Nitrous oxide Nitrous oxide Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or nitrous, is a chemical compound, an oxide of nitrogen with the formula . At room temperature, it is a colourless non-flammable gas, with a slight metallic scent and taste. At elevated temperatures, nitrous oxide is a powerful oxidizer similar to molecular oxygen. It is soluble in water. Nitrous oxide has significant medical uses, especially in surgery and dentistry, for its anaesthetic and pain reducing effects. Its name "laughing gas", coined by Humphry Davy, is due to the euphoric effects upon inhaling it, a property that has led to its recreational
Worse is better Rise of Worse is Better", Gabriel claimed that "Worse-is-Better" is a model of software design and implementation which has the following characteristics (in approximately descending order of importance): Gabriel argued that early Unix and C, developed by Bell Labs, are examples of this design approach. Gabriel contrasted his philosophy with what he called the "MIT/Stanford style of design" or "MIT approach" (also known as "the Right Thing"), which he described as follows. Contrasts are in bold: Gabriel argued that "Worse is better" produced more "successful" software than the MIT approach: As long as the initial program is basically good, it