In the early days of the software industry, people cared about copyright and didn't give a damn about patents - they copied each other willy-nilly. Nathan Myhrvold carecopycopyright Change image and share on social
There is a one-in-300 chance that Earth will be struck on March 16, 2880, by an asteroid large enough to destroy civilization and possibly cause the extinction of the human race. But, on the bright side, Prince could re-release his hit song with the new refrain 'We're gonna party like its twenty-eight seventy-nine.' Nathan Myhrvold asteroidbrightchance share on social
The idea behind a dish - the delight and the surprise - makes a difference. Great literature surprises and delights, and provokes us. It isn't just 'Here's the facts - boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl.' It's how you tell it. Nathan Myhrvold boydelightdifference share on social
We collectively have a special place in our heart for the manned space flight program - Apollo nostalgia is one element, but that is only part of it. American culture worships explorers - look at the fame of Lewis and Clark, for example. The American people want to think of themselves as supporting exploration. Nathan Myhrvold americanapolloclark share on social
Regardless of how it's done, transaction costs will continue to plummet as computers get more powerful. Low transaction costs are a wonderful thing if you're in the transaction business. They're wonderful for consumers too, making it cheaper and easier to buy things and creating new things to buy. Nathan Myhrvold businessbuycheap share on social
By burning nuclear waste as fuel, we believe we can power the United States cleanly for hundreds of years without ever touching new resources. Nathan Myhrvold burncleanlyfuel Change image and share on social
We're more familiar with what economists call an English auction - prices start low and rise as people bid. However, there is also the Dutch auction, where prices start high and go lower until somebody bites. Movies are sold to the audience via a very slow Dutch auction, where each phase between price drops can last weeks or months. Nathan Myhrvold auctionaudiencebid share on social
The way Moore's Law occurs in computing is really unprecedented in other walks of life. If the Boeing 747 obeyed Moore's Law, it would travel a million miles an hour, it would be shrunken down in size, and a trip to New York would cost about five dollars. Those enormous changes just aren't part of our everyday experience. Nathan Myhrvold boecomputecost share on social
The magic words 'on the Internet,' if inserted into nearly any sentence, seem to protect it from normal critical scrutiny. Nathan Myhrvold criticalinsertinternet Change image and share on social
People who grow up in a region doubtless have a better cultural awareness of their own cuisine, but it's also true that a lot of locals go to McDonald's, Applebee's and the like. Nathan Myhrvold applebeeawarenesscuisine Change image and share on social