On science and art

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about science and art. Someone once asked me which I thought more important: a great artistic achievement, such as modernism, or a scientific development such as penicillin.

I found this to be an unfair question. Science and art are each important to society in their own way. What would our world be like without art? There would be no paintings on the walls, no movies, no sculpture on the street. Art gives us clues about the cultures that came before us. And without science, there would be no medicine, no dishwashers, or cars.

I'm tempted to say science and art are equally important, but I'm not sure. Let's not compare modernism to penicillin.

On failure

"If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative." - Woody Allen

It's tough to remember that failure can sometimes be a good sign.

Overstatement

Sometimes an "out of order" sign is not necessary.

For instance, when a sink in a public washroom is missing its facets, it is obvious that one should move on and try the next sink over.