This web site is divided into four parts, Thoughts, Stories, Comments and Newspaper Articles. Stories and post publication Comments are not included in my book Thoughts of a Systems Analyst. Newspaper Articles are based on many Comments about the oil industry. Please read the introduction below the go to statements and then go to 'Thoughts' and read the introduction to 'Thoughts' so you will have a better understanding of me and my vocabulary.
    There is a return at the end of each web page if not sooner. Click on the blue highlighted statements and they will send you there.

    Go to Thoughts.     Go to Stories.    Go to Comments.    Go to Newspaper Articles
          000930               080821             080716               081011
Date of last update

    I would like to share my thoughts with you on many subjects. For example, do you use data and information as synonyms, how about giving and sharing, if you do, you shouldn't. Do you know about the error of allness, do you know what makes a manager unique, do you know the unique attributes of non material resources, do you know why we don't like welfare, taxes, income tax forms, etc. Can you answer the questions, 'Which came first the chicken or the egg' or 'If a tree falls in a forest was there a sound'.
    If you would like my thoughts on these and other topics, please read on.

    "Daddy what does a systems analyst do?"
    "Why a system analyst analyzes a system, of course."

    You don't like that answer! Well neither did I, but I can't explain systems, system analysis, or any of the other topics in a sentence; therefore a quarter of 'Thoughts' must be technical. I tried to make all of my explanations as simple as possible, and if you make the effort to understand the technical parts you will be able to understand why the 'systems approach' has had very a profound effect on my way of thinking. Chapter two explains a system and chapter three explains what a systems analyst does.
 
 

    Having made the above statement I hereby give permission to any periodical to reprint completely and without abridgments any one thought or one chapter of a story or one comment or article per issue provided the appropriate byline is used plus this web site address.
 

    'Thoughts' is the consolidated thoughts of many authors explaining in simple terms systems, system analysis, management, data processing, data, information, etc. and some of their ramifications. The chapters and thoughts do not have to be read in order; however the tools and definitions of the systems approach are seldom repeated after chapter six.

   Recommendations to read 'Thoughts'

    1 Start at the beginning and read straight through, if you have
            difficulty with the technical parts just keep reading.
    2 If you can't follow the first recommendation, skip to
                'The Arsenic Factory Syndrome' and read to the end
                and try again from the beginning.
    3 If you would like to read the some of the highlights, read in this order,
            'Giving and sharing', 'Tsunami', 'I can't see that', 'Data and Information',
            'The Error of Allness', 'Our Negative Positive Bias, 'Knowing', and 'Religion'.
    4 If you don't read any thing else at this web site, read 'Giving and sharing'

   This book is dedicated to Steve Falk and all those like him, those who have the courage to examine another's idea at the risk of disturbing their own status quo.
    We were standing in the hall waiting for the adult discussion group to begin when Steve approached and said, "I had a decision to make the first thing this morning, what away to start the week. I could stay home and read the Sunday paper in peace or I could come to church and get shook up by Riker."
    The full importance of Steve's statement did not come to me until many years later. I think very slowly, and I never thanked Steve for his comment. It became very important to me over the years because it meant at least one person was listening and understood what I was trying to say. Frequently my thoughts challenge the status quo and when I express my thoughts I'm never sure I presented them so someone else could understand. Thank you Steve.
 
 

    Web Page    Chapter

    Introduction       1 Introduction               'Aha'
                                                    'A Way of Thinking'
                                                    'Thoughts'
                                                    'Who Am I'
    Systems            2 Systems                    'Systems, Systems, System, what is a system'
                                                    'Bits, Bytes, and Beyond'
                                                    'The Systems Approach'
    Managment          3 Management                 'What Makes A Manager Unique'
    Data               4 Definitions                'Information and Data, Are They Synonyms'
                                                    'I Can't See That'
                                                    'Material and Nonmaterial Resources and
                                                    'Giving and Sharing'
                       5 Communication              'Is Communication a Two Way Street'
                       6 Data Processing
    Comments           7 Comments
                                                    'The Arsenic Factory Syndrome'
                                                    'It wasn't Pride'
                                                    'Our Negative Positive Bias'
                                                    'The Error of Allness'
                                                    'Values'
                                                    'Miscellaneous'
                                                    'Knowing'
                                                    'Religion'
                                                    'A Conservation Over Heard'
                                                    'Grief'
                                                    'Tsunami'

                       Glossary
                       Bibliography

Go to Stories Table of Content
  

I recommend you read 'Thankful' and the 'Gift'

    Date added        Title

    010907    Why Conserve
    010907    Prayer
    010907    Oil Price Spikes
    010907    Another
    010907    The Conflict Between Science and Religion
    011015    Terrorism
    011015    You Can keep Your Christian Faith and Accept Evolution
    020320    Web Sites
    020505    SubtleThemes
    020525    The Gift
    020715    Should Religion be Taught in School
    030402    Deja Vu
    040120    School Vouchers
    040124    No Out Cry
    040124    Desolate
    040209    Evangelist
    040214    Is Starvation in Our Future
    040229    Literalist
    040229    What We Should Do

    040324    The Bibical Definition of Marriage
    040610    What I Remember About the Oil Industry
    040728    The Tax Cut Myth
    040728    My Message to ...
    040728    My Answer to ...
    040728    But We Gotta...
    040729    911
    041122    Thankful
    041122    Greenspan
    050309    This is My Country...
    051003    A Little Knowledge
    060321    Big and Small
    061014    Newspaper Articles
    070330    Can You Pass This Test
    070330    What is wrong with our Country
    070330    Information can approach objectivity
    070330    What is a conservative What is an 'Idiotologue'
    070330    Why oil price will continue to increase

    080122    It's More than Carbon Dioxide
    080122    It's More than Global Warming
    080122    What I think is the greatest threat to our country and to peace
    080402    The GDP Illusion
    080426    Oil Inventories and Ethanol from Corn
    080526    How a Farmer uses the futures market
    080716    How to eliminate government waste
    080716    Comments on an essay
    040999
 

Go to Thoughts Table of Content
 
 

    I think 'The Three B's' is my best story, I also like 'The Last Day in Paradise' and 'The Headless Horseman'.

Date added    Number of words    Title
    011022               29534           The Three B's.
    010907                5585           Selfish.
    011029               33426           The Headless Horseman.
    011115               55863           Doc.
    011121               32241           The Blue Planet.
    031122                9000           Jack and Jill
    031122                2635           The Last Day in Paradise.
    010907                 841           I.
    080716                 959           The Tide that didn't go out
    080819                5205           The Money Grab
 

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