Friday, May 06, 2005

Part 4C progress report

Well, here we go again. Excuses, excuses--I'm full of them! I thought I'd be publishing Part 4C of the "Mind is a difficult thing to change" series this week, but it's not nearly ready, although I've been working on it.

I am pretty sure it will be ready by the end of next week. That's not a promise, that's a prediction--and, like second marriage, it may represent the triumph of hope over experience. But I have found I can't rush it. It's clear that these things always seem to require far more labor than I ever expect.

It is embarrassing to have to display so very publically the fact that my life seems to be ruled by Hofstadter's Law. For those of you unfamiliar with the extremely useful and brilliant Hofstadter's Law, here it is:

It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take Hofstadter's Law into account.

Simple. Elegant. True.

ADDENDUM: Of course, like anything, Hofstadter's Law is not absolute. One glaring exception is eating--especially dessert, which always seems to take less time than you expect (or want) it to. No doubt you readers can think of other exceptions. But, in general, I stand by Hofstadter's Law.

2 Comments:

At 5:55 PM, May 06, 2005, Blogger VietPundit said...

Here's hoping you'll spend more time on the desserts and less on the blog :-)

 
At 9:33 AM, May 07, 2005, Blogger vanderleun said...

I think the whole society should be put under arrest for breaking that law or trying to. It doesn't strike me that much worthwhile comes from rushing.

Indeed, the French have a phrase which roughly translates into "Slow down. We're in a hurry."

 

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