Dennis E. Taylor Quotes

Skippies? Skippies?” I could feel my eyes bugging out, even in VR. “What, they’ve changed their avatars to beer cans and started calling people monkeys?

Some problems simply do not yield to reductionist techniques, particularly those that are dependent on emergent phenomena.

How are you supposed to feel if you are forced to do what you would have done anyway?

That is what I think it is, right?” [Based on what we can detect, it appears to be the beginning of a Dyson Sphere] Ah-yep. Truly astounding.

The carnage was unbelievable.

The others laughed, and we started to settle in. We did Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock for bunks,

Gina, rolled her eyes. “Marcus, you’re a loner. You always have been, the way you describe it. And you’ve never sought power. But some people need power, and they need to have power over someone. Preferably lots of someones. Taking away the Council’s subjects — which is what you’d be doing — is a declaration of war.

What does kaheerakah mean?”
“Caťaoireaca. It’s Irish for chairs.”
“Chairs? You toast furniture in Ireland?”
Bridget laughed. “There’s a story. Probably apocryphal…”
I made a rolling motion with my hand.
“Okay, but remember, you asked.”
She settled herself and poured another glass of paint thinner. “There was this Brit who decided to stop at Hotel Rosslare in County Wexford. He had a few, then a few more, then he decided to be friendly. So he asked the barmaid how you say ‘cheers’ in Irish.”
Bridget smiled wickedly. “And you know how the Brits massacre the English language, so she thought he said ‘chairs’, and she told him. Whereupon he bought a round for the house, turned to the other patrons, raised his glass, and said Caťaoireaca.

I sincerely hoped that in the fullness of time, they’d have the opportunity to get all bent out of shape about environmentalism.

Since I doubt, I think; since I think, I exist.

Don’t make the common mistake of thinking your opponents are stupid just because they don’t see things your way

She was right, of course, but what was the point of being a curmudgeon if you couldn’t curmudge?

With that thought, I ran up behind the dragon — as a first-level grunt, I was barely worth paying attention to — jammed the staff of fireballs right where a rectal thermometer would go, and pulled the trigger.

Project planning isn’t about avoiding changes, it’s about controlling them. No project plan ever survives contact with the enemy.

"We'd gotten onto the concept or morality and Frida had just asked Theresa how she could have any sense of morality without a deity to define what was or was not moral.
[...]
"What deities give you aren't rules of morality," Theresa responded. "They are just rules. Do this and you will be rewarded. Do that and you will be punished. That's how we teach our pets not to relieve themselves in the house. One would hope that true morality involved more than learning not to poop on the rug by being rapped on the nose!"
[...]
"In fact", Theresa continued, "I believe that it is only possible to acquire true morality without input from a deity. It is only when you do something because you believe it is the right thing to do, instead of because of any moral desserts, that you are acting morally. Likewise, it is only when you refuse to do something because of the golden rule, rather than because of a threat of punishment, that you are behaving in a moral manner.