Nothing in life produce a more powerful joy than a near miss by the Angel of Death. - Charles Sheffield

I've been testing Kallen's Law—my name for it, not his. Remember what he said? 'Anything that can be put into a data bank by one person can be taken out of it by another, if you're smart enough and have enough time.' That's one problem with a computer-based society, and one reason why computers were so tightly controlled on Pentecost: it's almost impossible to prevent access to computer-stored information.

Engineers are dangerous because they’re obsessed by facts and you can’t divert them or buy them off.

Many plans featured that old standby, prayer. Its historical record of effectiveness apparently discouraged few people, although I, regrettably, am among the skeptics. All the churches were full. It is not clear to me exactly what prayers were being offered by their occupants. The temporary suspension, perhaps, of the laws of physics? The art galleries and theaters also reported record crowds. If religion is an opiate, art is an anodyne.