Category: quotes

What kind of organizational dysfunction does it take to completely ignore the changed circumstances and keep at a money-losing business?

What’s even funnier is that [they] could probably have been profitable if they had just skipped the one unnecessarily stupid part of their business model…

Nobody at Clear did any thinking. They had a business model, the business model wasn’t actually possible, everybody knew it, and they still plugged away at it. Thoughtless optimism. I don’t know whether to salute ‘em or laugh.

Joel Spolsky, in The eternal optimism of the Clear mind [joelonsoftware.com]

In the eternal words of the Mountain Dew ‘dudes’: “Been there. Done that. Doin’ it tomorrow.”

“It’s always important to distinguish between chastity and impotence.”

Mae Jemison [wikipedia.org], quoting Sydney Brenner [wikipedia.org] in her TED Talk on teaching arts and sciences together [ted.com].

The reason we care about [GPS accuracy] is because GPS is used now to land airplanes and the difference between 3.8 meters above the runway and 3.8 meters below the runway could ruin your whole day.

Robert X. Cringely, in WAAS up? [cringely.com].

In this world there is room for everyone and the earth is rich and can provide for everyone.
The way of life can be free and beautiful. But we have lost the way.

Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate;
has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed.

We have developed speed but we have shut ourselves in:
machinery that gives abundance has left us in want.
Our knowledge has made us cynical,
our cleverness hard and unkind.
We think too much and feel too little:
More than machinery we need humanity;
More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness.

Charlie Chaplin, as Hinkel in The Great Dictator

While the Earth might not be rich enough to provide for us all anymore, there are just too many of us, the speech is good.

Via Intrepid Flame [intrepidflame.blogspot.com] quoted from Renegade Eye [advant.blogspot.com].

The birth of a delayed identical twin is not going shake western civilization.

Gregory Stock, in a 2003 TED Talk [ted.org]

The quote is from at 8:35. Talk about a brilliant turn of phrase. By replacing “clone” with “delayed identical twin” the whole argument is re-framed. Identical twins are not identical; different fingerprints, different hair swirls, different people. Thinking of clones that way make a lot of sense. The whole talk is good, refreshing, a positive view of a subject normally dominated by dystopian sci-fi scenarios.