Vladimir

“Part of what makes credit cards work is that they simplify transactions for both buyers and sellers. Concentrating on just a few cards further simplifies matters on both sides of the market. Thus ever since the big shakeout, no new credit cards have joined the ranks of the majors; the barrier to market entry has proved to be too great. That said, in recent years the Internet revolution has opened the door to competition from wholly new directions—including new kinds of payment services, such as PayPal; an international network of automatic teller machines to challenge old standbys such as traveler’s checks; and maybe even new types of “virtual money” such as Bitcoin. As I write this in 2014, Apple has announced a new payment system on the latest iPhones, and we can reasonably expect that it and/or other new payment systems that make use of mobile devices will become commonplace.”
― Alvin E. Roth, Who Gets What — and Why: The New Economics of Matchmaking and Market Design

“In zero gravity, there’s no need for a mattress or pillow; you already feel like you’re resting on a cloud, perfectly supported, so there’s no tossing and turning to find a more comfortable position.”
― Chris Hadfield, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth

“you will almost certainly be viewed in one of three ways. As a minus one: actively harmful, someone who creates problems. Or as a zero: your impact is neutral and doesn’t tip the balance one way or the other. Or you’ll be seen as a plus one: someone who actively adds value. Everyone wants to be a plus one, of course. But proclaiming your plus-oneness at the outset almost guarantees you’ll be perceived as a minus one, regardless of the skills you bring to the table or how you actually perform. This might seem self-evident, but it can’t be, because so many people do it.”
― Chris Hadfield, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth

“Thus judges on the D.C. Circuit promptly moved the hiring of 2014 clerks before Labor Day. Judge Janice Rogers Brown, for example, was widely reported to have hired a clerk named Shon Hopwood in the first week of August 2013. Hopwood has an unusual personal history: before entering law school he served a lengthy prison sentence. But his early hiring quickly became quite usual. Clerks who wouldn’t begin work until 2015 were being hired in February 2014, a year and a half early.”
― Alvin E. Roth, Who Gets What — and Why: The New Economics of Matchmaking and Market Design