things I've learned (in no particular order..) sometime before April 28, 1999 (as amended)
relax, and be patient - some things take time to mature
know yourself - know what you need and want, what you like and love
love yourself, and believe in, and show commitment to, what you say and do
communicate clearly, and be obviously willing to compromise
it's your life, look after it - make sure you at least get what you need
have vision, and be firm but polite, patient but persistent while working toward it
explore your environment - if you follow your nose, you will find unusual things
cherish and share, gratuitously - it creates good karma
love does not use force - ever
fill your life with things that complement it - including friends and employers
a second wasted is a second lost
embrace diversity - constantly readapt your approach to suit your environment
knowledge reduces risk
just because you can, doesn't mean you should
anonymous sources prove nothing
things cannot be saved from themselves
he who swears first loses
contradiction in language belies contradiction in argument
the meaning of "mild" depends both upon who is saying it and upon the listener
sophisticated machinery with a dumb interface is a waste of time
a worn, poorly fitted, or badly adjusted tool does a bad job
do something until it's not fun anymore -- and then do something else
take a friend whenever you are negotiating anything
before important negotations, think through the likely positions the other parties will take, your responses to those positions, and their likely responses to your responses - like chess - think ahead and anticipate gameplay
if negotiating with a dunce, keep it simple
when someone says "I can't ...", they usually mean, "I can't be bothered to ..."
refuse to be goaded; your negative energy will be used against you
without bounds, there can be no freedom
trust your nose - if it smells bad, it probably is
the best revenge is a happy life
run your work past someone else before you do much with it
some tunes aren't writ for playin'
for every critic, there is a fan
a prepared surface is a labour halved
ideal solutions are almost never implemented
it may be wrong to expect, but it is reasonable to wish
it's difficult to be certain about much
you can always lose another 10%
don't waste time with people you don't like - they probably don't like you either
work in a field that is synergistic with your interests
employment: learn while working for less, and save while learning little
you do not need to like the people you do business with - but it's nice
lack of organisation on their part does not constitute a state of emergency on mine
invest on credit; save for expenses
when today is goodbye, tomorrow is hello - but it's never quite the same
it's a bad sign when the contractor starts swearing
never lend anything to a selfish person
think extremely carefully before lending anything irreplaceable to anyone
.. but otherwise, lend everything to everyone, making copies if necessary
good food, decent sleep and plenty of water yield better code.
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