Aaron Adamson > Recent Status Updates

Tempted to give this book a pre-emptive 5 stars. I was expecting psychology but there's already been philosophy, history, cosmology, and speculation about the meaning of life... I'm already hooked.

Really hoping that this book is as ridiculous and awesome as it sounds.

"The search for truth takes us to dangerous places," said Old Woman Josie. "Often it takes us to that most dangerous place: the library. You know who said that? George Washington did. Minutes before librarians ate him." Already thinking this one is destined for the favorites list...

"Comfort was the answer to all life's problems. It didn't solve them, but it made them more distant for a bit as they quietly worsened."

And another: "Like 'stress' and 'strain', 'energy' is used to refer to a condition in human beings: in this case one which might be described as an officious tendency to rush about doing things and pestering other people."

I didn't expect a book on materials to be so entertaining... "A deep, intuitive appreciation of the inherent cussedness of materials and structures is one of the most valuable accomplishments an engineer can have"

Getting the right people and the right chemistry is more important than getting the right idea.

"While efficiency was A goal, quality was THE goal."

"Central tenet: You don't have to ask permission to take responsibility."

"Men who believe that they are accomplishing something by speaking speak in a different way from men who believe that speaking is a waste of time... for them, trying to do anything by talking is like trying to pound in a nail with a screwdriver. Sometimes you can even see the desperation spread over such a man's face as he listens to himself speak."

"The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon."