Category Archives: Technology and Society

Hitting The Sweet Spot

The true genius of Steve Jobs:

There are, fundamentally, two subspecies of entrepreneur. One starts from the present, and visualizes the next logical step from where things are now. This type figures out how to make something better, cheaper, or more widely available, and manages to clear the financial, regulatory, and market barriers to getting it into the marketplace. The other visualizes a different world, one in which things are different and better from the way they are now, and then figures out what path of evolution brings us to that world, and, as the last step, what is the least ambitious step possible that will move things toward that goal.

Spaceflight needs a Steve Jobs. It’s not clear yet whether Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos fit the mold. But someone or some group of someones has to create the vision of abundant affordable in-space infrastructure that will finally replace the Apollo model.

[Update a few minutes later]

The man who sold the future.

In Praise Of Entrepreneurs

Over at Pajamas Media, I have some thoughts this morning on Steve Jobs and people who really change the world.

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The business of Apple was business, not politics.

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Did Jobs die from quackery?

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Here’s the WSJ obit.

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More thoughts from Lileks.

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Michael Malone remembers Steve Jobs.

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How his philosophy changed technology.

[Late morning update]

The Onion says we’re doomed.

[Update in the afternoon]

Rob Long: The right kind of tyrant.

Linux Bleg

Nautilus seems to be broken in my installation of Fedora 14. I try to launch it, and it appears in the task bar momentarily and then disappears. Anyone have any suggestions?

[Update a couple minutes later]

I’ve already uninstalled/reinstalled, in case anyone was going to suggest that.

[Update a while later]

Don’t know why, but now it’s working. Go figure.

The Smart

…and the dumb:

The president’s reaction? “He turned to me and said, ‘Oil and gas will be important for the next few years. But we need to go on to green and alternative energy. [Energy] Secretary [Steven] Chu has assured me that within five years, we can have a battery developed that will make a car with the equivalent of 130 miles per gallon.’” Mr. Hamm holds his head in his hands and says, “Even if you believed that, why would you want to stop oil and gas development? It was pretty disappointing.”

I guess I’d be disappointed, if I had had any expectations of brilliance on his part. But I never had any reason to, other than the bien pensant telling me I should.