A Boeing jet generates 10 terabytes of information per engine every 30 minutes of flight. -Stephen Brobst, CTO of Teradata |
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95% of medical technology donated to developing countries breaks within the first five years of use. -Steven Johnson |
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50% of the fresh produce (food) consumed in the U.S. in a six month period is grown and picked in Mexico. |
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If you really understand something, you can: 1) explain it using a clear metaphor and 2) explain the strongest counter-argument to the idea. |
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Competent” is often a better adjective than “smart” or “intelligent” when talking about a person because it forces specificity and context. |
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High IQ combined with high insecurity: a uniquely toxic one-two punch. (inspired by B. Horowitz blog post) |
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Courage is not the absence of fear but the capacity for action despite our fears. -John McCain |
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Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. -ELD |
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The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair. -Robert Frost |
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Envy is when you compare your inside to someone else’s outside. -Stephanie Ericsson. Sounds cheesy but totally true (via @stevesilberman) |
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People are experience-rich and theory-poor. I help people organize / make sense of their experiences. -Malcolm Gladwell |
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Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face. -Mike Tyson, on risk management |
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Reading is not just about the content of the text. It’s allocating quiet time / space to think and reflect on the issues raised by the text. |
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Overheard: “The problem in education is that we have educators running the school systems. Pilots are not CEOs of the airline companies.” |
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If frequency with which you cite an education credential does not decrease over the course of your life, you’re not accomplishing very much. |
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Looking back on experiences, we remember the highest or lowest moment, and how they ended. |
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Self-understanding, like happiness, is never fully achieved. It’s an on-going pursuit and sometimes excessive explicit focus hurts the cause |
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When ordering food at restaurants favor dishes that are hard to make at home. I rarely order pasta at a restaurant. |
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Why Japan is one-of-a-kind for Americans: it’s a completely different world (culturally) yet equal or better material standard of living. |
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JFK to SFO flight arrived 75 minutes early because “there were no ground delays at JFK.” Shows how much buffer they build into the schedule. |
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I love how civilized/orderly Switzerland is. At Zurich crosswalk today, no cars in sight yet every pedestrian waited patiently until green. |
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Three Chile observations: 1) All houses are behind gates/fences, 2) Canned soup does not exist, 3) Maids clean gym 24/7, crazy maid culture! |
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Valparaiso, Chile is probably my favorite city of this South America jaunt. Lovely lovely. Hills, colors, water, laid back vibe. |
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When choosing aisle or window seat on plane you need only ask yourself one question: Do I go to the bathroom more or less than avg person? |
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When ordering a $4 USD burger at McDonald’s in Santiago, Chile today, I could do a one-time payment, or multiple installments on credit card |
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Did you use any tool to pick out your best tweets? I’d love something like that.
All manual!