The Three-Fold Way

Just after turning the corner of 40, the rather improbably hero featured herein published "The One-Fold Way," in a small notably unacclaimed book documenting his series of barely legal (and one slightly illegal) schemes designed to acquire enough capital to "resign from the USA" - but resulting instead in the discovery of Illogical Positivism. This marvelous operational principle not only made his immigration unnecessary, but also worked so well that as the corner of 60 approaches he feels the need to try again, supplementing it with supporting ideas acquired in the meantime from various cultural categories (Art, Religion, Government, Philosophy, Technology, and Science). But to do so in the most attractive and least offensive way, he decides to embed it and them in a science fiction novel, "The STAR Panel." After writing the first chapter, however, he finds that he lacks enough data from the working level of several of the categories to continue. The obvious solution was to do as he had 20 years before; utilize his summer vacations to penetrate, appropriate low-level organizations incognito. This does indeed supply the data, and, somewhat to his surprise, two additional principles, thereby creating a Three-Fold Way; but also, unfortunately, a somewhat dull novel - until he inspired to interweave it's chapters with accounts of the adventures preceding them. The result is both substantial and highly entertaining, leaving one hoping for the Five-Fold Way he anticipates may follow in another twenty years or so, a possibly a Seven-Fold Way after that!

Dr. Terry Triffet was a brilliant physicist and engineering scientist, known internationally for his work in mathematical modelling. He held five degrees from several universities, including a Ph.D. from Stanford, and claimed to be an honorary Australian, having spent several years there. Until his passing in 2003, Dr Triffet lived with his with his wife, Middy, in Tucson, Arizona with their three children and grandchildren "nestled nearby" in the West.