Simple things should be simple and complex things should be possible.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of simplicity in design and the possibility of tackling complexity effectively.
Alan Kay's quote highlights a fundamental principle in programming and design: that everyday tasks and systems should be straightforward to use, while more complex functionalities should remain attainable and manageable. It suggests that innovation should focus on making simple processes efficient and accessible while enabling users to handle intricate issues without excessive barriers.
In practice
In a presentation about software design, you might use this quote to highlight the importance of user-friendly interfaces.
The Internet was done so well that most people think of it as a natural resource like the Pacific Ocean, rather than something that was man-made. When was the last time a technology with a scale like that was so error-free? The Web, in comparison, is a joke. The Web was done by amateurs.
Perspective is worth 80 IQ points.
The greatest single programming language ever designed
By the time I got to school, I had already read a couple hundred books. I knew in the first grade that they were lying to me because I had already been exposed to other points of view. School is basically about one point of view -- the one the teacher has or the textbooks have. They don't like the idea of having different points of view, so it was a battle. Of course I would pipe up with my five-year-old voice.
If you're not failing 90% of the time, then you're probably not working on sufficiently challenging problems.
Scratch the surface in a typical boardroom and we're all just cavemen with briefcases, hungry for a wise person to tell us stories.
Software is a great combination between artistry and engineering.
The trouble with energy farming is that the energy isn't always where you want to use it, and it isn't always when you want to use it.
In our interconnected world, novel technology could empower just one fanatic, or some weirdo with a mindset of those who now design computer viruses, to trigger some kind of disaster. Indeed, catastrophe could arise simply from technical misadventure - error rather than terror.
The gulf between what the press and many regular people believe Bitcoin is, and what a growing critical mass of technologists believe Bitcoin is, remains enormous.
I don't think in today's world you can go too far. However you may feel about social media or the Internet or selfies, it's part of how we all live today. 'Vogue' needs to understand and reflect that.
The Internet is just a world passing around notes in a classroom.
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