the nuggets file
January 2011
“Achilles-weed is prostrate and grows along the ground at the amazing rate of 10 cm per hour. An exceeding slow tortoise munches one end of the Achilles-weed at the same rate as it grows at the other end. So the tortoise appears to chase the Achilles-weed round the garden. But, strictly speaking, the Achilles-weed does not move at all, it grows and is eaten. Yet its location changes, and it is made up of parts whose location changes (the left and right-hand halves of the Achilles-weed). Hence being made up of parts whose location changes is not sufficient for motion.”
—Peter Forrest, “Is Motion Change of Location?”, Analysis, 1984 (as reported by Futility Closet)
Play
0:43
“Vacuuming of hard surfaces during cleanup is not recommended unless broken glass remains after all other cleanup steps have been taken. [NOTE: It is possible that vacuuming could spread mercury‐
containing powder or mercury vapor, although available information on this problem is limited.]” —from the EPA’s What to Do if a Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Bulb or Fluorescent Tube Light Bulb Breaks in Your Home which is kind of freaking me out
containing powder or mercury vapor, although available information on this problem is limited.]” —from the EPA’s What to Do if a Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Bulb or Fluorescent Tube Light Bulb Breaks in Your Home which is kind of freaking me out
“When I signed my contract, my main goal was to earn it. Once I started to realize I wasn’t earning my money, I felt bad. I was making a crazy amount of money for not even pitching. Honestly, I didn’t feel like I deserved it. I didn’t want to have those feelings again.”
—Gil Meche, melting some of the snow in my heart
“Education is a bubble in a classic sense. To call something a bubble, it must be overpriced and there must be an intense belief in it…. [W]hen people make a mistake in taking on an education loan, they’re legally much more difficult to get out of than housing loans. With housing, typically they’re non-recourse—you can just walk out of the house. With education, they’re recourse, and they typically survive bankruptcy. If you borrowed money and went to a college where the education didn’t create any value, that is potentially a really big mistake…. I estimate that 70 to 80 percent of the colleges in the U.S. are not generating a positive return on investment.”
—Peter Thiel
