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Smart Folks
I consider myself a person of reasonable intelligence. That being said,
There are a number of people I recognize to be far smarter than I am.
Below I have comprised a partial list of people smarter than I, and in what
areas.
I am a firm believer that one should surround themselves with people far smarter than they are.
It my case, that does not prove all that difficult! I have also heard it said that your intelligence
at any given time is relative to where you happen to be standing at that moment. Constantly
placing yourself in contact with intelligent people gives you bonus points.
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Steve Routley
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Without a doubt, Steve holds more knowledge about things mechanically automotive than
any other person I have met. I can ask him any question over the phone with the poorest
of descriptions, and he will be able to diagnose the problem immediately without
even having to see the car.
Beyond Cars, Steve is also the true 'Jack of all trades'. In his work life, Steve has been
an auto mechanic, a network administrator, construction worker, professional web
programmer, and finally, an accomplished artist. I am pretty dang curious to see what
comes up next.
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Jim Lloyd
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Jim is an engineering stud. I first met Jim when we were both independant consultants
working for the same company. A little over one year from then, I went to work for Jim
at eBay. I don't think I have ever met another engineer with a brain so aware of even
the finest of details in a design. As such, Jim is an incredible distributed systems
engineer.
Jim is also an outstanding intellectual conversationist. Jim has a wealth of knowledge
in areas of theoretical mathematics, and physics. I have spent many an hour with Jim
trying to keep up as we work our way through discussions of philosophy, physics,
mathematics, and the ever dangerous topic of politics.
Jim is definitely one of those individuals for whom when you speak with him, you can feel
your own I.Q. rising. Great guy. Good friend.
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Katherine Glassey
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Katherine is one of the more eccentric people I know. I could write pages about
Katherine, and still not hit the mark. Katherine carries a very powerful presense
around her. When walking into a room where Katherine is present, you can quickly
deduce whose mind is working faster than everyone else's. Katherine is one of the few
individuals I know who can honestly do multiple tasks at once, and do them all well.
For many people this is a put-off being that they desire, and expect, to have a person's
undivided attention when speaking with them. Having someone performing five other
tasks while maintaining a conversation with you can be a little unnerving, but Katherine
does it well.
There are a number of people that do not like Katherine. I attribute this to a few
things. First, Katherine is off-the-chart intelligent. They say when two people have
a difference in I.Q. between them of more than 30 points, they have a difficult time
communicating with one another. Second, because Katherine's mind works so fast, she
often times speaks incongruently about ideas, and has the ability to change direction
rapidly. Most people are unable to keep up, and as a result, are easily frustrated.
For my part, I am proud to call Katherine a friend, and absolutely love the limited
time I am able to spend with her. I do find that one hour with Katherine requires
about three additional hours to digest all that we talked about in that hour!
Probably the greatest thing that can be said about Katherine is the loyalty she instills
in those around her. For those people that love Katherine, and fully understand her
abilities, I cannot think of one that would not follow her on any project she was leading.
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Aaron Becker
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I first met Aaron at a Santa Cruz Flying club event. See my
journal entry
for this day. Aaron
owns a beautiful Citabria plane, and flies a 1941 Waco
open-cockpit Bi-Plane owned by a
friend.
I am a firm believer that everyone is a genius at something, and that as humans,
it should
be our life's ambition to find that one thing. I know very little about
Aaron that does not
relate to flying, but it appears to me that Aaron has found
his genius in flying.
Aaron is by far the most gifted pilot I have ever
come across. He has a natural flying ability
that seems to defy physics. I
have never seen another pilot fly with even the fraction of
expertise Aaron has.
His 1966 Citabria seems to become a part of his body when he flies.
I have seen
Aaron seemingly hover, and approach landings in circumstances that would
most definitely cause other pilots to lose control of their aircraft. Aaron
performs these
maneuvers with an almost mesmerizing grace.
Aaron is also a very un-assuming, and generous individual. He donates his time
and
abilities to just about anyone I have seen show an interest. I know very little
more about
Aaron, but very much enjoy meeting up with him both on the ground and
in the air. I
constantly hope that the more time I spend around Aaron, the more
my own aero abilities
will increase.
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Violet Wierzbicki
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Violet Wierzbicki is one of the most interesting people I know, and will probably ever know.
Just about everyone I share stories of Violet with, seem to agree. Of all the people I
have ever met in my life, Violet is the single person I know who I can honestly say is self-
actualized… meaning that she has achieved pinnacles in life most people only dream
about.
Violet was born to a Polish-Ukrainian immigrant family living in Flint Michigan during the
winter of 1917. Violet grew up nurtured by a strong mother who taught her daughter to be
independent, adventuresome, and fearless. Violet tells me incredible stories of adventures
I could not possibly make up; some of which include her family boarding from moon-
shiners,
and 'women of questionable reputation' while she was growing up during the
roaring twenties, dancing all night in the East Room of the Whitehouse with Roosevelt's
secret service agents while the president was out of town, endless adventures about her
flying World War II fighter planes with the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs)
during World War II, flying with 1930's Hollywood stunt pilot and actress, Mary Wiggins,
and lobbying congress in 1978 on the steps of the Capital to finally
recognize the
contributions of the WASPs through militarization.
I meet with Violet every two weeks. We are jointly working on Violet's book chronicling
the many truly awesome things Violet has seen and accomplished. Our talks include
debates on the latest political situations in our country and around the world, personal
reviews of current independent films, as well as more detail to write about in Violet's book.
I lead
a fairly hectic life where most everyday I must decide what in that day will have to slip
to the next… But Violet is always my highest priority on the days we meet. I would not
trade my time with Violet for anything. With some people you feel more intelligent in
their presence… with Violet, I feel more alive, and in love with life.
I will be sharing some of the work Violet and I are working on for review, but until then,
please feel free to view some of the pictures I have of Violet -
In uniform
, on the wing of a
BT-13
Army trainer, and target towing for army gunnery practice.
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Ken Eynon
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I frequently receive requests from people (both strange and familiar) wanting to be added
to this list. In most cases, I ignore them, or bantar back and forth with them. Most people
on this list are people that did not need to ask to be placed here.
Enter my brother Ken. Family members are strange and awkward on a lists like this. I am
certain I will receive messages from people upset that I put up blood on this list instead
of them. As well, its difficult from my end since I have grown up with Ken and seen first
hand all the stupid things he has done in his life; and as the old addage goes, "No one
remembers when I'm right. No one forgets when I am wrong." I guess I am guilty of that with
my brother Ken. I remember all the STOOOPID things he has done, and am therefore a
little jaded when the topic of his genius comes up.
All that said, there is one thing Ken is a true virtuoso at, and not even my memories of
growing up with Ken can nullify. Ken is a master salesman. Ken could sell peace to
the Spartans, a dictator to the Athenians, and clothes to the Sirens. He is that good.
I once had a conversation with a CEO friend of mine. He explained to me
that the true measure of a salesman is whether or not he can close a deal. By that ideal,
Ken must be very, very good -- after all... he convinced me to add him here.
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