1) Don't trust your professional judgments (after all 51% of Americans
believe they are of above average intelligence);
2) Don't be so aggressive that you end up being wrong (haste is waste);
3) Mistakes can kill; be sure you are right (Chinese embassy?);
4) Don't be afraid to project your value judgments--there is no discernment
without empathy;
5) Information is power--guard it carefully and recognize that there is
always an exchange economy in operation where information is concerned;
6) Coordinate on those points where agreement is certain; negotiate
autonomy on points of disagreement; and pursue unpopular points covertly;
7) Consensus is painstaking but almost always leads to accurate and
mutually acceptable interpretations of data (it really is true, even the
accuracy part);
8) Anyone who can be labeled a consumer is by definition in a position
where you can tell them anything you'd like;
9) Form is always more important than substance (a bitter pill to swallow
but there can be no communication without effective transmission, a message
is only as good as what gets communicated);
10) see two;
11) Editing is the foundation of all worthwhile information (viz
Cryptonomicon);
12) Interdisciplinarity, networking and the like often defuse the
specialization that is necessary to conceive new viewpoints on old
information--don't be afraid to be a crank;
13) Your job is only as solid as your career--protect yourself to protect
your position;
14) All of life is inherently political--"a popularity contest" is just
what we call a political situation when we are losing;
15) Take yourself seriously. No one else does.
___________________________________________________
Alx Dark
alxdark@altavista.net
http://travel.to/alxdark