fidelity versus romance

When I was kid, audiophiles were obsessed with "high fidelity". But the sounds of the world are quite harsh, and the muting effects of human insulation in a concert hall along with the muddy distortions introduced by tube amplifiers produce a chiarescuro idealization of the acoustic experience.

Discpline versus dissipation

Data and statistics do not make you smart -- they protect you from your own intelligence. When you follow the data, you stick with the plodding, obvious and true -- undistracted by your clever ideas.

overheard on the el

A: Guns aren't the problem, people are!
B: And the more guns, the fewer people; if people are the problem, guns are the solution!