[IAEP] [Sugar-devel] [SoaS] The Future of Sugar on a Stick

[Mel Chua]

> I can understand why a teacher may not be interested in this discussion.
> Still, the debate is also very relevant. It's about how we're going to
> address your aunt's concerns.

The debate is definitely very relevant, and I'm glad we're having it.

> Think of it this way: nobody wants to know how sausage is made, right? Well,
> we're the sausage factory! :-)

To run with this analogy for a moment - what the conversation with my
aunt reminded me of was this: while we sit here talking, there are
hungry people out there. And the time we use to discuss the
optimization of our sausage-making setup is time we are *not* spending
making sausage that those people can eat. It's not a reason to stop
having these discussions - they *are* needed - but it is (imo)
something we should be painfully aware of every time we do. A sausage
factory with beautifully optimized machines, happy skilled workers,
etc. is a nice theoretical setup for a great sausage factory - but
it's the production of sausage and its consumption by satisfied diners
that turns it into an *actual* great sausage factory.

So a litmus test for conversations in this thread (and other SLs)
might be: "Is this action I am about to take the best use of my time
towards helping children learn?" And on that note, my next post will
be a summary of the thread to date so that (hopefully) we can see
what's left to do in order to move forward on this.

--Mel