Ben Wilson

When he gets to school, he immediately excels at school to the point where in high school, his physics teacher tells him, there is nothing more I can do for you. You know, you just know more about this stuff than even I do. And he becomes obsessed with optics at a very young age, the study of light and how it's transmitted and how it's perceived. He loves learning about this.

When he gets to school, he immediately excels at school to the point where in high school, his physics teacher tells him, there is nothing more I can do for you. You know, you just know more about this stuff than even I do. And he becomes obsessed with optics at a very young age, the study of light and how it's transmitted and how it's perceived. He loves learning about this.

He has an optics book that he says he reads every day like it's the Bible. He learns about polarization of light at a summer camp. This summer camp, I can't tell if maybe it's a scout camp, maybe it's a Jewish camp. I know that's a thing that Jewish kids do on the East Coast. Anyway, whether it's a scout camp or a Jewish camp, he has a camp counselor who introduces him to the idea of polarization.

He has an optics book that he says he reads every day like it's the Bible. He learns about polarization of light at a summer camp. This summer camp, I can't tell if maybe it's a scout camp, maybe it's a Jewish camp. I know that's a thing that Jewish kids do on the East Coast. Anyway, whether it's a scout camp or a Jewish camp, he has a camp counselor who introduces him to the idea of polarization.

And a polarizer is a filter that only allows through certain wavelengths of light. So, for example, on ski goggles. Basically, all ski goggles these days are polarized because a polarizer can block certain wavelengths, and that includes bright white lights, which then eliminates all the glare that you would otherwise get from sunlight bouncing off of bright white snow.

And a polarizer is a filter that only allows through certain wavelengths of light. So, for example, on ski goggles. Basically, all ski goggles these days are polarized because a polarizer can block certain wavelengths, and that includes bright white lights, which then eliminates all the glare that you would otherwise get from sunlight bouncing off of bright white snow.

But none of this exists yet. There are no ski goggles, no polarized goggles of any kind in the early 1900s. Polarizers at this point are still just a brand new concept, basically. So Land hears about polarizers from this counselor when he's still in high school. And at the time, the only polarizers were natural ones. So the most famous of which is in Iceland.

But none of this exists yet. There are no ski goggles, no polarized goggles of any kind in the early 1900s. Polarizers at this point are still just a brand new concept, basically. So Land hears about polarizers from this counselor when he's still in high school. And at the time, the only polarizers were natural ones. So the most famous of which is in Iceland.

Icelandic fishermen would use a naturally occurring mineral, calcite, as a polarizer. So when the sun was out, it would create glare on the surface of the ocean, which would then make it difficult for them to see down beneath the surface. So they would look through the calcite to eliminate glare and see fish beneath the surface of the ocean so they would know where to fish.

Icelandic fishermen would use a naturally occurring mineral, calcite, as a polarizer. So when the sun was out, it would create glare on the surface of the ocean, which would then make it difficult for them to see down beneath the surface. So they would look through the calcite to eliminate glare and see fish beneath the surface of the ocean so they would know where to fish.

So Land hears about polarizers and how cool they are and becomes obsessed with the idea of bringing the world a synthetic polarizer so you don't have to carry around like a big mineral calcite to use polarization. And at this point, he feels like he has his mission in his life already, the creation of synthetic polarizers. He's totally obsessed with the idea, consumed by it.

So Land hears about polarizers and how cool they are and becomes obsessed with the idea of bringing the world a synthetic polarizer so you don't have to carry around like a big mineral calcite to use polarization. And at this point, he feels like he has his mission in his life already, the creation of synthetic polarizers. He's totally obsessed with the idea, consumed by it.

He's thinking of all these different ways that you could use it to eliminate headlight glare. If you use it in the windshields of automobiles, you could use it in sunglasses to eliminate glare. He's just thinking of all these ways that polarization and a synthetic polarizer that you could manufacture and distribute everywhere could change people's lives. So he's got this mission in life.

He's thinking of all these different ways that you could use it to eliminate headlight glare. If you use it in the windshields of automobiles, you could use it in sunglasses to eliminate glare. He's just thinking of all these ways that polarization and a synthetic polarizer that you could manufacture and distribute everywhere could change people's lives. So he's got this mission in life.

He graduates from high school, goes to Harvard for one year where he studies physics and especially optics. And then he leaves after a year because he's really frustrated by the rigidity of the curriculum and the way that people studied. He wants to discover the secrets of light and polarization. He wants to experiment and learn new things. Meanwhile, you know, he's in college.

He graduates from high school, goes to Harvard for one year where he studies physics and especially optics. And then he leaves after a year because he's really frustrated by the rigidity of the curriculum and the way that people studied. He wants to discover the secrets of light and polarization. He wants to experiment and learn new things. Meanwhile, you know, he's in college.

He just wanted to shut up and study and go to class and get his grades. So he drops out of Harvard after only a year. At first, he moves to Chicago and he flirts with the idea of writing a novel, the next great American novel. And I do find it interesting that both he and Steve Jobs considered becoming novelists before firmly deciding against it and going into technology.

He just wanted to shut up and study and go to class and get his grades. So he drops out of Harvard after only a year. At first, he moves to Chicago and he flirts with the idea of writing a novel, the next great American novel. And I do find it interesting that both he and Steve Jobs considered becoming novelists before firmly deciding against it and going into technology.

It's like one small but interesting connection between the two. So he briefly does this. This only lasts like weeks, maybe a month or two. Then he moves to New York City where he borrows some money from his dad so he can live in a dingy basement apartment and embark on independent research. He collaborates with some students studying ophthalmology at Columbia University and

It's like one small but interesting connection between the two. So he briefly does this. This only lasts like weeks, maybe a month or two. Then he moves to New York City where he borrows some money from his dad so he can live in a dingy basement apartment and embark on independent research. He collaborates with some students studying ophthalmology at Columbia University and