Extreme Programming made me think about this (as strange at it would seem)...
John Henry was a Steel Driving Man. Sure, as the legend goes, he dies after beating the steam drill (new-fangled code-generating case tool), but that's not the point. Sure, he worked in awful conditions (modern day programmer working against unrealistic deadlines), and sure he toiled as a laborer for the railroads (modern day programmer working for large uncaring corporation).
But, he practiced Pair Programming (see Steel Driving Man) and was an advocate of Do The Simplest Thing That Could Possibly Work. He used simple tools with sweat, grit, skill and determination. He became the stuff of legend (see metalab.unc.edu 
).
Or did he fall into the trap of Heroic Programming?
Sure, it's all quite a stretch...
-- Todd Coram (John Henry Coder Manifesto coming soon to a wiki near you)
A mixed metaphor is a bright blue sky with no paddle. -- Phl Ip
See original on c2.com