Status-Q

There's an old saying:

If you're not a communist at the age of 20, you haven't got a heart.
If you're still a communist at the age of 30, you haven't got a brain.

I've always liked this quote, and have wondered about its origin since I first heard it. Now, thanks to the web -- invented when I was about 25 -- I can find out. It turns out to pre-date communism by some time, at least as a rhetorical device.

It was said about republicanism by François Guizot, the French Prime Minister in the mid 19th century, whose childhood had been during the Reign of Terror.

Not to be a republican at 20 is proof of want of heart; to be one at 30 is proof of want of head.

It was later adopted by Georges Clemenceau, who substituted socialiste for republicain.

But, Fred Shapiro points out, one could argue that even Guizot was pipped to the post by John Adams, who said something similar, though not as elegantly, in 1799:

A boy of 15 who is not a democrat is good for nothing, and he is no better who is a democrat at 20.

Adams missed the heart and head distinction, though, which I think is important: it captures the sometimes misguided fervour of youth and the wisdom that comes from experience (or, others might say, the conservatism that comes from age).

Of course, I still prefer the 'communist' version, but that's because of when I grew up. I wonder what variations will be popular in 50 or 100 years' time?

All the world's a toolbox
And all the men and women merely pliers

A couple of nice quotes from this talk by Nicolas Lara on how his company, Lincoln Loop, works (and thrives) despite being small, globally-distributed, and with employees working from home.

This one, I think, is particularly true:

It's hard to do a really good job on anything you don't think about in the shower.

- Paul Graham

and, on maintaining a healthy work-life balance:

Every one of us has learned how to send emails on Sunday night. But how many of us know how to go to a movie at 2pm on Mondays? You've unbalanced your life without balancing it with something else.

-Ricardo Semler

It's an interesting talk. I remember a Lullabot podcast from about 18 months ago about how they managed a rather larger but similarly-distributed organisation. Lincoln Loop, though, is not just a distributed company with flexible working hours - it's one where the finances are open, and where employees, based on their knowledge of how the company is doing, get to choose their own salaries. An interesting concept to ponder.

Or you could always ask Dolly about the more traditional model...

The second-best camera is the one you have with you.
The best is the one you have in your hand.

Today's inspired thought is from the economist Charles Goodhart. Goodhart's law states that:

When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.

Here's a nice quote from Henri Cartier-Bresson:

Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.

Now, what I find sobering about that comment is that he wasn't shooting digital.

I wonder what the modern equivalent is?

And, since the mechanics (though not the skill) of taking photos has become so much easier, should the metric be applied to another part of the process...?

This is, I believe, from Michael Hartung of IBM:

Hardware eventually fails. Software eventually works.

Quote for the day:

You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.

-- Eleanor Roosevelt

For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled.

– Richard Feynman

"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools."

Douglas Adams