Word: wakefulness
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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This fact is best seen from a perspective that flourished more than a century ago, as Emerson was fading from the intellectual scene. In the wake of Darwin's theory of natural selection, some anthropologists started viewing all human culture--music, technology, religion, whatever--as something that evolves rather as plants and animals evolve. "In the mental sphere the struggle for existence is not less fierce than in the physical," observed the British anthropologist Sir James Frazer. "In the end the better ideas carry...
...climbs a podium and launches into his Six Core Values speech, which is the linchpin of most of his speaking engagements. He always begins with the watchword of his faith: the customer comes first. "Wake up every morning terrified--not of the competition but of our customers...
...sitting at the computer in his 39th-floor office in midtown Manhattan, exploring the still immature Internet, and he found a site that purported to measure Net usage. Bezos couldn't believe it: the Internet was growing at a rate of 2,300% a year. "It was a wake-up call," he says. "I started thinking, O.K., what kind of business opportunity might there be here...
...munching on pizza, get your refrigerator to order the groceries. Electrolux and Frigidaire have already developed prototype smart fridges, which, we're promised, will automatically sense when your milk carton feels light or your cheese smells like unlaundered socks and will order more. In the wake of the smart fridge, food-industry experts are dreaming of a smart garbage can--we kid you not--that will read bar codes on stuff you throw away and notify the store--which would also be a major incentive for bachelors to keep their pads tidy...
Although it may not be possible on New Year's Eve, it's usually a good idea to go to bed at a decent hour. Even teetotalers tend to feel a bit hung over if they stay up all night. Don't be surprised, however, if you wake up a couple of hours after you fall asleep. Your brain counteracts alcohol's sedative effects by becoming more excited...