“You can’t connect the dots looking forward – you can only connect them looking backwards … you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future – you have to trust in something … your gut, destiny, karma, whatever – because believing the dots will connect down the road, will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the beaten path”

overhead: Stanford commencement speech

context: Steve Jobs’ words to the next generation of hopeful change makers

“no, i’m sorry, ruthlessly expressing one’s emotions is wrong”

overheard: London, UK

context: englishman to an american on their cultural differences

“No, no we can’t say ‘evil geek’ … go with ‘web fiend’!”

overheard: a national red-top newsroom, London, UK

context: two (print) sub editors manfully struggle with the subtleties

of digital name-calling

guy: “women are like facebook, they’re always changing the API and breaking my code”

girl: “fair enough, but if you’re such  a clever developer … you’ll fix the code”

overheard: London, UK

context: colleagues discussing the politics of life

“it’s the candyman of slang, if you say it enough times, it becomes real”

overheard: London, UK

context: two girls musing over the pop-linguistic word of the year ‘Amazeballs’

“it just sort of feels like britain is a nation in denial of its primal urges”

overheard: London, UK

context: an englishman to his international friends when prompted to comment on his nation’s prudishness

“wait, but if you’re jewish you’re from islam right? aren’t people from israel called islam?”

overheard: Toronto, Canada

context: an eighteen year old girl in conversation with her cousin in regards to Jesus being Jewish

“isn’t he keeping you for the summer?”

overheard: Chartered Yacht, South of Spain

context: one hired escort to the other as she departed from the holiday

“no, because you haf to burn zee fat, ok? you have haf to burn zee fat first, then vee work on zee toning – first vee must get rid of all zee fat, ok?!”

overheard: Virgin Active Chelsea, London

context: a trainer to her rather plump client at a slightly mortifying volume

“don’t worry about process, let’s just focus on alcohol”

overheard: on the Fulham rd., London, UK

context: two 20 somethings on what i suspect to be a first and last date