Re: Something you 'said'

Michael Lorrey (retroman@tpk.net)
Mon, 25 Nov 1996 18:51:18 -0500


Anders Sandberg wrote:
>
> On Mon, 25 Nov 1996, Crosby_M wrote:
>
> > I must have missed it - what does TANSTAAFL stand for?
>
> There
> Ain't
> No
> Such
> Thing
> As
> A
> Free
> Lunch
>
> Wasn't it Heinlein who coined it? IMHO it is often used a bit entropically.
>

It is used by cynics and debunkers who think they are smart, but only
because they are so stupid they don't know how much they don't know.

I see it as the numero uno rule for living. There is always a catch. If
you really want to create a new paradigm, you've got to figure out how
to solve your equation for all possibilities. People who do not look for
the catch, usually get caught, and bit in the ass to boot. A programmer
who doesn't work out all the bugs is simply putting garbage out. To me
it is entropic to avoid dealing with potential pitfalls, because if you
havent prepared for them, you won't be able to handle them when they
rear their ugly heads, and youwon't be able to respond to the
intelligent naysayers who point out the failings you haven't spotted.
TANSTAAFL!!!

Michael Lorrey
---------------------------------------------------
President retroman@tpk.net
Northstar Technologies Agent Lorrey@ThePentagon.com
Inventor of the Lorrey Drive Silo_1013@ThePentagon.com
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Anything I say can and should be used against me.