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Computer programming is the means of getting machines to assist with or perform cognitive tasks -- ranging from purely mechanistic ones to tasks with high levels of (semi-)autonomy. In this sense, this practice is fast becoming the language, currency and mechanism for advancement in almost all areas of human endeavor and enterprise. The steady technological progress in both hardware and software has increased the scope and difficulty of tasks possible for a computer. However, the tools available to a programmer (i.e. editors, IDEs, debuggers, profilers, etc.) are based on one primary modality -- typing. This modality may increasingly prove to be an impediment to the goal of rapid prototyping of solutions to an increasing array of problems that are now amenable to a computer. In other words, one cannot usually type as fast as they can think! (Notwithstanding, of course, the legions of emacs and vim ninjas who would beg to disagree!). This leads us to consider other modalities ...

The following is an account of a parable that I thought of recently. The Hospital, the Patients and the Nurses There is a hospital with sickly and dying patients. There are nurses running around and caring for the patients, in every way they can, as best as they can. The prognosis of death is certain -- the patients know it and so do the nurses. However, the nurses are animated and intense and intentional in their activity. For they have heard a rumor -- that a doctor who has the cure is on his way. And, when he arrives, all will be well with the patients....and, with themselves as well?!?! For, on closer inspection, one learns that the nurses were themselves patients in this hospital. They still carry with them the marks of the same wasting disease. However, at some point, they believed in the rumor and in the hope it afforded, they found sufficient energy to get up, join the nurses and continue the work of caring for the patients and telling them of the rumor. They spend th...

The sermon today was based on a passage from Acts 4, esp. v 24 - 31 (copied below), that brought to the fore the age old question,  "If God is good and powerful, what is evil, where does it come from and why does it exist and must it, necessarily, be?". Acts 4 : 24 - 31 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “‘Why did the Gentiles rage,     and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth set themselves,     and the rulers were gathered together,     against the Lord and against his Anointed’— 27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and y...

The current GOP primary field is exciting and diverse, with respect to life experience, cultural/regional background and ideology: Rand Paul  (opthalmologist, Presbyterian, Libertarian) Ted Cruz (lawyer, Southern Baptist, Tea Party, Cuban-Canadian) Ben Carson (neurosurgeon, Seventh Day Adventist, Constitutional Conservative, Detroit, MI) Allen West (US Army Lt. Col. retd., Tea Party, Georgia) Mitt Romney (Private equity/venture capital, Mormon, Moderate, Michigan) Jeb Bush  (Real estate, Roman Catholic, Moderate, Texan) Chris Christie (Lawyer, Roman Catholic, Moderate, New Jersey) Scott Walker (Politico, Nondenominational Evangelical, Moderate) Nikki Haley (Accounting, Methodism, Indian-American from South Carolina) Bobby Jindal (Roman Catholic, Indian-American from Louisiana) Mike Huckabee (pastor, Southern Baptist, Arkansas) Mike Pence (Attorney, Evangelical, Indiana) Rick Perry (Air Force capt., Nondenominational Evangelical, Texas) Susana Marti...

This is my crude and evolving understanding of two factions within the Democratic party: old corrupt machine politicos Chicago, New York and the South believe in absolutely nothing easily switch between leftist and moderate agendas will say anything to get elected able campaigners uses classism, racism, sexism, etc. (i.e. "War on Women", "War on minorities", etc.) to keep the electorate divided Some major sub-factions : Unions, Jewish lobby Examples : Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, Elijah Cummings idealistic progressive left the West Coast radical leftist technocrats & community organizers seeking to push their agendas, either by winning elections, or otherwise (judicial activism, executive orders, municipal ordinance and statute, etc.) truly believe that classism, racism, sexism, etc. are real (i.e. believe in "War on Women", "War on minorities", etc.) and works to end them Some major sub-factions : greens, civil libertar...

Reid Hoffman http://www.forbes.com/sites/elainepofeldt/2014/09/20/the-winners-and-losers-in-reid-hoffmans-tour-of-duty-future/ http://hbr.org/2013/06/tours-of-duty-the-new-employer-employee-compact http://fortune.com/2014/06/16/reid-hoffman-let-talented-employees-quit/ http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/06/your-company-is-not-a-family/ Eric Schmidt http://www.businessinsider.com/management-advice-from-googles-eric-schmidt-how-google-works-2014-10 Peter Thiel http://www.technologyreview.com/review/531491/the-contrarians-guide-to-changing-the-world/ Isaac Asimov http://www.technologyreview.com/view/531911/isaac-asimov-asks-how-do-people-get-new-ideas/ a beautiful deck from Netflix : http://www.slideshare.net/reed2001/culture-1798664 Don Tapscott https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20141028151414-2459096--almost-everything-we-think-about-managing-talent-is-wrong-here-s-why

Source :  http://online.wsj.com/articles/peter-thiel-competition-is-for-losers-1410535536 The above article by Peter Thiel is the best business + economics education I have ever received or can ever conceive of receiving. Something about "anti-trust" always rubbed me the wrong way -- now I know what!! In the following, I organize excerpts from his article into named sections and summarize, emphasize and/or annotate (minimally) along the way. ________________________ CAPTURING VS. CREATING VALUE Creating value isn't enough—you also need to capture some of the value you create . Airlines create value but run razor-thin margins and are unable to capture the value they create vs. Google creates far less value but is able to capture most of it. MONOPOLY VS. PERFECT COMPETITION Competition is idealized and monopoly is abhorred -- in academia and among the general public.  "Americans mythologize competition and credit it with saving us from...