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My “ideal” mobile device is designed from scratch for its form-factor, allows me to communicate wherever in the world I am, holds all my important data, allows me to search it, identify relationships between it, and interact with it in a consistent and human-friendly way, doesn’t “own” my data or lock it into a particular platform.

Beyond that, any CPU that is sufficiently responsive is fine.

Steven describes his ideal mobile device and why the hardware should be the least of the concerns. Many good points here.

It is virtually impossible qualify and measure thinking because creativity and criticism both expand upon and subjugate collectively held criterion. (In other words, thinking is like a moving target: you can’t pin it down long enough to assign it a grade.)

This single post sums up what in my opinion is the root problem with our entire pre-collegiate educational system (and most colleges as well). The very best teachers and institutions are the ones that teach you how to think — and these are rare.

My perfect city isn’t fixed, it doesn’t actually exist, and I like it that way.

One of my personal heroes tries to imagine his perfect city.

I’ve cut down my magazine subscription to just one (Wired Magazine) and I purposely don’t unwrap it until I’m sure I’m going to dedicate my time reading it as much as I do a good book or blog. Sitting quietly to dim lights and a soothing beverage sets the tone for a clear purpose to read. You recite the word’s silently to pull out more value in the them, you digest the grammar and you scribble notes to reference passages that set off ideas to further analyze.

Very true. I love magazines but only have a regular “relationship” with Wired and Vanity Fair.

Try something. Every time somebody complains about the evils or failings of “the government,” strike out “the government” and see what results.

“Letters of Note is to become, hopefully, a blog-based archive of fascinating correspondence. Scans or photos of the originals will feature where possible.”

Fascinating indeed. An instant subscribe and I am sure hours of my life will be spent here. (via Kottke)

“And so because of your vision and resolve, I came to believe that soon, very soon, affordable health coverage will be available to all, in an America where the state of a family’s health will never again depend on the amount of a family’s wealth. And while I will not see the victory, I was able to look forward and know that we will – yes, we will – fulfill the promise of health care in America as a right and not a privilege.”

As someone who has a daughter who was denied health insurance due to a heart condition she was born with, I too am hopeful there will be some resolution to this before her next cardiologist appointment.

An interview with Lynn Downey, official archivist for Levi Strauss & Co. In my opinion, probably one of the coolest jobs inn the world.

The secret to being an excellent writer starts with being and excellent reader.

“The truth is that a lot of people complain about craigslist. Buckmaster is correct that few of them complain about the design. They complain about spam, they complain about fraud, they complain about the posting rules, they complain about the search, they complain about uploading images. They complain about every way a classified transaction can go wrong. They seldom complain about amazing new features they imagine they might possibly want to use, because they are too busy complaining about the simple features they depend on that don’t work as well as they’d like. By eliminating marketing, sales, and business development, craigslist’s programmers have cut out all the cushioning layers that separate them from the users they serve, and any right they have to teach lessons in public service comes from the odd situation of running a company that is directly subservient only to the public. Here’s the lesson: The public is a motherfucker.”