Surprise drives progress because innovation depends on the sort of knowledge no one can gather in a central place. Download Download Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Rotate quotes central depend drive
Glamour is a beautiful illusion - the word 'glamour' originally meant a literal magic spell - that promises to transcend ordinary life and make the ideal real. It depends on a special combination of mystery and grace. Too much information breaks the spell. Virginia Postrel beautifulbreakcombination share on social
Rich people in poor places want to show off their wealth. And their less affluent counterparts feel pressure to fake it, at least in public. Nobody wants the stigma of being thought poor. Virginia Postrel affluentcounterpartfake Change image and share on social
Persuasion has become a kind of force. The more the advertiser knows about what consumers want, and the more desires the product and packaging seek to fulfill, the more coercive the force. Virginia Postrel advertisercoerciveconsumer Change image and share on social
The way that Dickens structured his books has a form that we most readily recognize now from, say, the great T.V. series, like 'The Wire' or 'The Sopranos.' There's one central plot line, but then from that spin off all kinds of subplots. Jennifer Egan bookcentraldicken share on social
The standardization of world culture, with local popular or traditional forms driven out or dumbed down to make way for American television, American music, food, clothes and films, has been seen by many as the very heart of globalization. Fredric Jameson americanclotheculture share on social
The price of diamonds can vary greatly depending on size, cut, color, and other factors, including whether they have a history. But because of the rarity of blue boron diamonds, they often fetch more money than gems of similar quality. Sam Kean blueboroncolor share on social