January 13, 2026

No one remembers Mike

Ask most people to name the crew on the Apollo 11, the first moon landing, they’ll likely say Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, but not Michael Collins.

Ask most people to name the Three Italian Tenors and most people will say Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo, but probably not Jose Carerras.

But, in both cases (and in many others), the success of those whose names we remember are only remembered because of the work of everyone in the group. Without Michael Collins there may not have been a moon landing at all and Neil and Buzz might just be two other names we no longer remember. Without Jose Carerras, the Three Italian Tenors are just the Two Italian Tenors, which is no longer the supergroup we remember.

It’s easy to believe that the single name on the cover of a book or the signature at the bottom of a masterpiece painting is the work of that person and that person alone. The likely reality is that the transcendant achievements of humanity, either in science or the arts, are not the result of individual genius or intense adversarial competition but rather a consistent collective collaboration, co-operation, mutual support and trust in one another.

Other observations
January 27, 2026

Effort has value

Whether we’re aware of it or not, humans tend to be able to feel the human effort behind work.

January 20, 2026

Brahm’s first symphony is an anomaly

If it’s rare for the first thing that anyone makes to be the greatest of all time, then do we have no other choice but to keep making?

January 6, 2026

A new year reflection not resolution

If the beginning of every years is spent anticipating the year to come, what does it mean for celebrating the year we’ve just lived?

December 30, 2025

Procrastination or rest?

How do I know if reading books, playing video games, going for walks and doing chores around the house is procrastination or rest?

December 23, 2025

Not a dream, a job

Is being a ‘full-time illustrator’ all it’s cracked up to be or do we romanticise this way to make money because it reminds of childhood?

View all