You can emulate excellence, but you cannot emulate genius.
Mike
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Irving Penn's epitaph?
Posted by: Rob Atkins | Friday, 26 April 2013 at 01:23 PM
Who said that?
[I did. —Mike]
How can I inspire my friends on facebook if I can't properly attribute this?
[You may attribute it to "the great and mysterious TOPmeister, inscrutable polymath of the photographic polyverse," I give you my permission. —Mike]
Also, Did you get the spam thing fixed? I see there is no captcha!
[I think that is TypePad, working behind the scenes. We now have an evolved, much easier to handle, but in some ways even more curious situation: all the comments in the spam folder are good ones. I haven't seen a single actual spam comment in a week. I gather this is the new regime. It is much less work for me, so I ain't complainin'. --Mike]
Posted by: Jamin | Friday, 26 April 2013 at 01:44 PM
You do realize that you've loosened the lock on the floodgates? OK, to start the flow, a couple of favourites I employ (professionally) from time to time...
“Quality cannot be retrofitted” (as it happens, adapted from ‘201 Principles of Software Engineering’, by Alan M. Davis, long ago, but just so beautifully applicable in so many situations).
Totally irrelevant and wildly off topic:
“Change management is like drilling in water – there’s a lot of splashing and excitement while you’re doing it, but two minutes later there’s no trace of what you did.” (I have to admit to forgetting the source. Nothing to do with photography, I know, but still appealing.)
I’ll get my coat now...
Posted by: Murray Davidson | Friday, 26 April 2013 at 03:33 PM
Good one Mike, Bartlett worthy.
Even the genius cannot emulate his own genius.
Posted by: Player | Friday, 26 April 2013 at 04:11 PM
One thing I've noticed about computer software fixer persons, as well as the people who come to hook up your cable, DVD, sound system, house alarm system to one remote -- they usually want to fix whatever it is in the most interesting way. I guess for the intellectual challenge.
The result always (in my experience) is the one I have in my California home: I can't find the DVD if I'm on the cable, and I can't get the cable if I'm stuck on DVD. The speaker controls? Bwwwahahaha...I haven't had that for a couple of years now. I think I've got six speakers for surround sound, and I'm operating on the TV's built-in speakers. If there's a delicate moment in a movie, I have to kneel in front of the TV to hear what's said.
I just want this stuff fixed the way a plumber fixes a toilet -- the way that works best. You push a button or a lever, and the toilet flushes. Your experience of the span folder has all the earmarks of a guy who built in 45 unnecessary flexible options, "just in case." Nothing works quite right, but boy, is it flexible.
Posted by: John Camp | Friday, 26 April 2013 at 05:30 PM
...for some reason, this reminds me of Daniel Patrick Moynihan's quote: "...everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but they're not entitled to their own facts..."
...a quote I use all the time in arguing with people....
Posted by: Crabby Umbo | Saturday, 27 April 2013 at 08:06 AM
Emulated excellence must be similar to what I refer to as a veneer of competence.
Posted by: Steve Smith | Monday, 29 April 2013 at 02:10 AM