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.
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Spirit
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?”
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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.
On That Day: 9-11 Eighteen Years On
I want to commemorate the 18th anniversary of 9-11 by focusing on people who stayed at their post or rushed in to help. I was inspired by the closing lines of Leonard Cohen’s “On That Day,” a song I heard yesterday for the first time.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.”
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Thanksgiving 2017: Counting My Blessings, Bootstrapper Potluck, Finest Hour
Thanksgiving 2017 is a chance to reflect on your blessings and give thanks to those who have helped you in the last year.
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Thanksgiving 2016: Bootstrappers Potluck and Reflections on Mayflower Compact
For Thanksgiving 2016 we hosted the Bootstrapper Potluck for the third year in a row, it’s becoming a tradition we really enjoy.
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Veterans Day 2016
A thank you on Veterans Day 2016 to all of the men and women in our armed forces who made the United States possible, in particular this Silicon Valley oasis of invention and innovation I get to call home. Some quotes to meditate on follow.