Eat dessert first. Life is unpredictable.
What is Artificial Intelligence? It is better than none.
If you have to push a button, it is not automatic.
Question: How can you run a process control with "rules".
Answer: How can you run anything without rules?
Without rules, there is chaos.
(Kramer, on Seinfeld)
'Finite Players Play Within The Rules'
'Infinite Players Play With The Rules'
-James P. Carse Finite And Infinite Games
If it was easy, they would get someone else to do it.
Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a
banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it. Before long, a
monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As
soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the other monkeys with cold
water. After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result
- all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when
another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to
prevent it.
Now, put away the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and
replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to
climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys
attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to
climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.
Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it
with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The
previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm! Likewise,
replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then the
fifth.
Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked.
Most of the monkeys that are beating him have no idea why they were not
permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in the beating
of the newest monkey.
After replacing all the original monkeys, none of the remaining
monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, no monkey
ever again approaches the stairs to try for the banana.
Why not?
Because as far as they know that's the way it's always been done
around here.
And that is how company policy begins.
You miss all the fun if you obey all the rules.
- Katharine Hepburn