In her study of the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster, the sociologist Diane Vaughan noted a phenomenon she called the normalization of deviance, an accep

In her study of the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster, the sociologist Diane Vaughan noted a phenomenon she called the normalization of deviance, an acceptance of assumptions and shortcuts that over time incrementally piles on risk until, like compounding interest on debt, a kind of technological bill suddenly becomes due. "Normalization of deviance" is such an amazing turn of phrase to express what it feels like to be involved in accumulating tech debt.