Best Of

A Boeing jet generates 10 terabytes of information per engine every 30 minutes of flight.

-Stephen Brobst, CTO of Teradata

95% of medical technology donated to developing countries breaks within the first five years of use.

-Steven Johnson

50% of the fresh produce (food) consumed in the U.S. in a six month period is grown and picked in Mexico.

If you really understand something, you can: 1) explain it using a clear metaphor and 2) explain the strongest counter-argument to the idea.

“Competent” is often a better adjective than “smart” or “intelligent” when talking about a person because it forces specificity and context.

High IQ combined with high insecurity: a uniquely toxic one-two punch. (inspired by B. Horowitz blog post)

Courage is not the absence of fear but the capacity for action despite our fears.

-John McCain

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

The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.

-Robert Frost

Envy is when you compare your inside to someone else’s outside.

-Stephanie Ericsson. Sounds cheesy but totally true (via @stevesilberman)

People are experience-rich and theory-poor. I help people organize / make sense of their experiences.

-Malcolm Gladwell

Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.

-Mike Tyson, on risk management

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.

Overheard: “The problem in education is that we have educators running the school systems. Pilots are not CEOs of the airline companies."

If frequency with which you cite an education credential does not decrease over the course of your life, you’re not accomplishing very much.

Looking back on experiences, we remember the highest or lowest moment, and how they ended.

Self-understanding, like happiness, is never fully achieved. It’s an on-going pursuit and sometimes excessive explicit focus hurts the cause

When ordering food at restaurants favor dishes that are hard to make at home. I rarely order pasta at a restaurant.

Why Japan is one-of-a-kind for Americans: it’s a completely different world (culturally) yet equal or better material standard of living.

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.

I love how civilized/orderly Switzerland is. At Zurich crosswalk today, no cars in sight yet every pedestrian waited patiently until green.

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!

Valparaiso, Chile is probably my favorite city of this South America jaunt. Lovely lovely. Hills, colors, water, laid back vibe.

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?

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