Gotta love Gladwell

It’s scarcely new (dates back to May), but I stumbled across this really interesting article by Malcolm Gladwell and thought I’d share it.  It’s funny, but for me saying Gladwell wrote an interesting article sounds redundant… he always seems to find fascinating stuff to write about.  In fact, I suppose that, were I to have gone into journalism, I would have very much enjoyed the profession – provided that I could have found a niche similar to his.  It wouldn’t have had to be as prominent, but as variegated would’ve been nice.

It’s fascinating to think of how often invention occurs nearly simultaneously in separate areas.  One example that Gladwell mentions that is dear to my heart is that of Newton and Leibniz and the controversy over who really ‘invented’ the calculus.  It seems the more amazing feat is to invent something that nobody else has dared to dream of.  Because once the time is ripe for a new idea it will pop out – and the longer the wait, the more likely that several people will ‘discover’ that idea independently.

Anyhow, hope you enjoy the article as much as I did!