../ -- creed.html

creeds, codes, and commandments

updated 2004-02-26.

Contents:

(Currently not in any particular order ... what would be a good order to sort these in ?)

Related pages:

about

a code is set up by a group of people for self-improvement. They put into the code their aims, ambitions, and reasons for operating as a group. They use the code as a standard for measuring their progress.

``An idea isn't responsible for the people who believe in it.'' -- Marquis, Don (1878 - 1937) US journalist. New York Sun, ?1918 http://www.xrefer.com/entry/208407

"There is no cause so right that one cannot find a fool following it." -- Niven's Law #16

Some of these are deadly serious; others are intended to be humorous.

There are 2 very different kinds of "law", proscriptive and descriptive. For example, "Acton's Law: Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely." (--Lord Acton, in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton, 1881-04-05) is descriptive. This page tries to focus on proscriptive law, words written to try to inspire people to act better than they otherwise would have.

In other words, this page talks about things that (someone thinks that) a person ``ought to do'' or ``should do'', rather than what that person ``is capable of doing'' or ``actually will do''.

See ``Naturalistic Fallacy'' http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?NaturalisticFallacy for more information on the difference between ``is'' and ``ought''.

inspirational quotes and web pages

mostly "tool quotes" [FIXME: is there a better place for this ?]

see also 3d_design.html for more tool stuff. , in particular 3d_design.html#simplicity . [Maybe I should move more of this stuff there ?]

See link_farm.html#people

Bob's universal rules of woodworking

  1. Never pick a new project to build unless it justifies purchasing a new tool.
  2. No matter what tools you have, there is always a newer, better tool that, if only you owned it, you'd be able to turn out work equal to the professionals. See reference to Norm Abram below.
  3. Never, ever buy cheap tools. They will drive you nuts. They do a very poor job. They're no fun to use. They're less well engineered as far as safety. And they lack the grace to simply break so that you won't feel guilty about throwing them away. While the universal veracity of this rule will be self-evident to woodworkers, be prepared for your spouse to be considerably less sanguine about it, especially when he or she sees the price tag for good tools.
  4. Never forget that your tools can hurt you. There are Web sites, such as woodworking2.org/Accident Survey/search.htm, devoted to in-jury horror stories describing how each woodworking tool specializes in different alterations to your anatomy when you become careless, tired, or unlucky.
  5. People are really, really strange. See below for an elaboration that provides a tenuous connection to woodworking.

If your woodworking fails to exceed your expectations -- or worse, those of your spouse -- you should brandish the "only as good as his tools" aphorism, point to rule 1, and head to your favorite woodworking store.

Men have become the tools of their tools. -- Henry David Thoreau

[FIXME: many more quotes here]

-- from "Tools of the Trade" editorial by Bob Colwell http://www.computer.org/computer/homepage/0703/random/ "Bob Colwell was Intel's chief IA32 architect through the Pentium II, III, and 4 microprocessors." /* file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/caryd/My%20Documents/caryd/downloads_computer.org/Computer%20Magazine%20%20Tools%20of%20the%20Trade.htm */

Ten Electro-Commandments

For the benefit of those who engage in electronics design, development, and just plain tinkering, take heed.

  1. Beware the lightning that lurketh in an undischarged condenser lest it cause thee to bounce upon thy head in a most ungentlemanly manner.
  2. Cause thou the switch that supplieth large quantities of juice to be opened and thusly tagged that thy days may be long in this earthly vale of tears.
  3. Prove to thyself that all circuits which radiateth and upon which thou worketh are grounded and thusly tagged lest they lift thee to radio frequency potential and causeth thee to make like a radiator, also.
  4. Tarry thou not among those fools who engage in intentional shocks for they are not long for this world.
  5. Take care thou useth the proper method when thou taketh the measure of a high voltage circuit so that thou dost not incinerate both thee and thy test meter; for verily, though thou hast no plant account number and can be easily surveyed, the test meter doth have one and as a consequence bringeth much woe unto the supply officer.
  6. Take care thou tampereth not with interlocks and safety devices for this insureth the wrath of the supervisor and bringeth the fury of the department head upon thy shoulders.
  7. Work thee not on energized equipment for if thou dost so thy shopmates will surely be buying beers for thy widow and consoling her.
  8. Verily, verily I say unto thee, never service equipment alone for electrical cooking is sometimes a slothful process and thou might sizzle in thine own fat upon a hot circuit for hours on end before thy Maker sees fit to end thy misery and drag thee into His fold.
  9. Trifle thee not with radioactive tubes and substances lest thou commence to glow in the dark like a lightning bug.
  10. Commit thou to memory all the works of the prophets which are written down in the chapters of thy bible which is the Safety Manual, and which giveth out with the straight dope and consoleth thee when thou hast suffered from thy superior.

-- from _Electronic Design_ 1997 Nov 17, p. "64J", which in turn quoted _Electronic Design_ 1957 Nov. 15, which in turn quoted "a report from the U.S.Naval Ordinance Laboratory, Silver Spring, Md.". The Ten Commandments of Electrical Safety http://www.eng.auburn.edu/~troppel/tencom.html is almost word-for-word identical. The version at http://repairfaq.cis.upenn.edu/sam/humor.htm#hum074 has a few more words.

code of chivalry

Loyalty = keeping every promise; fidelity to a lady love

Courtesy = modesty, self-denial, respect for others.

Munificence = liberality, hospitality, largess to poor, aid to relatives in need.

Another code for knights: A knight of the "Old Code":

-- http://www.verinet.com/~dlc/ as popularized by a recent movie. (How authentic is this ?)

the Esper Pledge

I will look upon him who shall have taught me this Art as one of my parents. I will share my substance with him, and I will supply his necessities if he be in need. I will regard his offspring even as my own brethren and I will teach them this Art by precept, by lecture, and by every mode of teaching; and I will teach this Art to all others.

The regimen I adopt shall be for the benefit of mankind according to my ability and judgement, and not for hurt or wrong. I will give no deadly thought to any, though it be asked of me.

Whatsoever mind I enter, there will I go for the benefit of man, refraining from all wrong-doing and corruption. Whatsoever thoughts I see or hear in the mind of man which ought not to be made known, I will keep silence thereon, counting such things to be sacred secrets.

-- p. 98 _The Demolished Man_ Copyright 1953 by Alfred Bester

The Seven Troop Leading Steps 

the Marine Corps formalized leadership process:
.
.
.
.
.
6: Issue the Order
7: Supervise

informal:
8: when that fails, Kick Ass and Take Names

-- Samuel L. Moyer, who was in the Marine Corps, in letter to _The Wall Street Journal_ 1995 Jul. 12.

Boy Scout Oath

On my honor I will do my best

To do my duty to God and Country and obey the Scout Law;

To help other people at all times;

To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

Scout Law:

A Scout is -
Trustworthy
Friendly
Obedient
Brave
Loyal
Courteous
Cheerful
Clean
Helpful
Kind
Thrifty
Reverent

R.A. motto:

We are ambassadors for Christ. 2 Cor 5:20

Explorer Code

Explorer Code

As an Explorer-

I believe that America 's strength lies in her trust in God and in the courage and strength of her people.

I will therefore be faithful in my religious duties and will maintain a personal sense of honor in my life.

I will treasure my American heritage and will do all I can to preserve and enrich it.

I will recognize the dignity and worth of my fellow men and will use fair play and goodwill in dealing with them.

I will acquire the Exploring attitude that seeks the truth in all things and adventure on the frontiers of our changing world.

Explorer Motto

Our best today - for a Better tomorrow.

The Six Rules of Civil Engineering

http://www.okstate.edu/civen/chi-e/fun/rules.htm

  1. If it moves, it's broke.
  2. You can't push on a rope.
  3. Water runs downhill and stands in low places.
  4. If in doubt, increase the safety factor.
  5. Dirt plus water make mud.

IEEE Code of Ethics

We, the members of the IEEE, in recognition of the importance of our technologies in affecting the quality of life throughout the world, and in accepting a personal obligation to our profession, its members, and the communities we serve, do hereby commit ourselves to the highest ethical and professional conduct and agree:

  1. to accept responsibility in making engineering decisions consistent with the safety, health, and welfare of the public, and to disclose promptly factors that might endanger the public or the environment;
  2. to avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest whenever possible, and to disclose them to affected parties when they do exist;
  3. to be honest and realistic in stating claims or estimates based on available data;
  4. to reject bribery in all its forms;
  5. to improve the understanding of technology, its appropriate application, and potential consequences;
  6. to maintain and improve our technical competence, and to undertake technological tasks for others only if qualified by training or experience, or after full disclosure of pertinent limitations;
  7. to seek, accept, and offer honest criticism of technical work, to acknowledge and correct errors, and to credit properly the contributions of others;
  8. to treat fairly all persons regardless of such factors as race, religion, gender, disability, age, or national origin;
  9. to avoid injuring others, their property, reputation, or employment by false or malicious action;
  10. to assist colleagues and co-workers in their professional development and to support them in following this code of ethics.

Approved by the Board of Directors of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. 1990 Aug.

IEEE Ethics Committee http://www.ieee.org/organizations/committee/ethics/ has a copy of this Code and other ethics links and ethics mailing lists.

The 7 Promises of a Promise Keeper

1. A Promise Keeper is committed to honoring Jesus Christ through worship, prayer and obedience to God's Word in the power of the Holy Spirit.

2. A Promise Keeper is committed to pursuing vital relationships with a few other men, understanding that he needs brothers to help him keep his promises.

3. A Promise Keeper is committed to practicing spiritual, moral, ethical, and sexual purity.

4. A Promise Keeper is committed to building strong marriages and families through love, protection and biblical values.

5. A Promise Keeper is committed to supporting the mission of his church by honoring and praying for his pastor, and by actively giving his time and resources.

6. A Promise Keeper is committed to reaching beyond any racial and denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of biblical unity.

7. A Promise Keeper is committed to influencing his world, being obedient to the Great Commandment ( see Mark 12:30-31 ) and the Great Commission ( see Matthew 28:19-20 ).

-- http://www.promisekeepers.org/faqs/core/faqscore24.htm

Quality

>H mottoes 

Date: Thu, 18 Apr 1996 00:00:13 -0400 (EDT)
From: transhuman at umich.edu
Subject: >H Digest
...
From: Eugene Leitl <Eugene.Leitl at lrz.uni-muenchen.de>
Subject: >H credo
...
Hi. Here's a couple of handy >H mottoes, mostly stolen, that
just came to mind. Don't take them too literary, though.

'gene
...
life's not a zero-sum game - cooperate, don't defect

you cannot lose if you share information

accept no limits

towards Ascension!

memefect!

adapt, or die

extrapolation breaks down at point Singularity, so don't
...
the more control, the broader the ''self'' future light cone

spirit's just bits

deus ex machina, v.0.0.alpha

in a relativistic universe, even shit can't propagate infinitely fast

grant the thanatos meme it's own wish
...

The Hacker's Ethic

hacker's creed

The Hacker's Ethic http://hagbard.ncsa.uiuc.edu/cgi-bin/jargon?query=ethic see "Bible study topics" name.html#bible_study_topics and bible_crypto.html for more info.

What are the ethics of hacking? An excerpt from _Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution_ by Steven Levy (quoted by both "_Phrack Magazine_, 1995, Volume Six, Issue Forty-Seven, File 8 of 22" and http://www-personal.engin.umich.edu/~jgotts/underground/hack-faq-f.html#f04 ):

_Phrack Magazine_, Volume Six, Issue Forty-Seven, File 21 of 22

"There was once a time when hackers were basically isolated. ... Then in the mid 1980's thanks largely to the existence of chat systems accessible through X.25 networks ..., hackers world-wide began to run into each other.

They began to talk, trade information, and learn from each other. Separate and diverse subcultures began to merge into one collective scene and has brought us the hacking subculture we know today. A subculture that knows no borders, one whose denizens share the common goal of liberating information from its corporate shackles. ...

With this in mind, we want to help further unite the communities in various countries by shedding light onto the hacking scenes that exist there. If you want to contribute a file about the hacking scene in your country, please send it to us at <phrack at well.com>."

"Hunting the wild hacker: Work should be play" article by Andrew Leonard, February 05, 2001 http://dir.salon.com/tech/col/leon/2001/02/05/hacker_ethic/index.html reviewing the book _The Hacker Ethic and the Spirit of the Information Age_ book by Pekka Himanen .

Hackers, Himanen tells us, have a different relationship to money than normal folks do. They are not ruled by it ... They program because programming is intrinsically fascinating, and they share because sharing is righteous.

... KDE 2.0 is up and running smoothly, and he's as happy with the result as a 3-year-old who has just constructed a tower out of alphabet blocks. ...

... How can he get away with riffing on a guitar?

Not long after that, I decided it helped me relax too when he played, and I stopped worrying about it. And then I read what is probably the central thesis of "The Hacker Ethic."

Hackers do not feel that leisure time is automatically any more meaningful than work time. The desirability of both depends on how they are realized. From the point of a view of a meaningful life, the entire work/leisure duality must be abandoned. As long as we are living our work or our leisure, we are not even truly living. Meaning cannot be found in work or leisure but has to arise out of the nature of the activity itself. Out of passion. Social value. Creativity.

We should all be more like hackers, whether we can afford to or not.

Jargon

Mirrors of the Jargon File.

[Eventually this will be reduced to one link, a link to the official Jargon File, which *should* have links to these other files.] [todo: I link to the Jargon File from several places; make sure that they all point to the official version or to the best searchable version]

DAV:

The "Lemmings" games have some of the hacker spirit -- the complexity of parallel processing is challenging, and the excessive cuteness of the lemmings themselves is outweighted by the really cool way they explode.

I'm a engineer, and I am trained to worry about even the tiniest little dangers to the public (and let me tell you, a fusion reactor larger than the Earth spitting out cancer-causing nuclear radiation is no "little" danger). I also do computer programming, and I heard a rumor that it's been proven that the hacking gene is linked to the helio-phobic gene :-).

A inside joke around here was telling people "It uses infrared *light*, not that evil nasty infrared *radiation*". To a electrical engineer (hardware hacker) such as myself, the 2 words are perfect synonyms, in the same way that "gasoline" and "petrol" are both really the same stuff. 


Date: Mon, 27 Jan 1997 02:39:21 -0400
From: Ian Viemeister <ian at viemeister.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: David Cary 
CC: Raymond 
Subject: Re: 1996 Jargon file

Yes, I know about the 'offical' html version -- it already existed
(well, the 3.x.x version), when I put up my copy.  However, the
offical html version is a real pain to use -- all the entries for
a particular letter/number/symbol are on the same BIG html page.
I use a cgi script (info2html) to create a page-per-entry, on the
fly, from the info file version of the File.  The only thing
currently missing is cross-links (the curly braces links), and
I'm spending some time getting that to work automatically
as well.
And unlike a seperate static conversion to html, all I need to
do when an update releases is to drop in the new info file.

Ian Viemeister
ian at viemeister.com
http://www.viemeister.com/
For direct access to my copy of the file:
http://www.viemeister.com/ian/info2html.cgi?(jarg400)Top

other Jargon sites:

Kirk's Rules

(no, not that Kirk).

  1. If you want something done right, do it yourself.
  2. Trust No One.
  3. Never turn down free food!
  4. I value FRIENDSHIP above nearly all other things.

http://www.fc.net/~lockheed/bio3.html#four

DAV: I follow #3. See 1 Tim 4:3-5 .

Software Engineering Code of Ethics

Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice (Version 5.2) http://www-cs.etsu.edu/seeri/secode.htm "jointly approved by the ACM and the IEEE-CS as the standard for teaching and practicing software engineering."

[FIXME: why list these ? they're obsolete] previous drafts:

The Expert Game Equation

If ...

Then...

"for every technical idea I understand, there are 50 more I don't."

"Playing the Expert Game" article by Jonathan Bach <jbach at microsoft.com>, a test lead in Microsoft's Systems Management Server (SMS) Dogfood team in _Computer_ http://computer.org/ 1999-08

Ask for what you really want

"Ask for what you really want".

I find it amazing that humans almost always

Try asking for precisely what you want, no more, no less. I find it surprisingly difficult.

[related to: #benchmarking]

The Zen of Planning

-- http://id.mind.net/~rainbow/cocreate.html

the "Contact Linguists' Code"

from http://www.magicdragon.com/EmeraldCity/extraterrestrials/alien.html#mann apparently quoting from a (fictional) book by Phillip Mann.

Some sayings from the Contact Linguistics Institute, and their "Contact Linguists' Handbook" which embodies the "Contact Linguists' Code" [p.32] and includes the following:

Heilmeier's project management catechism

from "Profession/Profile: George H. Heilmeier" article by Joshua Shapiro in _IEEE Spectrum_ 1994 June

To evaluate research activities at Darpa, Heilmeier formulated a set of questions that so well expresses the fundamentals of his beliefs that he seriously refers to it as his "catechism." He later taught it to his research "novitiates" at Texas Instruments and now enforces its use at Bellcore. Like a preflight checklist, his catechism provides a routine for safely and successfully launching a research project:

Heilmeier attributes much of his success to his imposition of a disciplined thought process on project management. It allowed him to curb and clarify both the enthusiasms of his researchers and the resource demands of his managers.

the Russell-Einstein Manifesto

"The Russell-Einstein Manifesto" Issued in London, 9 July 1955 "Here, then, is the problem which we present to you, stark and dreadful and inescapable: Shall we put an end to the human race; or shall mankind renounce war?"
mirrors:

The editorial ``Nuclear-Tipped Foolishness'' editorial by Michael Kraig and Michael Roston 2002-05-21 http://spacedaily.com/news/bmdo-02k.html has a strong argument against nuclear weapons, at least in low Earth orbit.

[FIXME: link directly to these treaties] I've been told that ``In 1963, international treaty banned nuclear testing in the atmosphere and in space, and in 1967 outlawed weapons of mass destruction in space. Military bases on the moon were banned. Other treaties prohibited interfering with ... spy satellites that were considered stabilizing by both sides.''

"The world has achieved brilliance without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants." -- Omar N. Bradley, American general (1893-1981)

"Jaw, jaw is better than war, war." - Winston Churchill

``Old Glory''

``Old Glory'' by Effie C. Rice July 21, 1943

written in honor of my nation and her people July 21, 1943, Ralston Oklahoma

by Effie C. Rice

Old Glory

Old Glory salute her
She stands for the free
for brave men and women
on land and on sea
Her red is a token
of blood being shed
It brings to our memory
a long line of dead
Her white stands for purity
of prayers and of tears
that mothers and sisters
have shed through the years
Her blue is for loyalty
Like one we must stand
for justice and freedom
and truth in our land
Dark clouds they may gather
deep sorrows may fall
our hearts may be breaking
but yet we must call,
O! Men that are fighting
at home and abroad
we're praying our Savior
to lighten each load
to give us great courage
and help us to stand
for the ``Star Spangled Banner''
that waves o'er our land
that there will be freedom
on land and on sea
that all nations will stand for
``Old Glory'' like we.

I hope you all like it.

to dad for Valentine day

to dad for Valentine day

In my heart there is a picture
and it means the world to me
'tis of a blond haired blue eyed man
my heart so longs to see
There's none to me so handsome
There's none could be so dear
In all my dreams about him
Each feature stands out clear
You're a gift from God my darling
You're heaven's work of art
and dear I am so thankful
You're the hero of my heart.

an after thought
Do you truly love me darling
If you do I long to know
If you have sweet thoughts about me
Please don't wait to tell me so
For our days on earth are numbered
But I ask you this to be
Please don't wait until I'm missing
or 'till you are gone from me.
E.R.

(Effie C. Rice)

bibliography

and pointers to other creeds and creed-like web pages.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

more quotes

from DAV's poster_quotes.txt

The Oath of Allegiance to the United States

I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen;
that I will support and defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic;
that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;
that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law;
that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law;
that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and
that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.

-- (the oath taken by people becoming naturalized citizens of the U.S.) http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_citi.html

patton

General George S. Patton, Jr. (see video_game.html for some war quotes by other famous people ) [FIXME: move the patton/ directory here ?]

Reminders: Truths that We Hold Self Evident

-- http://www.armory.com/~wavejump/Community.html

DAV: I like his description of the life he wants to live, and his impassioned plea for others to help.

unsorted

Human Dignity, Rights and Principles http://www.pgs.ca/pages/humri0.html

The 10 commandments of Moses http://members.aol.com/BruniNigh/moses.html also at http://come.to/cooldog
* Dog food sucks, so get as much people food as you can.

Our mission -- all of us, you included -- is to make the Internet easier to use. http://www.creativegood.com/help/c023.html

An Abridged Collection of Interdisciplinary Laws http://www.mailbag.com/users/hanelson/laws-a.html

Murphy's Laws Of The Universe http://www.ar.com.au/~murphy/murphlaw.htm includes the Ashley-Perry Statistical Axioms:

and "Crane's Law (Friedman's Reiteration): There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. ("tanstaafl")" and "Douglas's Law of Practical Aeronautics: When the weight of the paperwork equals the weight of the plane, the plane will fly. " and "Hawkin's Theory of Progress Progress does not consist of replacing a theory that is wrong with one that is right. It consists of replacing a theory that is wrong with one that is more subtly wrong. " and "IBM Pollyanna Principle Machines should work. People should think. " and "Iles's Law: There is an easier way to do it. " and "Lyall's Conjecture: If a computer cable has one end, then it has another. " and "Oaks's Unruly Laws for Lawmakers: Social legislation cannot repeal physical laws. "

Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité

Blore's Razor: Given a choice between two theories, take the one which is funnier.

NIVEN'S LAWS http://www.io.com/~woodward/other/nivenlaw.txt by Larry Niven. includes

The laws list http://www.alcyone.com/max/physics/laws/ Laws, rules, principles, effects, paradoxes, limits, constants, experiments, & thought-experiments in physics.

The Institute of Management Consultants (IMC) Code of Ethics http://www.imcusa.org/imcethic.html

On the other hand, here are "Thoughts you probably wouldn't want to live by" by Michelle Argabrite http://www.amused.com/michelle.html .

"Truth is always good."

Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of those people I had to kill because they pissed me off. -- unknown.

http://www.iicm.edu/0x82d85c03_0x00000eca is this another _Hacker's Jargon_ mirror ?

Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science http://www.cwru.edu/affil/wwwethics/

National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) Code of Ethics for Engineers http://www.nspe.org/eh1-code.htm