"Rich people can have fun anywhere, " he says, as the sound of a Ferrari zooming past distracts his train of thought, while he directs a stream of models, designers and fashion writers coursing through a tent next to the Marina Bay Sands, where his fashion show is being held.

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But Lallement takes this train of thought even a step further.

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As he bragged that Iranian democracy is a role model for the world, a large moth zoomed around him, breaking his train of thought.

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My colleague found his train of thought quickly and went on to deliver a very well-received presentation.

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It's an odd request in the circumstances, but Gilroy is more than ready to ride that train of thought: Arthur may be batty as a bedbug, but if he wants to switch sides it's OK with us.

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At the outset, the destination is unknown, and through following his train of thought wherever it goes, the writer develops a fuller understanding of the subject matter but only after encountering a few surprises along the way.

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Lanier is a big thinker, and he asks his reader to follow the train of his thought, which varies pretty widely at times, though his main points include at turns arguing against the singularity (the eventuality that computers will be "smarter" than humans one day, most famously championed by Ray Kurzweil), discussing such futurists and their new religion, and of course -- taking on Web 2.0.

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Follow this train of thought to the end of the line, though, and you end up in a weird place.

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And just when I thought I'd seen it all I'm jumping out of a helicopter onto a moving train!

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