The goal of this chapter is to reduce everything to the absolute minimum. Before we get started, we need to discuss the “bike-shed” effect, originally described by C. Northcote Parkinson. To illustrate this phenomenon, let’s compare a conversation about building a nuclear power plant with building a bike shed. Most people rightly assume that they know nothing about something as complex as a nuclear power plant and so won’t voice an opinion. Most people wrongly assume, however, that they know something about building a bike shed and will argue until the cows come home about every detail down to
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