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Beautiful article. I've loved reading the author's writing for over a decade now and this one lives up to his previous writings. This sentence, in particular,

Beautiful article. I've loved reading the author's writing for over a decade now and this one lives up to his previous writings. This sentence, in particular, caught my eye: >Hospitals are one of the very few places left where you encounter the whole span of society. As a startup founder building consumer tech products in the valley I find that I easily forget how different most people are from me. Hence I sometimes incorrectly assess relevant market size. It's one reason I like doing to the DMV because, like a hospital, it treats everyone the same and there you can see a near-perfect representation of society that you don't encounter elsewhere. I hope it gives me the awareness and humility to design better products for society.

abvdasker 8y ago
Before I even finished reading your comment I had the same thought about the DMV! The only other place where I've had a similar feeling of being part of a true cross section of America was when I was called in for jury duty last year. I often hear people criticize courts, hospitals and the DMV all for being inefficient and unpleasant institutions, but frankly I love them for the way they tend to equalize people. Just being around people from so many different walks of life can be a refreshing change from the socioeconomic bubble I tend to occupy in my daily life. This article served as a reminder to make an effort to seek out that kind of diversity.
dominotw 8y ago
> DMV because, like a hospital, it treats everyone the same From my experience, they are much ruder in if you live in a poor area than a rich suburb. They are way more crowded in poor areas. Same with hospitals, post office ect. > you can see a near-perfect representation of society You see people who live near you, aka ppl like you.
- amoorthy 8y ago
  Good caveats, thank you. Sigh, takes careful thought to really get out of the bubble we inhabit.

abvdasker 8y ago

Before I even finished reading your comment I had the same thought about the DMV! The only other place where I've had a similar feeling of being part of a true cross section of America was when I was called in for jury duty last year. I often hear people criticize courts, hospitals and the DMV all for being inefficient and unpleasant institutions, but frankly I love them for the way they tend to equalize people. Just being around people from so many different walks of life can be a refreshing change from the socioeconomic bubble I tend to occupy in my daily life. This article served as a reminder to make an effort to seek out that kind of diversity.

dominotw 8y ago

> DMV because, like a hospital, it treats everyone the same From my experience, they are much ruder in if you live in a poor area than a rich suburb. They are way more crowded in poor areas. Same with hospitals, post office ect. > you can see a near-perfect representation of society You see people who live near you, aka ppl like you.

amoorthy 8y ago
Good caveats, thank you. Sigh, takes careful thought to really get out of the bubble we inhabit.