These are scary times, there is no doubt. but I hope in the end people focus on what we can accomplish, not just what we fear. Bill Clinton recently put it well… Clinton exhorted the crowd to “keep on being mad. But concentrate your anger so that it clarifies your judgment instead of clouding it….
Yes on 19… (California)
I’m backing California Proposition 19, even though I’m personally disinterested in marijuana. Paul Buchheit makes the argument beautifully, so I thought I would share. Not only is prohibition an attack on our basic right to control our own bodies and minds (a philosophical point which most people probably don’t care about), but prohibition also provides a…
Twitter Updates for 2010-08-31
SupportUX Blog: What good are data, anyway? http://supportux.com/blog/2010/08/what-good-are-data-anyway/ # Beautiful: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2010/09/06/100906ta_talk_surowiecki # Powered by Twitter Tools
That one teacher
I was lucky – I had several. Not all of them were perfect, but each was perfect for me. They made a difference for lots of kids, and for me, they made all the difference. I was never an easy kid to teach. I was called precocious, which I think was a nice way of…
Mint CEO Patzer: “I personally don’t think Mint … should even be covering this particular topic” – Fortune Tech
I grumbled a bit to myself when I saw the Mint infographic on the “Economic Impact of Immigration”, but didn’t bother to take it any further. I’m happy to read that Aaron Patzer, the founder of Mint, saw the problem and has taken steps to correct it. Fortune Tech reprinted his email in their coverage:…
Great products start with meaning
Great quote from Jeff Bezos on the connection between great products and meaning: I strongly believe that missionaries make better products. They care more. For a missionary, it’s not just about the business. There has to be a business, and the business has to make sense, but that’s not why you do it. You…
The philosophy of the purge
Leaving the startup gives me a little time to get to a couple projects that have been nagging at my mind. One of them is a purge of unnecessary “stuff” around the house. One of my favorite blogs puts it very nicely… How to Simplify When You Love Your Stuff | zen habits: Apply mindful…
Enthusiasm – the real “Focus”
MG Siegler at TechCrunch wrote a great piece a couple days ago on the role of enthusiasm. I think he’s dead-on, but I’ll add my little bit of advice: Make sure your Enthusiasm is the right kind. The Enthusiasm you need is really a deep love for what you’re doing. This is the kind of…
Bringing you the news
Importance of “filters” has been over-stated. As my friend John Pederson puts it: Managing your own filter is critical. The other kind of filter that lets things in vs. preventing things from coming in. [From Dean Shareski on attention.] A filter is a screen that keeps things out. My information problem isn’t solved by keeping…
Jobs calls for organ donors…
The Wall Street Journal has video of Steve Jobs’ opening remarks at the Apple event last week. It was his first official public appearance since going on medical leave several months ago, during which he had a liver transplant. It’s good to see such an open and human appeal from a prominent figure. I applaud…
