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Hrm. This is a valid critique, I'm sorry it came off like this. Let me say this, if I'm wrong, and I very well might be, I won't have a moments hesitation in l

Hrm. This is a valid critique, I'm sorry it came off like this. Let me say this, if I'm wrong, and I very well might be, I won't have a moments hesitation in lauding his success. Just as you rightly point out Mr. Kurzweil should be lauded for his many past successes. I wrote this because I care deeply about this topic and want very much for Mr. Page, Mr. Kurzweil, all of us to succeed. I happen to have a bit of experience and knowledge that inform these beliefs but to me this is a goal far too important for ego, so if I'm wrong it won't stop me from cheering. I appreciate your comment and will try to take your viewpoint into consideration in the future. Thanks.

jspthrowaway2 14y ago
Thank you for being reasonable in your response, and I'm glad that you've taken the comment to heart. I agree with another commenter: I think this letter would have been better left closed. I had the privilege of meeting Ray Kurzweil last year in New York at an intimate talk (he was annoyed he had to cut his preso down to an hour), and he's a genuinely smart guy and a real pleasure to talk with. That being said, he has some genuinely bananas-crazy ideas, and they might work or they might not. I'm happy to see him try on the off chance they will, though, and I'm glad Google is paying him to explore some. I know a lot about Paxos after spending years studying it and its implementations, but I'm not going to openly and publicly criticize Mike Burrows for his work on Google's Chubby. He knows a lot of things that I don't, and I'm smart enough to realize that. I'm more game to learn from his work than criticize Google for hiring him. I do take who a person is into account when thinking about their body of work, but only in the positive. That's where I'm coming from. You care about all of us working together and succeeding, yet try to divide with your letter, so it's a bit strange. That's all.
- iandanforth 14y ago
  I've edited the letter a bit with a note of the help I got from HN. Do you still feel it is divisive?

jspthrowaway2 14y ago

Thank you for being reasonable in your response, and I'm glad that you've taken the comment to heart. I agree with another commenter: I think this letter would have been better left closed. I had the privilege of meeting Ray Kurzweil last year in New York at an intimate talk (he was annoyed he had to cut his preso down to an hour), and he's a genuinely smart guy and a real pleasure to talk with. That being said, he has some genuinely bananas-crazy ideas, and they might work or they might not. I'm happy to see him try on the off chance they will, though, and I'm glad Google is paying him to explore some. I know a lot about Paxos after spending years studying it and its implementations, but I'm not going to openly and publicly criticize Mike Burrows for his work on Google's Chubby. He knows a lot of things that I don't, and I'm smart enough to realize that. I'm more game to learn from his work than criticize Google for hiring him. I do take who a person is into account when thinking about their body of work, but only in the positive. That's where I'm coming from. You care about all of us working together and succeeding, yet try to divide with your letter, so it's a bit strange. That's all.

iandanforth 14y ago
I've edited the letter a bit with a note of the help I got from HN. Do you still feel it is divisive?