User talk:The Rhymesmith/Archives/2006/October

Eton College
That was fast! Looks like you cut out the stuff I added on dress - I went there (1950-1955) and I assure you it is accurate (unless you know that it has changed since I attended Eton). Or was it the English that you object to?! Jpaulm 15:00, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

Thanks! Live and learn! I can still remember the feeling of relief that I didn't have to wear one - even if only until I got tall enough! Jpaulm 15:54, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

At least in college, we had two identical suits, and wore them alternate weeks. It wasn't until years later that I learned that this was probably due to the possibility of body lice - they die after a week away from their hosts. Question: is this appropriate info for an Encyclopedia? If not, just treat it as piece of trivia! Jpaulm 14:38, 29 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Not clear: do you guys wear a suit for 1 week or 2 weeks at a time? If it's now 2 weeks, that suggests that things have changed since I was there. And does this apply to Oppidans as well as scholars? Thanks. Jpaulm 00:34, 3 October 2006 (UTC)


 * Oh well, 2 weeks at a time suggests that the lice are no longer considered a problem :-) Yup, I stumbled across Flow-based programming, and have spent the last few decades trying to get it accepted!  Contrary to popular wisdom, if you build a better mousetrap, the world does not beat a path to your door!  Jpaulm 00:24, 4 October 2006 (UTC)


 * By the way, if the above sounds unduly pessimistic, sometimes one just has to wait - fundamental change sometimes takes several generations! If you haven't read him yet, I suggest Kuhn's "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions". Regards. Jpaulm 01:13, 5 October 2006 (UTC)

Define success! Some influential people like it; 3 companies mention it on their web sites; a lot of people say "Hmmm, that's interesting!" and promptly forget about it... Look at [Flowlike projects] (if you haven't already). It will probably never be as well-known as, say, OOP, but I venture to hope in the long run it will be more influential! Thanks for your interest! Jpaulm 17:56, 8 October 2006 (UTC)

I work as a programmer. I have a little (2-person - myself and my wife) corporation, but that's really because clients often prefer an "arms' length" arrangement. You can also contribute to my wiki if you are interested - - add your name to the VistorsList, etc. Jpaulm 14:38, 9 October 2006 (UTC)