It’s that “vision” thing:

On 'Cloud Nine' Through Architecture

“That’s likely because “cloud computing” isn’t a “thing”, it’s an architecture; it’s an operational model, a deployment model, even a financial model, but it’s not a tangible “thing” with a specific “secret ingredient” that makes it work. Cloudness is, in fact, very much like DNA: it’s the way in which the individual strands of genetic material (infrastructure) are intertwined (processes) and t...

It’s a Good Thing his Eyes Itched

Race, genes, power.

. . . [T]he thing is, we treat racism in this country like it’s a style that America went through. Like flared legs and lava lamps. Oh, that crazy thing we did.We were hanging black people. We treat it like a fad instead of a disease that eradicates millions of people. You’ve got to get it at a lab, and study it, and see its origins, and see what it’s immune to and what breaks it down. (Chris R...

Raising the Tone: Definition, Bullshit, and the Definition of Bullshit

I always love that kind of argument. The contrary of a thing isn’t the contrary; oh, dear me, no! It’s the thing itself, but as it truly is. Ask any die-hard what conservatism is; he’ll tell you that it’s true socialism. And the brewers’ trade papers: they’re full of articles about the beauty of true temperance. Ordinary temperance is just gross refusal to drink; but true temperance, true tempe...

The next big thing.

Computer graphics is always growing, in both the techniques it employs and the areas in which it’s applied. We continually see waves of new approaches and applications coming from other fields. At first, these new ideas meet some resistance. People question, “Is this really computer graphics?” However, these original, controversial views often become central to computer graphics. This special i...

A CONVERSATION WITH THOMAS H. LEE, MD Physicians and Provider Organizers Should Ease Suffering, Invite Feedback.

I’m curious about the genesis of the book. What prompted you to write it? You’ve known me in a variety of different contexts*, and this book actually was my attempt to tie it all together—all the things that I think, worry, talk, and write about related to making the health care system work. How does the marketplace work? How do we make sure the marketplace is competing on the right things? Tha...