The tragedy of the commons refers to a dilemma described in an influential article by that name written by Garrett Hardin and first published in the journal Science in 1968. The article describes a situation in which multiple individuals, acting independently, and solely and rationally consulting their own self-interest, will ultimately destroy a shared limited resource even when it is clear that it is not in anyone’s long-term interest for this to happen. Read more – ‘The Tragedy of the Commons’.
The Pareto principle (also known as the 80/20 rule, the law of the vital few, and the principle of factor sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Read more – ‘The Pareto Principle – The 80/20 Rule to You and Me’.
Okay, so many of the points below aren’t purely my philosophy, but ideas and principles I have picked up along the way throughout my [development] career. Some relate to the UNIX philosophy, or even the Zen of Python, but wherever they’re from, they can be applied to many other domains. Read more – ‘My Work Philosophy’.
One of the most amusing quotes of 2008 must be this: At a party to mark the handover of the Olympic flag in Beijing, newly elected Mayor Boris Johnson laid claim to Britain's sporting inventiveness. Read more – ‘Boris Johnson's Wiff Waff’.
Four resources to consider when embarking on a new project: Precedent (who’s done it already and how?); External data; Internal data and knowledge; and, Educated guesses No. 4 is most valuable. After all, all the research in the world won’t tell you how to design it. (Source: Cameron Moll) Read more – ‘Embarking on a New Project?’.
It is not often that the little old ladies of the choral society scream "since Fate strikes down the strong man, everyone weep with me!", or when they are in a more cheerful mood, "My virginity makes me frisky, my simplicity holds me back. Oh, Oh, Oh, I am completely coming to life". Read more – ‘Carmina Burana – Drink, Sex and Medieval Monks’.
Since getting the new iPhone 3G I've been downloading 'useful' applications like there was no tomorrow. I now have the very useful Vicinity app, various social networking apps and the best of all, a Light Sabre. Read more – ‘The iPhone Application for WordPress’.
