Life Between 0 and 1

Inspired by Nerd in the Brain

Bring the happy!

This week I’m taking a slightly different angle on this and I’m going to highlight three of the people that I’ve been inspried by in my life. These people have, at the time I discovered them, provided me an altered way of thinking or living my life.

Alexander Hamilton

He is a relatively new addition to my inspiring people. While reading With Liberty and Justice for Some (Glenn Greenwald), there are quotes from The Federalist Papers sprinkled throughout the book that provided insight into how Hamilton, in 1787 and 1788, advocated ratification of the Constitution. I’ve begun reading these papers as best I can as the language used is difficult to understand at times. I’ve already read the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution at this point, making The Federalist Papers more meaningful to read. Here is a quote from the Constitution that I believe we as a society have mostly forgotten.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

George Westinghouse

Often the forgotten inventor at the turn of the century as he was competing with Thomas Edison, he was a pioneer in the way labor forces were treated. He provided housing, food, good wages, time off, and other benefits that a lot of take for granted now. Not only did he provide these benefits at a time when it wasn’t standard, he also would walk his factories and work alongside his employees. His two biggest accomplishments were the invention of the locomotive steam and air brake system and the import and improvement of the alternating current transformer. Both of these revolutionized life at their time and I’d like to think that this sort of innovation is still possible.

William Shockley

Not too many know who this actually is or what he did to revolutionize technology. He, along with John Bardeen and Walter Brattain, tested the first transistor on December 16, 1947. I did a research paper on him in my senior year of high school. Having owned a computer for more than 3 years at that point in time, I now knew the team that made it possible for me to do what I’m doing right now; electronically publishing a blog. The transistor, improved over time, has made smartphones, laptops, and miniaturization of technology possible. Without the transistor, our modern world would never have happened.

TTT Music Album Recommendation

Love, Lust, & Bad Company
by Stellar Revival