Christian Baaki
@christianbaaki
Christian Baaki
@christianbaaki
For the secret of man’s being is not only to live but to have something to live for.
Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
if you don’t have any public work or public proof then congratulations, you are whatever the hive mind imagines you to be.
... See moreHis nervous shudder had passed into a fever that made him feel shivering; in spite of the heat he felt cold. With a kind of effort he began almost unconsciously, from some inner necessity, to stare at all the objects before him, as though looking for something to distract his attention; but he did not succeed, and kept lapsing every moment into
Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment
If a 20 year old could both study Bismarck’s critical decisions in the 1860s (and the principles underlying them) and be given practical experience in some of the best managed organisations in the world, they would be much, much better prepared for senior jobs than our leading politicians are now.
... See moreYou have to build a great pipeline. Your best pipeline is going to come from your personal contacts. You literally have to sit everyone at your company down and tell them to name the 10 best people they've ever worked with or gone to school with … You get those 10 best people and then you just pound the pavement. You have lunch, coffee, breakfast,
... See moreNineteenth-century educational reformers wanted schools as efficient and impersonal as America’s impressive manufacturing facilities, so they established a system that treats children like industrial workers. Under the watchful eye of an overseer, students toil silently until a bell signals their opportunity to eat and briefly socialize. Unlike
... See moreWhat the most ambitious people choose to do with their lives has a profound impact on society, the economy and culture.
In each case [Church and literacy, Military and command, Finance and Management], the institutions provide three things. One, a mechanism for acquiring the skills associated with the ‘technology of ambition’. Two, a social network
... See moreIt’s not only unnecessary and unfair to burden a declining share of workers with higher taxes to pay out benefits to a growing share of retirees, but such a policy is particularly offensive when those on the receiving end of an income transfer are better off than those providing the transfer. Shifting to price indexing for calculating initial
... See moreStudy what you enjoy and what genuinely interests you. Pick something real that teaches you how to think in both a structured and creative way. My bachelor’s is in history (ancient Rome), and my master’s focused on classical art (Greek and Roman sculpture, mainly). I’ve always loved that stuff, still do, and always will. I personally think majors