This Is How I Avenged Myself

 

O crowd, whose love I coveted until the day of my death, this is how I avenged myself for your indifference: I let you buzz all around me, without hearing you. My attitude may be compared to that of Aeschylus’ Prometheus toward his tormentors. Did you think you could chain me to the rock of your triviality, of your agitations over the inconsequential?

— Machado de Assis, Epitaph of a Small Winner

Advice for the College Bound

 
College boy

HER: My son is going to be going off to college soon. It’s a big step for him. I hope he’s ready to make good decisions.

HIM: When my daughter left for college, I gave her these simple words of advice: “Don’t get photographed sucking a dick.”

HER: That sounds like excellent advice for your daughter, but it wouldn’t be of any help to my son.

HIM: That’s not what I’ve heard.

The Star Thrower

 

As the old man walked the beach at dawn, he noticed a young man picking up starfish and flinging them into the sea. Catching up to the youth, he asked why he was doing this. The answer was that the stranded starfish would die if left until the morning sun. “But the beach goes on for miles and there are millions of starfish,” countered the other. “How can your effort make any difference?” The young man looked at the starfish in his hand and threw it to safety in the waves. “It makes a difference to this one,” he said.

— Loren C. Eiseley, The Star Thrower

Monday Morning Sets the Tone for the Week

 
Treadmill

L.A. Fitness at 5 a.m. I don’t like exercising in a crowded gym. I also don’t like to get up early, but not as much as I don’t like exercising in a crowded gym, and if you get in there at 5 a.m., the gym isn’t crowded.

For 2011, I started doing different exercises every day of the week and changing up the entire workout every four weeks, instead of doing the same basic routine that I’d been doing since, like, forever.

I’m taking all major muscle groups by surprise on a regular basis. They have no idea what’s coming next.

If you’re not incorporating the element of surprise into your exercise regimen, you’re blowing a major opportunity.

Kanban, Scrum, User Stories, System Design

 

Kanban and Scrum: Making the Most of Both

 

Free download courtesy of Henrik Kniberg, Mattias Skarin and InfoQ.com.

The book includes:

  • Kanban and Scrum in a nutshell
  • Comparison of Kanban and Scrum and other Agile methods
  • Practical examples and pitfalls
  • Cartoons and diagrams illustrating day-to-day work
  • Detailed case study of a Kanban implementation within a Scrum organization

Quick Thinking

 
Cable Car of the Powell-Hyde line in San Francisco

My kid is in San Francisco with a Northwood High musical group. Among the chaperones is the school principal. We don’t like her. More on that later.

“Avoid the temptation to push her in front of a cable car,” I advised the boy.

“Why?” he asked.

“Well . . .” Now I had to think of something. “Because her fat ass would derail the thing, costing innocent people their lives.”

EppsNet Book Reviews: The Odyssey by Homer

 

The author displays a lively imagination. The cast of characters includes both gods and mortals, and the story builds to a thrilling climax.

I can’t wait to see what this promising young writer comes up with next.