2 PrŽcis de l'art de la guerre, by Antoine-Henri, baron de Jomini; referenced in The Greek And Macedonian Art of War, by F.E. Adcock (University of California Press, 1957; p. 10).

3 For characterizing a sample set average and dispersion (think standard deviation), only a few samples are required. If you are inferring what may happen in the future, then 30 or more samples are desired. For details on sampling for forecasting purposes, see my book, Forecasting Oracle Performance (Apress, 2007; p. 84).

5 One of the more creative ways to get out of constant firefighting is to be promoted. This is a risky strategy, however. While the well-known performance firefighter can more easily be promoted, becoming a good manager is usually not a great career fit. Often, ex-firefighters are atrocious managers and end up returning to a technology-oriented job.