Chad Aaron Hall

People in charge of regulating computers should know how computers work. They should even be good at computers.

These days, among two million Americans, around 20,000 have ankylosing spondylitis (an autoimmune disease I have that can lead to a crooked spine), 50,000 are mentally retarded,112 at least 50,000 are schizophrenic,113 35,000 have dementia (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, etc.),114 10,000 are severely autistic, and 650 are deaf-blind.115

5.

Be kind, even if you are right

The life of a pessimist is easy but dreary. The life of an optimist is hard but exciting. Pessimism is easy because it costs nothing. Optimism is hard because it must be constantly reaffirmed. In the face of a hostile, cynical world, it takes effort to show that positivity has merit.

Your repertoire should be private. Yes, entirely private. The moment you have it open to other people, you're now trying to impress. It changes the entire dynamic of your personal library. Imagine you have your bookshelf exposed at home, for every guest to see. And you make a point of only putting beautiful books on the shelf. Agreeable books. Book... See more

If you want to progress faster, write concise explanations. Explain ideas in simple terms, strongly and clearly, so that they can be rebutted, remixed, reworked — or built upon.

Kodak's demise, said the bankruptcy judge this week, was "a tragedy of American economic life" – and it is even truer than he realizes. More than 50,000 retirees have seen their pensions slashed if not totally eliminated; shareholders were wiped out, while creditors will be getting four or five cents on the dollar. An entire city, Rochester, New Yo... See more

I’m thinking about how many people were one or two iterations away from the right formula, but lacked the conviction to stay the course, the understanding that minor, subtle, successive changes can drastically influence outcome. I’m thinking about how self-doubt makes more people abandon a vision than competition or lack of funding ever will.