Science is the captain, and practice the soldiers - Leonardo DaVinci

Life is pretty simple: You do some stuff. Most fails. Some works. You do more of what works. If it works big, others quickly copy it. Then you do something else. The trick is the doing something else. - Leonardo da Vinci

Anyone can become angry.That is easy.But to be angry with the right person,to the right degree,at the right time,for the right purposeand in the right way.That is not easy. (Aristotles)

If you're cross-eyed and have dyslexia, can you see perfectly?

I buy when other people are selling. - J. Paul Getty

Anybody who thinks talk is cheap never argued with a traffic cop.

Quote: In an argument, a woman always has the last word. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

Antiques are things one generation buys, the next generation gets rid off, and the following generation buys at auction at amazing prices.

Quote: If you're riding ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.

Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else. - Will Rogers

Anyone who can only think of only one way to spell a word obviously lacks imagination. - Mark Twain

Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun.

Amazon's new low-price Kindle raises stakes in e-reader wars http://ping.fm/0MVcH

A note left for a pianist from his wife: "Gone Chopin, have Liszt, Bach in a Minuet."

Quote: Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. - Mark Twain

An optimist believes we live in the best of all worlds. A pessimist fears this is true.

An open mind does not always require an open mouth.

Is Marx's tomb a communist plot?

Only presidents, editors, and people with tapeworms have the right to use the editorial "we". - Mark Twain

Judge not a man by his clothes, but by his wife's clothes. - Thomas R. Dewar

Six Key Tips For Caregivers Navigating The System On Behalf Of Their Parents, Grandparents And Others http://ping.fm/Stc9v

An old-timer is someone who remembers every detail of their life story, but cannot remember how many times they have told the same person.

Two can live as cheaply as one… for half as long.

Skype update adds multitasking support for iPhone http://ping.fm/zy9i9

Teach a child to be polite and courteous, and when he grows up, he'll never be able to edge his car onto a freeway.

An obstacle is something you see when you take your eyes off the goal.

Quote: I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once. - Jennifer Unlimited

How long a minute is depends on what side of the bathroom door you're on.

Quote: Some mornings it just doesn't seem worth it to gnaw through the leather straps. - Emo Phillips

Quote: Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it. - Mark Twain

Quote: An educational system isn't worth a great deal if it teaches young people how to make a living but doesn't teach them how to make a life.

Proverb: Love is like war, easy to begin, hard to end.

Asia Pacific TV market achieves twin milestones http://ping.fm/fyGLg

Sigma Designs Delivers the World Cup in 3D http://ping.fm/GR9Jk

I had amnesia once - maybe twice.

Quote: An archaeologist is the best husband any woman can have: The older she gets, the more interested he is in her. (Agatha Christie)

Which one of these is the non-smoking lifeboat?

Follow your dreams, except for that one where you're naked at work.

DWP financing plan would spur solar power and jobs in Southern California, business group says http://ping.fm/TKMJ6

Former employees shed light on Apple's internal corporate culture http://ping.fm/KEGnx

An angry person is seldom reasonable; a reasonable person is seldom angry.

After the government takes enough to balance the budget, the taxpayer has the job of budgeting the balance.

Treat each day as your last… one day you will be right.

VC Open Letters: Cathartic Rant http://ping.fm/3mPyZ

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance.

Lowly Golden State Warriors A Draw For Venture Capitalist http://ping.fm/P1JPl

Quote: A drop of ink may make a million think.

Quote: “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.” - Mark Twain

One goldfish says to the other, "If there's no God, who changes our water every week?"

Quote: Do not vacillate or you will be left in between doing something, having something and being nothing. - Ethiopia

Quote: If you don't have something good to say about someone, just say the bad stuff really fast.

Savi Technology Offers Development Tools to Build Successful RFID Solutions http://ping.fm/LO7SY

Quote: A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline. (Harvey Mackay)

Why Tesla Succeeded With Its IPO And Solyndra Failed http://ping.fm/80To4

TV Tuner Transition from ‘Cans’ to Silicon Enables $500 Million Opportunity http://ping.fm/7mOrZ

Exit Strategies and the American Dream http://ping.fm/v8HhA

A Better Way To Battle Mosquitoes http://ping.fm/IWxf3

Quote: There is no "I" in "Team", but there are four in "Platitude-Quoting Idiot".

- It's not who you know, it's whom you know.

Proverb: Take the world as it is, not as it ought to be.

Quote: Adolescence and snow are the only problems that disappear if you ignore them long enough.

Federal Aviation Administration awards $125 million in green technology contract http://ping.fm/Nv72v

Medvedev’s Silicon Valley Dreams Won’t Happen Overnight http://ping.fm/SIX7j

True? A dog thinks: Hey, these people I live with feed me, love me, provide me with a nice warm, dry house, pet me, and take good care of me... They must be Gods!A cat thinks: Hey, these people I live with feed me, love me, provide me with a nice warm, dry house, pet me, and take good care of me... I must be a God!

Observation: I don't want buns of steel. I want buns of cinnamon.

Name Of Game In Health Care: Cheaper, Better, Faster http://ping.fm/KiS4v

The Daily Start-Up: Lowe’s Building Start-Ups Together With VCs http://ping.fm/tHWAc

People Who Purchase Insurance On Their Own Faced Premium Hikes Of Around 20 Percent, Survey Finds http://ping.fm/GGrIv

Humana Introduces Mobile Games For Health http://ping.fm/Qh6Kt

New blog post on EAGR: Venture Capital - An Entrepreneur's View - http://ping.fm/Z4fMV

Proverb: If you live in the river you should make friends with the crocodile.

Kindle drops to $189, Nook to $199 as Amazon, Barnes & Noble slash prices http://ping.fm/XzWbt

Quote: Laziness is the mother of all vice... but, it's a mother and you should respect her.

The Daily Start-Up: Partners Aren’t Just Investors Anymore http://ping.fm/S9Guf

New blog post on EAGR: Angel Investors from TeenAnalyst - http://ping.fm/r5vdj

Quote: People are made to be loved and things are made to be used. There is much chaos in this world because things are being loved and people are being used.

He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. Thanks Dad.

Quote: To request help from others does not signify loss of direction, rather another brick that mends a broken path.

Does Money Motivate Employees? http://ping.fm/QWixU

The Daily Start-Up: Solyndra Pulls IPO, And VC Dreams With It http://ping.fm/rhDXl

Quote: The measure of greatness is not found in your accomplishments. Its in how much discouragement it takes to stop you.

Investors bring $70 million to S.J. solar firm*{font-family:verdana,arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;}This article link was mailed to you by: sapelzin@gmail.com *I thought you might find this article of interest. Investors bring $70 million to S.J. solar firm - By Scott Duke Harrissdharris@mercurynews.com Stion aims to expand with help from Taiwanese partner View Full StoryMost E-Mailed(From the last 12 hours)Silicon Valley home sales, median price surge in MayChief of laundry? Sheriff wins back control over jails, leaving...Summit Prep makes Newsweek's top 100 list of best high schools in U.S.Schwarzenegger claims early pension victory: Four unions agree to...A pop up general store brings Chez Panisse cuisine to the masseshttp://ping.fm/Hhd5l e-mail was delivered by machines from the following IP addresses [71.193.184.240],[96.17.70.69].* Please note, the sender's email address has not been verified.

IPO Blues Due To Fundamentals, Not Fickle Market http://ping.fm/3FqKS

Woman Builds Home From 747 Airplane http://ping.fm/n4CGc

The Great Escape: SEC Registration To Exclude Venture Capital http://ping.fm/0Nb9S

WellPoint To Begin Offering 'Electronic' House Calls http://ping.fm/w2Jje

Quote: Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up.

Venture Capital Firms Active in Healthcare Investment http://ping.fm/YzUxv

Twitter's 'You Both Follow' being tested in the wild http://ping.fm/0gW4D

The Daily Start-Up: Casting Light On Health-Care Costs http://ping.fm/JIWE1

IPO Exit Ramp Closed, Biotech Investors Look To Big Pharma http://ping.fm/ApqIg

Quote: If at first you don't succeed, try left field.

The Top 10 Richest Venture-Backed Companies Of All Time http://ping.fm/RilpQ

VC Jeff Bussgang Forecasts “A Golden Age For Innovation” http://ping.fm/HPCpQ

After A Half Century Of Work, Medicine For Lupus May Be Near http://ping.fm/EVIfC

The Daily Start-Up: Showing A Founder The Door http://ping.fm/YjXos

U.S. retail sales tumble http://ping.fm/4d7b3

Internet Media Manager http://ping.fm/F01Mh

Quote: Never go to bed angry, stay awake and plot your revenge.

Pragmatic Software Development Tips

Extracted From The Pragmatic Programmer
by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas. Copyright 2000, Addison Wesley.

Care About Your Craft

Why spend your life developing software unless you care about doing it well?

Provide Options, Don’t Make Lame Excuses
Instead of excuses, provide options. Don’t say it can’t be done; explain what can be done.

Be a Catalyst for Change
You can’t force change on people. Instead, show them how the future might be and help them participate in creating it.

Make Quality a Requirements Issue
Involve your users in determining the project’s real quality requirements.

Critically Analyze What You Read and Hear
Don’t be swayed by vendors, media hype, or dogma. Analyze information in terms of you and your project.

DRY—Don’t Repeat Yourself
Every piece of knowledge must have a single, unambiguous, authoritative representation within a system.

Eliminate Effects Between Unrelated Things
Design components that are self-contained, independent, and have a single, well-defined purpose.

Use Tracer Bullets to Find the Target
Tracer bullets let you home in on your target by trying things and seeing how close they land.

Program Close to the Problem Domain
Design and code in your user’s language.

Iterate the Schedule with the Code
Use experience you gain as you implement to refine the project time scales.

Use the Power of Command Shells
Use the shell when graphical user interfaces don’t cut it.

Always Use Source Code Control
Source code control is a time machine for your work—you can go back.

Don’t Panic When Debugging
Take a deep breath and THINK! about what could be causing the bug.

Don’t Assume It—Prove It
Prove your assumptions in the actual environment—with real data and boundary conditions.

Write Code That Writes Code
Code generators increase your productivity and help avoid duplication.

Design with Contracts
Use contracts to document and verify that code does no more and no less than it claims to do.

Use Assertions to Prevent the Impossible
Assertions validate your assumptions. Use them to protect your code from an uncertain world.

Finish What You Start
Where possible, the routine or object that allocates a resource should be responsible for deallocating it.

Configure, Don’t Integrate
Implement technology choices for an application as configuration options, not through integration or engineering.

Analyze Workflow to Improve Concurrency
Exploit concurrency in your user’s workflow.

Always Design for Concurrency
Allow for concurrency, and you’ll design cleaner interfaces with fewer assumptions.

Use Blackboards to Coordinate Workflow
Use blackboards to coordinate disparate facts and agents, while maintaining independence and isolation among participants.

Estimate the Order of Your Algorithms
Get a feel for how long things are likely to take before you write code.

Refactor Early, Refactor Often
Just as you might weed and rearrange a garden, rewrite, rework, and re-architect code when it needs it. Fix the root of the problem.

Test Your Software, or Your Users Will
Test ruthlessly. Don’t make your users find bugs for you.

Don’t Gather Requirements—Dig for Them
Requirements rarely lie on the surface. They’re buried deep beneath layers of assumptions, misconceptions, and politics.

Abstractions Live Longer than Details
Invest in the abstraction, not the implementation. Abstractions can survive the barrage of changes from different implementations and new technologies.

Don’t Think Outside the Box—Find the Box
When faced with an impossible problem, identify the real constraints. Ask yourself: ``Does it have to be done this way? Does it have to be done at all?’‘

Some Things Are Better Done than Described
Don’t fall into the specification spiral—at some point you need to start coding.

Costly Tools Don’t Produce Better Designs
Beware of vendor hype, industry dogma, and the aura of the price tag. Judge tools on their merits.

Don’t Use Manual Procedures
A shell script or batch file will execute the same instructions, in the same order, time after time.

Coding Ain’t Done ‘Til All the Tests Run
‘Nuff said.

Test State Coverage, Not Code Coverage
Identify and test significant program states. Just testing lines of code isn’t enough.

English is Just a Programming Language
Write documents as you would write code: honor the DRY principle, use metadata, MVC, automatic generation, and so on.

Gently Exceed Your Users’ Expectations
Come to understand your users’ expectations, then deliver just that little bit more.

Think! About Your Work
Turn off the autopilot and take control. Constantly critique and appraise your work.

Don’t Live with Broken Windows
Fix bad designs, wrong decisions, and poor code when you see them.

Remember the Big Picture
Don’t get so engrossed in the details that you forget to check what’s happening around you.

Invest Regularly in Your Knowledge Portfolio
Make learning a habit.

It’s Both What You Say and the Way You Say It
There’s no point in having great ideas if you don’t communicate them effectively.

Make It Easy to Reuse
If it’s easy to reuse, people will. Create an environment that supports reuse.

There Are No Final Decisions
No decision is cast in stone. Instead, consider each as being written in the sand at the beach, and plan for change.

Prototype to Learn
Prototyping is a learning experience. Its value lies not in the code you produce, but in the lessons you learn.

Estimate to Avoid Surprises
Estimate before you start. You’ll spot potential problems up front.

Keep Knowledge in Plain Text
Plain text won’t become obsolete. It helps leverage your work and simplifies debugging and testing.

Use a Single Editor Well
The editor should be an extension of your hand; make sure your editor is configurable, extensible, and programmable.

Fix the Problem, Not the Blame
It doesn’t really matter whether the bug is your fault or someone else’s—it is still your problem, and it still needs to be fixed.

``select’’ Isn’t Broken
It is rare to find a bug in the OS or the compiler, or even a third-party product or library. The bug is most likely in the application.

Learn a Text Manipulation Language
You spend a large part of each day working with text. Why not have the computer do some of it for you?

You Can’t Write Perfect Software
Software can’t be perfect. Protect your code and users from the inevitable errors.

Crash Early
A dead program normally does a lot less damage than a crippled one.

Use Exceptions for Exceptional Problems
Exceptions can suffer from all the readability and maintainability problems of classic spaghetti code. Reserve exceptions for exceptional things.

Minimize Coupling Between Modules
Avoid coupling by writing ``shy’’ code and applying the Law of Demeter.

Put Abstractions in Code, Details in Metadata
Program for the general case, and put the specifics outside the compiled code base.

Design Using Services
Design in terms of services—independent, concurrent objects behind well-defined, consistent interfaces.

Separate Views from Models
Gain flexibility at low cost by designing your application in terms of models and views.

Don’t Program by Coincidence
Rely only on reliable things. Beware of accidental complexity, and don’t confuse a happy coincidence with a purposeful plan.

Test Your Estimates
Mathematical analysis of algorithms doesn’t tell you everything. Try timing your code in its target environment.

Design to Test
Start thinking about testing before you write a line of code.

Don’t Use Wizard Code You Don’t Understand
Wizards can generate reams of code. Make sure you understand all of it before you incorporate it into your project.

Work with a User to Think Like a User
It’s the best way to gain insight into how the system will really be used.

Use a Project Glossary
Create and maintain a single source of all the specific terms and vocabulary for a project.

Start When You’re Ready
You’ve been building experience all your life. Don’t ignore niggling doubts.

Don’t Be a Slave to Formal Methods
Don’t blindly adopt any technique without putting it into the context of your development practices and capabilities.

Organize Teams Around Functionality
Don’t separate designers from coders, testers from data modelers. Build teams the way you build code.

Test Early. Test Often. Test Automatically.
Tests that run with every build are much more effective than test plans that sit on a shelf.

Use Saboteurs to Test Your Testing
Introduce bugs on purpose in a separate copy of the source to verify that testing will catch them.

Find Bugs Once
Once a human tester finds a bug, it should be the last time a human tester finds that bug. Automatic tests should check for it from then on.

Build Documentation In, Don’t Bolt It On
Documentation created separately from code is less likely to be correct and up to date.

Sign Your Work
Craftsmen of an earlier age were proud to sign their work. You should be, too.