Excellent start. If there are unanswered questions at the end of the week, fivedollar will render an opinion. Re-reading these pages with an eye towards such questions gives one an appreciation for Rand's incredible writing talent. One can understand why it took so long to write AS. It wasn't just the sheer number of pages.

I'll try #4. What is James opinion of Ellis Wyatt & Hank Rearden. What is his motivation.

James resents Wyatt and Rearden for their ability. While Wyatt did inherit a business from his father, he had the ability, the mind, to make a strong, profitable business by developing new processes. The ability to move it forward. Rearden is a self made man with strong profitable businesses, made so by his ability. He owned mines and refineries to ensure he had what he needed. James on the other hand inherited not only the business, but his position. The President position always went to the eldest son. Or only son in James case. It required no ability, only an accident of birth. Rand never says what James majored in at college. I assume it was business, but you know about assumptions. James always knew that he would be President. He never had to work for it, and did nothing to learn anything about the real workings of the railroad. While Dagny's first job was in the trenches, James' first job was in the corporate spin room aka Public Relations.

His motivation for his opinion of Wyatt and Rearden is to try to reduce them in order to elevate himself. He knows deep down that he adds no value beyond using his position to garner favor with others without ability. His only value is that of a politician.

5$ just tried out this link on his tablet and was surprised that it worked so well, especially with sound.

I'll take on Pop Harper question. btw, thanks for the work and the commitment to us in here, five dollar.
Pop is to illustrate that random people feel the decline and fall-sorry, had to get our book's title in there- of the country as a whole, but also the technological decline in society. Also, the go along, get along average joe who complains about the state of things, but stops at that. Like his broken typewriter, the country is broken as well. Too broken, in fact, to fix. The author is trying the reader on for a mini argument. If one is constantly fixing their typewriter, only to have it break, possibly throwing good money after bad in repairs, we can all relate to tinkering with a fix beyond the point of reasonable. Most of us, however, will eventually throw the broken machine away and replace it with an efficient model. We will be reminded of this later in the story.

What a great idea. Just the discussions I've been searching for.