Commonplace Book
Quotes, links, and fragments.
"There is no prize to perfection… only an end to pursuit." — Viktor, Arcane
"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." — Isaac Newton
"History is the fruit of power, but power itself is never so transparent that its analysis becomes superfluous. The ultimate mark of power may be its invisibility; the ultimate challenge, the exposition of its roots." — Michel-Rolph Trouillot, Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History
"Science is not a major or a career. It is a commitment to a systematic way of thinking, an allegiance to a way of building knowledge and explaining the universe through testing and factual observation." — Atul Gawande, The Mistrust of Science
"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." — Carl Sagan
Escaping Flatland — on not unconsciously adopting career goals from your environment
"There is a central quality which is the root criterion of life and spirit in a man, a town, a building, or a wilderness. This quality is objective and precise, but it cannot be named." — Christopher Alexander, The Timeless Way of Building
"I thought that the Hindus and Muslims would busy themselves in this war and their blood, which did not mix in mosque and temple, would finally mingle in Bombay's drains and gutters." — Saadat Hasan Manto
"The criterion by which the news select what they focus our attention on is whether it is new. The criterion by which we at Our World in Data decide what to focus our attention on is whether it is important." — Our World in Data
"No Day Shall Erase You From the Memory of Time" — Vergil, inscribed at the 9/11 Memorial
The Never-Ending Now — David Perell on how social media traps us in ephemeral content
AI for Science — John Jumper on the "gradient descent of life"
"I grow little of the food I eat, and of the little I do grow I did not breed or perfect the seeds.
I do not make any of my own clothing.
I speak a language I did not invent or refine.
I did not discover the mathematics I use.
I am protected by freedoms and laws I did not conceive of or legislate, and do not enforce or adjudicate.
I am moved by music I did not create myself.
When I needed medical attention, I was helpless to help myself survive.
I did not invent the transistor, the microprocessor, object oriented programming, or most of the technology I work with.
I love and admire my species, living and dead, and am totally dependent on them for my life and well being."
— Steve Jobs
Read the Great Books — a guide for navigating classical literature and philosophy, with recommendations on the best editions and translations
