The bureaucrat was sensitive to this kind of friction. It arose wherever the moving edge of technology control touched on local pride. - Michael Swanwick

And she was off, leaping like a salmon from idea to idea. Hers was the kind of fast and playful intellect that enjoyed tossing a stone into the pond of received wisdom, just to see the frogs jump.

Your system works fine in theory. But things are different in the real world."
"I'm going to move to Theory some day," Chuck said. "Everything works there.

But the way she saw it, you only had so much organization in your life. You had to choose: Invest it in your research, or fritter it away on housework.