Michael Frayn: Two Heisenberg Speeches from Copenhagen
Two speeches by Werner Heisenberg from the play Copenhagen by Michael Frayn. The first is a clever description of the uncertainty principle and the second explores the horrors of war.
Spirit
Eliza Calvert Hall: Piecing a Quilt is Like Living a Life
An excerpt from “Aunt Jane of Kentucky” by Eliza Calvert Hall that explores piecing a quilt as a metaphor for making the most of your life.
Thanksgiving 2021: The Road Goes On
Thoughts of gratitude on Thanksgiving 2021: the road goes on and we follow in the path of those who came before us, building on their accomplishments and insights.
9-11 Twenty Years Later: An American Cultural Watershed
I have blogged about 9-11 14 times, starting with Lesser Sons of Greater Fathers in 2008. 9-11 is an American cultural watershed as transformative an event as Pearl Harbor, the Kennedy assassination, and the Moon landing.
Tom Tugendhat on the Value of Patience
In an Aug-18-2021 speech to House of Commons, Tom Tugendhat emphasizes the need for patience and persistence to achieve peace.
Hugh Jackman on the Benefits of Meditation
Hugh Jackman (@RealHughJackman) talks about the benefits of meditation and aligning your efforts with your purpose in two excerpts from his June 2020 interview with Tim Ferris. These excerpts were condensed from the interview transcript Ferris published June-30-2020.
Time Capsule: Ipaiku sat on the edge of his bed (Fiction)
Ipaiku is a character in a “science fiction detective novel” that I wrote some drafts for in 1975-78. This vignette is one of the early scenes in the novel that tries to capture a particular sense of movement beneath the surface or the potential energy latent in apparent stillness.
Unasked Questions and Other Things You Wish You Had Said
Unasked questions linger after the death of a parent, along with all of the things that you wish you had said.
9-11 at 19: Looking back at a Unified America
Looking back nineteen years on 9-11 I am struck by how it unified America in way that perhaps only the Moon Landing and Pearl Harbor did.
Q: How Can I Manage the Stress of a Startup?
Tips to cut the stress of a startup: plan for learning, take time to recharge, join a peer support group, don’t compare yourself to others.
Sridhar Vembu: Capital is a group’s capability to meet its diverse needs
A review of two short essays by Sridhar Vembu that explore the meaning of capital as the capability of a group or population to meet its own diverse economic needs.
Clayton Christensen on “How Will You Measure Your Life?”
Excerpts from Clayton Christensen’s address to the 2010 graduating class at Harvard Business School on “How Will You Measure Your Life?”
Thanksgiving 2019
Both of our sons were able to join us for Thanksgiving 2019. It was wonderful. We ended up in a conversation about George Washington, I have included his 1798 proclamation that established Thanksgiving as a national holiday in the US.
Michael Wade: Things I Wish I Knew in My Twenties
I came across a list of 21 “Things I wish I knew in my twenties” by Michael Wade and was impressed by the insights he offered. Here are my top eight.
Octavia Butler: Cultivate Habits That Enable Persistence and Learning
Octavia Butler rejects inspiration, talent, and imagination as essential to creative pursuits and suggests that habits that enable persistence and learning are the essential element.
Some Reflections on My Life Triggered by a Recent Birthday
I had a birthday this week which triggered from reflections on my life. I prepared a short list of lessons learned for my party. I hope you find them helpful.
Why I Like Working with Entrepreneurs
I like working with entrepreneurs because I find it easier to deal with their psychological challenges and the small team dynamics of a startup than the political problems of an enterprise.
Reciprocal Gift-Exchange and Charity Knit Networks into Communities
Humans like to give and to receive without cheating or being cheated: we want to be part of networks of reciprocal gift-exchange. If you want to become a member in good standing of community you will need to “give to get.”
Father’s Day 2019: a Story of My Father
Some personal reflections on my father and a stroke he suffered in June 1994 when I was launching a new company and expecting my first son in a few weeks.
Thanksgiving 2018: a Look Back at Founders Who Persevered
For Thanksgiving 2018 I wanted to recap how the events of the first Thanksgiving feast: here are excerpts from “Mourt’s Relation” and “Of Plymouth Plantation.”