Men æren, jo?

I am sorry, but I do not wish to accept the honorary degree you have offered me. I already have one degree, honestly earned, from Princeton. At the commencement when I received it, I remember watching the honorary degrees being conferred and feeling that an “honorary” degree was a debasement of the idea of a degree that confirms that certain work has been accomplished.

– Richard Feynman til Robert Boheen, 1967. (Perfectly reasonable deviations from the beaten track: The collected letters of Richard P. Feynman)

Genskabeligt

Computing has scientific roots, and if it is not open source, it is not science. The only way to win a Nobel Prize for a box welded shut is if you teleport the cat out before Schrödinger’s infernal device kills it.

– Poul-Henning Kamp: Free and Open Source Software—and Other Market Failures. ACMQueue Vol. 22, issue 1.

Den bløde bøde

If a “fine” is less than the profit from the infraction, it’s not a fine, it’s a business expense.

If a “fine” isn’t a fixed percentage of assets, it’s not a fine, it’s a poor tax.

If a “fine” only serves to enrich the government, not to make those harmed by the infraction whole, it’s not a fine, it’s a revenue stream.

If a “fine” is adjudicated by people who profit from the business being fined, it’s not a fine, it’s a stock buyback.

– Intertial Invites på Mastodon (link til indlæg)