Had dinner with Jim Pinto. People think that Pinto is arrogant and opinionated and brash. He is. But it is deserved. Jim is probably one of the ten smartest people I've ever met, and that list includes some really smart people, like Norman O. Brown, Stephen Toulmin, Peter Euben, Leon Panetta, and Dick Morley. Although Jim doesn't suffer fools gladly, he is extremely fun to spend the evening with. My wife Betsy had never met him before, and thought he was a fine dinner companion. He commented about the small attendance at SPS America, "Who knows in the US that SPS is the German abbreviation for PLC? Oh, well, I got paid." You will probably be able to read his keynote on his website, www.jimpinto.com, shortly.
