror." 10005 -- W. K. Hartmann 10006% 10007One way to make your old car run better is to look up the price of a 10008new model. 10009% 10010One way to stop a runaway horse is to bet on him. 10011% 10012One, with God, is always a majority, but many a martyr has been burned 10013at the stake while the votes were being counted. 10014 -- Thomas B. Reed 10015% 10016One-Shot Case Study, n.: 10017 The scientific equivalent of the four-leaf clover, from which 10018it is concluded all clovers possess four leaves and are sometimes 10019green. 10020% 10021Only adults have difficulty with childproof caps. 10022% 10023Only God can make random selections. 10024% 10025Only presidents, editors, and people with tapeworms have the right to 10026use the editorial "we." 10027% 10028Only through hard work and perseverance can one truly suffer. 10029% 10030Optimization hinders evolution. 10031% 10032Optimization hinders evolution. 10033% 10034Oregano, n.: 10035 The ancient Italian art of pizza folding. 10036% 10037Oregon, n.: 10038 Eighty billion gallons of water with no place to go on Saturday 10039night. 10040% 10041Organic chemistry is the chemistry of carbon compounds. Biochemistry 10042is the study of carbon compounds that crawl. 10043 -- Mike Adams 10044% 10045Osborn's Law: 10046 Variables won't; constants aren't. 10047% 10048Others will look to you for stability, so hide when you bite your 10049nails. 10050% 10051Our country has plenty of good five-cent cigars, but the trouble is 10052they charge fifteen cents for them. 10053% 10054Our documentation manager was showing her two year old son around the 10055office. He was introduced to me, at which time he pointed out that we 10056were both holding bags of popcorn. We were both holding bottles of 10057juice. But only *__he* had a lollipop. 10058 10059He asked his mother, "Why doesn't HE have a lollipop?" 10060 10061Her reply: 10062 10063 "He can have a lollipop any time he wants to. That's what it 10064 means to be a programmer." 10065% 10066Our OS who art in CPU, UNIX be thy name. 10067 Thy programs run, thy syscalls done, 10068 In kernel as it is in user! 10069% 10070Our policy is, when in doubt, do the right thing. 10071 -- Roy L. Ash, ex-president Litton Industries 10072% 10073... Our second completely true news item was sent to me by Mr. H. Boyce 10074Connell Jr. of Atlanta, Ga., where he is involved in a law firm. One 10075thing I like about the South is, folks there care about tradition. If 10076somebody gets handed a name like "H. Boyce," he hangs on to it, puts it 10077on his legal stationery, even passes it to his son, rather than do what 10078a lesser person would do, such as get it changed or kill himself. 10079 -- Dave Barry, "This Column is Nothing but the Truth!" 10080% 10081"Our vision is to speed up time, eventually eliminating it." 10082 -- Alex Schure 10083% 10084"Our vision is to speed up time, eventually eliminating it." 10085 -- Alex Schure 10086% 10087Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. 10088 -- General Omar N. Bradley 10089% 10090 OUTCONERR 10091Twas FORTRAN as the doloop goes 10092 Did logzerneg the ifthen block 10093All kludgy were the function flows 10094 And subroutines adhoc. 10095 10096Beware the runtime-bug my friend 10097 squrooneg, the false goto 10098Beware the infiniteloop 10099 And shun the inprectoo. 10100% 10101"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend: and inside a dog, 10102it's too dark to read." 10103 -- Groucho Marx 10104% 10105Over the years, I've developed my sense of deja vu so acutely that now 10106I can remember things that *have* happened before ... 10107% 10108Overdrawn? But I still have checks left! 10109% 10110Overflow on /dev/null, please empty the bit bucket. 10111% 10112Overload -- core meltdown sequence initiated. 10113% 10114Ozman's Laws: 10115 (1) If someone says he will do something "without fail," he 10116 won't. 10117 (2) The more people talk on the phone, the less money they 10118 make. 10119 (3) People who go to conferences are the ones who shouldn't. 10120 (4) Pizza always burns the roof of your mouth. 10121% 10122Painting, n.: 10123 The art of protecting flat surfaces from the weather, and 10124exposing them to the critic. 10125 -- Ambrose Bierce 10126% 10127panic: can't find / 10128% 10129panic: kernel trap (ignored) 10130% 10131Paradise is exactly like where you are right now ... only much, much 10132better. 10133 -- Laurie Anderson 10134% 10135Parallel lines never meet, unless you bend one or both of them. 10136% 10137Paranoia is simply an optimistic outlook on life. 10138% 10139Paranoid schizophrenics outnumber their enemies at least two to one. 10140% 10141Paranoids are people, too; they have their own problems. It's easy to 10142criticize, but if everybody hated you, you'd be paranoid too. 10143 -- D. J. Hicks 10144% 10145Pardo's First Postulate: 10146 Anything good in life is either illegal, immoral, or 10147fattening. 10148 10149Arnold's Addendum: 10150 Everything else causes cancer in rats. 10151% 10152Pardon this fortune. Database under reconstruction. 10153% 10154Parker's Law: 10155 Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone. 10156% 10157Parkinson's Fifth Law: 10158 If there is a way to delay in important decision, the good 10159bureaucracy, public or private, will find it. 10160% 10161Parkinson's Fourth Law: 10162 The number of people in any working group tends to increase 10163regardless of the amount of work to be done. 10164% 10165Parsley 10166 is gharsley. 10167 -- Ogden Nash 10168% 10169Parts that positively cannot be assembled in improper order will be. 10170% 10171"Pascal is not a high-level language." 10172 -- Steven Feiner 10173% 10174"Pascal is Pascal is Pascal is dog meat." 10175 -- M. Devine and P. Larson, Computer Science 340 10176% 10177Pascal Users: 10178 To show respect for the 313th anniversary (tomorrow) of the 10179death of Blaise Pascal, your programs will be run at half speed. 10180% 10181Pascal, n.: 10182 A programming language named after a man who would turn over in 10183his grave if he knew about it. 10184% 10185Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life. 10186 -- Eric Hoffer 10187% 10188Patageometry, n.: 10189 The study of those mathematical properties that are invariant 10190under brain transplants. 10191% 10192Paul Revere was a tattle-tale 10193% 10194Paul's Law: 10195 In America, it's not how much an item costs, it's how much you 10196save. 10197% 10198Paul's Law: 10199 You can't fall off the floor. 10200% 10201Peace, n.: 10202 In international affairs, a period of cheating between two 10203periods of fighting. 10204 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 10205% 10206Peanut Blossoms 10207 102084 cups sugar 16 tbsp. milk 102094 cups brown sugar 4 tsp. vanilla 102104 cups shortening 14 cups flour 102118 eggs 4 tsp. soda 102124 cups peanut butter 4 tsp. salt 10213 10214Shape dough into balls. Roll in sugar and bake on ungreased cookie 10215sheet at 375 F. for 10-12 minutes. Immediately top each cookie with a 10216Hershey's kiss or star pressing down firmly to crack cookie. Makes a 10217hell of a lot. 10218% 10219Pecor's Health-Food Principle: 10220 Never eat rutabaga on any day of the week that has a "y" in 10221it. 10222% 10223Pedaeration, n.: 10224 The perfect body heat achieved by having one leg under the 10225sheet and one hanging off the edge of the bed. 10226 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 10227% 10228Penguin Trivia #46: 10229 Animals who are not penguins can only wish they were. 10230 -- Chicago Reader 10/15/82 10231% 10232People need good lies. There are too many bad ones. 10233 -- Bokonon, "Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. 10234% 10235People often find it easier to be a result of the past than a cause of 10236the future. 10237% 10238"People think love is an emotion. Love is good sense." 10239 -- Ken Kesey 10240% 10241People usually get what's coming to them ... unless it's been mailed. 10242% 10243People who are funny and smart and return phone calls get much better 10244press than people who are just funny and smart. 10245 -- Howard Simons, "The Washington Post" 10246% 10247People who claim they don't let little things bother them have never 10248slept in a room with a single mosquito. 10249% 10250People who have what they want are very fond of telling people who 10251haven't what they want that they don't want it. 10252 -- Ogden Nash 10253% 10254People will accept your ideas much more readily if you tell them that 10255Benjamin Franklin said it first. 10256% 10257People will buy anything that's one to a customer. 10258% 10259People will do tomorrow what they did today because that is what they 10260did yesterday. 10261% 10262Pereant, inquit, qui ante nos nostra dixerunt. 10263"Confound those who have said our remarks before us." 10264 -- Aelius Donatus 10265% 10266Perfect day for scrubbing the floor and other exciting things. 10267% 10268Perfection is reached, not when there is no longer anything to add, but 10269when there is no longer anything to take away. 10270 -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery 10271% 10272Personifiers Unite! You have nothing to lose but Mr. Dignity! 10273% 10274Peter's Law of Substitution: 10275 Look after the molehills, and the mountains will look after 10276themselves. 10277% 10278Philadelphia is not dull -- it just seems so because it is next to 10279exciting Camden, New Jersey. 10280% 10281Philogyny recapitulates erogeny; erogeny recapitulates philogyny. 10282% 10283Philosophy will clip an angel's wings. 10284 -- John Keats 10285% 10286Pick another fortune cookie. 10287% 10288"Picture the sun as the origin of two intersecting 6-dimensional 10289hyperplanes from which we can deduce a certain transformational 10290sequence which gives us the terminal velocity of a rubber duck ..." 10291% 10292Pig, n.: 10293 An animal (Porcus omnivorous) closely allied to the human race 10294by the splendor and vivacity of its appetite, which, however, is 10295inferior in scope, for it balks at pig. 10296 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 10297% 10298PISCES (Feb. 19 - Mar. 20) 10299 You have a vivid imagination and often think you are being 10300followed by the CIA or FBI. You have minor influence over your 10301associates and people resent your flaunting of your power. You lack 10302confidence and you are generally a coward. Pisces people do terrible 10303things to small animals. 10304% 10305PISCES (Feb. 19 to Mar. 20) 10306 Take the high road, look for the good things, carry the 10307American Express card and a weapon. The world is yours today, as 10308nobody else wants it. Your mortgage will be foreclosed. You will 10309probably get run over by a bus. 10310% 10311 Pittsburgh Driver's Test 10312 10313(7) The car directly in front of you has a flashing right tail light 10314 but a steady left tail light. This means 10315 10316 (a) one of the tail lights is broken; you should blow your horn 10317 to call the problem to the driver's attention. 10318 (b) the driver is signaling a right turn. 10319 (c) the driver is signaling a left turn. 10320 (d) the driver is from out of town. 10321 10322The correct answer is (d). Tail lights are used in some foreign 10323countries to signal turns. 10324% 10325 Pittsburgh Driver's Test 10326 10327(8) Pedestrians are 10328 10329 (a) irrelevant. 10330 (b) communists. 10331 (c) a nuisance. 10332 (d) difficult to clean off the front grille. 10333 10334The correct answer is (a). Pedestrians are not in cars, so they are 10335totally irrelevant to driving; you should ignore them completely. 10336% 10337Pity the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 10338 -- Don Marquis 10339% 10340PL/1, "the fatal disease", belongs more to the problem set than to the 10341solution set. 10342 -- E. W. Dijkstra 10343% 10344"Plaese porrf raed." 10345 -- Prof. Michael O'Longhlin, S.U.N.Y. Purchase 10346% 10347Plato, by the way, wanted to banish all poets from his proposed Utopia 10348because they were liars. The truth was that Plato knew philosophers 10349couldn't compete successfully with poets. 10350 -- Kilgore Trout (Philip J. Farmer) "Venus on the Half 10351 Shell" 10352% 10353Play Rogue, visit exotic locations, meet strange creatures and kill 10354them. 10355% 10356Playing an unamplified electric guitar is like strumming on a picnic 10357table. 10358 -- Dave Barry, "The Snake" 10359% 10360Please ignore previous fortune. 10361% 10362Please take note: 10363% 10364Please try to limit the amount of "this room doesn't have any bazingas" 10365until you are told that those rooms are "punched out". Once punched 10366out, we have a right to complain about atrocities, missing bazingas, 10367and such. 10368 -- N. Meyrowitz 10369% 10370Please, won't somebody tell me what diddie-wa-diddie means? 10371% 10372 Plumbing is one of the easier of do-it-yourself activities, 10373requiring only a few simple tools and a willingness to stick your arm 10374into a clogged toilet. In fact, you can solve many home plumbing 10375problems, such as annoying faucet drip, merely by turning up the 10376radio. But before we get into specific techniques, let's look at how 10377plumbing works. 10378 A plumbing system is very much like your electrical system, 10379except that instead of electricity, it has water, and instead of wires, 10380it has pipes, and instead of radios and waffle irons, it has faucets 10381and toilets. So the truth is that your plumbing systems is nothing at 10382all like your electrical system, which is good, because electricity can 10383kill you. 10384 -- Dave Barry, "The Taming of the Screw" 10385% 10386PLUNDERER'S THEME 10387(to Supercalifragilisticexpialidocius) 10388 10389Pillage, rape, and loot and burn, but all in moderation. 10390If you do the things we say, then you'll soon rule the nation. 10391Kill your foes and enemies and then kill your relations. 10392Pillage, rape, and loot and burn, but all in moderation. 10393% 10394Pohl's law: 10395 Nothing is so good that somebody, somewhere, will not hate it. 10396% 10397Police: Good evening, are you the host? 10398Host: No. 10399Police: We've been getting complaints about this party. 10400Host: About the drugs? 10401Police: No. 10402Host: About the guns, then? Is somebody complaining about the guns? 10403Police: No, the noise. 10404Host: Oh, the noise. Well that makes sense because there are no guns 10405 or drugs here. (An enormous explosion is heard in the 10406 background.) Or fireworks. Who's complaining about the noise? 10407 The neighbors? 10408Police: No, the neighbors fled inland hours ago. Most of the recent 10409 complaints have come from Pittsburgh. Do you think you could 10410 ask the host to quiet things down? 10411Host: No Problem. (At this point, a Volkswagon bug with primitive 10412 religious symbols drawn on the doors emerges from the living 10413 room and roars down the hall, past the police and onto the 10414 lawn, where it smashes into a tree. Eight guests tumble out 10415 onto the grass, moaning.) See? Things are starting to wind 10416 down. 10417% 10418Political T.V. commercials prove one thing: some candidates can tell 10419all their good points and qualifications in just 30 seconds. 10420% 10421Politician, n.: 10422 An eel in the fundamental mud upon which the superstructure of 10423organized society is reared. When he wriggles, he mistakes the 10424agitation of his tail for the trembling of the edifice. As compared 10425with the statesman, he suffers the disadvantage of being alive. 10426 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 10427% 10428Politician, n.: 10429 From the Greek "poly" ("many") and the French "tete" ("head" or 10430"face," as in "tete-a-tete": head to head or face to face). Hence 10431"polytetien", a person of two or more faces. 10432 -- Martin Pitt 10433% 10434Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even 10435where there is no river. 10436 -- Nikita Khrushchev 10437% 10438Politics is like coaching a football team. you have to be smart enough 10439to understand the game but not smart enough to lose interest. 10440% 10441Polymer physicists are into chains. 10442% 10443Pope Goestheveezl was the shortest reigning pope in the history of the 10444Church, reigning for two hours and six minutes on 1 April 1866. The 10445white smoke had hardly faded into the blue of the Vatican skies before 10446it dawned on the assembled multitudes in St. Peter's Square that his 10447name had hilarious possibilities. The crowds fell about, helpless with 10448laughter, singing 10449 Half a pound of tuppenny rice 10450 Half a pound of treacle 10451 That's the way the chimney smokes 10452 Pope Goestheveezl 10453The square was finally cleared by armed carabineri with tears of 10454laughter streaming down their faces. The event set a record for 10455hilarious civic functions, smashing the previous record set when Baron 10456Hans Neizant B"ompzidaize was elected Landburgher of K"oln in 1653. 10457 -- Mike Harding, "The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac" 10458% 10459Portable, adj.: 10460 Survives system reboot. 10461% 10462Positive, adj.: 10463 Mistaken at the top of one's voice. 10464 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 10465% 10466Pound for pound, the amoeba is the most vicious animal on earth. 10467% 10468"Power corrupts. Absolute power is kind of neat" 10469 -- John Lehman, Secretary of the Navy 1981-1987 10470% 10471Power corrupts. And atomic power corrupts atomically. 10472% 10473Power, n: 10474 The only narcotic regulated by the SEC instead of the FDA. 10475% 10476Practical people would be more practical if they would take a little 10477more time for dreaming. 10478 -- J. P. McEvoy 10479% 10480Predestination was doomed from the start. 10481% 10482President Reagan has noted that there are too many economic pundits and 10483forecasters and has decided on an excess prophets tax. 10484% 10485President Thieu says he'll quit if he doesn't get more than 50% of the 10486vote. In a democracy, that's not called quitting. 10487 -- The Washington Post 10488% 10489Pretend to spank me -- I'm a pseudo-masochist! 10490% 10491Preudhomme's Law of Window Cleaning: 10492 It's on the other side. 10493% 10494[Prime Minister Joseph] Chamberlain loves the working man -- he loves 10495to see him work. 10496 -- Winston Churchill 10497% 10498Pro is to con as progress is to Congress. 10499% 10500Probable-Possible, my black hen, 10501She lays eggs in the Relative When. 10502She doesn't lay eggs in the Positive Now 10503Because she's unable to postulate how. 10504 -- Frederick Winsor 10505% 10506Probably the question asked most often is: Do one-celled animals have 10507orgasms? The answer is yes, they have orgasms almost constantly, which 10508is why they don't mind living in pools of warm slime. 10509 -- Dave Barry, "Sex and the Single Amoeba: What Every 10510 Teen Should Know" 10511% 10512Prof: So the American government went to IBM to come up with a data 10513 encryption standard and they came up with ... 10514Student: EBCDIC!" 10515% 10516Professor Gorden Newell threw another shutout in last week's Chem. 10517Eng. 130 midterm. Once again no student received a single point on 10518his exam. Newell has now tossed five shutouts this quarter. Newell's 10519earned exam average has now dropped to a phenomenal 30% 10520% 10521Proof techniques #1: Proof by Induction. 10522 10523This technique is used on equations with "_n" in them. Induction 10524techniques are very popular, even the military used them. 10525 10526SAMPLE: Proof of induction without proof of induction. 10527 10528 We know it's true for _n equal to 1. Now assume that it's true 10529for every natural number less than _n. _N is arbitrary, so we can take _n 10530as large as we want. If _n is sufficiently large, the case of _n+1 is 10531trivially equivalent, so the only important _n are _n less than _n. We 10532can take _n = _n (from above), so it's true for _n+1 because it's just 10533about _n. 10534 QED. (QED translates from the Latin as "So what?") 10535% 10536Proof techniques #2: Proof by Oddity. 10537 SAMPLE: To prove that horses have an infinite number of legs. 10538(1) Horses have an even number of legs. 10539(2) They have two legs in back and fore legs in front. 10540(3) This makes a total of six legs, which certainly is an odd number of 10541 legs for a horse. 10542(4) But the only number that is both odd and even is infinity. 10543(5) Therefore, horses must have an infinite number of legs. 10544 10545Topics is be covered in future issues include proof by: 10546 Intimidation 10547 Gesticulation (handwaving) 10548 "Try it; it works" 10549 Constipation (I was just sitting there and ...) 10550 Blatant assertion 10551 Changing all the 2's to _n's 10552 Mutual consent 10553 Lack of a counterexample, and 10554 "It stands to reason" 10555% 10556Proposed Additions to the PDP-11 Instruction Set: 10557 10558BBW Branch Both Ways 10559BEW Branch Either Way 10560BBBF Branch on Bit Bucket Full 10561BH Branch and Hang 10562BMR Branch Multiple Registers 10563BOB Branch On Bug 10564BPO Branch on Power Off 10565BST Backspace and Stretch Tape 10566CDS Condense and Destroy System 10567CLBR Clobber Register 10568CLBRI Clobber Register Immediately 10569CM Circulate Memory 10570CMFRM Come From -- essential for truly structured programming 10571CPPR Crumple Printer Paper and Rip 10572CRN Convert to Roman Numerals 10573% 10574Proposed Additions to the PDP-11 Instruction Set: 10575 10576DC Divide and Conquer 10577DMPK Destroy Memory Protect Key 10578DO Divide and Overflow 10579EMPC Emulate Pocket Calculator 10580EPI Execute Programmer Immediately 10581EROS Erase Read Only Storage 10582EXCE Execute Customer Engineer 10583HCF Halt and Catch Fire 10584IBP Insert Bug and Proceed 10585INSQSW Insert into queue somewhere (for FINO queues [First in never out]) 10586PBC Print and Break Chain 10587PDSK Punch Disk 10588% 10589Proposed Additions to the PDP-11 Instruction Set: 10590 10591PI Punch Invalid 10592POPI Punch Operator Immediately 10593PVLC Punch Variable Length Card 10594RASC Read And Shred Card 10595RPM Read Programmers Mind 10596RSSC reduce speed, step carefully (for improved accuracy) 10597RTAB Rewind tape and break 10598RWDSK rewind disk 10599RWOC Read Writing On Card 10600SCRBL scribble to disk - faster than a write 10601SLC Search for Lost Chord 10602SPSW Scramble Program Status Word 10603SRSD Seek Record and Scar Disk 10604STROM Store in Read Only Memory 10605TDB Transfer and Drop Bit 10606WBT Water Binary Tree 10607% 10608"Protozoa are small, and bacteria are small, but viruses are smaller 10609than the both put together." 10610% 10611Psychiatrists say that one out of four people are mentally ill. Check 10612three friends. If they're OK, you're it. 10613% 10614Psychotherapy is the theory that the patient will probably get well 10615anyhow and is certainly a damn fool. 10616 -- H. L. Mencken 10617% 10618Puns are little "plays on words" that a certain breed of person loves 10619to spring on you and then look at you in a certain self-satisfied way 10620to indicate that he thinks that you must think that he is by far the 10621cleverest person on Earth now that Benjamin Franklin is dead, when in 10622fact what you are thinking is that if this person ever ends up in a 10623lifeboat, the other passengers will hurl him overboard by the end of 10624the first day even if they have plenty of food and water. 10625 -- Dave Barry, "Why Humor is Funny" 10626% 10627Pure drivel tends to drive ordinary drivel off of the TV screen. 10628% 10629Pure drivel tends to drive ordinary drivel off the TV screen. 10630% 10631Pushing 40 is exercise enough. 10632% 10633Put no trust in cryptic comments. 10634% 10635Put your Nose to the Grindstone! 10636 -- Amalgamated Plastic Surgeons and Toolmakers, Ltd. 10637% 10638Putt's Law: 10639 Technology is dominated by two types of people: 10640 Those who understand what they do not manage. 10641 Those who manage what they do not understand. 10642% 10643Q: Do you know what the death rate around here is? 10644A: One per person. 10645% 10646Q: How did you get into artificial intelligence? 10647A: Seemed logical -- I didn't have any real intelligence. 10648% 10649Q: How many DEC repairmen does it take to fix a flat ? 10650A: Five; four to hold the car up and one to swap tires. 10651% 10652Q: How many DEC repairmen does it take to fix a flat? 10653A: Five; four to hold the car up and one to swap tires. 10654 10655Q: How long does it take? 10656A: It's indeterminate. It will depend upon how many flats they've 10657 brought with them. 10658 10659Q: What happens if you've got TWO flats? 10660A: They replace your generator. 10661% 10662Q: How many existentialists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? 10663A: Two. One to screw it in and one to observe how the lightbulb 10664 itself symbolizes a single incandescent beacon of subjective 10665 reality in a netherworld of endless absurdity reaching out toward a 10666 maudlin cosmos of nothingness. 10667% 10668Q: How many heterosexual males does it take to screw in a light bulb 10669 in San Francisco? 10670A: Both of them. 10671% 10672Q: How many IBM cpu's does it take to do a logical right shift? 10673A: 33. 1 to hold the bits and 32 to push the register. 10674% 10675Q: How many IBM CPU's does it take to execute a job? 10676A: Four; three to hold it down, and one to rip its head off. 10677% 10678Q: How many IBM types does it take to change a light bulb? 10679A: 100. Ten to do it, and 90 to write document number GC7500439-0001, 10680 Multitasking Incandescent Source System Facility, of which 10% of 10681 the pages state only "This page intentionally left blank", and 20% 10682 of the definitions are of the form "A ...... consists of sequences 10683 of non-blank characters separated by blanks". 10684% 10685Q: How many journalists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? 10686A: Three. One to report it as an inspired government program to bring 10687 light to the people, one to report it as a diabolical government 10688 plot to deprive the poor of darkness, and one to win a pulitzer 10689 prize for reporting that Electric Company hired a lightbulb 10690 assassin to break the bulb in the first place. 10691% 10692Q: How many Martians does it take to screw in a lightbulb? 10693A: One and a half. 10694% 10695Q: How many mathematicians does it take to screw in a lightbulb? 10696A: One. He gives it to six Californians, thereby reducing the problem 10697 to the earlier joke. 10698% 10699Q: How many Oregonians does it take to screw in a light bulb? 10700A: Three. One to screw in the lightbulb and two to fend off all those 10701 Californians trying to share the experience. 10702% 10703Q: How many surrealists does it take to change a light bulb? 10704A: Two. One to hold the giraffe and the other to fill the bathtub 10705 with brightly colored machine tools. 10706% 10707Q: How many Zen masters does it take to screw in a light bulb? 10708A: None. The Universe spins the bulb, and the Zen master stays out 10709 of the way. 10710% 10711Q: What's a light-year? 10712A: One-third less calories than a regular year. 10713% 10714Q: Why did the tachyon cross the road? 10715A: Because it was on the other side. 10716% 10717Q: Why do ducks have flat feet? 10718A: To stamp out forest fires. 10719 10720Q: Why do elephants have flat feet? 10721A: To stamp out flaming ducks. 10722% 10723Q: Why do mountain climbers rope themselves together? 10724A: To prevent the sensible ones from going home. 10725% 10726Q: Somebody just posted that Roman Polanski directed Star Wars. What 10727 should I do? 10728 10729A: Post the correct answer at once! We can't have people go on 10730 believing that! Very good of you to spot this. You'll probably be 10731 the only one to make the correction, so post as soon as you can. No 10732 time to lose, so certainly don't wait a day, or check to see if 10733 somebody else has made the correction. 10734 10735 And it's not good enough to send the message by mail. Since you're 10736 the only one who really knows that it was Francis Coppola, you have 10737 to inform the whole net right away! 10738 10739 -- Brad Templeton, "Emily Postnews Answers Your Questions 10740 on Netiquette" 10741% 10742Quality Control, n.: 10743 The process of testing one out of every 1,000 units coming off 10744a production line to make sure that at least one out of 100 works. 10745% 10746Question: 10747Man Invented Alcohol, 10748God Invented Grass. 10749Who do you trust? 10750% 10751Quick!! Act as if nothing has happened! 10752% 10753Quick, sing me the BUDAPEST NATIONAL ANTHEM!! 10754% 10755Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur. 10756 10757(Whatever is said in Latin sounds profound.) 10758% 10759Quigley's Law: 10760 Whoever has any authority over you, no matter how small, will 10761atttempt to use it. 10762% 10763QUOTE OF THE DAY: 10764 10765 ` 10766 10767% 10768"Qvid me anxivs svm?" 10769% 10770QWERT (kwirt), n. [MW < OW qwertyuiop, a thirteenth]: 10771 1. a unit of weight equal to 13 poiuyt avoirdupois (or 1.69 10772kiloliks), commonly used in structural engineering; 2. [colloq.] one 10773thirteenth the load that a fully grown sligo can carry; 3. [anat.] a 10774painful irritation of the dermis in the region of the anus; 4. [slang] 10775person who excites in others the symptoms of a qwert. 10776 -- Webster's Middle World Dictionary, 4th ed. 10777% 10778Radioactive cats have 18 half-lives. 10779% 10780Rattling around the back of my head is a disturbing image of something 10781I saw at the airport ... Now I'm remembering, those giant piles of 10782computer magazines right next to "People" and "Time" in the airport 10783store. Does it bother anyone else that half the world is being told 10784all of our hard-won secrets of computer technology? Remember how all 10785the lawyers cried foul when "How to Avoid Probate" was published? Are 10786they taking no-fault insurance lying down? No way! But at the current 10787rate it won't be long before there are stacks of the "Transactions on 10788Information Theory" at the A&P checkout counters. Who's going to be 10789impressed with us electrical engineers then? Are we, as the saying 10790goes, giving away the store? 10791 -- Robert W. Lucky, IEEE President 10792% 10793Ray's Rule of Precision: 10794 Measure with a micrometer. Mark with chalk. Cut with an axe. 10795% 10796Razors pain you; 10797Rivers are damp; 10798Acids stain you; 10799And drugs cause cramp. 10800Guns aren't lawful; 10801Nooses give; 10802Gas smells awful; 10803You might as well live. 10804 -- Dorothy Parker 10805% 10806Re graphics: A picture is worth 10K words -- but only those to describe 10807the picture. Hardly any sets of 10K words can be adequately described 10808with pictures. 10809% 10810Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of 10811Congress. But I repeat myself. 10812 -- Mark Twain 10813% 10814Real computer scientists admire ADA for its overwhelming aesthetic 10815value but they find it difficult to actually program in it, as it is 10816much too large to implement. Most computer scientists don't notice 10817this because they are still arguing over what else to add to ADA. 10818% 10819Real computer scientists despise the idea of actual hardware. Hardware 10820has limitations, software doesn't. It's a real shame that Turing 10821machines are so poor at I/O. 10822% 10823Real computer scientists don't comment their code. The identifiers are 10824so long they can't afford the disk space. 10825% 10826Real computer scientists don't program in assembler. They don't write 10827in anything less portable than a number two pencil. 10828% 10829Real computer scientists don't write code. They occasionally tinker 10830with `programming systems', but those are so high level that they 10831hardly count (and rarely count accurately; precision is for 10832applications.) 10833% 10834Real computer scientists only write specs for languages that might run 10835on future hardware. Nobody trusts them to write specs for anything homo 10836sapiens will ever be able to fit on a single planet. 10837% 10838Real programmers disdain structured programming. Structured 10839programming is for compulsive neurotics who were prematurely toilet- 10840trained. They wear neckties and carefully line up pencils on otherwise 10841clear desks. 10842% 10843Real programmers don't bring brown-bag lunches. If the vending machine 10844doesn't sell it, they don't eat it. Vending machines don't sell 10845quiche. 10846% 10847Real programmers don't comment their code. It was hard to write, it 10848should be hard to understand. 10849% 10850Real programmers don't draw flowcharts. Flowcharts are, after all, the 10851illiterate's form of documentation. Cavemen drew flowcharts; look how 10852much good it did them. 10853% 10854Real Programmers don't play tennis, or any other sport that requires 10855you to change clothes. Mountain climbing is OK, and real programmers 10856wear their climbing boots to work in case a mountain should suddenly 10857spring up in the middle of the machine room. 10858% 10859Real programmers don't write in BASIC. Actually, no programmers write 10860in BASIC after reaching puberty. 10861% 10862Real programmers don't write in FORTRAN. FORTRAN is for pipe stress 10863freaks and crystallography weenies. FORTRAN is for wimp engineers who 10864wear white socks. 10865% 10866Real Programmers don't write in PL/I. PL/I is for programmers who 10867can't decide whether to write in COBOL or FORTRAN. 10868% 10869Real Programmers think better when playing Adventure or Rogue. 10870% 10871Real Programs don't use shared text. Otherwise, how can they use 10872functions for scratch space after they are finished calling them? 10873% 10874Real software engineers don't debug programs, they verify correctness. 10875This process doesn't necessarily involve execution of anything on a 10876computer, except perhaps a Correctness Verification Aid package. 10877% 10878Real software engineers don't like the idea of some inexplicable and 10879greasy hardware several aisles away that may stop working at any 10880moment. They have a great distrust of hardware people, and wish that 10881systems could be virtual at *___all* levels. They would like personal 10882computers (you know no one's going to trip over something and kill your 10883DFA in mid-transit), except that they need 8 megabytes to run their 10884Correctness Verification Aid packages. 10885% 10886Real software engineers work from 9 to 5, because that is the way the 10887job is described in the formal spec. Working late would feel like 10888using an undocumented external procedure. 10889% 10890Real Time, adj.: 10891 Here and now, as opposed to fake time, which only occurs there 10892and then. 10893% 10894Real Users are afraid they'll break the machine -- but they're never 10895afraid to break your face. 10896% 10897Real Users find the one combination of bizarre input values that shuts 10898down the system for days. 10899% 10900Real Users hate Real Programmers. 10901% 10902Real Users know your home telephone number. 10903% 10904Real Users never know what they want, but they always know when your 10905program doesn't deliver it. 10906% 10907Real Users never use the Help key. 10908% 10909Real World, The n.: 10910 1. In programming, those institutions at which programming may 10911be used in the same sentence as FORTRAN, COBOL, RPG, IBM, etc. 2. To 10912programmers, the location of non-programmers and activities not related 10913to programming. 3. A universe in which the standard dress is shirt and 10914tie and in which a person's working hours are defined as 9 to 5. 4. 10915The location of the status quo. 5. Anywhere outside a university. 10916"Poor fellow, he's left MIT and gone into the real world." Used 10917pejoratively by those not in residence there. In conversation, talking 10918of someone who has entered the real world is not unlike talking about a 10919deceased person. 10920% 10921Reality is a cop-out for people who can't handle drugs. 10922% 10923Reality is an obstacle to hallucination. 10924% 10925Reality is bad enough, why should I tell the truth? 10926 -- Patrick Sky 10927% 10928Reality is for people who lack imagination. 10929% 10930Reality is for those who can't face Science Fiction. 10931% 10932Reality is just a convenient measure of complexity. 10933 -- Alvy Ray Smith 10934% 10935"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go 10936away". 10937 -- Philip K. Dick 10938% 10939"Really ?? What a coincidence, I'm shallow too!!" 10940% 10941Receiving a million dollars tax free will make you feel better than 10942being flat broke and having a stomach ache. 10943 -- Dolph Sharp, "I'm O.K., You're Not So Hot" 10944% 10945Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you 10946lose your job. These economic downturns are very difficult to predict, 10947but sophisticated econometric modeling houses like Data Resources and 10948Chase Econometrics have successfully predicted 14 of the last 3 10949recessions. 10950% 10951Reclaimer, spare that tree! 10952Take not a single bit! 10953It used to point to me, 10954Now I'm protecting it. 10955It was the reader's CONS 10956That made it, paired by dot; 10957Now, GC, for the nonce, 10958Thou shalt reclaim it not. 10959% 10960 "Reflections on Ice-Breaking" 10961Candy 10962Is dandy 10963But liquor 10964Is quicker. 10965 -- Ogden Nash 10966% 10967"Reintegration complete," ZORAC advised. "We're back in the universe 10968again ..." An unusually long pause followed, "... but I don't know 10969which part. We seem to have changed our position in space." A 10970spherical display in the middle of the floor illuminated to show the 10971starfield surrounding the ship. 10972 10973"Several large, artificial constructions are approaching us," ZORAC 10974announced after a short pause. "The designs are not familiar, but they 10975are obviously the products of intelligence. Implications: we have been 10976intercepted deliberately by a means unknown, for a purpose unknown, and 10977transferred to a place unknown by a form of intelligence unknown. 10978Apart from the unknowns, everything is obvious." 10979 -- James P. Hogan, "Giants Star" 10980% 10981Reisner's Rule of Conceptual Inertia: 10982 If you think big enough, you'll never have to do it. 10983% 10984Religion has done love a great service by making it a sin. 10985 -- Anatole France 10986% 10987"Rembrandt's first name was Beauregard, which is why he never used 10988it." 10989 -- Dave Barry 10990% 10991Remember that whatever misfortune may be your lot, it could only be 10992worse in Cleveland. 10993 -- National Lampoon, "Deteriorata" 10994% 10995Remember, drive defensively! And of course, the best defense is a good 10996offense! 10997% 10998Remember, even if you win the rat race -- you're still a rat. 10999% 11000Remember, UNIX spelled backwards is XINU. 11001% 11002Remember: Silly is a state of Mind, Stupid is a way of Life. 11003 -- Dave Butler 11004% 11005Renning's Maxim: 11006 Man is the highest animal. Man does the classifying. 11007% 11008Reporter (to Mahatma Gandhi): Mr Gandhi, what do you think of Western 11009 Civilization? 11010Gandhi: I think it would be a good idea. 11011% 11012Reporter, n.: 11013 A writer who guesses his way to the truth and dispels it with a 11014tempest of words. 11015 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 11016% 11017REPORTER: Senator, are you for or against the MX missile system? 11018 11019SENATOR: Bob, the MX missile system reminds me of an old saying that 11020the country folk in my state like to say. It goes like this: "You can 11021carry a pig for six miles, but if you set it down it might run away." 11022I have no idea why the country folk say this. Maybe there's some kind 11023of chemical pollutant in their drinking water. That is why I pledge to 11024do all that I can to protect the environment of this great nation of 11025ours, and put prayer back in the schools, where it belongs. What we 11026need is jobs, not empty promises. I realize I'm risking my political 11027career be being so outspoken on a sensitive issue such as the MX, but 11028that's just the kind of straight-talking honest person I am, and I 11029can't help it. 11030 -- Dave Barry, "On Presidential Politics" 11031% 11032Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing. 11033 -- Wernher von Braun 11034% 11035Resisting temptation is easier when you think you'll probably get 11036another chance later on. 11037% 11038Review Questions 11039 11040(1) If Nerd on the planet Nutley starts out in his spaceship at 20 KPH, 11041 and his speed doubles every 3.2 seconds, how long will it be before 11042 he exceeds the speed of light? How long will it be before the 11043 Galactic Patrol picks up the pieces of his spaceship? 11044 11045(2) If Roger Rowdy wrecks his car every week, and each week he breaks 11046 twice as many bones as before, how long will it be before he breaks 11047 every bone in his body? How long will it be before they cut off 11048 his insurance? Where does he get a new car every week? 11049 11050(3) If Johnson drinks one beer the first hour (slow start), four beers 11051 the next hour, nine beers the next, etc., and stacks the cans in a 11052 pyramid, how soon will Johnson's pyramid be larger than King 11053 Tut's? When will it fall on him? Will he notice? 11054% 11055Rhode's Law: 11056 When any principle, law, tenet, probability, happening, 11057circumstance, or result can in no way be directly, indirectly, 11058empirically, or circuitously proven, derived, implied, inferred, 11059induced, deducted, estimated, or scientifically guessed, it will always 11060for the purpose of convenience, expediency, political advantage, 11061material gain, or personal comfort, or any combination of the above, or 11062none of the above, be unilaterally and unequivocally assumed, 11063proclaimed, and adhered to as absolute truth to be undeniably, 11064universally, immutably, and infinitely so, until such time as it 11065becomes advantageous to assume otherwise, maybe. 11066% 11067"Right now I'm having amnesia and deja vu at the same time." 11068 -- Steven Wright 11069% 11070Rocky's Lemma of Innovation Prevention 11071 Unless the results are known in advance, funding agencies will 11072 reject the proposal. 11073% 11074Romeo wasn't bilked in a day. 11075 -- Walt Kelly, "Ten Ever-Lovin' Blue-Eyed Years With 11076 Pogo" 11077% 11078ROMEO: Courage, man; the hurt cannot be much. 11079MERCUTIO: No, 'tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church- 11080 door; but 'tis enough, 'twill serve. 11081% 11082Rudin's Law: 11083 If there is a wrong way to do something, most people will do it 11084every time. 11085% 11086Rule 46, Oxford Union Society, London: 11087 Any member introducing a dog into the Society's premises shall 11088be liable to a fine of one pound. Any animal leading a blind person 11089shall be deemed to be a cat. 11090% 11091Rule of Creative Research: 11092 (1) Never draw what you can copy. 11093 (2) Never copy what you can trace. 11094 (3) Never trace what you can cut out and paste down. 11095% 11096Rule of Defactualization: 11097 Information deteriorates upward through bureaucracies. 11098% 11099Rule of Feline Frustration: 11100 When your cat has fallen asleep on your lap and looks utterly 11101content and adorable, you will suddenly have to go to the bathroom. 11102% 11103Rule of the Great: 11104 When people you greatly admire appear to be thinking deep 11105thoughts, they probably are thinking about lunch. 11106% 11107Rules for Academic Deans: 11108 (1) HIDE!!!! 11109 (2) If they find you, LIE!!!! 11110 -- Father Damian C. Fandal 11111% 11112Rules for driving in New York: 11113 (1) Anything done while honking your horn is legal. 11114 (2) You may park anywhere if you turn your four-way flashers 11115 on. 11116 (3) A red light means the next six cars may go through the 11117 intersection. 11118% 11119RULES OF EATING -- THE BRONX DIETER'S CREED 11120 (1) Never eat on an empty stomach. 11121 (2) Never leave the table hungry. 11122 (3) When traveling, never leave a country hungry. 11123 (4) Enjoy your food. 11124 (5) Enjoy your companion's food. 11125 (6) Really taste your food. It may take several portions to 11126 accomplish this, especially if subtly seasoned. 11127 (7) Really feel your food. Texture is important. Compare, 11128 for example, the texture of a turnip to that of a 11129 brownie. Which feels better against your cheeks? 11130 (8) Never eat between snacks, unless it's a meal. 11131 (9) Don't feel you must finish everything on your plate. You 11132 can always eat it later. 11133 (10) Avoid any wine with a childproof cap. 11134 (11) Avoid blue food. 11135 -- Richard Smit, "The Bronx Diet" 11136% 11137Rules: 11138 (1) The boss is always right. 11139 (2) When the boss is wrong, refer to rule 1. 11140% 11141 Safety Tips for the Post-Nuclear Existence 11142 Tip #1: How to tell when you are dead. 11143 11144(1) Little things start bothering you: little things like worms, bugs, 11145 ants. 11146(2) Something is missing in your personal relationships. 11147(3) Your dog becomes overly affectionate. 11148(4) You have a hard time getting a waiter. 11149(5) Exotic birds flock around you. 11150(6) People ignore you at parties. 11151(7) You have a hard time getting up in the morning. 11152(8) You no longer get off on cocaine. 11153% 11154 Safety Tips for the Post-Nuclear Existence 11155(1) Never use an elevator in a building that has been hit by a nuclear 11156 bomb; use the stairs. 11157(2) When you're flying through the air, remember to roll when you hit 11158 the ground. 11159(3) If you're on fire, avoid gasoline and other flammable materials. 11160(4) Don't attempt communication with dead people; it will only lead to 11161 psychological problems. 11162(5) Food will be scarce; you will have to scavenge. Learn to 11163 recognize foods that will be available after the bomb: mashed 11164 potatoes, shredded wheat, tossed salad, ground beef, etc. 11165(6) Put your hand over your mouth when you sneeze; internal organs 11166 will be scarce in the post-nuclear age. 11167(7) Try to be neat; fall only in designated piles. 11168(8) Drive carefully in "Heavy Fallout" areas; people could be 11169 staggering illegally. 11170(9) Nutritionally, hundred dollar bills are equal to ones, but more 11171 sanitary due to limited circulation. 11172(10) Accumulate mannequins now; spare parts will be in short supply on 11173 D-Day. 11174% 11175SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 - Dec 21) 11176 You are optimistic and enthusiastic. You have a reckless 11177 tendency to rely on luck since you lack talent. The majority 11178 of Sagittarians are drunks or dope fiends or both. People 11179 laugh at you a great deal. 11180% 11181San Francisco isn't what it used to be, and it never was. 11182 -- Herb Caen 11183% 11184San Francisco, n.: 11185 Marcel Proust editing an issue of Penthouse. 11186% 11187Sanity is the trademark of a weak mind. 11188 -- Mark Harrold 11189% 11190Santa Claus wears a Red Suit, 11191 He must be a communist. 11192And a beard and long hair, 11193 Must be a pacifist. 11194 11195 What's in that pipe that he's smoking? 11196 -- Arlo Guthrie 11197% 11198Satellite Safety Tip #14: 11199 If you see a bright streak in the sky coming at you, duck. 11200% 11201Sattinger's Law: 11202 It works better if you plug it in. 11203% 11204Saturday night in Toledo Ohio, 11205 Is like being nowhere at all, 11206All through the day how the hours rush by, 11207 You sit in the park and you watch the grass die. 11208 -- John Denver, "Saturday Night in Toledo Ohio" 11209% 11210Sauron is alive in Argentina! 11211% 11212Save energy: be apathetic. 11213% 11214Save the Whales -- Harpoon a Honda. 11215% 11216Save the whales. Collect the whole set. 11217% 11218"Saw a sign on a restaurant that said Breakfast, any time -- so I 11219ordered French Toast in the Renaissance. 11220 -- Steven Wright 11221% 11222SCCS, the source motel! Programs check in and never check out! 11223 -- Ken Thompson 11224% 11225Schapiro's Explanation: 11226 The grass is always greener on the other side -- but that's 11227because they use more manure. 11228% 11229Schizophrenia beats being alone. 11230% 11231Schlattwhapper, n.: 11232 The window shade that allows itself to be pulled down, 11233hesitates for a second, then snaps up in your face. 11234 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 11235% 11236Schnuffel, n.: 11237 A dog's practice of continuously nuzzling in your crotch in 11238mixed company. 11239 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 11240% 11241Schwiggle, n.: 11242 The amusing rotation of one's bottom while sharpening a 11243pencil. 11244 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 11245% 11246Science is facts; just as houses are made of stones, so is science made 11247of facts; but a pile of stones is not a house and a collection of facts 11248is not necessarily science. 11249 -- Henri Poincair'e 11250% 11251Science is what happens when preconception meets verification. 11252% 11253Scientists are people who build the Brooklyn Bridge and then buy it. 11254 -- William Buckley 11255 11256% 11257SCORPIO (Oct 23 - Nov 21) 11258 You are shrewd in business and cannot be trusted. You will 11259 achieve the pinnacle of success because of your total lack of 11260 ethics. Most Scorpio people are murdered. 11261% 11262Scott's first Law: 11263 No matter what goes wrong, it will probably look right. 11264% 11265Scott's second Law: 11266 When an error has been detected and corrected, it will be found 11267to have been wrong in the first place. 11268 11269Corollary: 11270 After the correction has been found in error, it will be 11271impossible to fit the original quantity back into the equation. 11272% 11273Scotty: Captain, we din' can reference it! 11274Kirk: Analysis, Mr. Spock? 11275Spock: Captain, it doesn't appear in the symbol table. 11276Kirk: Then it's of external origin? 11277Spock: Affirmative. 11278Kirk: Mr. Sulu, go to pass two. 11279Sulu: Aye aye, sir, going to pass two. 11280% 11281Screw up your courage! You've screwed up everything else. 11282% 11283Scrubbing floors and emptying bedpans has as much dignity as the 11284Presidency. 11285 -- Richard Nixon 11286% 11287Second Law of Business Meetings: 11288 If there are two possible ways to spell a person's name, you 11289will pick the wrong one. 11290 11291Corollary: 11292 If there is only one way to spell a name, you will spell it 11293wrong, anyway. 11294% 11295"Section 2.4.3.5 AWNS (Acceptor Wait for New Cycle State). 11296 In AWNS the AH function indicates that it has received a 11297multiline message byte. 11298 In AWNS the RFD message must be sent false and the DAC message 11299must be sent passive true. 11300 The AH function must exit the AWNS and enter: 11301 (1) The ANRS if DAV is false 11302 (2) The AIDS if the ATN message is false and neither: 11303 (a) The LADS is active 11304 (b) Nor LACS is active" 11305 11306 -- from the IEEE Standard Digital Interface for 11307 Programmable Instrumentation 11308% 11309Security check: INTRUDER ALERT! 11310% 11311Seduced, shaggy Samson snored. 11312She scissored short. Sorely shorn, 11313Soon shackled slave, Samson sighed, 11314Silently scheming, 11315Sightlessly seeking 11316Some savage, spectacular suicide. 11317 -- Stanislaw Lem, "Cyberiad" 11318% 11319"See - the thing is - I'm an absolutist. I mean, kind of ... in a way ..." 11320% 11321Seleznick's Theory of Holistic Medicine: 11322 Ice Cream cures all ills. 11323% 11324Self Test for Paranoia: 11325 You know you have it when you can't think of anything that's 11326your own fault. 11327% 11328Seminars, n.: 11329 From "semi" and "arse", hence, any half-assed discussion. 11330% 11331Sen. Danforth: "There is nothing on the face of the album which would 11332 notify you if the record has pornographics material or 11333 material glorifying violence?" 11334Tipper Gore: "No, there is nothing that would suggest that to me." 11335Frank Zappa: "I would say that a buzz saw blade between the guy's 11336 legs on the album cover is good indication that it's 11337 not for little Johnny." 11338 11339 -- The Senate Commerce Committee hearing on rock 11340 lyrics, from The Village Voice, 6 Oct 1985 11341% 11342Senate, n.: 11343 A body of elderly gentlemen charged with high duties and 11344misdemeanors. 11345 -- Ambrose Bierce 11346% 11347Serenity through viciousness. 11348% 11349Serocki's Stricture: 11350 Marriage is always a bachelor's last option. 11351% 11352Serving coffee on aircraft causes turbulence. 11353% 11354 "Seven years and six months!" Humpty Dumpty repeated 11355thoughtfully. "An uncomfortable sort of age. Now if you'd asked MY 11356advice, I'd have said `Leave off at seven' -- but it's too late now." 11357 "I never ask advice about growing," Alice said indignantly. 11358 "Too proud?" the other enquired. 11359 Alice felt even more indignant at this suggestion. "I mean," 11360she said, "that one can't help growing older." 11361 "ONE can't, perhaps," said Humpty Dumpty; "but TWO can. With 11362proper assistance, you might have left off at seven." 11363 -- Lewis Carroll 11364% 11365Several years ago, some smart businessmen had an idea: Why not build a 11366big store where a do-it-yourselfer could get everything he needed at 11367reasonable prices? Then they decided, nah, the hell with that, let's 11368build a home center. And before long home centers were springing up 11369like crabgrass all over the United States. 11370 -- Dave Barry, "The Taming of the Screw" 11371% 11372Sex is a natural bodily process, like a stroke. 11373% 11374Sex is not the answer. Sex is the question. "Yes" is the answer. 11375 -- Swami X 11376% 11377Sex is the mathematics urge sublimated. 11378 -- M. C. Reed. 11379% 11380Sex without love is an empty experience, but, as empty experiences go, 11381it's one of the best. 11382 -- Woody Allen 11383% 11384Shamus, n. [Yiddish]: 11385 A shamus is a guy who takes care of handyman tasks around the 11386temple, and makes sure everything is in working order. 11387 A shamus is at the bottom of the pecking order of synagog 11388functionaries, and there's a joke about that: 11389 A rabbi, to show his humility before God, cries out in the 11390middle of a service, "Oh, Lord, I am nobody!" The cantor, not to be 11391bested, also cries out, "Oh, Lord, I am nobody!" 11392 The shamus, deeply moved, follows suit and cries, "Oh, Lord, I 11393am nobody!" The rabbi turns to the cantor and says, "Look who thinks 11394he's nobody!" 11395 -- Arthur Naiman, "Every Goy's Guide to Yiddish" 11396% 11397Sharks are as tough as those football fans who take their shirts off 11398during games in Chicago in January, only more intelligent. 11399 -- Dave Barry, "Sex and the Single Amoeba: What Every 11400 Teen Should Know" 11401% 11402Shaw's Principle: 11403 Build a system that even a fool can use, and only a fool will 11404want to use it. 11405% 11406"She is descended from a long line that her mother listened to." 11407 -- Gypsy Rose Lee 11408% 11409She is not refined. She is not unrefined. She keeps a parrot. 11410 -- Mark Twain 11411% 11412She liked him; he was a man of many qualities, even if most of them 11413were bad. 11414% 11415She missed an invaluable opportunity to give him a look that you could 11416have poured on a waffle ... 11417% 11418"She said, `I know you ... you cannot sing'. I said, `That's nothing, 11419you should hear me play piano.'" 11420 -- Morrisey 11421% 11422She's genuinely bogus. 11423% 11424"Sherry [Thomas Sheridan] is dull, naturally dull; but it must have 11425taken him a great deal of pains to become what we now see him. Such an 11426excess of stupidity, sir, is not in Nature." 11427 -- Samuel Johnson 11428% 11429SHIFT TO THE LEFT! SHIFT TO THE RIGHT! 11430POP UP, PUSH DOWN, BYTE, BYTE, BYTE! 11431% 11432Show me a man who is a good loser and I'll show you a man who is 11433playing golf with his boss. 11434% 11435Show respect for age. Drink good Scotch for a change. 11436% 11437Signs of crime: screaming or cries for help. 11438 -- from the Brown Security Crime Prevention Pamphlet 11439% 11440Silverman's Law: 11441 If Murphy's Law can go wrong, it will. 11442% 11443Simon's Law: 11444 Everything put together falls apart sooner or later. 11445% 11446Since I hurt my pendulum 11447My life is all erratic. 11448My parrot, who was cordial, 11449Is now transmitting static. 11450The carpet died, a palm collapsed, 11451The cat keeps doing poo. 11452The only thing that keeps me sane 11453Is talking to my shoe. 11454 -- My Shoe 11455% 11456Since we have to speak well of the dead, let's knock them while they're 11457alive. 11458 -- John Sloan 11459% 11460Since we're all here, we must not be all there. 11461 -- Bob "Mountain" Beck 11462% 11463[Sir Stafford Cripps] has all the virtues I dislike and none of the 11464vices I admire. 11465 -- Winston Churchill 11466% 11467Sixtus V, Pope from 1585 to 1590 authorized a printing of the Vulgate 11468Bible. Taking no chances, the pope issued a papal bull automatically 11469excommunicating any printer who might make an alteration in the text. 11470This he ordered printed at the beginning of the Bible. He personally 11471examined every sheet as it came off the press. Yet the published 11472Vulgate Bible contained so many errors that corrected scraps had to be 11473printed and pasted over them in every copy. The result provoked wry 11474comments on the rather patchy papal infallibility, and Pope Sixtus had 11475no recourse but to order the return and destruction of every copy. 11476% 11477Skinner's Constant (or Flannagan's Finagling Factor): 11478 That quantity which, when multiplied by, divided by, added to, 11479or subtracted from the answer you get, gives you the answer you should 11480have gotten. 11481% 11482Slang is language that takes off its coat, spits on its hands, and goes 11483to work. 11484% 11485Slaves are generally expected to sing as well as to work ... I did not, 11486when a slave, understand the deep meanings of those rude, and 11487apparently incoherent songs. I was myself within the circle, so that I 11488neither saw nor heard as those without might see and hear. They told a 11489tale which was then altogether beyond my feeble comprehension: they 11490were tones, loud, long and deep, breathing the prayer and complaint of 11491souls boiling over with the bitterest anguish. Every tone was a 11492testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for deliverance from 11493chains. 11494 -- Frederick Douglass 11495% 11496Slick's Three Laws of the Universe: 11497 (1) Nothing in the known universe travels faster than a bad 11498 check. 11499 (2) A quarter-ounce of chocolate = four pounds of fat. 11500 (3) There are two types of dirt: the dark kind, which is 11501 attracted to light objects, and the light kind, which is 11502 attracted to dark objects. 11503% 11504Slowly and surely the unix crept up on the Nintendo user ... 11505% 11506Slurm, n.: 11507 The slime that accumulates on the underside of a soap bar when 11508it sits in the dish too long. 11509 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 11510% 11511Smoking is one of the leading causes of statistics. 11512 -- Fletcher Knebel 11513% 11514Smoking is one of the leading causes of statistics. 11515 -- Fletcher Knebel 11516% 11517Snacktrek, n.: 11518 The peculiar habit, when searching for a snack, of constantly 11519returning to the refrigerator in hopes that something new will have 11520materialized. 11521 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 11522% 11523So as your consumer electronics adviser, I am advising you to donate 11524your current VCR to a grate resident, who will laugh sardonically and 11525hurl it into a dumpster. Then I want you to go out and purchase a vast 11526array of 8-millimeter video equipment. 11527 11528... OK! Got everything? Well, *too bad, sucker*, because while you 11529were gone the electronics industry came up with an even newer format 11530that makes your 8-millimeter VCR look as technologically advanced as 11531toenail dirt. This format is called "3.5 hectare" and it will not be 11532made available until it is outmoded, sometime early next week, by a 11533format called "Elroy", so *order yours now*. 11534 -- Dave Barry, "No Surrender in the Electronics 11535 Revolution" 11536% 11537So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in 11538praise of intelligence. 11539 -- Bertrand Russell 11540% 11541... so long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those 11542who wish to tyrranize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, 11543and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious 11544and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men. 11545 -- Voltarine de Cleyre 11546% 11547 So Richard and I decided to try to catch [the small shark]. 11548With a great deal of strategy and effort and shouting, we managed to 11549maneuver the shark, over the course of about a half-hour, to a sort of 11550corner of the lagoon, so that it had no way to escape other than to 11551flop up onto the land and evolve. Richard and I were inching toward 11552it, sort of crouched over, when all of a sudden it turned around and -- 11553I can still remember the sensation I felt at that moment, primarily in 11554the armpit area -- headed right straight toward us. 11555 Many people would have panicked at this point. But Richard and 11556I were not "many people." We were experienced waders, and we kept our 11557heads. We did exactly what the textbook says you should do when you're 11558unarmed and a shark that is nearly two feet long turns on you in water 11559up to your lower calves: We sprinted I would say 600 yards in the 11560opposite direction, using a sprinting style such that the bottoms of 11561our feet never once went below the surface of the water. We ran all 11562the way to the far shore, and if we had been in a Warner Brothers 11563cartoon we would have run right INTO the beach, and you would have seen 11564these two mounds of sand racing across the island until they bonked 11565into trees and coconuts fell onto their heads. 11566 -- Dave Barry, "The Wonders of Sharks on TV" 11567% 11568"So she went into the garden to cut a cabbage leaf to make an apple 11569pie; and at the same time a great she-bear, coming up the street pops 11570its head into the shop. "What! no soap?" So he died, and she very 11571imprudently married the barber; and there were present the Picninnies, 11572and the Grand Panjandrum himself, with the little round button at top, 11573and they all fell to playing the game of catch as catch can, till the 11574gunpowder ran out at the heels of their boots." 11575 -- Samuel Foote 11576% 11577... So the documentary-makers stick with sharks. Generally, their 11578procedure is to scatter bleeding fish pieces around their boat, so as 11579to infest the waters. I would estimate that the primary food source of 11580sharks today is bleeding fish pieces scattered by people making 11581documentaries. Once the sharks arrive, they are generally fairly 11582listless. The general shark attitude seems to be: "Oh God, another 11583documentary." So the divers have to somehow goad them into attacking, 11584under the guise of Scientific Research. "We know very little about the 11585effect of electricity on sharks," the narrator will say, in a deeply 11586scientific voice. "That is why Todd is going to jab this Great White 11587in the testicles with a cattle prod." The divers keep this kind of 11588thing up until the shark finally gets irritated and snaps at them, and 11589then they act as though this was a totally unexpected and very 11590dangerous development, although clearly it is what they wanted all 11591along. 11592 -- Dave Barry, "The Wonders of Sharks on TV" 11593% 11594So, what's with this guy Gideon, anyway? And why can't he ever 11595remember his Bible? 11596% 11597Sodd's Second Law: 11598 Sooner or later, the worst possible set of circumstances is 11599bound to occur. 11600% 11601Software, n.: 11602 Formal evening attire for female computer analysts. 11603% 11604Some don't prefer the pursuit of happiness to the happiness of pursuit. 11605% 11606Some men are alive simply because it is against the law to kill them. 11607 -- Ed Howe 11608% 11609Some of you ... may have decided that, this year, you're going to 11610celebrate it the old-fashioned way, with your family sitting around 11611stringing cranberries and exchanging humble, handmade gifts, like on 11612"The Waltons". Well, you can forget it. If everybody pulled that kind 11613of subversive stunt, the economy would collapse overnight. The 11614government would have to intervene: it would form a cabinet-level 11615Department of Holiday Gift-Giving, which would spend billions and 11616billions of tax dollars to buy Barbie dolls and electronic games, which 11617it would drop on the populace from Air Force jets, killing and maiming 11618thousands. So, for the good of the nation, you should go along with 11619the Holiday Program. This means you should get a large sum of money 11620and go to a mall. 11621 -- Dave Barry, "Christmas Shopping: A Survivor's Guide" 11622% 11623Some people are born mediocre, some people achieve mediocrity, and some 11624people have mediocrity thrust upon them. 11625 -- Joseph Heller, "Catch-22" 11626% 11627Some people have a way about them that seems to say: "If I have only 11628one life to live, let me live it as a jerk." 11629% 11630Some people in this department wouldn't recognize subtlety if it hit 11631them on the head. 11632% 11633Some people live life in the fast lane. You're in oncoming traffic. 11634% 11635Some performers on television appear to be horrible people, but when 11636you finally get to know them in person, they turn out to be even 11637worse. 11638 -- Avery 11639% 11640Some points to remember [about animals]: 11641 11642(1) Don't go to sleep under big animals, e.g., elephants, rhinoceri, 11643 hippopotamuses; 11644(2) Don't put animals with sharp teeth or poisonous fangs down the 11645 front of your clothes; 11646(3) Don't pat certain animals, e.g., crocodiles and scorpions or dogs 11647 you have just kicked. 11648 -- Mike Harding, "The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac" 11649% 11650Some primal termite knocked on wood. 11651And tasted it, and found it good. 11652And that is why your Cousin May 11653Fell through the parlor floor today. 11654 -- Ogden Nash 11655% 11656Some programming languages manage to absorb change but withstand 11657progress. 11658% 11659Some programming languages manage to absorb change, but withstand 11660progress. 11661 -- Epigrams in Programming, ACM SIGPLAN Sept. 1982 11662% 11663Somebody ought to cross ball point pens with coat hangers so that the 11664pens will multiply instead of disappear. 11665% 11666Someone will try to honk your nose today. 11667% 11668"Sometimes I simply feel that the whole world is a cigarette and I'm 11669the only ashtray." 11670% 11671Sometimes I worry about being a success in a mediocre world. 11672 -- Lily Tomlin 11673% 11674"Somewhere", said Father Vittorini, "did Blake not speak of the 11675Machineries of Joy? That is, did not God promote environments, then 11676intimidate these Natures by provoking the existence of flesh, toy men 11677and women, such as are we all? And thus happily sent forth, at our 11678best, with good grace and fine wit, on calm noons, in fair climes, are 11679we not God's Machineries of Joy?" 11680 11681"If Blake said that", said Father Brian, "he never lived in Dublin." 11682 -- R. Bradbury, "The Machineries of Joy" 11683% 11684Somewhere, just out of sight, the unicorns are gathering. 11685% 11686Song Title of the Week: 11687 "They're putting dimes in the hole in my head to see the change 11688in me." 11689% 11690Sooner or later you must pay for your sins. (Those who have already 11691paid may disregard this fortune). 11692% 11693Sorry, no fortune this time. 11694% 11695Sorry. I forget what I was going to say. 11696% 11697Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- 11698bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the 11699road to the drug store, but that's just peanuts to space. 11700 -- "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" 11701% 11702"Spare no expense to save money on this one." 11703 -- Samuel Goldwyn 11704% 11705Spark's Sixth Rule for Managers: 11706 If a subordinate asks you a pertinent question, look at him as 11707if he had lost his senses. When he looks down, paraphrase the question 11708back at him. 11709% 11710Speak roughly to your little boy, 11711 And beat him when he sneezes: 11712He only does it to annoy 11713 Because he knows it teases. 11714 11715 Wow! wow! wow! 11716 11717I speak severely to my boy, 11718 And beat him when he sneezes: 11719For he can thoroughly enjoy 11720 The pepper when he pleases! 11721 11722 Wow! wow! wow! 11723 -- Lewis Carrol, "Alice in Wonderland" 11724% 11725Speak roughly to your little VAX, 11726 And boot it when it crashes; 11727It knows that one cannot relax 11728 Because the paging thrashes! 11729 11730 Wow! Wow! Wow! 11731 11732I speak severely to my VAX, 11733 And boot it when it crashes; 11734In spite of all my favorite hacks 11735 My jobs it always thrashes! 11736 11737 Wow! Wow! Wow! 11738% 11739Speak softly and carry a +6 two-handed sword. 11740% 11741Speak softly and own a big, mean Doberman. 11742 -- Dave Millman 11743% 11744Speaking as someone who has delved into the intricacies of PL/I, I am 11745sure that only Real Men could have written such a machine-hogging, 11746cycle-grabbing, all-encompassing monster. Allocate an array and free 11747the middle third? Sure! Why not? Multiply a character string times a 11748bit string and assign the result to a float decimal? Go ahead! Free a 11749controlled variable procedure parameter and reallocate it before 11750passing it back? Overlay three different types of variable on the same 11751memory location? Anything you say! Write a recursive macro? Well, 11752no, but Real Men use rescan. How could a language so obviously 11753designed and written by Real Men not be intended for Real Man use? 11754% 11755Speaking of Godzilla and other things that convey horror: 11756 11757 With a purposeful grimace and a Mongo-like flair 11758 He throws the spinning disk drives in the air! 11759 And he picks up a Vax and he throws it back down 11760 As he wades through the lab making terrible sounds! 11761 Helpless users with projects due 11762 Scream "My God!" as he stomps on the tape drives, too! 11763 11764 Oh, no! He says Unix runs too slow! Go, go, DECzilla! 11765 Oh, yes! He's gonna bring up VMS! Go, go, DECzilla!" 11766 11767* VMS is a trademark of Digital Equipment Corporation 11768* DECzilla is a trademark of Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of Death, Inc. 11769 -- Curtis Jackson 11770% 11771Speaking of love, one problem that recurs more and more frequently 11772these days, in books and plays and movies, is the inability of people 11773to communicate with the people they love; Husbands and wives who can't 11774communicate, children who can't communicate with their parents, and so 11775on. And the characters in these books and plays and so on (and in real 11776life, I might add) spend hours bemoaning the fact that they can't 11777communicate. I feel that if a person can't communicate, the very _____least 11778he can do is to Shut Up! 11779 -- Tom Lehrer, "That Was the Year that Was" 11780% 11781"Speed is subsittute fo accurancy." 11782% 11783Speer's 1st Law of Proofreading: 11784 The visibility of an error is inversely proportional to the 11785number of times you have looked at it. 11786% 11787Spelling is a lossed art. 11788% 11789Spend extra time on hobby. Get plenty of rolling papers. 11790% 11791Spirtle, n.: 11792 The fine stream from a grapefruit that always lands right in 11793your eye. 11794 -- Sniglets, "Rich Hall & Friends" 11795% 11796Spouse, n.: 11797 Someone who'll stand by you through all the trouble you 11798wouldn't have had if you'd stayed single. 11799% 11800"Star Wars is adolescent nonsense; Close Encounters is obscurantist 11801drivel; Star Trek can turn your brains to pur'ee of bat guano; and the 11802greatest science fiction series of all time is Doctor Who! And I'll 11803take you all on, one-by-one or all in a bunch to back it up!" 11804 -- Harlan Ellison 11805% 11806Stay away from flying saucers today. 11807% 11808Stay away from hurricanes for a while. 11809% 11810"Stealing a rhinoceros should not be attempted lightly." 11811% 11812Steele's Plagiarism of Somebody's Philosophy: 11813 Everybody should believe in something -- I believe I'll have 11814another drink. 11815% 11816Steinbach's Guideline for Systems Programming: 11817 Never test for an error condition you don't know how to 11818handle. 11819% 11820Stop searching. Happiness is right next to you. 11821% 11822Stop searching. Happiness is right next to you. Now, if they'd only 11823take a bath ... 11824% 11825Stult's Report: 11826 Our problems are mostly behind us. What we have to do now is 11827fight the solutions. 11828% 11829Stupid, n.: 11830 Losing $25 on the game and $25 on the instant replay. 11831% 11832Stupidity got us into this mess -- why can't it get us out? 11833% 11834Sturgeon's Law: 11835 90% of everything is crud. 11836% 11837Substitute "damn" every time you're inclined to write "very"; your 11838editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. 11839 -- Mark Twain 11840% 11841Subtlety is the art of saying what you think and getting out of the way 11842before it is understood. 11843% 11844Succumb to natural tendencies. Be hateful and boring. 11845% 11846Suddenly, Professor Liebowitz realizes he has come to the seminar 11847without his duck ... 11848% 11849(Sung to the tune of "The Impossible Dream" from MAN OF LA MANCHA) 11850 11851 To code the impossible code, 11852 To bring up a virgin machine, 11853 To pop out of endless recursion, 11854 To grok what appears on the screen, 11855 11856 To right the unrightable bug, 11857 To endlessly twiddle and thrash, 11858 To mount the unmountable magtape, 11859 To stop the unstoppable crash! 11860% 11861Support bacteria -- it's the only culture some people have! 11862% 11863Support wildlife -- vote for an orgy. 11864% 11865Support your local police force -- steal!! 11866% 11867Support your local Search and Rescue unit -- get lost. 11868% 11869Sure he's sharp as a razor ... he's a two-dimensional pinhead! 11870% 11871Surprise due today. Also the rent. 11872% 11873Surprise your boss. Get to work on time. 11874% 11875Surprise! You are the lucky winner of random I.R.S. Audit! Just type 11876in your name and social security number. Please remember that leaving 11877the room is punishable under law: 11878 11879Name # 11880% 11881Swahili, n.: 11882 The language used by the National Enquirer to print their 11883retractions. 11884 -- Johnny Hart 11885% 11886Sweater, n.: 11887 A garment worn by a child when its mother feels chilly. 11888% 11889Swipple's Rule of Order: 11890 He who shouts the loudest has the floor. 11891% 11892Syntactic sugar causes cancer of the semicolon. 11893 -- Epigrams in Programming, ACM SIGPLAN Sept. 1982 11894% 11895System/3! System/3! 11896See how it runs! See how it runs! 11897 Its monitor loses so totally! 11898 It runs all its programs in RPG! 11899 It's made by our favorite monopoly! 11900System/3! 11901% 11902Systems have sub-systems and sub-systems have sub-systems and so on ad 11903infinitum -- which is why we're always starting over. 11904 -- Epigrams in Programming, ACM SIGPLAN Sept. 1982 11905% 11906 _ 11907 _ / \ o 11908 / \ | | o o o 11909 | | | | _ o o o o 11910 | \_| | / \ o o o 11911 \__ | | | o o 11912 | | | | ______ ~~~~ _____ 11913 | |__/ | / ___--\\ ~~~ __/_____\__ 11914 | ___/ / \--\\ \\ \ ___ <__ x x __\ 11915 | | / /\\ \\ )) \ ( " ) 11916 | | -------(---->>(@)--(@)-------\----------< >----------- 11917 | | // | | //__________ / \ ____) (___ \\ 11918 | | // __|_| ( --------- ) //// ______ /////\ \\ 11919 // | ( \ ______ / <<<< <>-----<<<<< / \\ 11920 // ( ) / / \` \__ \\ 11921 //-------------------------------------------------------------\\ 11922 11923Every now and then when your life gets complicated and the weasels 11924start closing in, the only cure is to load up on heinous chemicals and 11925then drive like a bastard from Hollywood to Las Vegas ... with the 11926music at top volume and at least a pint of ether. 11927 -- H.S. Thompson, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" 11928% 11929T: One big monster, he called TROLL. 11930 He don't rock, and he don't roll; 11931 Drink no wine, and smoke no stogies. 11932 He just Love To Eat Them Roguies. 11933 -- The Roguelet's ABC 11934% 11935Tact is the ability to tell a man he has an open mind when he has a 11936hole in his head. 11937% 11938Tact, n.: 11939 The unsaid part of what you're thinking. 11940% 11941Take everything in stride. Trample anyone who gets in your way. 11942% 11943Take heart amid the deepening gloom that your dog is finally getting 11944enough cheese 11945 -- National Lampoon, "Deteriorata" 11946% 11947Take it easy, we're in a hurry. 11948% 11949Take my word for it, the silliest woman can manage a clever man, but it 11950needs a very clever woman to manage a fool. 11951 -- Kipling 11952% 11953Take the folks at Coca-Cola. For many years, they were content to sit 11954back and make the same old carbonated beverage. It was a good 11955beverage, no question about it; generations of people had grown up 11956drinking it and doing the experiment in sixth grade where you put a 11957nail into a glass of Coke and after a couple of days the nail dissolves 11958and the teacher says: "Imagine what it does to your TEETH!" So 11959Coca-Cola was solidly entrenched in the market, and the management saw 11960no need to improve ... 11961 -- Dave Barry, "In Search of Excellence" 11962% 11963Take your dying with some seriousness, however. Laughing on the way to 11964your execution is not generally understood by less advanced life forms, 11965and they'll call you crazy. 11966 -- "Messiah's Handbook: Reminders for the Advanced Soul" 11967% 11968Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish. 11969 -- Euripides 11970% 11971Talkers are no good doers. 11972 -- William Shakespeare, "Henry VI" 11973% 11974Talking much about oneself can also be a means to conceal oneself. 11975 -- Friedrich Nietzsche 11976% 11977TAURUS (Apr 20 - May 20) 11978 You are practical and persistent. You have a dogged 11979 determination and work like hell. Most people think you are 11980 stubborn and bull headed. You are a Communist. 11981% 11982Tax reform means "Don't tax you, don't tax me, tax that fellow behind 11983the tree." 11984 -- Russell Long 11985% 11986Taxes are going up so fast, the government is likely to price itself 11987out of the market. 11988% 11989Taxes, n.: 11990 Of life's two certainties, the only one for which you can get 11991an extension. 11992% 11993Teach children to be polite and courteous in the home, and, when he 11994grows up, he will never be able to edge his car onto a freeway. 11995% 11996Teamwork is essential -- it allows you to blame someone else. 11997% 11998Technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means 11999for going backwards. 12000 -- Aldous Huxley 12001% 12002Telephone, n.: 12003 An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the 12004advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance. 12005 -- Ambrose Bierce 12006% 12007Tell me, O Octopus, I begs, 12008Is those things arms, or is they legs? 12009I marvel at thee, Octopus; 12010If I were thou, I'd call me us. 12011 -- Ogden Nash 12012% 12013Ten years of rejection slips is nature's way of telling you to stop 12014writing. 12015 -- R. Geis 12016% 12017"Terence, this is stupid stuff: 12018You eat your victuals fast enough; 12019There can't be much amiss, 'tis clear, 12020To see the rate you drink your beer. 12021But oh, good Lord, the verse you make, 12022It gives a chap the belly-ache. 12023The cow, the old cow, she is dead; 12024It sleeps well the horned head: 12025We poor lads, 'tis our turn now 12026To hear such tunes as killed the cow. 12027Pretty friendship 'tis to rhyme 12028Your friends to death before their time. 12029Moping, melancholy mad: 12030Come, pipe a tune to dance to, lad." 12031 -- A. E. Housman 12032% 12033"Termiter's argument that God is His own grandmother generated a 12034surprising amount of controversy among Church leaders, who on the one 12035hand considered the argument unsupported by scripture but on the other 12036hand were unwilling to risk offending God's grandmother." 12037 -- Len Cool, "American Pie" 12038% 12039Tertullian was born in Carthage somewhere about 160 A.D. He was a 12040pagan, and he abandoned himself to the lascivious life of his city 12041until about his 35th year, when he became a Christian .... To him is 12042ascribed the sublime confession: Credo quia absurdum est (I believe 12043because it is absurd). This does not altogether accord with historical 12044fact, for he merely said: 12045 12046 "And the Son of God died, which is immediately credible because 12047 it is absurd. And buried he rose again, which is certain 12048 because it is impossible." 12049 12050Thanks to the acuteness of his mind, he saw through the poverty of 12051philosophical and Gnostic knowledge, and contemptuously rejected it. 12052 -- C. G. Jung, in Psychological Types 12053 12054(Teruillian was one of the founders of the Catholic Church). 12055% 12056Test-tube babies shouldn't throw stones. 12057% 12058Texas law forbids anyone to have a pair of pliers in his possession. 12059% 12060"Text processing has made it possible to right-justify any idea, even 12061one which cannot be justified on any other grounds." 12062 -- J. Finnegan, USC. 12063% 12064Thank goodness modern convenience is a thing of the remote future. 12065 -- Pogo, by Walt Kelly 12066% 12067"That boy's about as sharp as a pound of wet liver" 12068 -- Foghorn Leghorn 12069% 12070"That must be wonderful! I don't understand it at all." 12071% 12072That secret you've been guarding, isn't. 12073% 12074That woman speaks eight languages and can't say "no" in any of them. 12075 -- Dorothy Parker 12076% 12077The 80's -- when you can't tell hairstyles from chemotherapy. 12078% 12079The [Ford Foundation] is a large body of money completely surrounded by 12080people who want some. 12081 -- Dwight MacDonald 12082% 12083The Abrams' Principle: 12084 The shortest distance between two points is off the wall. 12085% 12086The advertisement is the most truthful part of a newspaper 12087 -- Thomas Jefferson 12088% 12089The Advertising Agency Song: 12090 12091 When your client's hopping mad, 12092 Put his picture in the ad. 12093 If he still should prove refractory, 12094 Add a picture of his factory. 12095% 12096"The algorithm to do that is extremely nasty. You might want to mug 12097someone with it." 12098 -- M. Devine, Computer Science 340 12099% 12100... The Anarchists' [national] anthem is an international anthem that 12101consists of 365 raspberries blown in very quick succession to the tune 12102of "Camptown Races". Nobody has to stand up for it, nobody has to 12103listen to it, and, even better, nobody has to play it. 12104 -- Mike Harding, "The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac" 12105% 12106The Arkansas legislature passed a law that states that the Arkansas 12107River can rise no higher than to the Main Street bridge in Little 12108Rock. 12109% 12110The Army has carried the American ... ideal to its logical conclusion. 12111Not only do they prohibit discrimination on the grounds of race, creed 12112and color, but also on ability. 12113 -- T. Lehrer 12114% 12115The Army needs leaders the way a foot needs a big toe. 12116 -- Bill Murray 12117% 12118The assertion that "all men are created equal" was of no practical use 12119in effecting our separation from Great Britain and it was placed in the 12120Declaration not for that, but for future use. 12121 -- Abraham Lincoln 12122% 12123The average income of the modern teenager is about 2 a.m. 12124% 12125The average woman would rather have beauty than brains, because the 12126average man can see better than he can think. 12127% 12128"The bad reputation UNIX has gotten is totally undeserved, laid on by 12129people who don't understand, who have not gotten in there and tried 12130anything." 12131 -- Jim Joyce, owner of Jim Joyce's UNIX Bookstore 12132% 12133The basic idea behind malls is that they are more convenient than 12134cities. Cities contain streets, which are dangerous and crowded and 12135difficult to park in. Malls, on the other hand, have parking lots, 12136which are also dangerous and crowded and difficult to park in, but -- 12137here is the big difference -- in mall parking lots, THERE ARE NO 12138RULES. You're allowed to do anything. You can drive as fast as you 12139want in any direction you want. I was once driving in a mall parking 12140lot when my car was struck by a pickup truck being driven backward by a 12141squat man with a tattoo that said "Charlie" on his forearm, who got out 12142and explained to me, in great detail, why the accident was my fault, 12143his reasoning being that he was violent and muscular, whereas I was 12144neither. This kind of reasoning is legally valid in mall parking 12145lots. 12146 -- Dave Barry, "Christmas Shopping: A Survivor's Guide" 12147% 12148The basic menu item, in fact the ONLY menu item, would be a food unit 12149called the "patty," consisting of -- this would be guaranteed in 12150writing -- "100 percent animal matter of some kind." All patties would 12151be heated up and then cooled back down in electronic devices 12152immediately before serving. The Breakfast Patty would be a patty on a 12153bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, egg, Ba-Ko-Bits, Cheez Whiz, a Special 12154Sauce made by pouring ketchup out of a bottle and a little slip of 12155paper stating: "Inspected by Number 12". The Lunch or Dinner Patty 12156would be any Breakfast Patties that didn't get sold in the morning. 12157The Seafood Lover's Patty would be any patties that were starting to 12158emit a serious aroma. Patties that were too rank even to be Seafood 12159Lover's Patties would be compressed into wads and sold as "Nuggets." 12160 -- Dave Barry, "'Mister Mediocre' Restaurants" 12161% 12162The best book on programming for the layman is "Alice in Wonderland"; 12163but that's because it's the best book on anything for the layman. 12164% 12165The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep. 12166 -- W. C. Fields 12167% 12168The best defense against logic is ignorance. 12169% 12170The best thing about growing older is that it takes such a long time. 12171% 12172"The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and 12173blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. 12174You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at 12175night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only 12176love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or 12177know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only 12178one thing for it then -- to learn. Learn why the world wags and what 12179wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, 12180never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never 12181dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a 12182lot of things there are to learn." 12183 -- T.H. White, "The Once and Future King" 12184% 12185The best way to make a fire with two sticks is to make sure one of them 12186is a match. 12187 -- Will Rogers 12188% 12189The bigger the theory the better. 12190% 12191The biggest difference between time and space is that you can't reuse 12192time. 12193 -- Merrick Furst 12194% 12195The birds are singing, the flowers are budding, and it is time for Miss 12196Manners to tell young lovers to stop necking in public. 12197 12198It's not that Miss Manners is immune to romance. Miss Manners has been 12199known to squeeze a gentleman's arm while being helped over a curb, and, 12200in her wild youth, even to press a dainty slipper against a foot or two 12201under the dinner table. Miss Manners also believes that the sight of 12202people strolling hand in hand or arm in arm or arm in hand dresses up a 12203city considerably more than the more familiar sight of people shaking 12204umbrellas at one another. What Miss Manners objects to is the kind of 12205activity that frightens the horses on the street ... 12206% 12207"The bland leadeth the bland and they both shall fall into the kitsch." 12208% 12209The bogosity meter just pegged. 12210% 12211The brain is a wonderful organ; it starts working the moment you get up 12212in the morning, and does not stop until you get to school. 12213% 12214The Briggs/Chase Law of Program Development: 12215 To determine how long it will take to write and debug a 12216program, take your best estimate, multiply that by two, add one, and 12217convert to the next higher units. 12218% 12219The buffalo isn't as dangerous as everyone makes him out to be. 12220Statistics prove that in the United States more Americans are killed in 12221automobile accidents than are killed by buffalo. 12222 -- Art Buchwald 12223% 12224The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of an expanding 12225bureaucracy. 12226% 12227The C Programming Language -- A language which combines the 12228flexibility and power of assembly language with the readability 12229of assembly language. 12230% 12231The camel has a single hump; 12232The dromedary two; 12233Or else the other way around. 12234I'm never sure. Are you? 12235 -- Ogden Nash 12236% 12237The capacity of human beings to bore one another seems to be vastly 12238greater than that of any other animals. Some of their most esteemed 12239inventions have no other apparent purpose, for example, the dinner 12240party of more than two, the epic poem, and the science of metaphysics. 12241 -- H. L. Mencken 12242% 12243"The chain which can be yanked is not the eternal chain." 12244 -- G. Fitch 12245% 12246The chicken that clucks the loudest is the one most likely to show up 12247at the steam fitters' picnic. 12248% 12249The chief cause of problems is solutions. 12250% 12251The chief danger in life is that you may take too may precautions. 12252 -- Alfred Adler 12253% 12254The church is near but the road is icy; the bar is far away but I will 12255walk carefully. 12256 -- Russian Proverb 12257% 12258"The climate of Bombay is such that its inhabitants have to live 12259elsewhere." 12260% 12261"The Computer made me do it." 12262% 12263The computing field is always in need of new cliches. 12264 -- Alan Perlis 12265% 12266The confusion of a staff member is measured by the length of his 12267memos. 12268 -- New York Times, Jan. 20, 1981 12269% 12270The conservation movement is a breeding ground of Communists and other 12271subversives. We intend to clean them out, even if it means rounding up 12272every bird watcher in the country. 12273 -- John Mitchell, Atty. General 1969-1972 12274% 12275The Consultant's Curse: 12276 When the customer has beaten upon you long enough, give him 12277what he asks for, instead of what he needs. This is very strong 12278medicine, and is normally only required once. 12279% 12280The correct way to punctuate a sentence that starts: "Of course it is 12281none of my business, but --" is to place a period after the word "but." 12282Don't use excessive force in supplying such a moron with a period. 12283Cutting his throat is only a momentary pleasure and is bound to get you 12284talked about. 12285 -- Lazarus Long, "Time Enough for Love" 12286% 12287The cost of living hasn't affected its popularity. 12288% 12289The cost of living is going up, and the chance of living is going 12290down. 12291% 12292The cow is nothing but a machine which makes grass fit for us people to 12293eat. 12294 -- John McNulty 12295% 12296The Crown is full of it! 12297 -- Nate Harris, 1775 12298% 12299The cry has been that when war is declared, all opposition should 12300therefore be hushed. A sentiment more unworthy of a free country could 12301hardly be propagated. If the doctrine be admitted, rulers have only to 12302declare war and they are screened at once from scrutiny ... In war, 12303then, as in peace, assert the freedom of speech and of the press. 12304Cling to this as the bulwark of all our rights and privileges. 12305 -- William Ellery Channing 12306% 12307The day after tomorrow is the third day of the rest of your life. 12308% 12309The day-to-day travails of the IBM programmer are so amusing to most of 12310us who are fortunate enough never to have been one -- like watching 12311Charlie Chaplin trying to cook a shoe. 12312% 12313The debate rages on: Is PL/I Bachtrian or Dromedary? 12314% 12315The devil finds work for idle circuits to do. 12316% 12317"The difference between a misfortune and a calamity? If Gladstone fell 12318into the Thames, it would be a misfortune. But if someone dragged him 12319out again, it would be a calamity." 12320 -- Benjamin Disraeli 12321% 12322The difference between science and the fuzzy subjects is that science 12323requires reasoning while those other subjects merely require 12324scholarship. 12325 -- Robert Heinlein 12326% 12327The distinction between Jewish and goyish can be quite subtle, as the 12328following quote from Lenny Bruce illustrates: 12329 12330 "I'm Jewish. Count Basie's Jewish. Ray Charles is Jewish. 12331Eddie Cantor's goyish. The B'nai Brith is goyish. The Hadassah is 12332Jewish. Marine Corps -- heavy goyish, dangerous. 12333 "Kool-Aid is goyish. All Drake's Cakes are goyish. 12334Pumpernickel is Jewish and, as you know, white bread is very goyish. 12335Instant potatoes -- goyish. Black cherry soda's very Jewish. 12336Macaroons are ____very Jewish. Fruit salad is Jewish. Lime Jell-O is 12337goyish. Lime soda is ____very goyish. Trailer parks are so goyish that 12338Jews won't go near them ..." 12339 -- Arthur Naiman, "Every Goy's Guide to Yiddish" 12340% 12341The District of Columbia has a law forbidding you to exert pressure on 12342a balloon and thereby cause a whistling sound on the streets. 12343% 12344The doctrine of human equality reposes on this: that there is no man 12345really clever who has not found that he is stupid. 12346 -- Gilbert K. Chesterson 12347% 12348The duck hunter trained his retriever to walk on water. Eager to show 12349off this amazing accomplishment, he asked a friend to go along on his 12350next hunting trip. Saying nothing, he fired his first shot and, as the 12351duck fell, the dog walked on the surface of the water, retrieved the 12352duck and returned it to his master. 12353 "Notice anything?" the owner asked eagerly. 12354 "Yes," said his friend, "I see that fool dog of yours can't 12355swim." 12356% 12357The early bird who catches the worm works for someone who comes in late 12358and owns the worm farm. 12359 -- Travis McGee 12360% 12361The earth is like a tiny grain of sand, only much, much heavier. 12362% 12363The easiest way to figure the cost of living is to take your income and 12364add ten percent. 12365% 12366The economy depends about as much on economists as the weather does on 12367weather forecasters. 12368 -- Jean-Paul Kauffmann 12369% 12370"The eleventh commandment was `Thou Shalt Compute' or `Thou Shalt Not 12371Compute' -- I forget which." 12372 -- Epigrams in Programming, ACM SIGPLAN Sept. 1982 12373% 12374The end of the human race will be that it will eventually die of 12375civilization. 12376 -- Ralph Waldo Emerson 12377% 12378The end of the world will occur at 3:00 p.m., this Friday, with 12379symposium to follow. 12380% 12381The English have no respect for their language, and will not teach 12382their children to speak it. 12383 -- G. B. Shaw 12384% 12385The fact that boys are allowed to exist at all is evidence of a 12386remarkable Christian forbearance among men. 12387 -- Ambrose Bierce 12388% 12389The fact that it works is immaterial. 12390 -- L. Ogborn 12391% 12392The faster we go, the rounder we get. 12393 -- The Grateful Dead 12394% 12395The Fifth Rule: 12396 You have taken yourself too seriously. 12397% 12398The first duty of a revolutionary is to get away with it. 12399 -- Abbie Hoffman 12400% 12401The first Great Steward, Parrafin the Climber, was employed in King 12402Chloroplast's kitchen as second scullery boy when the old King met a 12403tragic death. He apparently fell backward by accident on a dozen salad 12404forks. Simultaneously the true heir, his son Carotene, mysteriously 12405fled the city, complaining of some sort of plot and a lot of 12406threatening notes left on his breakfast tray. At the time, this looked 12407suspicious what with his father's death, and Carotene was suspected of 12408foul play. Then the rest of the King's relatives began to drop dead 12409one after the other in an odd fashion. Some were found strangled with 12410dishrags and some succumbed to food poisoning. A few were found 12411drowned in the soup vats, and one was attacked by assailants unknown 12412and beaten to death with a pot roast. At least three appear to have 12413thrown themselves backward on salad forks, perhaps in a noble gesture 12414of grief over the King's untimely end. Finally there was no one left 12415in Minas Troney who was either eligible or willing to wear the accursed 12416crown, and the rule of Twodor was up for grabs. The scullery slave 12417Parrafin bravely accepted the Stewardship of Twodor until that day when 12418a lineal descendant of Carotene's returns to reclaim his rightful 12419throne, conquer Twodor's enemies, and revamp the postal system. 12420 -- Harvard Lampoon, "Bored of the Rings" 12421% 12422The first myth of management is that it exists. The second myth of 12423management is that success equals skill. 12424 -- Robert Heller 12425% 12426The first riddle I ever heard, one familiar to almost every Jewish 12427child, was propounded to me by my father: 12428 "What is it that hangs on the wall, is green, wet -- and 12429whistles?" 12430 I knit my brow and thought and thought, and in final perplexity 12431gave up. 12432 "A herring," said my father. 12433 "A herring," I echoed. "A herring doesn't hang on the wall!" 12434 "So hang it there." 12435 "But a herring isn't green!" I protested. 12436 "Paint it." 12437 "But a herring isn't wet." 12438 "If it's just painted it's still wet." 12439 "But -- " I sputtered, summoning all my outrage, "-- a herring 12440doesn't whistle!!" 12441 "Right, " smiled my father. "I just put that in to make it 12442hard." 12443 -- Leo Rosten, "The Joys of Yiddish" 12444% 12445"The first rule of magic is simple. Don't waste your time waving your 12446hands and hoping when a rock or a club will do." 12447 -- McCloctnik the Lucid 12448% 12449The First Rule of Program Optimization: 12450 Don't do it. 12451 12452The Second Rule of Program Optimization (for experts only!): 12453 Don't do it yet. 12454 -- Michael Jackson 12455% 12456The first time, it's a KLUDGE! 12457The second, a trick. 12458Later, it's a well-established technique! 12459 -- Mike Broido, Intermetrics 12460% 12461The following quote is from page 4-27 of the MSCP Basic Disk Functions 12462Manual which is part of the UDA50 Programmers Doc Kit manuals: 12463 12464As stated above, the host area of a disk is structured as a vector of 12465logical blocks. From a performance viewpoint, however, it is more 12466appropriate to view the host area as a four dimensional hyper-cube, the 12467four dimensions being cylinder, group, track, and sector. 12468 . . . 12469Referring to our hyper-cube analogy, the set of potentially accessible 12470blocks form a line parallel to the track axis. This line moves 12471parallel to the sector axis, wrapping around when it reaches the edge 12472of the hyper-cube. 12473% 12474The fortune program is supported, in part, by user contributions and by 12475a major grant from the National Endowment for the Inanities. 12476% 12477"The four building blocks of the universe are fire, water, gravel and 12478vinyl." 12479 -- Dave Barry 12480% 12481The full impact of parenthood doesn't hit you until you multiply the 12482number of your kids by 32 teeth. 12483% 12484The generation of random numbers is too important to be left to 12485chance. 12486% 12487The gentlemen looked one another over with microscopic carelessness. 12488% 12489The geographical center of Boston is in Roxbury. Due north of the 12490center we find the South End. This is not to be confused with South 12491Boston which lies directly east from the South End. North of the South 12492End is East Boston and southwest of East Boston is the North End. 12493% 12494The giraffe you thought you offended last week is willing to be nuzzled 12495today. 12496% 12497The goal of Computer Science is to build something that will last at 12498least until we've finished building it. 12499% 12500The goal of science is to build better mousetraps. The goal of nature 12501is to build better mice. 12502% 12503The gods gave man fire and he invented fire engines. They gave him 12504love and he invented marriage. 12505% 12506THE GOLDEN RULE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 12507 The one who has the gold makes the rules. 12508% 12509"The good Christian should beware of mathematicians and all those who 12510make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that mathematicians 12511have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and confine 12512man in the bonds of Hell." 12513 -- St. Augustine 12514% 12515The good die young -- because they see it's no use living if you've got 12516to be good. 12517% 12518 "The Good Ship Enterprise" (to the tune of "The Good Ship Lollipop") 12519 12520On the good ship Enterprise 12521Every week there's a new surprise 12522Where the Romulans lurk 12523And the Klingons often go berserk. 12524 12525Yes, the good ship Enterprise 12526There's excitement anywhere it flies 12527Where Tribbles play 12528And Nurse Chapel never gets her way. 12529 12530 See Captain Kirk standing on the bridge, 12531 Mr. Spock is at his side. 12532 The weekly menace, ooh-ooh 12533 It gets fried, scattered far and wide. 12534 12535It's the good ship Enterprise 12536Heading out where danger lies 12537And you live in dread 12538If you're wearing a shirt that's red. 12539 -- Doris Robin and Karen Trimble of The L.A. Filkharmonics 12540% 12541The government [is] extremely fond of amassing great quantities of 12542statistics. These are raised to the _nth degree, the cube roots are 12543extracted, and the results are arranged into elaborate and impressive 12544displays. What must be kept ever in mind, however, is that in every 12545case, the figures are first put down by a village watchman, and he puts 12546down anything he damn well pleases. 12547 -- Sir Josiah Stamp 12548% 12549The grand leap of the whale up the Fall of Niagara is esteemed, by all 12550who have seen it, as one of the finest spectacles in nature. 12551 -- Benjamin Franklin. 12552% 12553The Great Bald Swamp Hedgehog: 12554 The Gerat Bald Swamp Hedgehog of Billericay displays, in 12555courtship, his single prickle and does impressions of Holiday Inn desk 12556clerks. Since this means him standing motionless for enormous periods 12557of time he is often eaten in full display by The Great Bald Swamp 12558Hedgehog Eater. 12559 -- Mike Harding, "The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac" 12560% 12561The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men 12562of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding. 12563 -- Justice Louis D. Brandeis 12564% 12565The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax. 12566 -- Albert Einstein 12567% 12568The hearing ear is always found close to the speaking tongue, a custom 12569whereof the memory of man runneth not howsomever to the contrary, 12570nohow. 12571% 12572The Heineken Uncertainty Principle: 12573 You can never be sure how many beers you had last night. 12574% 12575The herd instinct among economists makes sheep look like independent 12576thinkers. 12577% 12578The hieroglyphics are all unreadable except for a notation on the back, 12579which reads "Genuine authentic Egyptian papyrus. Guaranteed to be at 12580least 5000 years old." 12581% 12582The human animal differs from the lesser primates in his passion for 12583lists of "Ten Best". 12584 -- H. Allen Smith 12585% 12586"The human brain is like an enormous fish -- it is flat and slimy and 12587has gills through which it can see." 12588 -- Monty Python 12589% 12590The human mind ordinarily operates at only ten percent of its capacity 12591-- the rest is overhead for the operating system. 12592% 12593The human mind treats a new idea the way the body treats a strange 12594protein -- it rejects it. 12595 -- P. Medawar 12596% 12597The human race has been fascinated by sharks for as long as I can 12598remember. Just like the bluebird feeding its young, or the spider 12599struggling to weave its perfect web, or the buttercup blooming in 12600spring, the shark reveals to us yet another of the infinite and 12601wonderful facets of nature, namely the facet that it can bite your head 12602off. This causes us humans to feel a certain degree of awe. 12603 -- Dave Barry, "The Wonders of Sharks on TV" 12604% 12605The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter. 12606 -- Mark Twain 12607% 12608The human race is a race of cowards; and I am not only marching in that 12609procession but carrying a banner. 12610 -- Mark Twain 12611% 12612The idea is to die young as late as possible. 12613 -- Ashley Montagu 12614% 12615The idea there was that consumers would bring their broken electronic 12616devices, such as television sets and VCR's, to the destruction centers, 12617where trained personnel would whack them (the devices) with 12618sledgehammers. With their devices thus permanently destroyed, 12619consumers would then be free to go out and buy new devices, rather than 12620have to fritter away years of their lives trying to have the old ones 12621repaired at so-called "factory service centers," which in fact consist 12622of two men named Lester poking at the insides of broken electronic 12623devices with cheap cigars and going, "Lookit all them WIRES in there!" 12624 -- Dave Barry, "'Mister Mediocre' Restaurants" 12625% 12626"The identical is equal to itself, since it is different." 12627 -- Franco Spisani 12628% 12629"The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a bit 12630longer." 12631 -- Henry Kissinger 12632% 12633The income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf 12634has. Even when you make a tax form out on the level, you don't know 12635when it's through if you are a crook or a martyr. 12636 -- Will Rogers 12637% 12638The individual choice of garnishment of a burger can be an important 12639point to the consumer in this day when individualism is an increasingly 12640important thing to people. 12641 -- Donald N. Smith, president of Burger King 12642% 12643The intelligence of any discussion diminishes with the square of the 12644number of participants. 12645 -- Adam Walinsky 12646% 12647The IQ of the group is the lowest IQ of a member of the group divided 12648by the number of people in the group. 12649% 12650The IRS spends God knows how much of your tax money on these toll-free 12651information hot lines staffed by IRS employees, whose idea of a 12652dynamite tax tip is that you should print neatly. If you ask them a 12653real tax question, such as how you can cheat, they're useless. 12654 12655So, for guidance, you want to look to big business. Big business never 12656pays a nickel in taxes, according to Ralph Nader, who represents a big 12657consumer organization that never pays a nickel in taxes... 12658 -- Dave Barry, "Sweating Out Taxes" 12659% 12660The Kennedy Constant: 12661 Don't get mad -- get even. 12662% 12663The Killer Ducks are coming!!! 12664% 12665The ladies men admire, I've heard, 12666Would shudder at a wicked word. 12667Their candle gives a single light; 12668They'd rather stay at home at night. 12669They do not keep awake till three, 12670Nor read erotic poetry. 12671They never sanction the impure, 12672Nor recognize an overture. 12673They shrink from powders and from paints ... 12674So far, I've had no complaints. 12675 -- Dorothy Parker 12676% 12677"The last time somebody said, `I find I can write much better with a 12678word processor.', I replied, `They used to say the same thing about 12679drugs.' 12680 -- Roy Blount, Jr. 12681% 12682The law will never make men free; it is men who have got to make the 12683law free. 12684 -- Henry David Thoreau 12685% 12686The Law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich, as well as the 12687poor, to sleep under the bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal 12688bread. 12689 -- Anatole France 12690% 12691"The lawgiver, of all beings, most owes the law allegiance. He of all 12692men should behave as though the law compelled him. But it is the 12693universal weakness of mankind that what we are given to administer we 12694presently imagine we own." 12695 -- H.G. Wells 12696% 12697 THE LESSER-KNOWN PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES #10: SIMPLE 12698 12699SIMPLE is an acronym for Sheer Idiot's Monopurpose Programming Language 12700Environment. This language, developed at the Hanover College for 12701Technological Misfits, was designed to make it impossible to write code 12702with errors in it. The statements are, therefore, confined to BEGIN, 12703END and STOP. No matter how you arrange the statements, you can't make 12704a syntax error. Programs written in SIMPLE do nothing useful. Thus 12705they achieve the results of programs written in other languages without 12706the tedious, frustrating process of testing and debugging. 12707% 12708 THE LESSER-KNOWN PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES #12: LITHP 12709 12710This otherwise unremarkable language is distinguished by the absence of 12711an "S" in its character set; users must substitute "TH". LITHP is said 12712to be useful in protheththing lithtth. 12713% 12714 THE LESSER-KNOWN PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES #13: SLOBOL 12715 12716SLOBOL is best known for the speed, or lack of it, of its compiler. 12717Although many compilers allow you to take a coffee break while they 12718compile, SLOBOL compilers allow you to travel to Bolivia to pick the 12719coffee. Forty-three programmers are known to have died of boredom 12720sitting at their terminals while waiting for a SLOBOL program to 12721compile. Weary SLOBOL programmers often turn to a related (but 12722infinitely faster) language, COCAINE. 12723% 12724 THE LESSER-KNOWN PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES #17: SARTRE 12725 12726Named after the late existential philosopher, SARTRE is an extremely 12727unstructured language. Statements in SARTRE have no purpose; they just 12728are. Thus SARTRE programs are left to define their own functions. 12729SARTRE programmers tend to be boring and depressed, and are no fun at 12730parties. 12731% 12732 THE LESSER-KNOWN PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES #18: C- 12733 12734This language was named for the grade received by its creator when he 12735submitted it as a class project in a graduate programming class. C- is 12736best described as a "low-level" programming language. In fact, the 12737language generally requires more C- statements than machine-code 12738statements to execute a given task. In this respect, it is very 12739similar to COBOL. 12740% 12741 THE LESSER-KNOWN PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES #18a: FIFTH 12742 12743FIFTH is a precision mathematical language in which the data types 12744refer to quantity. The data types range from CC, OUNCE, SHOT, and 12745JIGGER to FIFTH (hence the name of the language), LITER, MAGNUM and 12746BLOTTO. Commands refer to ingredients such as CHABLIS, CHARDONNAY, 12747CABERNET, GIN, VERMOUTH, VODKA, SCOTCH, and WHATEVERSAROUND. 12748 12749The many versions of the FIFTH language reflect the sophistication and 12750financial status of its users. Commands in the ELITE dialect include 12751VSOP and LAFITE, while commands in the GUTTER dialect include HOOTCH 12752and RIPPLE. The latter is a favorite of frustrated FORTH programmers 12753who end up using this language. 12754% 12755 THE LESSER-KNOWN PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES #2: RENE 12756 12757Named after the famous French philosopher and mathematician Rene 12758DesCartes, RENE is a language used for artificial intelligence. The 12759language is being developed at the Chicago Center of Machine Politics 12760and Programming under a grant from the Jane Byrne Victory Fund. A 12761spokesman described the language as "Just as great as dis [sic] city of 12762ours." 12763 12764The center is very pleased with progress to date. They say they have 12765almost succeeded in getting a VAX to think. However, sources inside the 12766organization say that each time the machine fails to think it ceases to 12767exist. 12768% 12769 THE LESSER-KNOWN PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES #5: VALGOL 12770From its modest beginnings in Southern California's San Fernando Valley, 12771VALGOL is enjoying a dramatic surge of popularity across the industry. 12772 12773Here is a sample program: 12774 LIKE, Y*KNOW(I MEAN)START 12775 IF PIZZA = LIKE BITCHEN AND GUY = LIKE TUBULAR AND 12776 VALLEY GIRL = LIKE GRODY**MAX(FERSURE)**2 THEN 12777 FOR I = LIKE 1 TO OH*MAYBE 100 12778 DO*WAH - (DITTY**2) 12779 BARF(I)=TOTALLY GROSS(OUT) 12780 SURE 12781 LIKE BAG THIS PROGRAM 12782 REALLY 12783 LIKE TOTALLY (Y*KNOW) 12784 IM*SURE 12785 GOTO THE MALL 12786 12787When the user makes a syntax error, the interpreter displays the message: 12788 12789 GAG ME WITH A SPOON!! 12790% 12791 THE LESSER-KNOWN PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES #8: LAIDBACK 12792 12793This language was developed at the Marin County Center for T'ai Chi, 12794Mellowness and Computer Programming (now defunct), as an alternative to 12795the more intense atmosphere in nearby Silicon Valley. 12796 12797The center was ideal for programmers who liked to soak in hot tubs 12798while they worked. Unfortunately few programmers could survive there 12799because the center outlawed Pizza and Coca-Cola in favor of Tofu and 12800Perrier. 12801 12802Many mourn the demise of LAIDBACK because of its reputation as a gentle 12803and non-threatening language since all error messages are in lower 12804case. For example, LAIDBACK responded to syntax errors with the 12805message: 12806 "i hate to bother you, but i just can't relate to that. can 12807 you find the time to try it again?" 12808% 12809The light at the end of the tunnel is the headlight of an approaching 12810train. 12811% 12812The light at the end of the tunnel may be an oncoming dragon. 12813% 12814The lion and the calf shall lie down together but the calf won't get 12815much sleep. 12816 -- Woody Allen 12817% 12818The longer I am out of office, the more infallible I appear to myself. 12819 -- Henry Kissinger 12820% 12821"The Lord gave us farmers two strong hands so we could grab as much as 12822we could with both of them." 12823 -- Joseph Heller, "Catch-22" 12824% 12825The makers may make 12826and the users may use, 12827but the fixers must fix 12828with but minimal clues 12829% 12830The man who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the 12831crowd. The man who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no 12832one has ever been. 12833 -- Alan Ashley-Pitt 12834% 12835The man who sets out to carry a cat by its tail learns something that 12836will always be useful and which never will grow dim or doubtful. 12837 -- Mark Twain. 12838% 12839The marvels of today's modern technology include the development of a 12840soda can, when discarded will last forever ... and a $7,000 car which 12841when properly cared for will rust out in two or three years. 12842% 12843"... the Mayo Clinic, named after its founder, Dr. Ted Clinic ..." 12844 -- Dave Barry 12845% 12846The meek shall inherit the earth -- they are too weak to refuse. 12847% 12848 The men sat sipping their tea in silence. After a while the 12849klutz said, "Life is like a bowl of sour cream." 12850 12851 "Like a bowl of sour cream?" asked the other. "Why?" 12852 12853 "How should I know? What am I, a philosopher?" 12854% 12855The meta-Turing test counts a thing as intelligent if it seeks to 12856devise and apply Turing tests to objects of its own creation. 12857 -- Lew Mammel, Jr. 12858% 12859The misnaming of fields of study is so common as to lead to what might 12860be general systems laws. For example, Frank Harary once suggested the 12861law that any field that had the word "science" in its name was 12862guaranteed thereby not to be a science. He would cite as examples 12863Military Science, Library Science, Political Science, Homemaking 12864Science, Social Science, and Computer Science. Discuss the generality 12865of this law, and possible reasons for its predictive 12866power. 12867 -- Gerald Weinberg, "An Introduction to General Systems 12868 Thinking." 12869% 12870The modern child will answer you back before you've said anything. 12871 -- Laurence J. Peter 12872% 12873The mome rath isn't born that could outgrabe me. 12874 -- Nicol Williamson 12875% 12876The moon is a planet just like the Earth, only it is even deader. 12877% 12878The moon may be smaller than Earth, but it's further away. 12879% 12880"The more data I punch in this card, the lighter it becomes, and the 12881lower the mailing cost." 12882 -- Stan Kelly-Bootle, "The Devil's DP Dictionary" 12883% 12884The more laws and order are made prominent, the more thieves and 12885robbers there will be. 12886 -- Lao Tsu 12887% 12888The more things change, the more they stay insane. 12889% 12890The more we disagree, the more chance there is that at least one of us 12891is right. 12892% 12893The mosquito is the state bird of New Jersey. 12894 -- Andy Warhol 12895% 12896"The most difficult thing in the world is to know how to do a thing and 12897to watch someone else do it wrong without comment." 12898 -- Theodore H. White 12899% 12900The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new 12901discoveries, is not "Eureka!" (I found it!) but "That's funny ..." 12902 -- Isaac Asimov 12903% 12904The moving cursor writes, and having written, blinks on. 12905% 12906... the MYSTERIANS are in here with my CORDUROY SOAP DISH!! 12907% 12908 "... The name of the song is called 'Haddocks' Eyes'!" 12909 "Oh, that's the name of the song, is it?" Alice said, trying to 12910feel interested. 12911 "No, you don't understand," the Knight said, looking a little 12912vexed. "That's what the name is called. The name really is, 'The Aged 12913Aged Man.'" 12914 "Then I ought to have said "That's what the song is called'?" 12915Alice corrected herself. 12916 "No, you oughtn't: that's quite another thing! The song is 12917called 'Ways and Means': but that's only what it is called you know!" 12918 "Well, what is the song then?" said Alice, who was by this time 12919completely bewildered. 12920 "I was coming to that," the Knight said. "The song really is 12921"A-sitting on a Gate": and the tune's my own invention." 12922 -- Lewis Carroll, "Through the Looking Glass" 12923% 12924"The National Association of Theater Concessionaires reported that in 129251986, 60% of all candy sold in movie theaters was sold to Roger Ebert." 12926 -- D. Letterman 12927% 12928The National Short-Sleeved Shirt Association says: 12929 Support your right to bare arms! 12930% 12931The net of law is spread so wide, 12932No sinner from its sweep may hide. 12933Its meshes are so fine and strong, 12934They take in every child of wrong. 12935O wondrous web of mystery! 12936Big fish alone escape from thee! 12937 -- James Jeffrey Roche 12938% 12939The new Congressmen say they're going to turn the government around. I 12940hope I don't get run over again. 12941% 12942The New Testament offers the basis for modern computer coding theory, 12943in the form of an affirmation of the binary number system. 12944 12945 But let your communication be Yea, yea; nay, nay: for 12946 whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. 12947 -- Matthew 5:37 12948% 12949"The New York Times is read by the people who run the country. The 12950Washington Post is read by the people who think they run the country. 12951The National Enquirer is read by the people who think Elvis is alive 12952and running the country ..." 12953 -- Robert J Woodhead 12954% 12955The nice thing about standards is that there are so many of them to 12956choose from. 12957 -- Andrew S. Tanenbaum 12958% 12959The notion of a "record" is an obsolete remnant of the days of the 1296080-column card. 12961 -- Dennis M. Ritchie 12962% 12963The notion that the church, the press, and the universities should 12964serve the state is essentially a Communist notion ... In a free society 12965these institutions must be wholly free -- which is to say that their 12966function is to serve as checks upon the state. 12967 -- Alan Barth 12968% 12969The number of arguments is unimportant unless some of them are 12970correct. 12971 -- Ralph Hartley 12972% 12973The objective of all dedicated employees should be to thoroughly 12974analyze all situations, anticipate all problems prior to their 12975occurrence, have answers for these problems, and move swiftly to solve 12976these problems when called upon. 12977 12978However, When you are up to your ass in alligators it is difficult to 12979remind yourself your initial objective was to drain the swamp. 12980% 12981The Official MBA Handbook on business cards: 12982 Avoid overly pretentious job titles such as "Lord of the Realm, 12983Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India" or "Director of Corporate 12984Planning." 12985% 12986The older a man gets, the farther he had to walk to school as a boy. 12987% 12988The older I grow the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age 12989brings wisdom. 12990 -- H. L. Mencken 12991% 12992The older I grow, the less important the comma becomes. Let the reader 12993catch his own breath. 12994 -- Elizabeth Clarkson Zwart 12995% 12996The one good thing about repeating your mistakes is that you know when 12997to cringe. 12998% 12999The only possible interpretation of any research whatever in the 13000`social sciences' is: some do, some don't. 13001 -- Ernest Rutherford 13002% 13003The only problem with being a man of leisure is that you can never stop 13004and take a rest. 13005% 13006"The only real way to look younger is not to be born so soon." 13007 -- Charles Schulz, "Things I've Had to Learn Over and 13008 Over and Over" 13009% 13010The only really decent thing to do behind a person's back is pat it. 13011% 13012The only really good place to buy lumber is at a store where the lumber 13013has already been cut and attached together in the form of furniture, 13014finished, and put inside boxes. 13015 -- Dave Barry, "The Taming of the Screw" 13016% 13017The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never any 13018use to oneself. 13019 -- Oscar Wilde 13020% 13021"The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from 13022history." 13023 -- Hegel 13024 13025"I know guys can't learn from yesterday ... Hegel must be taking the 13026long view." 13027 -- John Brunner, "Stand on Zanzibar" 13028% 13029The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. 13030 -- Oscar Wilde 13031% 13032The opossum is a very sophisticated animal. It doesn't even get up 13033until 5 or 6 p.m. 13034% 13035The opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth. 13036 -- Bohr 13037% 13038The optimum committee has no members. 13039 -- Norman Augustine 13040% 13041The optimum committee has no members. 13042 -- Norman Augustine 13043% 13044"The other day I put instant coffee in my microwave oven ... I almost 13045went back in time." 13046 -- Steven Wright 13047% 13048The past always looks better than it was. It's only pleasant because 13049it isn't here. 13050 -- Finley Peter Dunne (Mr. Dooley) 13051% 13052The penalty for laughing in a courtroom is six months in jail; if it 13053were not for this penalty, the jury would never hear the evidence. 13054 -- H. L. Mencken 13055% 13056 The people of Halifax invented the trampoline. During the 13057Victorian period the tripe-dressers of Halifax stretched tripe across a 13058large wooden frame and jumped up and down on it to `tender and dress' 13059it. The tripoline, as they called it, degenerated into becoming the 13060apparatus for a spectator sport. 13061 13062 The people of Halifax also invented the harmonium, a device for 13063castrating pigs during Sunday service. 13064 -- Mike Harding, "The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac" 13065% 13066The Pig, if I am not mistaken, 13067Gives us ham and pork and Bacon. 13068Let others think his heart is big, 13069I think it stupid of the Pig. 13070 -- Ogden Nash 13071% 13072The pitcher wound up and he flang the ball at the batter. The batter 13073swang and missed. The pitcher flang the ball again and this time the 13074batter connected. He hit a high fly right to the center fielder. The 13075center fielder was all set to catch the ball, but at the last minute 13076his eyes were blound by the sun and he dropped it. 13077 -- Dizzy Dean 13078% 13079The plot was designed in a light vein that somehow became varicose. 13080 -- David Lardner 13081% 13082The polite thing to do has always been to address people as they wish 13083to be addressed, to treat them in a way they think dignified. But it 13084is equally important to accept and tolerate different standards of 13085courtesy, not expecting everyone else to adapt to one's own 13086preferences. Only then can we hope to restore the insult to its proper 13087social function of expressing true distaste. 13088 -- Judith Martin, "Miss Manners' Guide to 13089 Excruciatingly Correct Behavior" 13090% 13091"The porcupine with the sharpest quills gets stuck on a tree more 13092often." 13093% 13094The Preacher, the Politician, the Teacher, 13095 Were each of them once a kiddie. 13096A child, indeed, is a wonderful creature. 13097 Do I want one? God Forbiddie! 13098 -- Ogden Nash 13099% 13100The President publicly apologized today to all those offended by his 13101brother's remark, "There's more Arabs in this country than there is 13102Jews!". Those offended include Arabs, Jews, and English teachers. 13103 -- Baltimore, Channel 11 News, on Jimmy Carter 13104% 13105The price of seeking to force our beliefs on others is that someday 13106they might force their beliefs on us. 13107 -- Mario Cuomo 13108% 13109The primary cause of failure in electrical appliances is an expired 13110warranty. Often, you can get an appliance running again simply by 13111changing the warranty expiration date with a 15/64-inch felt-tipped 13112marker. 13113 -- Dave Barry, "The Taming of the Screw" 13114% 13115The primary purpose of the DATA statement is to give names to 13116constants; instead of referring to pi as 3.141592653589793 at every 13117appearance, the variable PI can be given that value with a DATA 13118statement and used instead of the longer form of the constant. This 13119also simplifies modifying the program, should the value of pi change. 13120 -- FORTRAN manual for Xerox Computers 13121% 13122The primary requisite for any new tax law is for it to exempt enough 13123voters to win the next election. 13124% 13125The primary theme of SoupCon is communication. The acronym "LEO" 13126represents the secondary theme: 13127 13128 Law Enforcement Officials 13129 13130The overall theme of SoupCon shall be: 13131 13132 Avoiding Communication with Law Enforcement Officials 13133% 13134... the privileged being which we call human is distinguished from 13135other animals only by certain double-edged manifestations which in 13136charity we can only call "inhuman." 13137 -- R. A. Lafferty 13138% 13139The probability of someone watching you is proportional to the 13140stupidity of your action. 13141% 13142The problem ... is that we have run out of dinosaurs to form oil with. 13143Scientists working for the Department of Energy have tried to form oil 13144using other animals; they've piled thousands of tons of sand and Middle 13145Eastern countries on top of cows, raccoons, haddock, laboratory rats, 13146etc., but so far all they have managed to do is run up an enormous 13147bulldozer-rental bill and anger a lot of Middle Eastern persons. None 13148of the animals turned into oil, although most of the laboratory rats 13149developed cancer. 13150 -- Dave Barry, "Postpetroleum Guzzler" 13151% 13152The problem with any unwritten law is that you don't know where to go 13153to erase it. 13154 -- Glaser and Way 13155% 13156The problem with engineers is that they tend to cheat in order to get 13157results. 13158 13159The problem with mathematicians is that they tend to work on toy 13160problems in order to get results. 13161 13162The problem with program verifiers is that they tend to cheat at toy 13163problems in order to get results. 13164% 13165The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be 13166pretty sure they're going to have some pretty annoying virtues. 13167 -- Elizabeth Taylor 13168% 13169The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard. 13170% 13171The Psblurtex is an 18-inch long anaconda that hides in the gentlemen's 13172outfitting departments of Amazonian stores and is often bought by 13173mistake since its colors are those of the London Reform Club. Once 13174tied around its victim's neck, it strangles him gently and then claims 13175the insurance before running off to Germany where it lives in hiding. 13176 -- Mike Harding, "The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac" 13177% 13178"The pyramid is opening!" 13179"Which one?" 13180"The one with the ever-widening hole in it!" 13181 -- Firesign Theater, "How Can You Be In Two Places At 13182 Once When You're Not Anywhere At All" 13183% 13184The qotc (quote of the con) was Liz's: 13185 "My brain is paged out to my liver" 13186% 13187The question is, why are politicians so eager to be president? What is 13188it about the job that makes it worth revealing, on national television, 13189that you have the ethical standards of a slime-coated piece of 13190industrial waste? 13191 -- Dave Barry, "On Presidential Politics" 13192% 13193The rain it raineth on the just 13194 And also on the unjust fella, 13195But chiefly on the just, because 13196 The unjust steals the just's umbrella. 13197% 13198The reader this message encounters not failing to understand is 13199cursed. 13200% 13201The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much. 13202% 13203The reason it's called "Grape Nuts" is that it contains "dextrose", 13204which is also sometimes called "grape sugar", and also because "Grape 13205Nuts" is catchier, in terms of marketing, than "A Cross Between Gerbil 13206Food and Gravel", which is what it tastes like. 13207 -- Dave Barry, "Tips for Writer's" 13208% 13209The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one 13210persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all 13211progress depends on the unreasonable man. 13212 -- George Bernard Shaw 13213% 13214The revolution will not be televised. 13215% 13216The reward of a thing well done is to have done it. 13217 -- Emerson 13218% 13219The rhino is a homely beast, 13220For human eyes he's not a feast. 13221Farewell, farewell, you old rhinoceros, 13222I'll stare at something less prepoceros. 13223 -- Ogden Nash 13224% 13225The right half of the brain controls the left half of the body. This 13226means that only left handed people are in their right mind. 13227% 13228"The Right Honorable Gentleman is indebted to his memory for his jests 13229and to his imagination for his facts." 13230 -- Sheridan 13231% 13232The right to revolt has sources deep in our history. 13233 -- Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas 13234% 13235"The rights you have are the rights given you by this Committee [the 13236House Un-American Activities Committee]. We will determine what rights 13237you have and what rights you have not got." 13238 -- J. Parnell Thomas 13239% 13240The road to hell is paved with good intentions. And littered with 13241sloppy analysis! 13242% 13243The Roman Rule 13244 The one who says it cannot be done should never interrupt the 13245 one who is doing it. 13246% 13247The Ruffed Pandanga of Borneo and Rotherham spreads out his feathers in 13248his courtship dance and imitates Winston Churchill and Tommy Cooper on 13249one leg. The padanga is dying out because the female padanga doesn't 13250take it too seriously. 13251 -- Mike Harding, "The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac" 13252% 13253The rule on staying alive as a forcaster is to give 'em a number or 13254give 'em a date, but never give 'em both at once. 13255 -- Jane Bryant Quinn 13256% 13257"The Schizophrenic: An Unauthorized Autobiography" 13258% 13259The Schwine-Kitzenger Institute study of 47 men over the age of 100 13260showed that all had these things in common: 13261 13262 (1) They all had moderate appetites. 13263 (2) They all came from middle class homes 13264 (3) All but two of them were dead. 13265% 13266The scum also rises. 13267 -- Dr. Hunter S. Thompson 13268% 13269The seven deadly sins ... Food, clothing, firing, rent, taxes, 13270respectability and children. Nothing can lift those seven milestones 13271from man's neck but money; and the spirit cannot soar until the 13272milestones are lifted. 13273 -- George Bernard Shaw 13274% 13275 The seven eyes of Ningauble the Wizard floated back to his hood 13276as he reported to Fafhrd: "I have seen much, yet cannot explain all. 13277The Gray Mouser is exactly twenty-five feet below the deepest cellar in 13278the palace of Gilpkerio Kistomerces. Even though twenty-four parts in 13279twenty-five of him are dead, he is alive. 13280 13281 "Now about Lankhmar. She's been invaded, her walls breached 13282everywhere and desperate fighting is going on in the streets, by a 13283fierce host which out-numbers Lankhmar's inhabitants by fifty to one -- 13284and equipped with all modern weapons. Yet you can save the city." 13285 13286 "How?" demanded Fafhrd. 13287 13288 Ningauble shrugged. "You're a hero. You should know." 13289 -- Fritz Leiber, from "The Swords of Lankhmar" 13290% 13291The sheep that fly over your head are soon to land. 13292% 13293The shortest distance between two points is under construction. 13294 -- Noelie Alito 13295% 13296The Sixth Commandment of Frisbee: 13297 The greatest single aid to distance is for the disc to be going 13298in a direction you did not want. (Goes the wrong way = Goes a long 13299way.) 13300 -- Dan Roddick 13301% 13302"The society which scorns excellence in plumbing as a humble activity 13303and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted 13304activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy ... 13305neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water." 13306% 13307"The sooner all the animals are dead, the sooner we'll find their 13308money." 13309 -- Ed Bluestone, "The National Lampoon" 13310% 13311"The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up!" 13312% 13313The sooner you make your first 5000 mistakes, the sooner you will be 13314able to correct them. 13315 -- Nicolaides 13316% 13317The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears. 13318% 13319The Soviet pre-eminence in chess can be traced to the average Russian's 13320readiness to brood obsessively over anything, even the arrangement of 13321some pieces of wood. Indeed, the Russians' predisposition for quiet 13322reflection followed by sudden preventive action explains why they led 13323the field for many years in both chess and ax murders. It is well 13324known that as early as 1970, the U.S.S.R., aware of what a defeat at 13325Reykjavik would do to national prestige, implemented a vigorous program 13326of preparation and incentive. Every day for an entire year, a team of 13327psychologists, chess analysts and coaches met with the top three 13328Russian grand masters and threatened them with a pointy stick. That 13329these tactics proved fruitless is now a part of chess history and a 13330further testament to the American way, which provides that if you want 13331something badly enough, you can always go to Iceland and get it from 13332the Russians. 13333 -- Marshall Brickman, Playboy, April, 1973 13334% 13335 The STAR WARS Song 13336 Sung to the tune of "Lola", by the Kinks: 13337 13338I met him in a swamp down in Dagobah 13339Where it bubbles all the time like a giant cabinet soda 13340 S-O-D-A soda 13341I saw the little runt sitting there on a log 13342I asked him his name and in a raspy voice he said Yoda 13343 Y-O-D-A Yoda, Yo-Yo-Yo-Yo Yoda 13344 13345Well I've been around but I ain't never seen 13346A guy who looks like a Muppet but he's wrinkled and green 13347 Oh my Yoda, Yo-Yo-Yo-Yo Yoda 13348Well I'm not dumb but I can't understand 13349How he can raise me in the air just by raising his hand 13350 Oh my Yoda, Yo-Yo-Yo-Yo Yoda, Yo-Yo-Yo-Yo Yoda 13351% 13352The state law of Pennsylvania prohibits singing in the bathtub. 13353% 13354The steady state of disks is full. 13355 -- Ken Thompson 13356% 13357 THE STORY OF CREATION 13358 or 13359 THE MYTH OF URK 13360 13361In the beginning there was data. The data was without form and null, 13362and darkness was upon the face of the console; and the Spirit of IBM 13363was moving over the face of the market. And DEC said, "Let there be 13364registers"; and there were registers. And DEC saw that they carried; 13365and DEC separated the data from the instructions. DEC called the data 13366Stack, and the instructions they called Code. And there was evening 13367and there was morning, one interrupt ... 13368 -- Rico Tudor 13369% 13370The streets are safe in Philadelphia, it's only the people who make 13371them unsafe. 13372 -- Mayor Frank Rizzo 13373% 13374"The student in question is performing minimally for his peer group and 13375is an emerging underachiever." 13376% 13377The study of non-linear physics is like the study of non-elephant 13378biology. 13379% 13380"The subspace _W inherits the other 8 properties of _V. And there aren't 13381even any property taxes." 13382 -- J. MacKay, Mathematics 134b 13383% 13384The sum of the Universe is zero. 13385% 13386The sun was shining on the sea, 13387Shining with all his might: 13388He did his very best to make 13389The billows smooth and bright -- 13390And this was very odd, because it was 13391The middle of the night. 13392 -- Lewis Carroll, "Through the Looking Glass" 13393% 13394The superfluous is very necessary. 13395 -- Voltaire 13396% 13397The surest protection against temptation is cowardice. 13398 -- Mark Twain 13399% 13400The temperature of Heaven can be rather accurately computed. Our 13401authority is Isaiah 30:26, "Moreover, the light of the Moon shall be as 13402the light of the Sun and the light of the Sun shall be sevenfold, as 13403the light of seven days." Thus Heaven receives from the Moon as much 13404radiation as we do from the Sun, and in addition 7*7 (49) times as much 13405as the Earth does from the Sun, or 50 times in all. The light we 13406receive from the Moon is one 1/10,000 of the light we receive from the 13407Sun, so we can ignore that ... The radiation falling on Heaven will 13408heat it to the point where the heat lost by radiation is just equal to 13409the heat received by radiation, i.e., Heaven loses 50 times as much 13410heat as the Earth by radiation. Using the Stefan-Boltzmann law for 13411radiation, (_H/_E)^4 = 50, where _E is the absolute temperature of the 13412earth (-300K), gives _H as 798K (525C). The exact temperature of Hell 13413cannot be computed ... [However] Revelations 21:8 says "But the 13414fearful, and unbelieving ... shall have their part in the lake which 13415burneth with fire and brimstone." A lake of molten brimstone means 13416that its temperature must be at or below the boiling point, 444.6C. We 13417have, then, that Heaven, at 525C is hotter than Hell at 445C. 13418 -- From "Applied Optics" vol. 11, A14, 1972 13419% 13420The Third Law of Photography: 13421 If you did manage to get any good shots, they will be ruined 13422when someone inadvertently opens the darkroom door and all of the dark 13423leaks out. 13424% 13425The Three Laws of Thermodynamics: 13426 13427The First Law: You can't get anything without working for it. 13428The Second Law: The most you can accomplish by working is to break 13429 even. 13430The Third Law: You can only break even at absolute zero. 13431% 13432 The Three Major Kind of Tools 13433 13434* Tools for hittings things to make them loose or to tighten them up or 13435 jar their many complex, sophisticated electrical parts in such a 13436 manner that they function perfectly. (These are your hammers, maces, 13437 bludgeons, and truncheons.) 13438 13439* Tools that, if dropped properly, can penetrate your foot. (Awls) 13440 13441* Tools that nobody should ever use because the potential danger is far 13442 greater than the value of any project that could possibly result. 13443 (Power saws, power drills, power staplers, any kind of tool that uses 13444 any kind of power more advanced than flashlight batteries.) 13445 -- Dave Barry, "The Taming of the Screw" 13446% 13447The trouble with a kitten is that 13448When it grows up, it's always a cat 13449 -- Ogden Nash. 13450% 13451The trouble with being poor is that it takes up all your time. 13452% 13453The trouble with being punctual is that nobody's there to appreciate 13454it. 13455 -- Franklin P. Jones 13456% 13457The trouble with being punctual is that people think you have nothing 13458more important to do. 13459% 13460The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody 13461appreciates how difficult it was. 13462% 13463The trouble with superheros is what to do between phone booths. 13464 -- Ken Kesey 13465% 13466The truth is what is; what should be is a dirty lie. 13467 -- Lenny Bruce 13468% 13469The truth of a proposition has nothing to do with its credibility. And 13470vice versa. 13471% 13472The turtle lives 'twixt plated decks 13473Which practically conceal its sex. 13474I think it clever of the turtle 13475In such a fix to be so fertile. 13476 -- Ogden Nash 13477% 13478"The two most common things in the universe are hydrogen and 13479stupidity." 13480% 13481The typewriting machine, when played with expression, is no more 13482annoying than the piano when played by a sister or near relation. 13483 -- Oscar Wilde 13484% 13485The United States also has its native Fascists who say that they are 13486"100 percent American"... 13487 -- U. S. Army (1945) 13488% 13489The United States is like the guy at the party who gives cocaine to 13490everybody and still nobody likes him. 13491 -- Jim Samuels 13492% 13493The universe does not have laws -- it has habits, and habits can be 13494broken. 13495% 13496The universe is like a safe to which there is a combination -- but the 13497combination is locked up in the safe. 13498 -- Peter DeVries 13499% 13500The University of California Bears announced the signing of Reggie 13501Philbin to a letter of intent to attend Cal next Fall. Philbin is said 13502to make up for no talent by cheating well. Says Philbin of his 13503decision to attend Cal, "I'm in it for the free ride." 13504% 13505The USA is so enormous, and so numerous are its schools, colleges and 13506religious seminaries, many devoted to special religious beliefs ranging 13507from the unorthodox to the dotty, that we can hardly wonder at its 13508yielding a more bounteous harvest of gobbledygook than the rest of the 13509world put together. 13510 -- Sir Peter Medawar 13511% 13512The use of COBOL cripples the mind; its teaching should, therefore, be 13513regarded as a criminal offense. 13514 -- E. W. Dijkstra 13515% 13516The verdict of a jury is the a priori opinion of that juror who smokes 13517the worst cigars. 13518 -- H. L. Mencken 13519% 13520The very ink with which all history is written is merely fluid 13521prejudice. 13522 -- Mark Twain 13523% 13524The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. 13525Instead of altering their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts 13526to fit their views ... which can be very uncomfortable if you happen to 13527be one of the facts that needs altering. 13528 -- Doctor Who, "Face of Evil" 13529% 13530"The voters have spoken, the bastards ..." 13531% 13532"The wages of sin are death; but after they're done taking out taxes, 13533it's just a tired feeling:" 13534% 13535The wages of sin are high but you get your money's worth. 13536% 13537"The warning message we sent the Russians was a calculated ambiguity 13538that would be clearly understood." 13539 -- Alexander Haig 13540% 13541"The way to make a small fortune in the commodities market is to start 13542with a large fortune." 13543% 13544The wind doth taste so bitter sweet, 13545 Like Jaspar wine and sugar, 13546It must have blown through someone's feet, 13547 Like those of Caspar Weinberger. 13548 -- P. Opus 13549% 13550 THE WOMBAT 13551 13552The wombat lives across the seas, 13553Among the far Antipodes. 13554He may exist on nuts and berries, 13555Or then again, on missionaries; 13556His distant habitat precludes 13557Conclusive knowledge of his moods. 13558But I would not engage the wombat 13559In any form of mortal combat. 13560% 13561The world is coming to an end ... SAVE YOUR BUFFERS!!! 13562% 13563The world is coming to an end! Repent and return those library books! 13564% 13565The world is coming to an end. Please log off. 13566% 13567The world's as ugly as sin, 13568And almost as delightful 13569 -- Frederick Locker-Lampson 13570% 13571The years of peak mental activity are undoubtedly between the ages of 13572four and eighteen. At four we know all the questions, at eighteen all 13573the answers. 13574% 13575Then a man said: Speak to us of Expectations. 13576 13577He then said: If a man does not see or hear the waters of the Jordan, 13578then he should not taste the pomegranate or ply his wares in an open 13579market. 13580 13581If a man would not labour in the salt and rock quarries then he should 13582not accept of the Earth that which he refuses to give of himself. 13583 13584Such a man would expect a pear of a peach tree. 13585Such a man would expect a stone to lay an egg. 13586Such a man would expect Sears to assemble a lawnmower. 13587 -- Kehlog Albran, "The Profit" 13588% 13589Then here's to the City of Boston, 13590The town of the cries and the groans. 13591Where the Cabots can't see the Kabotschniks, 13592And the Lowells won't speak to the Cohns. 13593 -- Franklin Pierce Adams 13594% 13595 THEORY 13596Into love and out again, 13597 Thus I went and thus I go. 13598Spare your voice, and hold your pen: 13599 Well and bitterly I know 13600All the songs were ever sung, 13601 All the words were ever said; 13602Could it be, when I was young, 13603 Someone dropped me on my head? 13604 -- Dorothy Parker 13605% 13606There *__is* intelligent life on Earth, but I leave for Texas on Monday. 13607% 13608There are four kinds of homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable, 13609and praiseworthy ... 13610 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 13611% 13612There are many intelligent species in the universe. They all own 13613cats. 13614% 13615There are no data that cannot be plotted on a straight line if the axis 13616are chosen correctly. 13617% 13618There are no games on this system. 13619% 13620There are no physicists in the hottest parts of hell, because the 13621existence of a "hottest part" implies a temperature difference, and any 13622marginally competent physicist would immediately use this to run a heat 13623engine and make some other part of hell comfortably cool. This is 13624obviously impossible. 13625 -- Richard Davisson 13626% 13627There are people so addicted to exaggeration that they can't tell the 13628truth without lying. 13629% 13630There are really not many jobs that actually require a penis or a 13631vagina, and all other occupations should be open to everyone. 13632 -- Gloria Steinem 13633% 13634 There are some goyisha names that just about guarantee that 13635someone isn't Jewish. For example, you'll never meet a Jew named 13636Johnson or Wright or Jones or Sinclair or Ricks or Stevenson or Reid or 13637Larsen or Jenks. But some goyisha names just about guarantee that 13638every other person you meet with that name will be Jewish. Why is 13639this? 13640 Who knows? Learned rabbis have pondered this question for 13641centuries and have failed to come up with an answer, and you think ___you 13642can find one? Get serious. You don't even understand why it's 13643forbidden to eat crab -- fresh cold crab with mayonnaise -- or lobster 13644-- soft tender morsels of lobster dipped in melted butter. You don't 13645even understand a simple thing like that, and yet you hope to discover 13646why there are more Jews named Miller than Katz? Fat Chance. 13647 -- Arthur Naiman, "Every Goy's Guide to Yiddish" 13648% 13649"There are some micro-organisms that exhibit characteristics of both 13650plants and animals. When exposed to light they undergo photosynthesis; 13651and when the lights go out, they turn into animals. But then again, 13652don't we all?" 13653% 13654"There are those who claim that magic is like the tide; that it swells 13655and fades over the surface of the earth, collecting in concentrated 13656pools here and there, almost disappearing from other spots, leaving 13657them parched for wonder. There are also those who believe that if you 13658stick your fingers up your nose and blow, it will increase your 13659intelligence." 13660 -- The Teachings of Ebenezum, Volume VII 13661% 13662There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics. 13663 -- Disraeli 13664% 13665"There are three possibilities: Pioneer's solar panel has turned away 13666from the sun; there's a large meteor blocking transmission; or someone 13667loaded Star Trek 3.2 into our video processor." 13668% 13669There are three possible parts to a date, of which at least two must be 13670offered: entertainment, food, and affection. It is customary to begin 13671a series of dates with a great deal of entertainment, a moderate amount 13672of food, and the merest suggestion of affection. As the amount of 13673affection increases, the entertainment can be reduced proportionately. 13674When the affection IS the entertainment, we no longer call it dating. 13675Under no circumstances can the food be omitted. 13676 -- Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior 13677% 13678"There are three principal ways to lose money: wine, women, and 13679engineers. While the first two are more pleasant, the third is by far 13680the more certain." 13681 -- Baron Rothschild, ca. 1800 13682% 13683There are three schools of magic. One: State a tautology, then ring 13684the changes on its corollaries; that's philosophy. Two: Record many 13685facts. Try to find a pattern. Then make a wrong guess at the next 13686fact; that's science. Three: Be aware that you live in a malevolent 13687Universe controlled by Murphy's Law, sometimes offset by Brewster's 13688Factor; that's engineering. 13689% 13690There are three things I always forget. Names, faces -- the third I 13691can't remember. 13692 -- Italo Svevo 13693% 13694There are three ways to get something done: 13695 (1) Do it yourself. 13696 (2) Hire someone to do it for you. 13697 (3) Forbid your kids to do it. 13698% 13699There are three ways to get something done: do it yourself, hire 13700someone, or forbid your kids to do it. 13701% 13702There are times when truth is stranger than fiction and lunch time is 13703one of them. 13704% 13705There are two kinds of solar-heat systems: "passive" systems collect 13706the sunlight that hits your home, and "active" systems collect the 13707sunlight that hits your neighbors' homes, too. 13708 -- Dave Barry, "Postpetroleum Guzzler" 13709% 13710There are two types of people in this world, good and bad. The good 13711sleep better, but the bad seem to enjoy the waking hours much more. 13712 -- Woody Allen 13713% 13714"There are two ways of constructing a software design: One way is to 13715make is so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies, and the 13716other way is to make it so complicated that there are no obvious 13717deficiencies." 13718 -- C. A. R. Hoare 13719% 13720"There are two ways of disliking poetry; one way is to dislike it, the 13721other is to read Pope." 13722 -- Oscar Wilde 13723% 13724There are two ways to write error-free programs. Only the third one 13725works. 13726% 13727There are very few personal problems that cannot be solved through a 13728suitable application of high explosives. 13729% 13730There can be no twisted thought without a twisted molecule. 13731 -- R. W. Gerard 13732% 13733There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full. 13734 -- Henry Kissinger 13735% 13736There exist tasks which cannot be done by more than 10 men or fewer 13737than 100. 13738 -- Steele's Law 13739% 13740There has been an alarming increase in the number of things you know 13741nothing about. 13742% 13743There is a certain impertinence in allowing oneself to be burned for an 13744opinion. 13745 -- Anatole France 13746% 13747There is a great discovery still to be made in Literature: that of 13748paying literary men by the quantity they do NOT write. 13749% 13750There is a green, multi-legged creature crawling on your shoulder. 13751% 13752There is a Massachusetts law requiring all dogs to have their hind legs 13753tied during the month of April. 13754% 13755There is a natural hootchy-kootchy to a goldfish. 13756 -- Walt Disney 13757% 13758"There is a road to freedom. Its milestones are Obedience, Endeavor, 13759Honesty, Order, Cleanliness, Sobriety, Truthfulness, Sacrifice, and 13760love of the Fatherland." 13761 -- Adolf Hitler 13762% 13763There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly 13764what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly 13765disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and 13766inexplicable. 13767 13768There is another theory which states that this has already happened. 13769 13770 -- Douglas Adams, "The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy" 13771% 13772"There is hopeful symbolism in the fact that flags do not wave in a 13773vacuum." 13774 -- Arthur C. Clarke 13775% 13776There is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress. 13777 -- Mark Twain 13778% 13779There is no realizable power that man cannot, in time, fashion the 13780tools to attain, nor any power so secure that the naked ape will not 13781abuse it. So it is written in the genetic cards -- only physics and 13782war hold him in check. And also the wife who wants him home by five, 13783of course. 13784 -- Encyclopedia Apocryphia, 1990 ed. 13785% 13786"There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their 13787home." 13788 -- Ken Olson, President of DEC, World Future Society 13789 Convention, 1977 13790% 13791There is no satisfaction in hanging a man who does not object to it 13792 -- G. B. Shaw 13793% 13794There is no substitute for good manners, except, perhaps, fast 13795reflexes. 13796% 13797There is no such thing as fortune. Try again. 13798% 13799There is no time like the pleasant. 13800% 13801There is no time like the present for postponing what you ought to be 13802doing. 13803% 13804There is no TRUTH. There is no REALITY. There is no CONSISTENCY. 13805There are no ABSOLUTE STATEMENTS I'm very probably wrong. 13806% 13807"There is nothing which cannot be answered by means of my doctrine," 13808said a monk, coming into a teahouse where Nasrudin sat. "And yet just 13809a short time ago, I was challenged by a scholar with an unanswerable 13810question," said Nasrudin. "I could have answered it if I had been 13811there." "Very well. He asked, 'Why are you breaking into my house in 13812the middle of the night?'" 13813% 13814There is nothing wrong with Southern California that a rise in the 13815ocean level wouldn't cure. 13816 -- Ross MacDonald 13817% 13818There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and 13819that is not being talked about. 13820 -- Oscar Wilde 13821% 13822There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale 13823returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact. 13824 -- Mark Twain 13825% 13826There once was a girl named Irene 13827Who lived on distilled kerosene 13828 But she started absorbin' 13829 A new hydrocarbon 13830And since then has never benzene. 13831% 13832There once was a member of Mensa 13833Who was a most excellent fencer. 13834 The sword that he used 13835 Was his -- (line is refused, 13836And has now been removed by the censor). 13837% 13838There once was an old man from Esser, 13839Who's knowledge grew lesser and lesser. 13840 It at last grew so small, 13841 He knew nothing at all, 13842And now he's a College Professor. 13843% 13844"There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved 13845it." 13846 -- C. S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia 13847% 13848There was a plane crash over mid-ocean, and only three survivors were 13849left in the life-raft: the Pope, the President, and Mayor Daley. 13850Unfortunately, it was a one-man life-raft, and quickly sinking, so they 13851started debating who should be allowed to stay. 13852 13853The Pope pointed out that he was the spiritual leader of millions all 13854over the world, the President explained that if he died then America 13855would be stuck with the Vice-President, and so forth. Then Mayor Daley 13856said, "Look! We're not solving anything like this! The only fair 13857thing to do is to vote on it." So they did, and Mayor Daley won by 97 13858votes. 13859% 13860There was a young lady from Hyde 13861Who ate a green apple and died. 13862 While her lover lamented 13863 The apple fermented 13864And made cider inside her inside. 13865% 13866There was a young man who said "God, 13867I find it exceedingly odd, 13868 That the willow oak tree 13869 Continues to be, 13870When there's no one about in the Quad." 13871 13872"Dear Sir, your astonishment's odd, 13873For I'm always about in the Quad; 13874 And that's why the tree, 13875 Continues to be," 13876Signed "Yours faithfully, God." 13877% 13878There was a young poet named Dan, 13879Whose poetry never would scan. 13880 When told this was so, 13881 He said, "Yes, I know. 13882% 13883There was a young poet named Dan, 13884Whose poetry never would scan. 13885 When told this was so, 13886 He said, "Yes, I know. 13887It's because I try to put every possible syllable into that last line that I can." 13888% 13889"There was an interesting development in the CBS-Westmoreland trial: 13890both sides agreed that after the trial, Andy Rooney would be allowed to 13891talk to the jury for three minutes about little things that annoyed him 13892during the trial." 13893 -- David Letterman 13894% 13895There were in this country two very large monopolies. The larger of 13896the two had the following record: the Vietnam War, Watergate, double- 13897digit inflation, fuel and energy shortages, bankrupt airlines, and the 138988-cent postcard. The second was responsible for such things as the 13899transistor, the solar cell, lasers, synthetic crystals, high fidelity 13900stereo recording, sound motion pictures, radio astronomy, negative 13901feedback, magnetic tape, magnetic "bubbles", electronic switching 13902systems, microwave radio and TV relay systems, information theory, the 13903first electrical digital computer, and the first communications 13904satellite. Guess which one got to tell the other how to run the 13905telephone business? 13906% 13907There's a fine line between courage and foolishness. Too bad it's not 13908a fence. 13909% 13910There's an old proverb that says just about whatever you want it to. 13911% 13912There's little in taking or giving, 13913 There's little in water or wine: 13914This living, this living, this living, 13915 Was never a project of mine. 13916Oh, hard is the struggle, and sparse is 13917 The gain of the one at the top, 13918For art is a form of catharsis, 13919 And love is a permanent flop, 13920And work is the province of cattle, 13921 And rest's for a clam in a shell, 13922So I'm thinking of throwing the battle -- 13923 Would you kindly direct me to hell? 13924 -- Dorothy Parker 13925% 13926There's no easy quick way out, we're gonna have to live through our 13927whole lives, win, lose, or draw. 13928 -- Walt Kelly 13929% 13930There's no future in time travel 13931% 13932There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes. 13933 -- Dr. Who 13934% 13935There's no real need to do housework -- after four years it doesn't get 13936any worse. 13937% 13938There's no room in the drug world for amateurs. 13939% 13940There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government 13941working for you. 13942 -- Will Rodgers 13943% 13944"There's nothing in the middle of the road but a yellow stripe and dead 13945armadillos." 13946 -- Jim Hightower, Texas Agricultural Commissioner 13947% 13948"There's nothing wrong with teenagers that reasoning with them won't 13949aggravate." 13950% 13951There's only one way to have a happy marriage and as soon as I learn 13952what it is I'll get married again. 13953 -- Clint Eastwood 13954% 13955There's so much plastic in this culture that vinyl leopard skin is 13956becoming an endangered synthetic. 13957 -- Lily Tomlin 13958% 13959"These are DARK TIMES for all mankind's HIGHEST VALUES!" 13960"These are DARK TIMES for FREEDOM and PROSPERITY!" 13961"These are GREAT TIMES to put your money on BAD GUY to kick the CRAP 13962out of MEGATON MAN!" 13963% 13964These days the necessities of life cost you about three times what they 13965used to, and half the time they aren't even fit to drink. 13966% 13967They also surf who only stand on waves. 13968% 13969"They make a desert and call it peace." 13970 -- Tacitus (55?-120?) 13971% 13972They spell it "da Vinci" and pronounce it "da Vinchy". Foreigners 13973always spell better than they pronounce. 13974 -- Mark Twain 13975% 13976"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary 13977safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." 13978 -- Benjamin Franklin, 1759 13979% 13980"They told me I was gullible ... and I believed them!" 13981% 13982They told me you had proven it When they discovered our results 13983 About a month before. Their hair began to curl 13984The proof was valid, more or less Instead of understanding it 13985 But rather less than more. We'd run the thing through PRL. 13986 13987He sent them word that we would try Don't tell a soul about all this 13988 To pass where they had failed For it must ever be 13989And after we were done, to them A secret, kept from all the rest 13990 The new proof would be mailed. Between yourself and me. 13991 13992My notion was to start again 13993 Ignoring all they'd done 13994We quickly turned it into code 13995 To see if it would run. 13996% 13997They're only trying to make me LOOK paranoid! 13998% 13999"They're unfriendly, which is fortunate, really. They'd be difficult 14000to like." 14001 -- Avon 14002% 14003Things are more like they used to be than they are now. 14004% 14005Things will be bright in P.M. A cop will shine a light in your face. 14006% 14007Think big. Pollute the Mississippi. 14008% 14009Think honk if you're a telepath. 14010% 14011Think of it! With VLSI we can pack 100 ENIACs in 1 sq. cm.! 14012% 14013Think of your family tonight. Try to crawl home after the computer 14014crashes. 14015% 14016Think twice before speaking, but don't say "think think click click". 14017% 14018"Thirty days hath Septober, 14019April, June, and no wonder. 14020all the rest have peanut butter 14021except my father who wears red suspenders." 14022% 14023This Fortue Examined By INSPECTOR NO. 2-14 14024% 14025This fortune cookie program out of order. For those in desperate need, 14026please use the program "________randchar". This program generates random 14027characters, and, given enough time, will undoubtedly come up with 14028something profound. It will, however, take it no time at all to be 14029more profound than THIS program has ever been. 14030% 14031This fortune intentionally not included. 14032% 14033This fortune is false. 14034% 14035This fortune is inoperative. Please try another. 14036% 14037"This is a country where people are free to practice their religion, 14038regardless of race, creed, color, obesity, or number of dangling 14039keys ..." 14040% 14041"This is a job for BOB VIOLENCE and SCUM, the INCREDIBLY STUPID MUTANT 14042DOG." 14043 -- Bob Violence 14044% 14045"This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. If this had been an 14046actual emergency, do you really think we'd stick around to tell you?" 14047% 14048This is an especially good time for you vacationers who plan to fly, 14049because the Reagan administration, as part of the same policy under 14050which it recently sold Yellowstone National Park to Wayne Newton, has 14051"deregulated" the airline industry. What this means for you, the 14052consumer, is that the airlines are no longer required to follow any 14053rules whatsoever. They can show snuff movies. They can charge for 14054oxygen. They can hire pilots right out of Vending Machine Refill 14055Person School. They can conserve fuel by ejecting husky passengers 14056over water. They can ram competing planes in mid-air. These 14057innovations have resulted in tremendous cost savings which have been 14058passed along to you, the consumer, in the form of flights with 14059amazingly low fares, such as $29. Of course, certain restrictions do 14060apply, the main one being that all these flights take you to Newark, 14061and you must pay thousands of dollars if you want to fly back out. 14062 -- Dave Barry, "Iowa -- Land of Secure Vacations" 14063% 14064This is an unauthorized cybernetic announcement. 14065% 14066This is for all ill-treated fellows 14067 Unborn and unbegot, 14068For them to read when they're in trouble 14069 And I am not. 14070 -- A. E. Housman 14071% 14072"This is lemma 1.1. We start a new chapter so the numbers all go back 14073to one." 14074 -- Prof. Seager, C&O 351 14075% 14076This is National Non-Dairy Creamer Week. 14077% 14078THIS IS PLEDGE WEEK FOR THE FORTUNE PROGRAM 14079 14080If you like the fortune program, why not support it now with your 14081contribution of a pithy fortune, clean or obscene? We cannot continue 14082without your support. Less than 14% of all fortune users are 14083contributors. That means that 86% of you are getting a free ride. We 14084can't go on like this much longer. Federal cutbacks mean less money 14085for fortunes, and unless user contributions increase to make up the 14086difference, the fortune program will have to shut down between midnight 14087and 8 a.m. Don't let this happen. Mail your fortunes right now to 14088"fortune". Just type in your favorite pithy saying. Do it now before 14089you forget. Our target is 300 new fortunes by the end of the week. 14090Don't miss out. All fortunes will be acknowledged. If you contribute 1409130 fortunes or more, you will receive a free subscription to "The 14092Fortune Hunter", our monthly program guide. If you contribute 50 or 14093more, you will receive a free "Fortune Hunter" coffee mug .... 14094% 14095This is the ____LAST time I take travel suggestions from Ray Bradbury! 14096% 14097This is the first numerical problem I ever did. It demonstrates the 14098power of computers: 14099 14100Enter lots of data on calorie & nutritive content of foods. Instruct 14101the thing to maximize a function describing nutritive content, with a 14102minimum level of each component, for fixed caloric content. The 14103results are that one should eat each day: 14104 14105 1/2 chicken 14106 1 egg 14107 1 glass of skim milk 14108 27 heads of lettuce. 14109 -- Rev. Adrian Melott 14110% 14111This is the story of the bee 14112Whose sex is very hard to see 14113 14114You cannot tell the he from the she 14115But she can tell, and so can he 14116 14117The little bee is never still 14118She has no time to take the pill 14119 14120And that is why, in times like these 14121There are so many sons of bees. 14122% 14123This is your fortune. 14124% 14125This land is full of trousers! 14126this land is full of mausers! 14127 And pussycats to eat them when the sun goes down! 14128 -- Firesign Theater 14129% 14130This land is made of mountains, 14131This land is made of mud, 14132This land has lots of everything, 14133For me and Elmer Fudd. 14134 14135This land has lots of trousers, 14136This land has lots of mousers, 14137And pussycats to eat them 14138When the sun goes down. 14139% 14140This life is a test. It is only a test. Had this been an actual life, 14141you would have received further instructions as to what to do and where 14142to go. 14143% 14144This login session: $13.99, but for you $11.88 14145% 14146This novel is not to be tossed lightly aside, but to be hurled with 14147great force. 14148 -- Dorothy Parker 14149% 14150This planet has -- or rather had -- a problem, which was this: most of 14151the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many 14152solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were 14153largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, 14154which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of 14155paper that were unhappy. 14156 -- Douglas Adams 14157% 14158"This process can check if this value is zero, and if it is, it does 14159something child-like." 14160 -- Forbes Burkowski, Computer Science 454 14161% 14162This quote is taken from the Diamondback, the University of Maryland 14163student newspaper, of Tuesday, 3/10/87. 14164 14165 One disadvantage of the Univac system is that it does not use 14166 Unix, a recently developed program which translates from one 14167 computer language to another and has a built-in editing system 14168 which identifies errors in the original program. 14169% 14170This sentence contradicts itself -- no actually it doesn't. 14171 -- Hofstadter 14172% 14173... This striving for excellence extends into people's personal lives 14174as well. When '80s people buy something, they buy the best one, as 14175determined by (1) price and (2) lack of availability. Eighties people 14176buy imported dental floss. They buy gourmet baking soda. If an '80s 14177couple goes to a restaurant where they have made a reservation three 14178weeks in advance, and they are informed that their table is available, 14179they stalk out immediately, because they know it is not an excellent 14180restaurant. If it were, it would have an enormous crowd of 14181excellence-oriented people like themselves waiting, their beepers going 14182off like crickets in the night. An excellent restaurant wouldn't have 14183a table ready immediately for anybody below the rank of Liza Minnelli. 14184 -- Dave Barry, "In Search of Excellence" 14185% 14186This will be a memorable month -- no matter how hard you try to forget 14187it. 14188% 14189 Thompson, if he is to be believed, has sampled the entire 14190rainbow of legal and illegal drugs in heroic efforts to feel better 14191than he does. 14192 As for the truth about his health: I have asked around about 14193it. I am told that he appears to be strong and rosy, and steadily 14194sane. But we will be doing what he wants us to do, I think, if we 14195consider his exterior a sort of Dorian Gray facade. Inwardly, he is 14196being eaten alive by tinhorn politicians. 14197 The disease is fatal. There is no known cure. The most we can 14198do for the poor devil, it seems to me, is to name his disease in his 14199honor. From this moment on, let all those who feel that Americans can 14200be as easily led to beauty as to ugliness, to truth as to public 14201relations, to joy as to bitterness, be said to be suffering from Hunter 14202Thompson's disease. I don't have it this morning. It comes and goes. 14203This morning I don't have Hunter Thompson's disease. 14204 -- Kurt Vonnegut Jr. on Dr. Hunter S. Thompson: Excerpt 14205 from "A Political Disease", Vonnegut's review of "Fear 14206 and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72" 14207% 14208Those of you who think you know everything are very annoying to those 14209of us who do. 14210% 14211Those who can't write, write manuals. 14212% 14213Those who can, do. Those who can't, simulate. 14214% 14215"Those who do not do politics will be done in by politics." 14216 -- French Proverb 14217% 14218Those who do not understand Unix are condemned to reinvent it, poorly. 14219 -- Henry Spencer 14220% 14221Those who educate children well are more to be honored than parents, 14222for these only gave life, those the art of living well. 14223 -- Aristotle 14224% 14225Those who express random thoughts to legislative committees are often 14226surprised and appalled to find themselves the instigators of law. 14227 -- Mark B. Cohen 14228% 14229Those who in quarrels interpose, must often wipe a bloody nose. 14230% 14231Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent 14232revolution inevitable. 14233 -- John F. Kennedy 14234% 14235Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are 14236men who want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean 14237without the roar of its many waters. 14238 -- Frederick Douglass 14239% 14240Three great scientific theories of the structure of the universe are 14241the molecular, the corpuscular and the atomic. A fourth affirms, with 14242Haeckel, the condensation or precipitation of matter from ether -- 14243whose existence is proved by the condensation or precipitation ... A 14244fifth theory is held by idiots, but it is doubtful if they know any 14245more about the matter than the others. 14246 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 14247% 14248Time flies like an arrow 14249Fruit flies like a banana 14250% 14251Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana. 14252% 14253Time is an illusion; lunchtime, doubly so. 14254 -- Ford Prefect 14255% 14256Time is nature's way of making sure that everything doesn't happen at 14257once. 14258% 14259'Tis the dream of each programmer, 14260Before his life is done, 14261To write three lines of APL, 14262And make the damn things run. 14263% 14264 (to "The Caissons Go Rolling Along") 14265Scratch the disks, dump the core, Shut it down, pull the plug 14266Roll the tapes across the floor, Give the core an extra tug 14267And the system is going to crash. And the system is going to crash. 14268Teletypes smashed to bits. Mem'ry cards, one and all, 14269Give the scopes some nasty hits Toss out halfway down the hall 14270And the system is going to crash. And the system is going to crash. 14271And we've also found Just flip one switch 14272When you turn the power down, And the lights will cease to twitch 14273You turn the disk readers into trash. And the tape drives will crumble 14274 in a flash. 14275Oh, it's so much fun, When the CPU 14276Now the CPU won't run Can print nothing out but "foo," 14277And the system is going to crash. The system is going to crash. 14278% 14279 To A Quick Young Fox: 14280Why jog exquisite bulk, fond crazy vamp, 14281Daft buxom jonquil, zephyr's gawky vice? 14282Guy fed by work, quiz Jove's xanthic lamp -- 14283Zow! Qualms by deja vu gyp fox-kin thrice. 14284 -- Lazy Dog 14285% 14286To be intoxicated is to feel sophisticated but not be able to say it. 14287% 14288To be is to do. 14289 -- I. Kant 14290To do is to be. 14291 -- A. Sartre 14292Yabba-Dabba-Doo! 14293 -- F. Flinstone 14294% 14295"To be responsive at this time, though I will simply say, and therefore 14296this is a repeat of what I said previously, that which I am unable to 14297offer in response is based on information available to make no such 14298statement." 14299% 14300To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and, whatever you hit, 14301call it the target. 14302% 14303To err is human, to forgive is Not Company Policy. 14304% 14305"To err is human, to forgive, beyond the scope of the Operating System" 14306% 14307To err is human, to moo bovine. 14308% 14309To every Ph.D. there is an equal and opposite Ph.D. 14310 -- B. Duggan 14311% 14312To generalize is to be an idiot. 14313 -- William Blake 14314% 14315To get something done, a committee should consist of no more than three 14316men, two of them absent. 14317% 14318To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk. 14319 -- Thomas Edison 14320% 14321To iterate is human, to recurse, divine. 14322% 14323To the best of my recollection, Senator, I can't recall. 14324% 14325To the systems programmer, users and applications serve only to provide 14326a test load. 14327% 14328To those accustomed to the precise, structured methods of conventional 14329system development, exploratory development techniques may seem messy, 14330inelegant, and unsatisfying. But it's a question of congruence: 14331precision and flexibility may be just as disfunctional in novel, 14332uncertain situations as sloppiness and vacillation are in familiar, 14333well-defined ones. Those who admire the massive, rigid bone structures 14334of dinosaurs should remember that jellyfish still enjoy their very 14335secure ecological niche. 14336 -- Beau Sheil, "Power Tools for Programmers" 14337% 14338To understand this important story, you have to understand how the 14339telephone company works. Your telephone is connected to a local 14340computer, which is in turn connected to a regional computer, which is 14341in turn connected to a loudspeaker the size of a garbage truck on the 14342lawn of Edna A. Bargewater of Lawrence, Kan. 14343 14344Whenever you talk on the phone, your local computer listens in. If it 14345suspects you're going to discuss an intimate topic, it notifies the 14346computer above it, which listens in and decides whether to alert the 14347one above it, until finally, if you really humiliate yourself, maybe 14348break down in tears and tell your closest friend about a sordid 14349incident from your past involving a seedy motel, a neighbor's spouse, 14350an entire religious order, a garden hose and six quarts of tapioca 14351pudding, the top computer feeds your conversation into Edna's 14352loudspeaker, and she and her friends come out on the porch to listen 14353and drink gin and laugh themselves silly. 14354 -- Dave Barry, "Won't It Be Just Great Owning Our Own 14355 Phones?" 14356% 14357"To vacillate or not to vacillate, that is the question ... or is it?" 14358% 14359"To YOU I'm an atheist; to God, I'm the Loyal Opposition." 14360 -- Woody Allen 14361% 14362Today is a good day to bribe a high-ranking public official. 14363% 14364Today is National Existential Ennui Awareness Day. 14365% 14366Today is the first day of the rest of the mess 14367% 14368Today is the first day of the rest of your lossage. 14369% 14370Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday 14371% 14372Today's scientific question is: What in the world is electricity? 14373 14374And where does it go after it leaves the toaster? 14375 -- Dave Barry, "What is Electricity?" 14376% 14377"Today's thrilling story has been brought to you by Mushies, the great new 14378cereal that gets soggy even without milk or cream. Join us soon for more 14379spectacular adventure starring ... Tippy, the Wonder Dog." 14380 -- Bob & Ray 14381% 14382"Today, of course, it is considered very poor taste to use the F-word 14383except in major motion pictures." 14384 -- Dave Barry, "$#$%#^%!^%&@%@!" 14385% 14386Toilet Toup'ee, n.: 14387 Any shag carpet that causes the lid to become top-heavy, thus 14388creating endless annoyance to male users. 14389 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 14390% 14391Tomorrow will be canceled due to lack of interest. 14392% 14393Tonight's the night: Sleep in a eucalyptus tree. 14394% 14395Too clever is dumb. 14396 -- Ogden Nash 14397% 14398Too much of a good thing is WONDERFUL. 14399 -- Mae West 14400% 14401Too much of everything is just enough. 14402 -- Bob Wier 14403% 14404Too often I find that the volume of paper expands to fill the available 14405briefcases. 14406 -- Governor Jerry Brown 14407% 14408Top scientists agree that with the present rate of consumption, the 14409earth's supply of gravity will be exhausted before the 24th century. 14410As man struggles to discover cheaper alternatives, we need your help. 14411Please... 14412 14413 CONSERVE GRAVITY 14414 14415Follow these simple suggestions: 14416 14417(1) Walk with a light step. Carry helium balloons if possible. 14418(2) Use tape, magnets, or glue instead of paperweights. 14419(3) Give up skiing and skydiving for more horizontal sports like 14420 curling. 14421(4) Avoid showers .. take baths instead. 14422(5) Don't hang all your clothes in the closet ... Keep them in one big 14423 pile. 14424(6) Stop flipping pancakes 14425% 14426Travel important today; Internal Revenue men arrive tomorrow. 14427% 14428Troubled day for virgins over 16 who are beautiful and wealthy and live 14429in eucalyptus trees. 14430% 14431Truly great madness can not be achieved without significant 14432intelligence. 14433 -- Henrik Tikkanen 14434% 14435Truth is the most valuable thing we have -- so let us economize it. 14436 -- Mark Twain 14437% 14438Truth will be out this morning. (Which may really mess things up.) 14439% 14440Truthful, adj.: 14441 Dumb and illiterate. 14442 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 14443% 14444Try not to have a good time ... This is supposed to be educational. 14445 -- Charles Schulz 14446% 14447Try to be the best of whatever you are, even if what you are is no 14448good. 14449% 14450Try to find the real tense of the report you are reading: Was it done, 14451is it being done, or is something to be done? Reports are now written 14452in four tenses: past tense, present tense, future tense, and 14453pretense. Watch for novel uses of CONGRAM (CONtractor GRAMmer), 14454defined by the imperfect past, the insufficient present, and the 14455absolutely perfect future. 14456 -- Amrom Katz 14457% 14458Try to get all of your posthumous medals in advance. 14459% 14460Trying to be happy is like trying to build a machine for which the only 14461specification is that it should run noiselessly. 14462% 14463Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth. 14464 -- Alan Watts 14465% 14466Trying to establish voice contact ... please ____yell into keyboard. 14467% 14468Turnaucka's Law: 14469 The attention span of a computer is only as long as its 14470electrical cord. 14471% 14472Tussman's Law: 14473 Nothing is as inevitable as a mistake whose time has come. 14474% 14475TV is chewing gum for the eyes. 14476 -- Frank Lloyd Wright 14477% 14478'Twas midnight, and the UNIX hacks 14479Did gyre and gimble in their cave 14480All mimsy was the CS-VAX 14481And Cory raths outgrabe. 14482 14483"Beware the software rot, my son! 14484The faults that bite, the jobs that thrash! 14485Beware the broken pipe, and shun 14486The frumious system crash!" 14487% 14488 'Twas the Night before Crisis 14489 14490'Twas the night before crisis, and all through the house, 14491 Not a program was working not even a browse. 14492The programmers were wrung out too mindless to care, 14493 Knowing chances of cutover hadn't a prayer. 14494The users were nestled all snug in their beds, 14495 While visions of inquiries danced in their heads. 14496When out in the lobby there arose such a clatter, 14497 I sprang from my tube to see what was the matter. 14498And what to my wondering eyes should appear, 14499 But a Super Programmer, oblivious to fear. 14500More rapid than eagles, his programs they came, 14501 And he whistled and shouted and called them by name; 14502On Update! On Add! On Inquiry! On Delete! 14503 On Batch Jobs! On Closing! On Functions Complete! 14504His eyes were glazed over, his fingers were lean, 14505 From Weekends and nights in front of a screen. 14506A wink of his eye, and a twist of his head, 14507 Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread... 14508% 14509'Twas the nocturnal segment of the diurnal period 14510 preceding the annual Yuletide celebration, And 14511 throughout our place of residence, 14512Kinetic activity was not in evidence among the 14513 possessors of this potential, including that 14514 species of domestic rodent known as Mus musculus. 14515Hosiery was meticulously suspended from the forward 14516 edge of the woodburning caloric apparatus, 14517Pursuant to our anticipatory pleasure regarding an 14518 imminent visitation from an eccentric 14519 philanthropist among whose folkloric appelations 14520 is the honorific title of St. Nicklaus ... 14521% 14522Twenty Percent of Zero is Better than Nothing. 14523 -- Walt Kelly 14524% 14525Two can Live as Cheaply as One for Half as Long. 14526 -- Howard Kandel 14527% 14528Two men came before Nasrudin when he was magistrate. The first man 14529said, "This man has bitten my ear -- I demand compensation." The 14530second man said, "He bit it himself." Nasrudin withdrew to his 14531chambers, and spent an hour trying to bite his own ear. He succeeded 14532only in falling over and bruising his forehead. Returning to the 14533courtroom, Nasrudin pronounced, "Examine the man whose ear was bitten. 14534If his forehead is bruised, he did it himself and the case is 14535dismissed. If his forehead is not bruised, the other man did it and 14536must pay three silver pieces." 14537% 14538Two percent of zero is almost nothing. 14539% 14540"Two sure ways to tell a sexy male; the first is, he has a bad memory. 14541I forget the second." 14542% 14543Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do. 14544% 14545U: There's a U -- a Unicorn! 14546 Run right up and rub its horn. 14547 Look at all those points you're losing! 14548 UMBER HULKS are so confusing. 14549 -- The Roguelet's ABC 14550% 14551"Ubi non accusator, ibi non judex." 14552 14553(Where there is no police, there is no speed limit.) 14554 -- Roman Law, trans. Petr Beckmann (1971) 14555% 14556UFO's are for real: the Air Force doesn't exist. 14557% 14558"Uncle Cosmo ... why do they call this a word processor?" 14559 14560"It's simple, Skyler ... you've seen what food processors do to food, 14561right?" 14562 -- MacNelley, "Shoe" 14563% 14564Uncle Ed's Rule of Thumb: 14565 Never use your thumb for a rule. You'll either hit it with a 14566hammer or get a splinter in it. 14567% 14568Uncle Ed's Rule of Thumb: 14569 Never use your thumb for a rule. You'll either hit it with a 14570hammmer or get a splinter in it. 14571% 14572Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a 14573just man is also a prison. 14574 -- Henry David Thoreau 14575% 14576Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a 14577just man is also in prison. 14578 -- Henry David Thoreau 14579% 14580Under deadline pressure for the next week. If you want something, it 14581can wait. Unless it's blind screaming paroxysmally hedonistic ... 14582% 14583Underlying Principle of Socio-Genetics: 14584 Superiority is recessive. 14585% 14586Unfair animal names: 14587 14588-- tsetse fly -- bullhead 14589-- booby -- duck-billed platypus 14590-- sapsucker -- Clarence 14591 -- Gary Larson 14592% 14593United Nations, New York, December 25. The peace and joy of the 14594Christmas season was marred by a proclamation of a general strike of 14595all the military forces of the world. Panic reigns in the hearts of 14596all the patriots of every persuasion. 14597 14598Meanwhile, fears of universal disaster sank to an all-time low over the 14599world. 14600 -- Isaac Asimov 14601% 14602Universe, n.: 14603 The problem. 14604% 14605University, n.: 14606 Like a software house, except the software's free, and it's 14607usable, and it works, and if it breaks they'll quickly tell you how to 14608fix it, and ... 14609% 14610unix soit qui mal y pense 14611% 14612UNIX was half a billion (500000000) seconds old on 14613Tue Nov 5 00:53:20 1985 GMT (measuring since the time(2) epoch). 14614 -- Andy Tannenbaum 14615% 14616Unnamed Law: 14617 If it happens, it must be possible. 14618% 14619Unquestionably, there is progress. The average American now pays out 14620twice as much in taxes as he formerly got in wages. 14621 -- H. L. Mencken 14622% 14623Usage: fortune -P [] -a [xsz] [Q: [file]] [rKe9] -v6[+] dataspec ... inputdir 14624% 14625User n.: 14626 A programmer who will believe anything you tell him. 14627% 14628USER, n.: 14629 The word computer professionals use when they mean "idiot." 14630 -- Dave Barry, "Claw Your Way to the Top" 14631% 14632Using TSO is like kicking a dead whale down the beach. 14633 -- S. C. Johnson 14634% 14635Utility is when you have one telephone, luxury is when you have two, 14636opulence is when you have three -- and paradise is when you have none. 14637 -- Doug Larson 14638% 14639Vail's Second Axiom: 14640 The amount of work to be done increases in proportion to the 14641amount of work already completed. 14642% 14643Valerie: Aww, Tom, you're going maudlin on me ... 14644Tom: I reserve the right to wax maudlin as I wane eloquent ... 14645 -- Tom Chapin 14646% 14647Van Roy's Law: 14648 An unbreakable toy is useful for breaking other toys. 14649% 14650Vanilla, adj.: 14651 Ordinary flavor, standard. See FLAVOR. When used of food, 14652very often does not mean that the food is flavored with vanilla 14653extract! For example, "vanilla-flavored won ton soup" (or simply 14654"vanilla won ton soup") means ordinary won ton soup, as opposed to hot 14655and sour won ton soup. 14656% 14657Velilind's Laws of Experimentation: 14658 (1) If reproducibility may be a problem, conduct the test only 14659 once. 14660 (2) If a straight line fit is required, obtain only two data 14661 points. 14662% 14663Veni, Vidi, Visa. 14664% 14665 "Verily and forsooth," replied Goodgulf darkly. "In the past 14666year strange and fearful wonders I have seen. Fields sown with barley 14667reap crabgrass and fungus, and even small gardens reject their 14668artichoke hearts. There has been a hot day in December and a blue 14669moon. Calendars are made with a month of Sundays and a blue-ribbon 14670Holstein bore alive two insurance salesmen. The earth splits and the 14671entrails of a goat were found tied in square knots. The face of the 14672sun blackens and the skies have rained down soggy potato chips." 14673 14674 "But what do all these things mean?" gasped Frito. 14675 14676 "Beats me," said Goodgulf with a shrug, "but I thought it made 14677good copy." 14678 -- Harvard Lampoon, "Bored of the Rings" 14679% 14680Very few profundities can be expressed in less than 80 characters. 14681% 14682Vila: "I think I have just made the biggest mistake of my life." 14683Orac: "It is unlikely. I would predict there are far greater mistakes 14684 waiting to be made by someone with your obvious talent for it." 14685% 14686Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. 14687 -- Salvor Hardin 14688% 14689Virginia law forbids bathtubs in the house; tubs must be kept in the 14690yard. 14691% 14692VIRGO (Aug 23 - Sept 22) 14693 Learn something new today, like how to spell or how to count to 14694 ten without using your fingers. Be careful dressing this 14695 morning. You may be hit by a car later in the day and you 14696 wouldn't want to be taken to the doctor's office in some of 14697 that old underwear you own. 14698% 14699VIRGO (Aug 23 - Sept 22) 14700 You are the logical type and hate disorder. This nitpicking is 14701 sickening to your friends. You are cold and unemotional and 14702 sometimes fall asleep while making love. Virgos make good bus 14703 drivers. 14704% 14705"Virtual" means never knowing where your next byte is coming from. 14706% 14707Virtue is its own punishment. 14708% 14709Vital papers will demonstrate their vitality by spontaneously moving 14710from where you left them to where you can't find them. 14711% 14712Vitamin C deficiency is apauling 14713% 14714VMS is like a nightmare about RXS-11M. 14715% 14716Vote anarchist 14717% 14718Vote for ME -- I'm well-tapered, half-cocked, ill-conceived and 14719TAX-DEFERRED! 14720% 14721VYARZERZOMANIMORORSEZASSEZANSERAREORSES? 14722% 14723 14724 *** System shutdown message from root *** 14725 14726System going down in 60 seconds 14727 14728 14729% 14730"Wagner's music is better than it sounds." 14731 -- Mark Twain 14732% 14733Waiter: "Tea or coffee, gentlemen?" 147341st customer: "I'll have tea." 147352nd customer: "Me, too -- and be sure the glass is clean!" 14736 (Waiter exits, returns) 14737Waiter: "Two teas. Which one asked for the clean glass?" 14738% 14739Walk softly and carry a megawatt laser. 14740% 14741War hath no fury like a non-combatant. 14742 -- Charles Edward Montague 14743% 14744War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ketchup is a vegetable. 14745% 14746 WARNING TO ALL PERSONNEL: 14747 14748Firings will continue until morale improves. 14749% 14750 WARNING TO ALL PERSONNEL: 14751 14752Firings will continue until morale improves. 14753% 14754WARNING: 14755 Reading this fortune can affect the dimensionality of your 14756mind, change the curvature of your spine, cause the growth of hair on 14757your palms, and make a difference in the outcome of your favorite war. 14758% 14759Warning: Listening to WXRT on April Fools' Day is not recommended for 14760those who are slightly disoriented the first few hours after waking 14761up. 14762 -- Chicago Reader 4/22/83 14763% 14764Warp 7 -- It's a law we can live with. 14765% 14766Washington [D.C.] is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm. 14767 -- John F. Kennedy 14768% 14769Waste not, get your budget cut next year. 14770% 14771Wasting time is an important part of living. 14772% 14773Watson's Law: 14774 The reliability of machinery is inversely proportional to the 14775number and significance of any persons watching it. 14776% 14777We are all agreed that your theory is crazy. The question which 14778divides us is whether it is crazy enough to have a chance of being 14779correct. My own feeling is that it is not crazy enough. 14780 -- Niels Bohr 14781% 14782We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. 14783 -- Oscar Wilde 14784% 14785We are all worms. But I do believe I am a glowworm. 14786 -- Winston Churchill 14787% 14788We ARE as gods and might as well get good at it. 14789 -- Whole Earth Catalog 14790% 14791We are confronted with insurmountable opportunities. 14792 -- Walt Kelly, "Pogo" 14793% 14794We are going to give a little something, a few little years more, to 14795socialism, because socialism is defunct. It dies all by itself. The 14796bad thing is that socialism, being a victim of its ... Did I say 14797socialism? 14798 -- Fidel Castro 14799% 14800"We are on the verge: Today our program proved Fermat's next-to-last 14801theorem." 14802 -- Epigrams in Programming, ACM SIGPLAN Sept. 1982 14803% 14804"We are upping our standards ... so up yours." 14805 -- Pat Paulsen for President, 1988. 14806% 14807We can defeat gravity. The problem is the paperwork involved. 14808% 14809We can predict everything, except the future. 14810% 14811We cannot put the face of a person on a stamp unless said person is 14812deceased. My suggestion, therefore, is that you drop dead. 14813 -- James E. Day, Postmaster General 14814% 14815"We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!" 14816 -- Vroomfondel 14817% 14818"We don't care. We don't have to. We're the Phone Company." 14819% 14820We don't know who discovered water, but we're certain it wasn't a 14821fish. 14822% 14823We don't understand the software, and sometimes we don't understand the 14824hardware, but we can *___see* the blinking lights! 14825% 14826We gave you an atomic bomb, what do you want, mermaids? 14827 -- I. I. Rabi to the Atomic Energy Commission 14828% 14829"We had it tough ... I had to get up at 9 o'clock at night, half an 14830hour before I went to bed, eat a lump of dry poison, work 29 hours down 14831mill, and when we came home our Dad would kill us, and dance about on 14832our grave singing Haleleuia ..." 14833 -- Monty Python 14834% 14835We have met the enemy, and he is us. 14836 -- Walt Kelly 14837% 14838We have only two things to worry about: That things will never get 14839back to normal, and that they already have. 14840% 14841"We have reason to believe that man first walked upright to free his 14842hands for masturbation." 14843 -- Lily Tomlin 14844% 14845We have the flu. I don't know if this particular strain has an 14846official name, but if it does, it must be something like "Martian Death 14847Flu". You may have had it yourself. The main symptom is that you wish 14848you had another setting on your electric blanket, up past "HIGH", that 14849said "ELECTROCUTION". 14850 14851Another symptom is that you cease brushing your teeth, because (a) your 14852teeth hurt, and (b) you lack the strength. Midway through the brushing 14853process, you'd have to lie down in front of the sink to rest for a 14854couple of hours, and rivulets of toothpaste foam would dribble sideways 14855out of your mouth, eventually hardening into crusty little toothpaste 14856stalagmites that would bond your head permanently to the bathroom 14857floor, which is how the police would find you. 14858 14859You know the kind of flu I'm talking about. 14860 -- Dave Barry, "Molecular Homicide" 14861% 14862We may hope that machines will eventually compete with men in all 14863purely intellectual fields. But which are the best ones to start 14864with? Many people think that a very abstract activity, like the 14865playing of chess, would be best. It can also be maintained that it is 14866best to provide the machine with the best sense organs that money can 14867buy, and then teach it to understand and speak English. 14868 -- Alan M. Turing 14869% 14870We may not return the affection of those who like us, but we always 14871respect their good judgement. 14872% 14873We must remember the First Amendment which protects any shrill jackass 14874no matter how self-seeking. 14875 -- F. G. Withington 14876% 14877We ought to be very grateful that we have tools. Millions of years ago 14878people did not have them, and home projects were extremely difficult. 14879For example, when a primitive person wanted to put up paneling, he had 14880to drive the little paneling nails into the cave wall with his bare 14881fist, so generally the paneling wound up getting spattered with 14882primitive blood, which isn't really all that bad when you consider how 14883ugly paneling is to begin with. 14884 -- Dave Barry, "The Taming of the Screw" 14885% 14886We really don't have any enemies. It's just that some of our best 14887friends are trying to kill us. 14888% 14889 We were young and our happiness dazzled us with its strength. 14890But there was also a terrible betrayal that lay within me like a Merle 14891Haggard song at a French restaurant. ... 14892 I could not tell the girl about the woman of the tollway, of 14893her milk white BMW and her Jordache smile. There had been a fight. I 14894had punched her boyfriend, who fought the mechanical bulls. Everyone 14895told him, "You ride the bull, senor. You do not fight it." But he was 14896lean and tough like a bad rib-eye and he fought the bull. And then he 14897fought me. And when we finished there were no winners, just men doing 14898what men must do. ... 14899 "Stop the car," the girl said. There was a look of terrible 14900sadness in her eyes. She knew about the woman of the tollway. I knew 14901not how. I started to speak, but she raised an arm and spoke with a 14902quiet and peace I will never forget. 14903 "I do not ask for whom's the tollway belle," she said, "the 14904tollway belle's for thee." 14905 The next morning our youth was a memory, and our happiness was 14906a lie. Life is like a bad margarita with good tequila, I thought as I 14907poured whiskey onto my granola and faced a new day. 14908 -- Peter Applebome, International Imitation Hemingway 14909 Competition 14910% 14911We will have solar energy as soon as the utility companies solve one 14912technical problem -- how to run a sunbeam through a meter. 14913% 14914we will invent new lullabies, new songs, new acts of love, 14915we will cry over things we used to laugh & 14916our new wisdom will bring tears to eyes of gentile 14917creatures from other planets who were afraid of us till then & 14918in the end a summer with wild winds & 14919new friends will be. 14920% 14921We wish you a Hare Krishna 14922We wish you a Hare Krishna 14923We wish you a Hare Krishna 14924And a Sun Myung Moon! 14925 -- Maxwell Smart 14926% 14927"We'll cross out that bridge when we come back to it later." 14928% 14929We're deep into the holiday gift-giving season, as you can tell from 14930the fact that everywhere you look, you see jolly old St. Nick urging 14931you to purchase things, to the point where you want to slug him right 14932in his bowl full of jelly. 14933 -- Dave Barry, "Simple, Homespun Gifts" 14934% 14935We're only in it for the volume. 14936 -- Black Sabbath 14937% 14938We've sent a man to the moon, and that's 29,000 miles away. The center 14939of the Earth is only 4,000 miles away. You could drive that in a week, 14940but for some reason nobody's ever done it. 14941 -- Andy Rooney 14942% 14943Weiler's Law: 14944 Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it 14945himself. 14946% 14947Weinberg's First Law: 14948 Progress is made on alternate Fridays. 14949% 14950Weinberg's Principle: 14951 An expert is a person who avoids the small errors while 14952sweeping on to the grand fallacy. 14953% 14954Weinberg's Second Law: 14955 If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, 14956then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization. 14957% 14958Weiner's Law of Libraries: 14959 There are no answers, only cross references. 14960% 14961Welcome thy neighbor into thy fallout shelter. He'll come in handy if 14962you run out of food. 14963 -- Dean McLaughlin. 14964% 14965Well, here it is, 1983, so it won't be long before you start reading a 14966lot of boring stories about people like Vance Hartke. Hartke is a 14967governor or mayor or something from one of the flatter states, and the 14968reason you'll be reading about him is that he's one of the 50 top 14969contenders for the 1984 Democratic presidential nomination. These men 14970will spend the next 18 months going around the country engaging in the 14971most degrading activities imaginable, such as wearing idiot hats and 14972appearing on "Meet the Press". "Meet the Press" is one of those Sunday 14973morning public interest shows that the public is not the least bit 14974interested in. It features a panel of reporters who ask questions of a 14975guest politician, who wins an Amana home freezer if he can get through 14976the entire show without answering a single question ... 14977 -- Dave Barry, "On Presidential Politics" 14978% 14979Well, I would -- if they realized that we -- again if -- if we led them 14980back to that stalemate only because our retaliatory power, our seconds, 14981or strike at them after our first strike, would be so destructive they 14982they couldn't afford it, that would hold them off. 14983 -- President Ronald Reagan, on the MX missile 14984% 14985"Well, if you can't believe what you read in a comic book, what *___can* 14986you believe?!" 14987 -- Bullwinkle J. Moose [Jay Ward] 14988% 14989Well, my terminal's locked up, and I ain't got any Mail, 14990 And I can't recall the last time that my program didn't fail; 14991I've got stacks in my structs, I've got arrays in my queues, 14992 I've got the : Segmentation violation -- Core dumped blues. 14993 14994If you think that it's nice that you get what you C, 14995 Then go : illogical statement with your whole family, 14996'Cause the Supreme Court ain't the only place with : Bus error views. 14997 I've got the : Segmentation violation -- Core dumped blues. 14998 14999On a PDP-11, life should be a breeze, 15000 But with VAXen in the house even magnetic tapes would freeze. 15001Now you might think that unlike VAXen I'd know who I abuse, 15002 I've got the : Segmentation violation -- Core dumped blues. 15003 -- Core Dumped Blues 15004% 15005"Well, that was a piece of cake, eh K-9?" 15006 15007"Piece of cake, Master? Radial slice of baked confection ... 15008coefficient of relevance to Key of Time: zero." 15009 -- Dr. Who 15010% 15011"Well," Brahma said, "even after ten thousand explanations, a fool is 15012no wiser, but an intelligent man requires only two thousand five 15013hundred." 15014 -- The Mahabharata. 15015% 15016Westheimer's Discovery: 15017 A couple of months in the laboratory can frequently save a 15018couple of hours in the library. 15019% 15020Wethern's Law: 15021 Assumption is the mother of all screw-ups. 15022% 15023"What are we going to do?" 15024 15025"Me, I'm examining the major Western religions. I'm looking for 15026something that's soft on morality, generous with holidays, and has a 15027short initiation period." 15028% 15029"What are you doing?" 15030 15031"Examining the world's major religions. I'm looking for something 15032that's light on morals, has lots of holidays, and with a short 15033initiation period." 15034% 15035What color is a chameleon on a mirror? 15036% 15037 "What do you give a man who has everything?" the pretty 15038teenager asked her mother. 15039 "Encouragement, dear," she replied. 15040% 15041What does "it" mean in the sentence "What time is it?"? 15042% 15043What does it mean if there is no fortune for you? 15044% 15045What garlic is to food, insanity is to art. 15046% 15047What garlic is to salad, insanity is to art. 15048% 15049"What George Washington did for us was to throw out the British, so 15050that we wouldn't have a fat, insensitive government running our 15051country. Nice try anyway, George." 15052 -- D.J. on KSFO/KYA 15053% 15054What good is a ticket to the good life, if you can't find the 15055entrance? 15056% 15057What good is having someone who can walk on water if you don't follow 15058in his footsteps? 15059% 15060What I do, first thing [in the morning], is I hop into the shower 15061stall. Then I hop right back out, because when I hopped in I landed 15062barefoot right on top of See Threepio, a little plastic robot character 15063from "Star Wars" whom my son, Robert, likes to pull the legs off of 15064while he showers. Then I hop right back into the stall because our 15065dog, Earnest, who has been alone in the basement all night building up 15066powerful dog emotions, has come bounding and quivering into the 15067bathroom and wants to greet me with 60 or 70 thousand playful nips, any 15068one of which -- bear in mind that I am naked and, without my contact 15069lenses, essentially blind -- could result in the kind of injury where 15070you have to learn a whole new part if you want to sing the "Messiah", 15071if you get my drift. Then I hop right back out, because Robert, with 15072that uncanny sixth sense some children have -- you cannot teach it; 15073they either have it or they don't -- has chosen exactly that moment to 15074flush one of the toilets. Perhaps several of them. 15075 -- Dave Barry, "Saving Face" 15076% 15077What I tell you three times is true. 15078% 15079"What I think is that the F-word is basically just a convenient nasty- 15080sounding word that we tend to use when we would really like to come up 15081with a terrifically witty insult, the kind Winston Churchill always 15082came up with when enormous women asked him stupid questions at 15083parties. 15084 -- Dave Barry, "$#$%#^%!^%&@%@!" 15085% 15086What I want is all of the power and none of the responsibility. 15087% 15088"What I've done, of course, is total garbage." 15089 -- R. Willard, Pure Math 430a 15090% 15091What if everything is an illusion and nothing exists? In that case, I 15092definitely overpaid for my carpet. 15093 -- Woody Allen, "Without Feathers" 15094% 15095What if nothing exists and we're all in somebody's dream? Or what's 15096worse, what if only that fat guy in the third row exists? 15097 -- Woody Allen, "Without Feathers" 15098% 15099What is a magician but a practising theorist? 15100 -- Obi-Wan Kenobi 15101% 15102What is mind? No matter. 15103What is matter? Never mind. 15104 -- Thomas Hewitt Key, 1799-1875 15105% 15106What is the difference between a Turing machine and the modern 15107computer? It's the same as that between Hillary's ascent of Everest 15108and the establishment of a Hilton on its peak. 15109% 15110"What is the Nature of God?" 15111 15112 CLICK...CLICK...WHIRRR...CLICK...=BEEP!= 15113 1 QT. SOUR CREAM 15114 1 TSP. SAUERKRAUT 15115 1/2 CUT CHIVES. 15116 STIR AND SPRINKLE WITH BACON BITS. 15117 15118"I've just GOT to start labeling my software..." 15119 -- Bloom County 15120% 15121"What is the robbing of a bank compared to the FOUNDING of a bank?" 15122 -- Bertold Brecht 15123% 15124"What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the will to find out, 15125which is the exact opposite." 15126 -- Bertrand Russell, "Skeptical_Essays", 1928 15127% 15128What is worth doing is worth the trouble of asking somebody to do. 15129% 15130What makes the universe so hard to comprehend is that there's nothing 15131to compare it with. 15132% 15133What publishers are looking for these days isn't radical feminism. 15134It's corporate feminism -- a brand of feminism designed to sell books 15135and magazines, three-piece suits, airline tickets, Scotch, cigarettes 15136and, most important, corporate America's message, which runs: "Yes, 15137women were discriminated against in the past, but that unfortunate 15138mistake has been remedied; now every woman can attain wealth, prestige 15139and power by dint of individual rather than collective effort." 15140 -- Susan Gordon 15141% 15142What sane person could live in this world and not be crazy? 15143 -- Ursula K. LeGuin 15144% 15145What the hell, go ahead and put all your eggs in one basket. 15146% 15147What the large print giveth, the small print taketh away. 15148% 15149What the world *really* needs is a good Automatic Bicycle Sharpener. 15150% 15151What this country needs is a dime that will buy a good five-cent 15152bagel. 15153% 15154What this country needs is a dime that will buy a good five-cent bagel. 15155% 15156What this country needs is a good five cent ANYTHING! 15157% 15158What this country needs is a good five cent microcomputer. 15159% 15160What this country needs is a good five cent nickel. 15161% 15162What this country needs is a good five dollar plasma weapon. 15163% 15164What this world needs is a good five-dollar plasma weapon. 15165% 15166What use is magic if it can't save a unicorn? 15167 -- Peter S. Beagle, "The Last Unicorn" 15168% 15169What we need in this country, instead of Daylight Savings Time, which 15170nobody really understands anyway, is a new concept called Weekday 15171Morning Time, whereby at 7 a.m. every weekday we go into a space- 15172launch-style "hold" for two to three hours, during which it just 15173remains 7 a.m. This way we could all wake up via a civilized gradual 15174process of stretching and belching and scratching, and it would still 15175be only 7 a.m. when we were ready to actually emerge from bed. 15176 -- Dave Barry, "$#$%#^%!^%&@%@!" 15177% 15178What you don't know can hurt you, only you won't know it. 15179% 15180"What's another word for Thesaurus?" 15181 -- Steven Wright 15182% 15183 "What's that thing?" 15184 "Well, it's a highly technical, sensitive instrument we use in 15185computer repair. Being a layman, you probably can't grasp exactly what 15186it does. We call it a two-by-four." 15187 -- Jeff MacNelley, "Shoe" 15188% 15189"What's the use of a good quotation if you can't change it?" 15190 -- Dr. Who 15191% 15192Whatever became of eternal truth? 15193% 15194Whatever became of Strange de Jim? Well, he found a substitute for 15195cocaine: "You cover Q-tips with sandpaper and ram them up your nostrils 15196as far as they will go. Then you sniff talcum powder while shredding 15197hundred dollar bills." 15198 -- Herb Caen 15199% 15200Whatever is not nailed down is mine. What I can pry loose is not 15201nailed down. 15202 -- Collis P. Huntingdon 15203% 15204"Whatever the missing mass of the universe is, I hope it's not 15205cockroaches!" 15206 -- Mom 15207% 15208When a Banker jumps out of a window, jump after him -- that's where the 15209money is. 15210 -- Robespierre 15211% 15212When a fellow says, "It ain't the money but the principle of the 15213thing," it's the money. 15214 -- Kim Hubbard 15215% 15216When a fly lands on the ceiling, does it do a half roll or a half 15217loop? 15218% 15219When a place gets crowded enough to require ID's, social collapse is 15220not far away. It is time to go elsewhere. The best thing about space 15221travel is that it made it possible to go elsewhere. 15222 -- Robert Heinlein 15223% 15224When a shepherd goes to kill a wolf, and takes his dog along to see the 15225sport, he should take care to avoid mistakes. The dog has certain 15226relationships to the wolf the shepherd may have forgotten. 15227 -- Robert Pirsig, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle 15228 Maintenance" 15229% 15230When all other means of communication fail, try words. 15231% 15232"When are you BUTTHEADS gonna learn that you can't oppose Gestapo 15233tactics *with* Gestapo tactics?" 15234 -- Reuben Flagg 15235% 15236When asked by an anthropologist what the Indians called America before 15237the white men came, an Indian said simply "Ours." 15238 -- Vine Deloria, Jr. 15239% 15240When does summertime come to Minnesota, you ask? Well, last year, I 15241think it was a Tuesday. 15242% 15243When God endowed human beings with brains, He did not intend to 15244guarantee them. 15245% 15246"When I get real bored, I like to drive downtown and get a great 15247parking spot, then sit in my car and count how many people ask me if 15248I'm leaving." 15249 -- Steven Wright 15250% 15251When I heated my home with oil, I used an average of 800 gallons a 15252year. I have found that I can keep comfortably warm for an entire 15253winter with slightly over half that quantity of beer. 15254 -- Dave Barry, "Postpetroleum Guzzler" 15255% 15256When I said "we", officer, I was referring to myself, the four young 15257ladies, and, of course, the goat. 15258% 15259When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President. Now 15260I'm beginning to believe it. 15261 -- Clarence Darrow 15262% 15263When I was a kid I said to my father one afternoon, "Daddy, will you 15264take me to the zoo?" He answered, "If the zoo wants you let them come 15265and get you." 15266 -- Jerry Lewis 15267% 15268"When I was crossing the border into Canada, they asked if I had any 15269firearms with me. I said, `Well, what do you need?'" 15270 -- Steven Wright 15271% 15272When I was in school, I cheated on my metaphysics exam: I looked into 15273the soul of the boy sitting next to me. 15274 -- Woody Allen 15275% 15276When I was seven years old, I was once reprimanded by my mother for an 15277act of collective brutality in which I had been involved at school. A 15278group of seven-year-olds had been teasing and tormenting a 15279six-year-old. "It is always so," my mother said. "You do things 15280together which not one of you would think of doing alone." ... 15281Wherever one looks in the world of human organization, collective 15282responsibility brings a lowering of moral standards. The military 15283establishment is an extreme case, an organization which seems to have 15284been expressly designed to make it possible for people to do things 15285together which nobody in his right mind would do alone. 15286 -- Freeman Dyson, "Weapons and Hope" 15287% 15288When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened 15289or not; but my faculties are decaying now and soon I shall be so I 15290cannot remember any but the things that never happened. It is sad to 15291go to pieces like this but we all have to do it. 15292 -- Mark Twain 15293% 15294When in doubt, do what the President does -- guess. 15295% 15296"When in doubt, tell the truth." 15297 -- Mark Twain 15298% 15299When in doubt, use brute force. 15300 -- Ken Thompson 15301% 15302When in panic, fear and doubt, 15303Drink in barrels, eat, and shout. 15304% 15305When love is gone, there's always justice. 15306And when justice is gone, there's always force. 15307And when force is gone, there's always Mom. 15308Hi, Mom! 15309 -- Laurie Anderson 15310% 15311When Marriage is Outlawed, 15312Only Outlaws will have Inlaws. 15313% 15314When more and more people are thrown out of work, unemployment 15315results. 15316 -- Calvin Coolidge 15317% 15318When one woman was asked how long she had been going to symphony 15319concerts, she paused to calculate and replied, "Forty-seven years -- 15320and I find I mind it less and less." 15321 -- Louise Andrews Kent 15322% 15323When properly administered, vacations do not diminish productivity: 15324for every week you're away and get nothing done, there's another when 15325your boss is away and you get twice as much done. 15326 -- Daniel B. Luten 15327% 15328When someone says "I want a programming language in which I need only 15329say what I wish done," give him a lollipop. 15330% 15331"When the going gets tough, the tough get empirical" 15332 -- Jon Carroll 15333% 15334When the government bureau's remedies don't match your problem, you 15335modify the problem, not the remedy. 15336% 15337When the Ngdanga tribe of West Africa hold their moon love ceremonies, 15338the men of the tribe bang their heads on sacred trees until they get a 15339nose bleed, which usually cures them of ____that. 15340 -- Mike Harding, "The Armchair Anarchist's Almanac" 15341% 15342When the speaker and he to whom he is speaks do not understand, that is 15343metaphysics. 15344 -- Voltaire 15345% 15346When the Universe was not so out of whack as it is today, and all the 15347stars were lined up in their proper places, you could easily count them 15348from left to right, or top to bottom, and the larger and bluer ones 15349were set apart, and the smaller yellowing types pushed off to the 15350corners as bodies of a lower grade ... 15351 -- Stanislaw Lem, "Cyberiad" 15352% 15353When the weight of the paperwork equals the weight of the plane, the 15354plane will fly. 15355 -- Donald Douglas 15356% 15357When two people are under the influence of the most violent, most 15358insane, most delusive, and most transient of passions, they are 15359required to swear that they will remain in that excited, abnormal, and 15360exhausting condition continuously until death do them part. 15361 -- George Bernard Shaw 15362% 15363When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is 15364not hereditary. 15365 -- Thomas Paine 15366% 15367When we understand knowledge-based systems, it will be as before -- 15368except our fingertips will have been singed. 15369 -- Epigrams in Programming, ACM SIGPLAN Sept. 1982 15370% 15371When you are about to do an objective and scientific piece of 15372investigation of a topic, it is well to gave the answer firmly in hand, 15373so that you can proceed forthrightly, without being deflected or 15374swayed, directly to the goal. 15375 -- Amrom Katz 15376% 15377"When you are in it up to your ears, keep your mouth shut." 15378% 15379When you don't know what you are doing, do it neatly. 15380% 15381When you have an efficient government, you have a dictatorship. 15382 -- Harry Truman 15383% 15384 When you have shot and killed a man you have in some measure 15385clarified your attitude toward him. You have given a definite answer 15386to a definite problem. For better or worse you have acted decisively. 15387 In a way, the next move is up to him. 15388 -- R. A. Lafferty 15389% 15390"When you have to kill a man it costs nothing to be polite." 15391 -- Winston Churchill, On formal declarations of war 15392% 15393When you know absolutely nothing about the topic, make your forecast by 15394asking a carefully selected probability sample of 300 others who don't 15395know the answer either. 15396 -- Edgar R. Fiedler 15397% 15398When you make your mark in the world, watch out for guys with erasers. 15399 -- The Wall Street Journal 15400% 15401When you try to make an impression, the chances are that is the 15402impression you will make. 15403% 15404When you're away, I'm restless, lonely, 15405Wretched, bored, dejected; only 15406Here's the rub, my darling dear 15407I feel the same when you are near. 15408 -- Samuel Hoffenstein, "When You're Away" 15409% 15410When you're not looking at it, this fortune is written in FORTRAN. 15411% 15412Whenever anyone says, "theoretically", they really mean, "not really". 15413 -- Dave Parnas 15414% 15415Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to 15416see it tried on him personally. 15417 -- A. Lincoln 15418% 15419Whenever people agree with me I always feel I must be wrong. 15420 -- Oscar Wilde 15421% 15422Whenever the literary German dives into a sentence, that is the last 15423you are going to see of him until he emerges on the other side of his 15424Atlantic with his verb in his mouth. 15425 -- Mark Twain 15426 "Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" 15427% 15428Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time 15429to reform. 15430 -- Mark Twain 15431% 15432WHERE CAN THE MATTER BE 15433 15434 Oh, dear, where can the matter be 15435 When it's converted to energy? 15436 There is a slight loss of parity. 15437 Johnny's so long at the fair. 15438% 15439Where humor is concerned there are no standards -- no one can say what 15440is good or bad, although you can be sure that everyone will. 15441 -- John Kenneth Galbraith 15442% 15443Where there's a will, there's an Inheritance Tax. 15444% 15445Whether you can hear it or not 15446The Universe is laughing behind your back 15447 -- National Lampoon, "Deteriorata" 15448% 15449Which is worse: ignorance or apathy? Who knows? Who cares? 15450% 15451While anyone can admit to themselves they were wrong, the true test is 15452admission to someone else. 15453% 15454While Europe's eye is fix'd on mighty things, 15455The fate of empires and the fall of kings; 15456While quacks of State must each produce his plan, 15457And even children lisp the Rights of Man; 15458Amid this mighty fuss just let me mention, 15459The Rights of Woman merit some attention. 15460 -- Robert Burns, Address on "The Rights of Woman", 15461 November 26, 1792 15462% 15463While having never invented a sin, I'm trying to perfect several. 15464% 15465While it may be true that a watched pot never boils, the one you don't 15466keep an eye on can make an awful mess of your stove. 15467 -- Edward Stevenson 15468% 15469While money can't buy happiness, it certainly lets you choose your own 15470form of misery. 15471% 15472While money doesn't buy love, it puts you in a great bargaining 15473position. 15474% 15475While most peoples' opinions change, the conviction of their 15476correctness never does. 15477% 15478While you don't greatly need the outside world, it's still very 15479reassuring to know that it's still there. 15480% 15481While your friend holds you affectionately by both your hands you are 15482safe, for you can watch both of his. 15483 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 15484% 15485Whistler's Law: 15486 You never know who is right, but you always know who is in 15487charge. 15488% 15489"Who cares if it doesn't do anything? It was made with our new 15490Triple-Iso-Bifurcated-Krypton-Gate-MOS process ..." 15491% 15492Who made the world I cannot tell; 15493'Tis made, and here am I in hell. 15494My hand, though now my knuckles bleed, 15495I never soiled with such a deed. 15496 -- A. E. Housman 15497% 15498Who messed with my anti-paranoia shot? 15499% 15500Who needs friends when you can sit alone in your room and drink? 15501% 15502Who's on first? 15503% 15504"Whom are you?" said he, for he had been to night school. 15505 -- George Ade 15506% 15507Whom computers would destroy, they must first drive mad. 15508% 15509Whom the gods wish to destroy they first call promising. 15510% 15511"Why are we importing all these highbrow plays like `Amadeus'? I could 15512have told you Mozart was a jerk for nothing." 15513 -- Ian Shoales 15514% 15515"Why be a man when you can be a success?" 15516 -- Bertold Brecht 15517% 15518Why bother building any more nuclear warheads until we use the ones we 15519have? 15520% 15521Why can't you be a non-conformist like everyone else? 15522% 15523Why did the Lord give us so much quickness of movement unless it was to 15524avoid responsibility with? 15525% 15526Why did the Roman Empire collapse? What is the Latin for office 15527automation? 15528% 15529Why do we have two eyes? To watch 3-D movies with. 15530% 15531Why does man kill? He kills for food. And not only food: frequently 15532there must be a beverage. 15533 -- Woody Allen, "Without Feathers" 15534% 15535Why does New Jersey have more toxic waste dumps and California have 15536more lawyers? 15537 15538New Jersey had first choice. 15539% 15540Why don't elephants eat penguins ? 15541 15542Because they can't get the wrappers off ... 15543% 15544Why I Can't Go Out With You: 15545 15546I'd LOVE to, but ... 15547 -- I have to floss my cat. 15548 -- I've dedicated my life to linguini. 15549 -- I need to spend more time with my blender. 15550 -- it wouldn't be fair to the other Beautiful People. 15551 -- it's my night to pet the dog/ferret/goldfish. 15552 -- I'm going downtown to try on some gloves. 15553 -- I have to check the freshness dates on my dairy products. 15554 -- I'm going down to the bakery to watch the buns rise. 15555 -- I have an appointment with a cuticle specialist. 15556 -- I have some really hard words to look up. 15557 -- I've got a Friends of the Lowly Rutabaga meeting. 15558 -- I promised to help a friend fold road maps. 15559% 15560"Why is it that we rejoice at a birth and grieve at a funeral? It is 15561because we are not the person involved" 15562 -- Mark Twain 15563% 15564Why is the alphabet in that order? Is it because of that song? 15565% 15566"Why isn't there a special name for the tops of your feet?" 15567 -- Lily Tomlin 15568% 15569"Why must you tell me all your secrets when it's hard enough to love 15570you knowing nothing?" 15571 -- Lloyd Cole and the Commotions 15572% 15573Why not have an old-fashioned Christmas for your family this year? 15574Just picture the scene in your living room on Christmas morning as your 15575children open their old-fashioned presents. 15576 15577Your 11-year-old son: "What the heck is this?" 15578 15579You: "A spinning top! You spin it around, and then eventually it 15580 falls down. What fun! Ha, ha!" 15581 15582Son: "Is this a joke? Jason Thompson's parents got him a computer 15583 with two disk drives and 128 kilobytes of random-access memory, 15584 and I get this cretin TOP?" 15585 15586Your 8-year-old daughter: "You think that's bad? Look at this." 15587 15588You: "It's figgy pudding! What a treat!" 15589 15590Daughter: "It looks like goat barf." 15591 -- Dave Barry, "Simple, Homespun Gifts" 15592% 15593"Why was I born with such contemporaries?" 15594 -- Oscar Wilde 15595% 15596Why You Can't Run When There's Trouble in the Office: 15597 No matter where you stand, no matter how far or fast you flee, 15598when it hits the fan, as much as possible will be propelled in your 15599direction, and almost none will be returned to the source. 15600 -- John L. Shelton 15601% 15602Wiker's Law: 15603 Government expands to absorb revenue and then some. 15604% 15605 William Safire's Rules for Writers: 15606 15607Remember to never split an infinitive. The passive voice should never 15608be used. Do not put statements in the negative form. Verbs have to 15609agree with their subjects. Proofread carefully to see if you words 15610out. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal 15611of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing. A writer must 15612not shift your point of view. And don't start a sentence with a 15613conjunction. (Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a 15614sentence with.) Don't overuse exclamation marks!! Place pronouns as 15615close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more 15616words, to their antecedents. Writing carefully, dangling participles 15617must be avoided. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a 15618linking verb is. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing 15619metaphors. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky. Everyone should 15620be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their 15621writing. Always pick on the correct idiom. The adverb always follows 15622the verb. Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; seek 15623viable alternatives. 15624% 15625Williams and Holland's Law: 15626 If enough data is collected, anything may be proven by 15627statistical methods. 15628% 15629Winter is the season in which people try to keep the house as warm as 15630it was in the summer, when they complained about the heat. 15631% 15632Wit, n.: 15633 The salt with which the American Humorist spoils his cookery 15634... by leaving it out. 15635 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 15636% 15637With a gentleman I try to be a gentleman and a half, and with a fraud I 15638try to be a fraud and a half. 15639 -- Otto von Bismark 15640% 15641With a rubber duck, one's never alone. 15642 -- "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" 15643% 15644With all the fancy scientists in the world, why can't they just once 15645build a nuclear balm? 15646% 15647With every passing hour our solar system comes forty-three thousand 15648miles closer to globular cluster M13 in the constellation Hercules, and 15649still there are some misfits who continue to insist that there is no 15650such thing as progress. 15651 -- Ransom K. Ferm 15652% 15653Without ice cream life and fame are meaningless. 15654% 15655Wombat's Laws of Computer Selection: 15656 (1) If it doesn't run Unix, forget it. 15657 (2) Any computer design over 10 years old is obsolete. 15658 (3) Anything made by IBM is junk. (See number 2) 15659 (4) The minimum acceptable CPU power for a single user is a 15660 VAX/780 with a floating point accelerator. 15661 (5) Any computer with a mouse is worthless. 15662 -- Rich Kulawiec 15663% 15664Wood is highly ecological, since trees are a renewable resource. If 15665you cut down a tree, another will grow in its place. And if you cut 15666down the new tree, still another will grow. And if you cut down that 15667tree, yet another will grow, only this one will be a mutation with 15668long, poisonous tentacles and revenge in its heart, and it will sit 15669there in the forest, cackling and making elaborate plans for when you 15670come back. 15671 15672Wood heat is not new. It dates back to a day millions of years ago, 15673when a group of cavemen were sitting around, watching dinosaurs rot. 15674Suddenly, lightning struck a nearby log and set it on fire. One of the 15675cavemen stared at the fire for a few minutes, then said: "Hey! Wood 15676heat!" The other cavemen, who did not understand English, immediately 15677beat him to death with stones. But the key discovery had been made, 15678and from that day forward, the cavemen had all the heat they needed, 15679although their insurance rates went way up. 15680 -- Dave Barry, "Postpetroleum Guzzler" 15681% 15682Work Rule: Leave of Absence (for an Operation): 15683 We are no longer allowing this practice. We wish to discourage 15684any thoughts that you may not need all of whatever you have, and you 15685should not consider having anything removed. We hired you as you are, 15686and to have anything removed would certainly make you less than we 15687bargained for. 15688% 15689Workers of the world, arise! You have nothing to lose but your 15690chairs. 15691% 15692World War Three can be averted by adherence to a strictly enforced 15693dress code! 15694% 15695Worst Month of 1981 for Downhill Skiing: 15696 August. The lines are the shortest, though. 15697 -- Steve Rubenstein 15698% 15699Worst Month of the Year: 15700 February. February has only 28 days in it, which means that if 15701you rent an apartment, you are paying for three full days you don't 15702get. Try to avoid Februarys whenever possible. 15703 -- Steve Rubenstein 15704% 15705Worst Response To A Crisis, 1985: 15706 From a readers' Q and A column in TV GUIDE: "If we get involved 15707in a nuclear war, would the electromagnetic pulses from exploding bombs 15708damage my videotapes?" 15709% 15710Worst Vegetable of the Year: 15711 The brussels sprout. This is also the worst vegetable of next 15712year. 15713 -- Steve Rubenstein 15714% 15715"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" 15716 15717"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat 15718 -- Lewis Carrol 15719% 15720"Wouldn't the sentence 'I want to put a hyphen between the words Fish 15721and And and And and Chips in my Fish-And-Chips sign' have been clearer 15722if quotation marks had been placed before Fish, and between Fish and 15723and, and and and And, and And and and, and and and And, and And and 15724and, and and and Chips, as well as after Chips?" 15725% 15726Write-Protect Tab, n.: 15727 A small sticker created to cover the unsightly notch carelessly 15728left by disk manufacturers. The use of the tab creates an error 15729message once in a while, but its aesthetic value far outweighs the 15730momentary inconvenience. 15731 -- Robb Russon 15732% 15733Writing about music is like dancing about architecture. 15734 -- Frank Zappa 15735% 15736"Wrong," said Renner. 15737 15738"The tactful way," Rod said quietly, "the polite way to disagree with 15739the Senator would be to say, `That turns out not to be the case.'" 15740% 15741X-rated movies are all alike ... the only thing they leave to the 15742imagination is the plot. 15743% 15744Xerox does it again and again and again and ... 15745% 15746Xerox never comes up with anything original. 15747% 15748XIIdigitation, n.: 15749 The practice of trying to determine the year a movie was made 15750by deciphering the Roman numerals at the end of the credits. 15751 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 15752% 15753"Yacc" owes much to a most stimulating collection of users, who have 15754goaded me beyond my inclination, and frequently beyond my ability in 15755their endless search for "one more feature". Their irritating 15756unwillingness to learn how to do things my way has usually led to my 15757doing things their way; most of the time, they have been right. 15758 -- S. C. Johnson, "Yacc guide acknowledgements" 15759% 15760Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of APL, I shall 15761fear no evil, for I can string six primitive monadic and dyadic 15762operators together. 15763 -- Steve Higgins 15764% 15765"Yeah, but you're taking the universe out of context." 15766% 15767Year, n.: 15768 A period of three hundred and sixty-five disappointments. 15769 -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" 15770% 15771Yes, but every time I try to see things your way, I get a headache. 15772% 15773Yes, but which self do you want to be? 15774% 15775Yesterday I was a dog. Today I'm a dog. Tomorrow I'll probably still 15776be a dog. Sigh! There's so little hope for advancement. 15777 -- Snoopy 15778% 15779Yesterday upon the stair 15780I met a man who wasn't there. 15781He wasn't there again today -- 15782I think he's from the CIA. 15783% 15784Yield to Temptation ... it may not pass your way again. 15785 -- Lazarus Long, "Time Enough for Love" 15786% 15787Yinkel, n.: 15788 A person who combs his hair over his bald spot, hoping no one 15789will notice. 15790 -- Rich Hall, "Sniglets" 15791% 15792You are a very redundant person, that's what kind of person you are. 15793% 15794You are here: 15795 *** 15796 *** 15797 ********* 15798 ******* 15799 ***** 15800 *** 15801 * 15802 15803 But you're not all there. 15804% 15805"You are old, Father William," the young man said, 15806 "All your papers these days look the same; 15807Those William's would be better unread -- 15808 Do these facts never fill you with shame?" 15809 15810"In my youth," Father William replied to his son, 15811 "I wrote wonderful papers galore; 15812But the great reputation I found that I'd won, 15813 Made it pointless to think any more." 15814% 15815"You are old, father William," the young man said, 15816 "And your hair has become very white; 15817And yet you incessantly stand on your head -- 15818 Do you think, at your age, it is right?" 15819 15820"In my youth," father William replied to his son, 15821 "I feared it might injure the brain; 15822But, now that I'm perfectly sure I have none, 15823 Why, I do it again and again." 15824 -- Lewis Carrol 15825% 15826"You are old," said the youth, "and I'm told by my peers 15827 That your lectures bore people to death. 15828Yet you talk at one hundred conventions per year -- 15829 Don't you think that you should save your breath?" 15830 15831"I have answered three questions and that is enough," 15832 Said his father, "Don't give yourself airs! 15833Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff? 15834 Be off, or I'll kick you downstairs!" 15835% 15836"You are old," said the youth, "and your jaws are too weak 15837 For anything tougher than suet; 15838Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak -- 15839 Pray, how did you manage to do it?" 15840 15841"In my youth," said his father, "I took to the law, 15842 And argued each case with my wife; 15843And the muscular strength which it gave to my jaw, 15844 Has lasted the rest of my life." 15845 -- Lewis Carrol 15846% 15847"You are old," said the youth, "and your programs don't run, 15848 And there isn't one language you like; 15849Yet of useful suggestions for help you have none -- 15850 Have you thought about taking a hike?" 15851 15852"Since I never write programs," his father replied, 15853 "Every language looks equally bad; 15854Yet the people keep paying to read all my books 15855 And don't realize that they've been had." 15856% 15857"You are old," said the youth, "as I mentioned before, 15858 And have grown most uncommonly fat; 15859Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door -- 15860 Pray what is the reason of that?" 15861 15862"In my youth," said the sage, as he shook his grey locks, 15863 "I kept all my limbs very supple 15864By the use of this ointment -- one shilling the box -- 15865 Allow me to sell you a couple?" 15866 -- Lewis Carrol 15867% 15868"You are old," said the youth, "as I mentioned before, 15869 And make errors few people could bear; 15870You complain about everyone's English but yours -- 15871 Do you really think this is quite fair?" 15872 15873"I make lots of mistakes," Father William declared, 15874 "But my stature these days is so great 15875That no critic can hurt me -- I've got them all scared, 15876 And to stop me it's now far too late." 15877% 15878"You are old," said the youth, "one would hardly suppose 15879 That your eye was as steady as ever; 15880Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose -- 15881 What made you so awfully clever?" 15882 15883"I have answered three questions, and that is enough," 15884 Said his father. "Don't give yourself airs! 15885Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff? 15886 Be off, or I'll kick you down stairs!" 15887 -- Lewis Carrol 15888% 15889You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely. 15890% 15891You are the only person to ever get this message. 15892% 15893You are wise, witty, and wonderful, but you spend too much time reading 15894this sort of trash. 15895% 15896You buttered your bread, now lie in it. 15897% 15898You can always tell the Christmas season is here when you start getting 15899incredibly dense, tinfoil-and-ribbon- wrapped lumps in the mail. 15900Fruitcakes make ideal gifts because the Postal Service has been unable 15901to find a way to damage them. They last forever, largely because 15902nobody ever eats them. In fact, many smart people save the fruitcakes 15903they receive and send them back to the original givers the next year; 15904some fruitcakes have been passed back and forth for hundreds of years. 15905 15906The easiest way to make a fruitcake is to buy a darkish cake, then 15907pound some old, hard fruit into it with a mallet. Be sure to wear 15908safety glasses. 15909 -- Dave Barry, "Simple, Homespun Gifts" 15910% 15911"You can bring any calculator you like to the midterm, as long as it 15912doesn't dim the lights when you turn it on." 15913 -- Hepler, Systems Design 182 15914% 15915You can create your own opportunities this week. Blackmail a senior 15916executive. 15917% 15918"You can do this in a number of ways. IBM chose to do all of them. 15919Why do you find that funny?" 15920 -- D. Taylor, Computer Science 350 15921% 15922You can get more of what you want with a kind word and a gun than you 15923can with just a kind word. 15924 -- Bumper Sticker 15925% 15926You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, 15927for instance. 15928 -- Franklin P. Jones 15929% 15930You can make it illegal, but you can't make it unpopular. 15931% 15932You can measure a programmer's perspective by noting his attitude on 15933the continuing viability of FORTRAN. 15934 -- Alan Perlis 15935% 15936You can only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. 15937% 15938You can take all the impact that science considerations have on funding 15939decisions at NASA, put them in the navel of a flea, and have room left 15940over for a caraway seed and Tony Calio's heart. 15941 -- F. Allen 15942% 15943You can tell how far we have to go, when FORTRAN is the language of 15944supercomputers. 15945 -- Steven Feiner 15946% 15947You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish. 15948% 15949"You can write a small letter to Grandma in the filename." 15950 -- Forbes Burkowski, Computer Science 454 15951% 15952You can't carve your way to success without cutting remarks. 15953% 15954"You can't have everything. Where would you put it?" 15955 -- Steven Wright 15956% 15957You can't hold a man down without staying down with him. 15958 -- Booker T. Washington 15959% 15960You can't judge a book by the way it wears its hair. 15961% 15962"You can't make a program without broken egos." 15963% 15964You can't start worrying about what's going to happen. You get spastic 15965enough worrying about what's happening now. 15966 -- Lauren Bacall 15967% 15968"You can't survive by sucking the juice from a wet mitten." 15969 -- Charles Schulz, "Things I've Had to Learn Over and 15970 Over and Over" 15971% 15972"You can't teach people to be lazy - either they have it, or they 15973don't." 15974 -- Dagwood Bumstead 15975% 15976You cannot achieve the impossible without attempting the absurd. 15977% 15978You cannot kill time without injuring eternity. 15979% 15980You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back. 15981% 15982You could get a new lease on life -- if only you didn't need the first 15983and last month in advance. 15984% 15985You couldn't even prove the White House staff sane beyond a reasonable 15986doubt. 15987 -- Ed Meese, on the Hinckley verdict 15988% 15989You do not have mail. 15990% 15991You don't have to think too hard when you talk to teachers. 15992 -- J. D. Salinger 15993% 15994You don't sew with a fork, so I see no reason to eat with knitting 15995needles. 15996 -- Miss Piggy, on eating Chinese Food 15997% 15998You first have to decide whether to use the short or the long form. 15999The short form is what the Internal Revenue Service calls "simplified", 16000which means it is designed for people who need the help of a Sears 16001tax-preparation expert to distinguish between their first and last 16002names. Here's the complete text: 16003 16004 "(1) How much did you make? (AMOUNT) 16005 "(2) How much did we here at the government take out? (AMOUNT) 16006 "(3) Hey! Sounds like we took too much! So we're going to 16007 send an official government check for (ONE-FIFTEENTH OF 16008 THE AMOUNT WE TOOK) directly to the (YOUR LAST NAME) 16009 household at (YOUR ADDRESS), for you to spend in any way 16010 you please! Which just goes to show you, (YOUR FIRST 16011 NAME), that it pays to file the short form!" 16012 16013The IRS wants you to use this form because it gets to keep most of your 16014money. So unless you have pond silt for brains, you want the long 16015form. 16016 -- Dave Barry, "Sweating Out Taxes" 16017% 16018You have a tendency to feel you are superior to most computers. 16019% 16020You have acquired a scroll entitled 'irk gleknow mizk'(n).--More-- 16021 16022This is an IBM Manual scroll.--More-- 16023 16024You are permanently confused. 16025 -- Dave Decot 16026% 16027You have an unusual magnetic personality. Don't walk too close to 16028metal objects which are not fastened down. 16029% 16030You have junk mail. 16031% 16032You have the body of a 19 year old. Please return it before it gets 16033wrinkled. 16034% 16035You have the capacity to learn from mistakes. You'll learn a lot 16036today. 16037% 16038You know it's going to be a bad day when you want to put on the clothes 16039you wore home from the party and there aren't any. 16040% 16041You know the great thing about TV? If something important happens 16042anywhere at all in the world, no matter what time of the day or night, 16043you can always change the channel. 16044 -- Jim Ignatowski 16045% 16046You know you have a small apartment when Rice Krispies echo. 16047 -- S. Rickly Christian 16048% 16049You know you're a little fat if you have stretch marks on your car. 16050 -- Cyrus, Chicago Reader 1/22/82 16051% 16052You know you've been spending too much time on the computer when your 16053friend misdates a check, and you suggest adding a "++" to fix it. 16054% 16055You know you've landed gear-up when it takes full power to taxi. 16056% 16057 "You know, it's at times like this when I'm trapped in a Vogon 16058airlock with a man from Betelgeuse and about to die of asphyxiation in 16059deep space that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me 16060when I was young!" 16061 "Why, what did she tell you?" 16062 "I don't know, I didn't listen!" 16063 -- Douglas Adams, "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" 16064% 16065You look like a million dollars. All green and wrinkled. 16066% 16067You may be recognized soon. Hide. 16068% 16069You may be sure that when a man begins to call himself a "realist," he 16070is preparing to do something he is secretly ashamed of doing. 16071 -- Sydney Harris 16072% 16073You may easily play a joke on a man who likes to argue -- agree with 16074him. 16075 -- Ed Howe 16076% 16077You may have heard that a dean is to faculty as a hydrant is to a dog. 16078 -- Alfred Kahn 16079% 16080You men out there probably think you already know how to dress for 16081success. You know, for example, that you should not wear leisure suits 16082or white plastic belts and shoes, unless you are going to a costume 16083party disguised as a pig farmer vacationing at Disney World. 16084 -- Dave Barry, "How to Dress for Real Success" 16085% 16086You might have mail 16087% 16088"You must realize that the computer has it in for you. The irrefutable 16089proof of this is that the computer always does what you tell it to do." 16090% 16091You need no longer worry about the future. This time tomorrow you'll 16092be dead. 16093% 16094You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a 16095reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating 16096the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the struggle for 16097independence. 16098 -- Charles A. Beard 16099% 16100You never know how many friends you have until you rent a house on the 16101beach. 16102% 16103You or I must yield up his life to Ahrimanes. I would rather it were 16104you. I should have no hesitation in sacrificing my own life to spare 16105yours, but we take stock next week, and it would not be fair on the 16106company. 16107 -- J. Wellington Wells 16108% 16109You possess a mind not merely twisted, but actually sprained. 16110% 16111You probably wouldn't worry about what people think of you if you could 16112know how seldom they do. 16113 -- Olin Miller. 16114% 16115You should emulate your heros, but don't carry it too far. Especially 16116if they are dead. 16117% 16118You should never bet against anything in science at odds of more than 16119about 10^12 to 1. 16120 -- Ernest Rutherford 16121% 16122You should never wear your best trousers when you go out to fight for 16123freedom and liberty. 16124 -- Henrik Ibsen 16125% 16126You should not use your fireplace, because scientists now believe that, 16127contrary to popular opinion, fireplaces actually remove heat from 16128houses. Really, that's what scientists believe. In fact many 16129scientists actually use their fireplaces to cool their houses in the 16130summer. If you visit a scientist's house on a sultry August day, 16131you'll find a cheerful fire roaring on the hearth and the scientist 16132sitting nearby, remarking on how cool he is and drinking heavily. 16133 -- Dave Barry, "Postpetroleum Guzzler" 16134% 16135You should tip the waiter $10, minus $2 if he tells you his name, 16136another $2 if he claims it will be His Pleasure to serve you and 16137another $2 for each "special" he describes involving confusing terms 16138such as "shallots," and $4 if the menu contains the word "fixin's." In 16139many restaurants, this means the waiter will actually owe you money. 16140If you are traveling with a child aged six months to three years, you 16141should leave an additional amount equal to twice the bill to compensate 16142for the fact that they will have to take the banquette out and burn it 16143because the cracks are wedged solid with gobbets made of partially 16144chewed former restaurant rolls saturated with baby spit. 16145 16146In New York, tip the taxicab driver $40 if he does not mention his 16147hemorrhoids. 16148 -- Dave Barry, "The Stuff of Etiquette" 16149% 16150"You should, without hesitation, pound your typewriter into a 16151plowshare, your paper into fertilizer, and enter agriculture" 16152 -- Business Professor, University of Georgia 16153% 16154You think Oedipus had a problem -- Adam was Eve's mother. 16155% 16156 YOU TOO CAN MAKE BIG MONEY IN THE EXCITING FIELD OF 16157 PAPER SHUFFLING! 16158 16159Mr. TAA of Muddle, Mass. says: "Before I took this course I used to be 16160a lowly bit twiddler. Now with what I learned at MIT Tech I feel 16161really important and can obfuscate and confuse with the best." 16162 16163Mr. MARC had this to say: "Ten short days ago all I could look forward 16164to was a dead-end job as a engineer. Now I have a promising future and 16165make really big Zorkmids." 16166 16167MIT Tech can't promise these fantastic results to everyone, but when 16168you earn your MDL degree from MIT Tech your future will be brighter. 16169 16170 SEND FOR OUR FREE BROCHURE TODAY! 16171% 16172You too can wear a nose mitten. 16173% 16174You will be a winner today. Pick a fight with a four-year-old. 16175% 16176You will be attacked by a beast who has the body of a wolf, the tail of 16177a lion, and the face of Donald Duck. 16178% 16179You will be surprised by a loud noise. 16180% 16181You will be Told about it Tomorrow. Go Home and Prepare Thyself. 16182% 16183You will feel hungry again in another hour. 16184% 16185You will lose your present job and have to become a door to door 16186mayonnaise salesman. 16187% 16188 You will remember, Watson, how the dreadful business of the 16189Abernetty family was first brought to my notice by the depth which the 16190parsley had sunk into the butter upon a hot day. 16191 -- Sherlock Holmes 16192% 16193You will think of something funnier than this to add to the fortunes. 16194% 16195You worry too much about your job. Stop it. You're not paid enough to 16196worry. 16197% 16198You'd better beat it. You can leave in a taxi. If you can't get a 16199taxi, you can leave in a huff. If that's too soon, you can leave in a 16200minute and a huff. 16201 -- Groucho Marx 16202% 16203"You'll never be the man your mother was!" 16204% 16205You're at the end of the road again. 16206% 16207You're being followed. Cut out the hanky-panky for a few days. 16208% 16209You're never too old to become younger. 16210 -- Mae West 16211% 16212You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on. 16213 -- Dean Martin 16214% 16215You're not my type. For that matter, you're not even my species!!! 16216% 16217You've been leading a dog's life. Stay off the furniture. 16218% 16219"You've got to have a gimmick if your band sucks." 16220 -- Gary Giddens 16221% 16222"You've got to think about tomorrow!" 16223 16224"TOMORROW! I haven't even prepared for *_________yesterday* yet!" 16225% 16226Your analyst has you mixed up with another patient. Don't believe a 16227thing he tells you. 16228% 16229Your conscience never stops you from doing anything. It just stops you 16230from enjoying it. 16231% 16232Your fault: core dumped 16233% 16234 Your home electrical system is basically a bunch of wires that 16235bring electricity into your home and take if back out before it has a 16236chance to kill you. This is called a "circuit". The most common home 16237electrical problem is when the circuit is broken by a "circuit 16238breaker"; this causes the electricity to back up in one of the wires 16239until it bursts out of an outlet in the form of sparks, which can 16240damage your carpet. The best way to avoid broken circuits is to change 16241your fuses regularly. 16242 Another common problem is that the lights flicker. This 16243sometimes means that your electrical system is inadequate, but more 16244often it means that your home is possessed by demons, in which case 16245you'll need to get a caulking gun and some caulking. If you're not 16246sure whether your house is possessed, see "The Amityville Horror", a 16247fine documentary film based on an actual book. Or call in a licensed 16248electrician, who is trained to spot the signs of demonic possession, 16249such as blood coming down the stairs, enormous cats on the dinette 16250table, etc. 16251 -- Dave Barry, "The Taming of the Screw" 16252% 16253Your life would be very empty if you had nothing to regret. 16254% 16255Your lucky color has faded. 16256% 16257Your lucky number has been disconnected. 16258% 16259Your lucky number is 3552664958674928. Watch for it everywhere. 16260% 16261Your true value depends entirely on what you are compared with. 16262% 16263"Yow! Am I having fun yet?" 16264 -- Zippy the Pinhead 16265% 16266YOW!! Everybody out of the GENETIC POOL!" 16267% 16268Zero Defects, n.: 16269 The result of shutting down a production line. 16270% 16271Zounds! I was never so bethumped with words 16272since I first called my brother's father dad. 16273 -- William Shakespeare, "King John" 16274% 16275Zymurgy's Law of Volunteer Labor: 16276 People are always available for work in the past tense. 16277% 16278 THE LAST BUG 16279 16280"But you're out of your mind," It still wasn't perfect, 16281They said with a shrug. As year followed year, 16282"The customer's happy; And strangers would comment, 16283What's one little bug?" "Is that guy still here?" 16284 16285But he was determined. He died at the console, 16286The others went home. Of hunger and thirst. 16287He spread out the program, Next day he was buried, 16288Deserted, alone. Face down, nine-edge first. 16289 16290The cleaning men came, And the last bug in sight, 16291The whole room was cluttered An ant passing by, 16292With memory-dumps, punch cards. Saluted his tombstone, 16293"I'm close," he muttered. And whispered, "Nice try." 16294 16295The mumbling got louder, 16296Simple deduction, 16297"I've got it, it's right, 16298Just change one instruction." 16299% 16300Speaking of the philosophy involved in moving humanity into space: 16301 16302Furniture will be a largely obsolete concept. Take for example the dresser my 16303mom bought for me when I was a kid. I still have it, and by the standards of 16304its era, it's an admirable household fixture. It is a massive construction of 16305maple wood, expertly joined with cunningly fit pieces, fitted and glued with 16306the strength of iron. It is set with massive brass fixtures, and looks today 16307-- discounting the dust -- as new as the day it was purchased, a quarter 16308century ago. So far, so good; a fine piece of furniture, you might say. But 16309let's look at it objectively, as a machine, as an object with a purpose. Here 16310sit a hundred pounds of hardwood with a compressive strength of 1500 psi, 16311jointed by an expert craftsman into a rigid box that would easily support a 16312bull elephant. And what is the sole purpose of this massive crate, this 16313monument to a dead tree? -- it holds my socks. 16314 16315Not only is it blind engineering overkill of epic proportions, it is also an 16316environmental disaster. The home to generations of squirrels, a sentinel post 16317for falcons, an autumnal banner of golden glory, a living creature, was chopped 16318down to enshrine some underwear. This, my friends, is no way to run a planet. 16319 -- Marshall T. Savage, from The Millennial Project: 16320 Colonizing the Galaxy -- In Eight Easy Steps 16321% 16322Nearly every software professional has heard the term spaghetti code as a 16323pejorative description for complicated, difficult to understand, and impossible 16324to maintain, software. However, many people may not know the other two 16325elements of the complete Pasta Theory of Software. 16326 16327Lasagna code is used to describe software that has a simple, understandable, 16328and layered structure. Lasagna code, although structured, is unfortunately 16329monolithic and not easy to modify. An attempt to change one layer conceptually 16330simple, is often very difficult in actual practice. 16331 16332The ideal software structure is one having components that are small and 16333loosely coupled; this ideal structure is called ravioli code. In ravioli 16334code, each of the components, or objects, is a package containing some meat 16335or other nourishment for the system; any component can be modified or replaced 16336without significantly affecting other components. 16337 16338We need to go beyond the condemnation of spaghetti code to the active 16339encouragement of ravioli code. 16340 -- Raymond J. Rubey, in a letter to the editor of Crosstalk 16341 magazine 16342% 1634363,000 bugs in the code, 63,000 bugs, 16344ya get 1 whacked with a service pack, 16345now there's 63,005 bugs in the code!! 16346