A Quote by Edsger Dijkstra

Production speed is severely slowed down if one works with half-time people who have other obligations as well. This is at least a factor of four; probably it is worse.

Edsger Dijkstra

Quote Topics

Down Factor Four Half Least Obligations Other People Production Speed Time Time People Well Works Worse

Quote Author

Edsger Dijkstra
Dutch - Scientist
May 11, 1930 - August 6, 2002

I think I sit down to the typewriter when it's time to sit down to the typewriter. That isn't to suggest that when I do finally sit down at the typewriter, and write out my plays with a speed that seems to horrify all my detractors and half of my well-wishers, that there's no work involved. It is hard work, and one is doing all the work oneself.

Edward Albee

At least half of my life's many mistakes can be safely put down to impetuosity: the other half derive from inertia.

Donald James

People look down on stuff like geography and meteorology, and not only because they're standing on one and being soaked by the other. They don't look quite like real science. But geography is only physics slowed down and with a few trees stuck on it, and meteorology is full of excitingly fashionable chaos and complexity. And summer isn't a time. It's a place as well. Summer is a moving creature and likes to go south for the winter.

Terry Pratchett

Once, I was followed by a car when I was driving. Every time I sped up, the car sped up, and when I slowed down, it slowed down. Eventually, I stopped, got out and screamed, 'What do you want?' He said, 'I just wanted to give you some flowers because I'm such a fan.' I felt awful. He was just being kind.

Anita Dobson

Mad World's distinctive percussion intro was played on a Roland CR-78 drum machine. We first recorded it at twice the speed, but it sounded great slowed down.

Curt Smith

If, however, one factor is too successful, it will continue to be the winning factor regardless of the variation in the other factors over the range of variation in the conditions, and therefore will stifle the development of other advantageous factors until the conditions change sufficiently that it no longer is the winning factor. At this point, the whole population is ill prepared for the change, and may well perish entirely if the winning factor accidentally becomes the matching factor for a disease or a predator.

Erik Naggum

Speed focuses the mind. It cuts through the fog of drab everyday living and keeps us on our toes. Speed works. Speed saves lives. Speed is good. And we should have more of it, not less.

Jeremy Clarkson

If we could do high-speed rail in California just half a notch above what they've done on the Shanghai line in China, and if we had a straight path from L.A. to San Francisco, as well as the milk run, at least that would be progress.

Elon Musk

In a vacuum all photons travel at the same speed. They slow down when travelling through air or water or glass. Photons of different energies are slowed down at different rates. If Tolstoy had known this, would he have recognised the terrible untruth at the beginning of Anna Karenina? 'All happy families are alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own particular way.' In fact it's the other way around. Happiness is a specific. Misery is a generalisation. People usually know exactly why they are happy. They very rarely know why they are miserable.

Jeanette Winterson

People aren't expecting me to look how I do. But that's one of the main reasons it works so well: the surprise factor.

Murda Beatz

My time on the set is the least of my involvement. Most of my time is in pre-production and post-production.

Charlie Kaufman

I am grateful for what I call well-spent moments: Making a tuna fish sandwich with the works. Taking at least a half hour to eat it outside. Ironing my vintage tea towels while watching old black-and-white film noir movies and sipping one martini with extra olives - a quirky combination, but it works.

Sarah Ban Breathnach

When you have 20,000 people yelling and screaming at you, four other guys can concentrate on the floor. So every time I touch the basketball and everyone is yelling and chanting and doing things towards me, well, four other guys can concentrate.

Reggie Miller

In New York, there's so much stuff going on all the time, and when I first moved here my productivity went down. I felt like I had certain social obligations. I found the more that I was like, "Don't listen to other music," or "Don't watch other things," and, "Don't go to other shows," for a specific time period, if I really need to complete something, that is the most helpful tool for me.