The wettest, weirdest environment is human interaction. Whatever we build gets misunderstood, corroded and chronic, and it happens quickly and in unpredictable ways. That's one reason why the web is so fascinating-it's a collision between the analytic world of code and wet world of people.

Instead of focusing on arguing with people who say no, it might be easier to get near the people who like to say yes.

Competence is no longer a scarce commodity.

We fail when we give up too soon.

Self sufficiency appears to be a worthy goal, but it's now impossible if you want to actually get anything done. All our productivity, leverage and insight comes from being part of a community, not apart from it. The goal, I think, is to figure out how to become more dependent, not less.

Are you doing work worth doing, or are you just doing your job?

If the game is designed for you to lose, don't play that game. Play a different one.