Friday, November 21, 2008

Quotes from “Rapture for the Geeks” by Richard Dooling:

Here are some great quotes quoted in a book I just finished called "Rapture for the Geeks" by Richard Dooling:

Technology is a way of organizing the universe so that man doesn’t have to experience it. –Max Frisch

Computers are Like Old Testament gods; lots of rules and no mercy. –Joseph Campbell

User, noun. The word computer professionals use when they mean “idiot.” –Dave Barry

There are only two industries that refer to their customers as “users.” –Edward Tufte

God does not play dice with the universe. –Albert Einstein

Not only does God play dice, but … he sometimes throws them where we cannot see them. –Stephen Hawking

God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable games of His own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players, to being involved in an obscure and complex version of poker in a pitch-dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a Dealer who won’t tell you the rules and who smiles all the time. –Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

I can predict the future by assuming that money and male hormones are the driving force for new technology. Therefore, when virtual reality gets cheaper than dating, society is doomed. –Dogbert

Member of the house of commons: “Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers still come out?”

Charles Babbage: “I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question.”

The brain is wider than the sky,
For, put them side by side,
The one the other will contain
With ease, and you beside.

The brain is deeper than the sea,
For, hold them, blue to blue,
The one the other will absorb,
As sponges, buckets do.

The brain is just the weight of God,
For, heft them, pound for pund,
And they will differ, if they do,
As syllable from sound.

-Emily Dickinson

Introduction to Psychology: The theory of human behavior….Is there a split between mind and body, and if so, which is better to have?...Special consideration is given to a study of consciousness as opposed to unconsciousness, with many helpful hints on how to remain conscious. –Woody Allen

What if everything is an illusion and nothing exists? In that case, I definitely overpaid for my carpet. –Woody Allen

No, I’m not interested in developing a powerful brain. All I’m after is just a mediocre brain, something like the President of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. –Alan Turing

It occurred to us, gliding by the thirteenth floor and seeing the numeral ’14' painted on it, that our atom-splitting scientists had committed the error of impatience and had run on ahead of the rest of the human race. They had dared to look into the core of the sun, and had fiddled with it; but it might have been a good idea if they had waited to do that until the rest of us could look the number 13 square in the face. –E.B. White

Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, you soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck. –George Carlin

6 comments:

Eldon and Janeil Olsen said...

I don't believe in frisbeetarianism.
Clever quotes if you like quotes.

Imagitext said...

I don't understand if they are referring to geeks as dumb or smart because geek means dumb.

g said...

thanks for sharing, carl.

Neil said...

Charles Babbage is my new favorite MP

Neil said...

favorite quote from 2 weeks ago: The world and we, my children, are at war. Retreat is impossible. Arm yourselves. --From the character in Peace Like a River that gets shot to death.

brenda said...

These are awesome--was this Carl or Velvet? And what is the book about?