Gifted Slacker

Here and, to a lesser degree, here.

Contrast, that is.

The previous article I posted about talked mostly about the evolving ethos at Princeton. One person they mentioned was Hobey Baker, a football legend and aviator. He was the epitome of conformance.

After graduation Baker went to work on Wall Street, but found it boring, so he went to war, where he was killed in an accident after the Armistice. I like to think that perhaps something that pushed him to excel bridled at his conformity and caused him to break out of it.

Dwight Eisenhower graduated from West Point the same year as Baker graduated from Princeton.

Eisenhower wasn’t exactly a conformist. He pursued a military career despite the disapproval of his family, and when he entered the academy he was one of the oldest in his class. He was also a friend and sometimes protector of the flamboyant George Patton (who graduated from West Point 6 years before Ike and Baker).

Patton revolutionized the tank corp. and pissed off a lot of people by doggedly doing things the way he thought (knew) best. He also believed that he was the reincarnation of one (or more) of history’s greatest generals.

Patton and Eisenhower were both conformist enough to advance in the Army (Patton less so than Eisenhower). However, both of them were individual enough to come up with war-winning strategies, and ended up ruffling quite a lot of their allies’ feathers.

On the other hand, Baker was a severe conformist his entire life, until he enlisted. His sudden divergence from his previously held-dear norms may have even contributed to his death.

I guess some (most) of us have to accept that we will never fit into a certain demographic. People who aren’t born to be Ivy-drones can have just as much positive effect on the world as those who are. They are just different paths; neither is better or easier than the other.

Reading this is making me horribly depressed.

In an age where everyone is becoming the same in mind and body, true value lies in individuality. I believe this.

This is a big reason I’m having (and have always had) so much trouble with school. I’m only happy to conform  if that’s my natural state on a matter. However, right now, I’m conforming more than I’m comfortable with.

The only `con` I endorse is confusion of the chaotic sort.

A couple of changes to the way I’ll be working are in order. From now on I’ll be checking my email accounts once per day, usually in the morning, and I will not be leaving Adium (AIM, YIM, GChat, Twitter) on during the day.

That is all. Thank you for your attention. Buoy-Boyee (The episode is no longer awailiable on YouTube).

Addendum: iTunes will also be turned off while working. It’s too much of a distraction for most work.

[Emphasis mine] There is a generational digital divide which means that parents do not necessarily feel equipped to help their children in this space – which can lead to fear and a sense of helplessness. This can be compounded by a risk-averse culture where we are inclined to keep our children ‘indoors’ despite their developmental needs to socialise and take risks. #

Can you guess what this quote is about?

America is a place where failure is not an option. If you mess up, you’d better sweep it under the rug and hope nobody goes digging. It’s a culture that bails out once successful companies (airlines, Amtrak) and not-so-bright people (ARM crisis) because its adults are afraid.

Anyway, the quote is from a report on children and the internet and video games. If people feel helpless and afraid of guiding their children through the oh-so-dangerous world of the internets, how are they going to teach their children to take measured risks in real life?

Eventually nobody will go anywhere or do anything because, well, something could happen! Which is kind of the whole damn point of living.

Joel Spolsky and Jeff Atwood are working on a new site. I think they’ve got a great idea there.

What they should stop doing immediately is posting their phone conversations as a podcast. I tried listening to the first one and all I can say is no thanks. Please stop, now.

Nobody wants to listen to a boring conversation topped with poor sound quality.

I was posting a comment on GigaOm a minute ago, and I used a line-initial double-dash. For some reason WordPress interpreted this as “please insert a series of spaces here,” so instead of getting “– Mr. Ludd” I got “    Mr. Ludd”.

Such magic is annoying.

If a form I submit for display is going to be reinterpreted in some way, I want to know in advance.

For anyone than never discovers a deeper self-identity, based not on lack of mistakes but on courage, compassionate intelligence, commitment and creativity, life is a scary place made safe only by never getting into trouble, never breaking rules and never taking the risks that their hearts tell them they need to take.

– Scott Berkun

I watched a few videos today on YouTube. I noticed they’ve started putting advertisements at the top of the right-hand column. After training us for years to look at that spot to see general information about the video,  it’s now an advertisement. I’m sure most people are still habitually looking at that spot, which is wonderful for advertisers.

The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.

-Thomas Paine

I wish smart people would stop telling me things like this. They only makes me feel sillier and stupider for doing some of the things I do.