* The best doctors found a middle position where the were neither overwhelmed by their feelings nor estranged from them. That was the most difficult position of all, and the precise balance — neither too detached nor too caring — was something few learned.
* — Travels (1988) Michael Crichton
2012.02.12 Sunday ACHK
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Russell on writing
“I conscientiously tried this, but found that my first draft was almost always better than my second. This discovery has saved me an immense amount of time. I do not, of course, apply it to the substance, but only to the form. When I discover an error of an important kind I re-write the whole. What I do not find is that I can improve a sentence when I am satisfied with what it means. “
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On Russell’s writing
“Russell left a large assortment of writing. From his adolescent years, Russell wrote about 3,000 words a day, in long hand, with relatively few corrections; his first draft nearly always was his last draft, even on the most complex, technical matters. “
– Wikipedia
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2008.04.25 Friday ACHK
Those in the print media who dismiss the writing online because of its low average quality are missing an important point: no one reads the average blog. In the old world of channels, it meant something to talk about average quality, because that’s what you were getting whether you liked it or not. But now you can read any writer you want. So the average quality of writing online isn’t what the print media are competing against. They’re competing against the best writing online. And, like Microsoft, they’re losing.
— What Business Can Learn from Open Source
— Paul Graham
2012.02.12 Sunday ACHK
Physics Town 