Inference

Found this Gladwell article via HN.

In the Air

It gets you thinking about the process of generating new ideas and our romantic notion of it. We would like to believe that ideas are a result of some flash of genius or that it takes people with extraordinary talents to generate them. We celebrate most ideas as if they were some sort of an incredible individual feat.

The examples were so legion that Stigler declared the existence of Stigler’s Law: “No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer.” There are just too many people with an equal shot at those ideas floating out there in the ether. We think we’re pinning medals on heroes. In fact, we’re pinning tails on donkeys.

In the Air

This disparity between what we believe ideas are and what they are really worth is visible in the entrepreneurial space as well. We fantasize about the “million dollar idea” when we really should be focussing on the importance of execution and persistence.

Came across this on Twitter and just had to post it. The design is simply amazing.

Image via Monaco Yachts.

A quick update on what we have been working on. We have gathered a lot of feedback over the past week and have a fairly good idea about what needs to be done. We are working to make ViewPoint a stronger client while keeping the interface clean and organized. We also got a lot of positive responses about ViewPoint which we are thankful for.

The truth about grit (via Boston.com).

A good article about the part perseverence plays in success. The article highlights an interesting study conducted on fifth graders.

Dweck then gave the same fifth-graders another test. This test was designed to be extremely difficult – it was an intelligence test for eighth-graders – but Dweck wanted to see how they would respond to the challenge. The students who were initially praised for their effort worked hard at figuring out the puzzles. Kids praised for their smarts, on the other hand, quickly became discouraged.

The truth about grit

When faced with a tough task, it is always easier to give up than to keep trying. So it is all the more important that we have the right mindset when approaching tough problems. Of course in society we tend to talk highly about the talents a person has rather than the effort he/she put in.