Lasers:lightbulbs, hedgehogs:foxes

I recently had an email exchange with a well-known, polymathic academic. He regretfully turned down collaborating on a project with me because, he wrote, “I used to be a lightbulb and now I’m a laser.” He’s found a worthy obsession, and that’s where his energies are devoted.

We certainly need lasers, but let’s not neglect the value of lightbulbs. The world, it seems, increasingly favors the hedgehog. I have a soft spot for foxes.

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