I am certain there is too much certainty in the world.
Michael Crichton
Books aren't written - they're rewritten. Including your own. It is one of the hardest things to accept, especially after the seventh rewrite hasn't quite done it.
In the information society, nobody thinks. We expect to banish paper, but we actually banish thought.
Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled.
We all live every day in virtual environments, defined by our ideas.
Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you're being had.
The American media produce a product of very poor quality. Its information is not reliable, it has too much chrome and glitz, its doors rattle, it breaks down almost immediately, and it's sold without warranty. It's flashy, but it's basically junk.
They are focused on whether they can do something. They never think whether they should do something.
I'd rather see artificial intelligence than no intelligence.
It's not easy to cut through a human head with a hacksaw.
Human beings never think for themselves; they find it too uncomfortable. For the most part, members of our species simply repeat what they are told - and become upset if they are exposed to any different view.
Readers probably haven't heard much about it yet, but they will. Quantum technology turns ordinary reality upside down.
It's not unreasonable to imagine that, at least as we're in a transition to a world economy, it's still necessary now to pay attention to how our country is doing economically in comparison with other countries.
Unfortunately, our postwar policy has been to ask Japan to change so that our economic policies will dovetail. I think that is completely wrong. The solution is for America to change.
The belief that there are other life forms in the universe is a matter of faith. There is not a single shred of evidence for any other life forms, and in forty years of searching, none has been discovered. There is absolutely no evidentiary reason to maintain this belief.
We are stubborn, self-destructive conformists. Any other view of our species is just a self-congratulatory delusion.
In the postwar period, Americans turned away from quality as the principal goal of manufacturing and made cost the principal goal. Japanese, restructuring their companies, made exactly the opposite decision.
I tended to faint when I saw accident victims in the emergency ward, during surgery, or while drawing blood.
When I have political discussions with my friends, I piss them off because my personal position is that there's no difference between the parties. It's the Red Sox and the Mets.
The characteristic human trait is not awareness but conformity, and the characteristic result is religious warfare. Other animals fight for territory or food; but, uniquely in the animal kingdom, human beings fight for their 'beliefs.'
There is an idea of, you know, informing people about some emerging things. And part of that is just a reflection of my own interest, following different areas and saying, you know, look what they're doing now.
I want a news service that tells me what no one knows but is true nonetheless.
Instead of writing thrillers to pay for my train bills, I was actually now going to medical school in order to have something to write about.
I am now very interested in computer technology as it is used currently to make games. I think this technology is very powerful and could be used in new ways.
One of the things that Americans, as a multiracial society, feel is a tremendous sensitivity to racial comments of all kinds.
