Ways of Seeing by John Berger is a seminal text based on the 1972 BBC series of the same name, which explores the role of art in western civilization and how it has shaped how the world is seen.
Diving deep into Johnson-Laird’s theory of mental models. It is one of the leading psychological theories of reasoning, even though it doesn’t have the status of being a consensus theory (few theories in psychology do).
Have you ever wondered what the wiring layout behind the control panels at Abbey Road studios was like? Neither have I. The Beatles recorded some of their best work there, and I have no idea if it …
Starting in 1940s post war Paris, the “Existentialism” philosophical movement became all the rage, soon spreading globally led by big names like Jean-Paul
Until just recently, a solar eclipse wasn’t a tourist event. It was the cause of real panic. Two reasons that are worth considering: It was a surprise. They were not predicted. They were unex…
When the deal falls apart, or the team loses the game, or a partnership hits the rocks, it’s easy to focus our energy on what just happened. “What if they had called a different play?&#…
The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no l…
Sunday Firesides: You Can't Want It More Than They Do
Your marriage is struggling. You’ve invited your wife to do couples therapy, to go out for date nights, to spend more time together in general. But she’s refused all these invitations. Your daughter has the potential to be a champion swimmer. But she isn’t into the sport, and getting her to go to practice is […]
When a resource can be used more efficiently, we end up using more of the thing, not less. So, when cars get better gas mileage, people drive more, and consumption can actually go up. When AI learn…
It’s tempting to hand it to other people. If someone else takes the blame, if they accept the responsibility, then we get satisfaction and we’re off the hook. Alas, this doesn’t w…
During a recent interview over on the Dwarkesh Patel channel, Professor Sarah CM Paine (who teaches Geopolitics over at The US Naval War College) gave a
Fear is self-focused. Day to day, our fear is about us. What will happen if we give that speech, launch that project, get stuck in traffic, are eaten by an alligator… And generosity is about …
How to Learn Vocabulary in Another Language - Scott H Young
When it comes to our native languages, researchers already have a pretty good idea of how we learn words, and it’s not through studying vocabulary lists. Here's what it takes.
Why is that? The new diet. The fundraising after a natural disaster. The relationship. The hype cycle of a new technology or the media frenzy around a hot new fad or candidate… It always feel…
The Strategic Vs. Tactical Mindset: A look into the balance of today's and tomorrow's tasks
Explore the balance between strategic and tactical mindsets in the field of engineering. This article discusses the importance of both perspectives in problem-solving, goal setting, and planning for the future. It also highlights how the focus shifts from tactical to strategic as engineers advance in their careers. Ideal for engineering leaders and team members seeking to improve their productivity and strategic thinking.
Some people go to the gym for health and energy. Some go to lift more weight than they did yesterday (or more than the person next to them). You can start a company to make an impact and surround y…
Photo by Álvaro Serrano on Unsplash hobby: a pursuit outside one’s regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation obsession: a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unrea…
Courage is a generous act that involves risk. It’s not courageous to hang out with friends and make a crank phone call. The risk involved might be actual risk (it took courage to go to the mo…
This post is an idea inspired by the Dr Pippa Malmgren interview over at the Infinite Loops Podcast #167. According to Dr Malmgren, because certainty does
There’s no such thing as work life balance. There’s simply life. And you spend part of your life at work. One way to change the pressure of work is to expand or contract the size of the…
For the last couple of centuries, ever since the Enlightenment (and even well before that), we’ve been enamored with the idea of being ruled by reason and
Questions people ask themselves when looking at a web page aimed at businesses (B2B). They are rhetorical, but should give you a place to begin: Is it my job to deal with this? Who sent me here? Wi…
I appreciate Mr. Zakharchenko’s extensive critique of TDD even as I have some reservations regarding his language. He tried TDD. He thought about it. He put his thoughts out there. He knew he was going to get a reaction & he did—300K views, 160 comments, 190 reposts, 1000 likes.
If we’re going to come together and invest the time in conversation, in research or in analysis, we should begin by understanding what would be required for you or I to change our minds. If y…
In A Crisis We Can Only Afford What We Can Already Do
I've written, prescriptively, that money shouldn't buy anything that matters: not healthcare or education, for example. Anything we can do, we can afford But at the top level money can't buy anything you couldn't do anyway. Anything we can't do, we can only buy from others. The Britian of the thirties was still, despite all…