“Morality (…) represents the way that people would like the world to work – whereas economics represent how it actually does work.”
Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner in Freakonomics
@Markus: thanks for borrowing me your copy of the book – I enjoyed reading it very much
Dedicated to the person reading right now what I typed a while ago – yes, that is you.
“Clowns to the left of me
Jokers to the right
Here I am
Stuck in the middle with you.”
Stealers Wheel
It is sometimes said that the distinction between left and right in political terms is no longer there. Utter nonsense of course. The claim is usually based on the fact that some politicians or political parties that would traditionally be labeled as left on the politcal spectrum might indeed, once they are in a position to make policy, talk or act in a way that is in reality more right (and vice versa of course). But that is really due to the dynamics of politics, not to the underlying values of the person or the political party: those who have risen to power will often go to great lengths to maintain their position, even if this means making deals that are conflicting with what could be considered as their ‘natural’ position on the left/right axis.
“Seeking moments of collision, looking for new and interesting projects to take on, understanding that work has become project-based where groups come together, solve problems, and then look for more problems, have all become parts of the new normal for most businesses. It is those exact skill sets that you must embrace in the here and now.”
Mitch Joel on working today (in Ctrl Alt Delete)
“Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.”
usually attributed to Oscar Wilde, but there is no substantive evidence to this
(more like coming from an anonymous marketing pen from the early 2000’s)
“Every man desires to live long, but no man wishes to be old.”
Jonathan Swift (from Gulliver’s Travels)
Large sections of books describing human history are essentially lists of wars, conflicts and discussions of one group of people against another. In a number of cases the reason why both groups have some of their members either arguing with one another or end up mass murdering each other is connected to a concept usually referred to as nationality or nationalism (unsatiable hunger for natural resources and religion obviously being the other 2 in the top 3 of reasons). Continue reading
“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.”
Harry S. Truman
Some people think it’s a good idea to spend money on schemes or systems that promise to improve your chances of winning the lotto or lottery. I can tell you one thing: the only one who is certain to end up with more money is the guy selling the scheme. There simply is no such thing as manipulating chance. Probability calculation is an exact science. Although it might feel a bit counterintuitive, the chance of the winning Continue reading
“My goal in life is to be a net contributor: giving more than receiving.”
Jan Van Haver
THE SECOND HALF 