The wondrous thing is how many competent people there are in the world. Imagine for a moment that you went to the supermarket, and it was deserted. You can take anything you want but there is one little problem. There is a security guard who won't let you out until you pay. And he doesn't know how to work anything, or how much anything costs. He wants to see a cash register printout.Can you master the computer systems well enough to do that? You might criticise a checkout chick who makes a mistake, but can you really do her job? I don't think so. You need her to make that quick purchase.

Interactions with life's various service providers are a management problem. I want an interaction that is as little effort for me as possible, with the maximum prospect of success. I don't care if I have to help a bit to get the right outcome — it's always going to be quicker than doing it all myself.

Above all: never get angry (unless getting angry is the optimal strategy, and then do it with flair).