Ben Wilson

And he even breaks into a laboratory after hours to use their equipment to conduct experiments. This is another example of high agency behavior, right? When people tell you, no, you can't use this lab. You have nowhere to study and conduct your experiments. Do you just say, well, okay, you know, I tried.

And he even breaks into a laboratory after hours to use their equipment to conduct experiments. This is another example of high agency behavior, right? When people tell you, no, you can't use this lab. You have nowhere to study and conduct your experiments. Do you just say, well, okay, you know, I tried.

Or do you prop open a couple windows and sneak in at midnight to go conduct your experiments when no one's looking, right? That's what he does. High agency. But most of the time, he's not in the lab. He's doing a lot of experimenting, but he's also either in his basement or at the New York Public Library. He actually gets married at this time. He marries very young. He marries very well.

Or do you prop open a couple windows and sneak in at midnight to go conduct your experiments when no one's looking, right? That's what he does. High agency. But most of the time, he's not in the lab. He's doing a lot of experimenting, but he's also either in his basement or at the New York Public Library. He actually gets married at this time. He marries very young. He marries very well.

His wife is a great companion for him, very supportive. Land was actually incredibly curious. He wanted to learn a lot. And so he gets very bored once he has figured out a solution. So this is a problem when he's at Harvard. He does end up, you know, spoiler, going back to Harvard. When he's at Harvard, he doesn't want to finish his homework. He will do the homework.

His wife is a great companion for him, very supportive. Land was actually incredibly curious. He wanted to learn a lot. And so he gets very bored once he has figured out a solution. So this is a problem when he's at Harvard. He does end up, you know, spoiler, going back to Harvard. When he's at Harvard, he doesn't want to finish his homework. He will do the homework.

He'll study it until he knows the solution in his head, and then he just drops it. And so he's got all this half-completed homework with the solution, but none of the work done. And so she would actually come and Pick up his homework, look at the solution, and then kind of fill it all out and complete it so that he can turn it in and get a good grade.

He'll study it until he knows the solution in his head, and then he just drops it. And so he's got all this half-completed homework with the solution, but none of the work done. And so she would actually come and Pick up his homework, look at the solution, and then kind of fill it all out and complete it so that he can turn it in and get a good grade.

So they would have a very faithful, constant, in many ways, boring marriage for their entire lives. And Edwin Lamb thought that this was part of his success. He wrote, quote, no person could possibly be original in one area. Unless he were possessed of the emotional and social stability that comes from fixed attitudes in all areas other than the one in which he's being original.

So they would have a very faithful, constant, in many ways, boring marriage for their entire lives. And Edwin Lamb thought that this was part of his success. He wrote, quote, no person could possibly be original in one area. Unless he were possessed of the emotional and social stability that comes from fixed attitudes in all areas other than the one in which he's being original.

The inventor's dependency on the fixed attitudes of the society around him is very nearly total. And I doubt whether any person can be happy who rejects this structure of society, intellectual and social. Okay. So the totally unchanging, boring, fixed nature of his home life allows him to be very creative in the laboratory. That is how Land saw it. So he's in New York. He's married.

The inventor's dependency on the fixed attitudes of the society around him is very nearly total. And I doubt whether any person can be happy who rejects this structure of society, intellectual and social. Okay. So the totally unchanging, boring, fixed nature of his home life allows him to be very creative in the laboratory. That is how Land saw it. So he's in New York. He's married.

He's got his boring home life. He hires one assistant and works on the issue of manufacturing synthetic polarizer day and night. He's totally obsessed. I've talked before, especially in the Isaac Newton episode, about how these periods of intense focus can change your life. And Land has one of the best quotes about these periods I have ever read.

He's got his boring home life. He hires one assistant and works on the issue of manufacturing synthetic polarizer day and night. He's totally obsessed. I've talked before, especially in the Isaac Newton episode, about how these periods of intense focus can change your life. And Land has one of the best quotes about these periods I have ever read.

This is one of my favorite quotes ever, period, about anything. Here's what he said. He's describing the attitude. He says, you want to be almost alone with just a few friends. You want to be undisturbed. You want to be free to think, not for an hour at a time or three hours at a time, but for two days or two weeks, if possible, without interruption.

This is one of my favorite quotes ever, period, about anything. Here's what he said. He's describing the attitude. He says, you want to be almost alone with just a few friends. You want to be undisturbed. You want to be free to think, not for an hour at a time or three hours at a time, but for two days or two weeks, if possible, without interruption.

You don't want to drive the family car or go to parties. You wish people would just go away and leave you alone while you get something straight. Then you get it straight and you embody it. And during that period of embodiment, you have a feeling of almost divine guidance.

You don't want to drive the family car or go to parties. You wish people would just go away and leave you alone while you get something straight. Then you get it straight and you embody it. And during that period of embodiment, you have a feeling of almost divine guidance.

Then it is done and suddenly you are alone and you have to go back to your friends and the world around you and to all history to be refreshed, to feel alive and human once again. Okay, I love, you know, I already said this, two weeks can change your life. I love that he highlights actually that period, two days or two weeks, if possible.

Then it is done and suddenly you are alone and you have to go back to your friends and the world around you and to all history to be refreshed, to feel alive and human once again. Okay, I love, you know, I already said this, two weeks can change your life. I love that he highlights actually that period, two days or two weeks, if possible.