37signals (damn them for the good links) talk about YAGNI:
“It’s easy to get carried away discussing how you could possibly do this, that, or the other thing. It’s harder to step back and ask “Are we really gonna need this?” The answer is usually no.”
So often, when writing, I realize I need to solve a story problem and I create a complicated solution to the problem. Then, I stop, look at it and realize that I have created the most difficult solution to the problem.
I step back in and realize that the problem is the problem. I get rid of the problem and I have my solution.
Still on deck:
Matt, from 37signals, quotes British author Antony Jay on the benefits of working with small groups:
“The basic unit is [a group] which varies from three to twelve or fifteen in number, and perhaps optimizes somewhere around ten; that this group is bound together by a common objective, and that the bond of trust and loyalty thus formed can become an extremely powerful uniting force…”
Working with a larger class size has made me wonder if this doesn’t also apply with teaching. When discussing something personal like one’s creativity, it seems the larger the group, the less comfort in sharing.
When not everyone shares, when people become reserved with their ideas, then the energy and momentum seems to dissipate.
Interesting article on “The Hurt Locker”. Some of these points crossed my mind as I watched the film but I let them go. It’s always good to see this point of view.
But with most things, there are more than one side to the story:
The Curious Case of the ‘Hurt Locker’ Attacks
This makes me happy: The Cult of Done by Bre Prettis and Kio Stark.
The poster comes from James Provost.