"... while riding a bus in New York City, he observed a mother with eight small children embark. She asked the driver the amount of the fare; he told her that the cost was thirty-five cents, but that children under the age of five could ride for free. When the woman deposited only thirty-five cents into the payment slot, the driver was incredulous. "Do you mean to tell me that all your children are under five years old?" The woman explained that she had four sets of twins. The driver replied, "Do you always have twins?" "No," said the woman, "most of the time we don't have any."
I have been a big fan of GW since the 80s. I don't have my copy of _Secrets of Consulting_ handy, so I can't check whether he actually claimed that story as a personal experience. I do know that I've seen a British comic postcard from around 1950 that uses a similar joke:
Vicar to parishioner: "My word, Mrs. Jones, do you always have twins?"
Mrs. Jones: "Oh, no sir, most of the time we don't have anything."
Wow, I didn't realize exactly how prolific Jerry had been. There's some really interesting stuff there that I didn't know about before. Glad you shared that.
I've had a habit over the last 10 years of gifting (I've learned to never 'loan' books to people anymore) used hardback 1971 editions of The Psychology of Computer Programming (some bought as cheap as $0.13 + $3.99 S&H on Amazon). Probably given away away at least a dozen to friends & co-workers. For the handful who did more than skim it, it enriched their understanding about programming as a social activity. He left a great mark on the world, even if only a few of us truly appreciate it.
Thanks. Mentioning this might be contrary to HN's ethos, however I felt like upvoting his one and only comment - which was very thoughtful and seemed lovingly in response to his grandson's mention.
Oh no. Just last week there was an article on the front page of HN (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17660011) which was plagiarized from a section of his excellent book The Psychology of Computer Programming. It reminded me of discovering his book in the library a couple of years and loving it, and thinking I ought to read what else he's written. Seems I never got around to doing that and thanking him. :-(
The Psychology of Computer Programming (and its Japanese translation, プログラミングの心理学) is one of my favorite books and a must-read if you're interested in computer programming AND human being. It's the only computer-related book that makes me emotional and urges me to be a better programmer AND a better person. I'm sorry to hear this.
I was lucky enough to have met him in person several times, and to have corresponded with him in various online venues. He was generous with his time, and he both taught and practiced only giving advice when asked. His books are among my most read, most quoted, and most given to others. He was a giant. RIP.
This hit me hard. I’ve read several of his books and it’s strange how you can feel like you know a person from that. But his writing was excellent and his personality was very evident.
If anything, I feel like now I want to read a few more of his books as a mark of respect.
Readit News
"... while riding a bus in New York City, he observed a mother with eight small children embark. She asked the driver the amount of the fare; he told her that the cost was thirty-five cents, but that children under the age of five could ride for free. When the woman deposited only thirty-five cents into the payment slot, the driver was incredulous. "Do you mean to tell me that all your children are under five years old?" The woman explained that she had four sets of twins. The driver replied, "Do you always have twins?" "No," said the woman, "most of the time we don't have any."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Weinberg#Work
It makes more sense in the context of his Law of Twins:
> most of the time, no matter how much effort one expends, no event of any great significance will result
Vicar to parishioner: "My word, Mrs. Jones, do you always have twins?" Mrs. Jones: "Oh, no sir, most of the time we don't have anything."
Jerry's blog: http://secretsofconsulting.blogspot.com/
Jerry's books: https://leanpub.com/u/jerryweinberg
Wow, I didn't realize exactly how prolific Jerry had been. There's some really interesting stuff there that I didn't know about before. Glad you shared that.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1813443
It's always sad when the good ones go. RIP Jerry.
Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Weinberg
He truly did make the world a better place.
If anything, I feel like now I want to read a few more of his books as a mark of respect.
And, you know, because they were excellent