Now, at school, I was forced to sit in classes, to take notes and exams, to use textbooks that were flat, impersonal, deadly.

The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable. Web companies like to boast about […], or offering services that let you stay up to date with what your friends are doing,[…]and so on. But the real way to build a successful online business is to be better than your rivals at undermining people's control of their own attention.

I grabbed it and ran over to the lion from behind, the cat still chewing thoughtfully on Silent's arm.

I would advise you to be watchful, I said, without affect or pitch in my voice. “I am not some gamma male who thinks combat is a symposium or dissertation defense. […]"