The more arbitrary the rules imposed by an authority — the more at odds they are with reality — the more opportunities they create for hacking them. - Paul Graham

If you want to get someone famous to speak at your event, you're much more likely to get them to agree if it's a Q&A session rather than a talk. A talk = a week of worry for those who are not professional talkers (e.g. politicians), whereas a Q&A session you just show up for.

The way I can tell I didn't say a quote attributed to me is not by remembering everything I've ever said, but by knowing what I would say. When I read something and think "I'd never write that," I know I didn't.

To launch a taboo, a group has to be poised halfway between weakness and power. A confident group doesn’t need taboos to protect it. It’s not considered improper to make disparaging remarks about Americans, or the English. And yet a group has to be powerful enough to enforce a taboo.