Linux Work

    By the middle 1880's, practically all the roads except those in
the South, were of the present standard gauge.  The southern roads were
still five feet between rails.
    It was decided to change the gauge of all southern roads to standard,
in one day.  This remarkable piece of work was carried out on a Sunday in May
of 1886.  For weeks beforehand, shops had been busy pressing wheels in on the
axles to the new and narrower gauge, to have a supply of rolling stock which
could run on the new track as soon as it was ready.  Finally, on the day set,
great numbers of gangs of track layers went to work at dawn.  Everywhere one
rail was loosened, moved in three and one-half inches, and spiked down in its
new position.  By dark, trains from anywhere in the United States could operate
over the tracks in the South, and a free interchange of freight cars everywhere
was possible.
        -- Robert Henry, "Trains", 1957

By working faithfully eight hours a day, you may eventually get to be
boss and work twelve.
        -- Robert Frost

Can anyone remember when the times were not hard, and money not scarce?

Can anything be sadder than work left unfinished? Yes, work never begun.

Carelessly planned projects take three times longer to complete than expected.
Carefully planned projects take four times longer to complete than expected,
mostly because the planners expect their planning to reduce the time it takes.

Chairman of the Bored.

Column 1        Column 2        Column 3

0. integrated       0. management       0. options
1. total        1. organizational   1. flexibility
2. systematized     2. monitored        2. capability
3. parallel     3. reciprocal       3. mobility
4. functional       4. digital      4. programming
5. responsive       5. logistical       5. concept
6. optional     6. transitional     6. time-phase
7. synchronized     7. incremental      7. projection
8. compatible       8. third-generation 8. hardware
9. balanced     9. policy       9. contingency

    The procedure is simple.  Think of any three-digit number, then select
the corresponding buzzword from each column.  For instance, number 257 produces
"systematized logistical projection," a phrase that can be dropped into
virtually any report with that ring of decisive, knowledgeable authority.  "No
one will have the remotest idea of what you're talking about," says Broughton,
"but the important thing is that they're not about to admit it."
        -- Philip Broughton, "How to Win at Wordsmanship"

Committees have become so important nowadays that subcommittees have to
be appointed to do the work.

Competence, like truth, beauty, and contact lenses, is in the eye of
the beholder.
        -- Dr. Laurence J. Peter

Competitive fury is not always anger.  It is the true missionary's courage
and zeal in facing the possibility that one's best may not be enough.
        -- Gene Scott