2 ms·

Why did I know them? Or why do I think of them as extraordinarily smart? I think of "smart" as highly situational. I've known people with genius math or progra

• mezod 2y ago
  why do you think them as extraordinarily smart the title char limit made it hard to word :_ I agree with you, that's why I used "in the broad sense" otherwise we will all be saying Torvalds, Cerf, Berners-Lee, and the likes :p
  • gregjor 2y ago
    I don’t know any of those people except by name and reputation. I met Alan Kay once, briefly. He seems smart. I worked for a smart guy years ago. Two PhDs math and comp sci, serial entrepreneur, wealthy. He probably taught me more than anyone else ever did. I wrote almost all the core code for a sophisticated oil and gas exploration system back in the early 80s. Then he screwed me out of equity in the company when he sold it for tens of millions. I worked with some amazing people at Apple, very smart, many of them on the spectrum as well. When I think of smart people I know of, but don’t know personally, Umberto Eco comes to mind. I test as smart and do well enough professionally, have a decent education, but my wife and even my six-year-old granddaughter can outwit me. I think of all three of my children as smart but of course every parent thinks that.