Monday, October 31, 2011

Essay: "The Solution to Piracy"

Like most people, sometimes I am a pirate.  One thing I don't pirate, however, is video games.  I tend to buy them through Steam.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Essay: "We Don't Need a Left-Wing Tea Party"

When the Tea Party movement first started up (at the time, hilariously referring to themselves as "tea baggers") I remember thinking that it wouldn't last too long.  It was just too stupid.  But I think, in the long run, their stupidity has been an asset to them, and I think this has some alarming implications for the new left-wing "Occupy Wall Street" movement.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Essay: "Humility in the face of randomness"

Most people, it seems to me, are obsessed with talent.  They look at someone successful, assume that person is successful for a reason, and work backwards (identifying the exceptional qualities that person has, or the exceptional things they did, that led to that person becoming exceptionally successful).  But is that initial assumption correct?  Are people really successful for a reason?

I have always believed that the differences between people are not as big as we think they are (click here for a great quote on this) and I have always chocked up my own successes and failures, and the successes and failures of others, to randomness, or to factors that have nothing to do with the matter at hand, rather than my skill and intelligence.