How the Best Get Better

Comments

5 responses to “How the Best Get Better”

1. 

   mhp

   April 11, 2007

   After a childhood of being told to watch only price, I have learned that we must seek out value for money. Money alone does not define the utility you can obtain from something. Be it $1 or $1M, it is the return on “investment” from parting with that money is what should be evaluated.

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2. 

   Steven Mansour

   April 12, 2007

   Instead, think of whether it offers 45 dollars of value, or whether you can make an extra 45 bucks from what it taught you.

   Have we all come to the point where “value” is nothing more than the number after the dollar sign on our cheques? What if spending $45 dollars on a book helps you help someone else in their time of need, better equips you for dealing with a crisis or emergency, or teaches you a bit about what you can do to make the world a bit of a better place? Is there no “value” in that? When did your definition of “value” change?

   “We must seek out value for money” is the saddest thing I’ve read all day.

   Watching the slow decline from social values to economic ones in society at large is disappointing but expected – seeing it in someone you respect who oughta know better is downright depressing. :\

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3. 

   Julien

   April 12, 2007

   dude, come on. i never said there wasn’t value in any of the things you mentioned– i was only talking about one particular incident and what it made me think of.

   if we’re only talking about books, then in this year only, i’ve got a ratio of about 13 to 1 of books that i feel i’ve gained no financial value from, versus this one book that i do. i’m not certain this marks a decline of social values at all– nor that a decline of social values can even be assessed by reading three paragraphs i wrote.

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4. 

   Steven Mansour

   April 12, 2007

   Four paragraphs. 😉

   No, like I wrote in the previous comment, my main gripe is the appropriation of “value” to signify “dollar worth”.

   I didn’t say you said that you saw no value in those other things either. It’s just that between stuff this, the whole new “entrepreneurial” slant and your unflinching support of a company whose CEO embraces the torture of everyone who isn’t white, I’ve found myself unable to listen through to your awesome podcasts (and podcasting as a whole, since yours is the only one I was subscribed to 😉 ).

   Obviously I still read your stuff – and everything I write is from the perspective of someone who’s got tons of respect for you.

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5. 

   Mitch Joel

   April 15, 2007

   I’m glad you liked the CD Julien. I listen to it often. I know they are some simple concepts, but they are put together brilliantly and it gave me many idea sparks.

   From unique abilities to the ceiling of complexity.

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