There is an intractable problem faced by all systems of rule, be they democratic, socialist, or fascist: humans abuse control. As long as people are involved in determining policies, the fact remains that humans enjoy rewarding friends and punishing enemies. Give power to a group, and they subjugate the minorities to expand their power. A … [Read more…]
Rule number one is always “Don’t Panic!”. As the knowledge of the world increases, fear recedes. This is especially noticable in video games. When facing a new enemy the fear rises. Once it’s known exactly how it moves and attacks, it is more annoying than frightening. Interestingly, this doesn’t seem to apply as much to … [Read more…]
It takes a strong will to not succumb to the Common Sense of the day. Many ideas propogate despite being wrong. How can you be innoculated so you are safer from mistruth? Perhaps combining the philosophy of rejection of unshakable truth with the scientific method of verifying. The power of transformative ideas in shaping the world around us … [Read more…]
Modern schooling is insanity. Humans are unique, why should they follow linear paths designed to produce factory workers? “Never let your schooling interfere with your education.” — Mark Twain In a world with humanity, one must either grow or else fall behind. Without a constant struggle for new thought, the mind withers. The future is … [Read more…]
Here is a useful technique to overcome motivation inertia: commit to working for 5 minutes. By the end you will probably have a better grasp of the problem and will then feel empowered to continue. It’s not 5 minutes worth of work, it’s 5 minutes of work. The difference is that the point of the … [Read more…]
Slow and steady not only wins the race, it also makes less mistakes. Burnout can be a nasty effect of trying to do too much at once. Losing a desire that once made life interesting is not feasible in the long run. Jumping in with both feet can break the mystery before it has a … [Read more…]
Small progress not done today may prevent the vast progress of tomorrow. Motivation comes from within. Give in to the easy and the hard becomes harder. Great action is accomplished by recognizing that the one unconquerable large is actually many simple small. The curve of progress, for instance technology, builds upon itself until it becomes … [Read more…]
A most powerful mental problem is one you don’t know you have. When the circuitry to detect faulty circuitry is itself having errors, everything seems A-OK. Trusting what you believe to be the true simply because that’s the way you’ve always done it leads to a less than perfect outcome. Remove the faulty wiring from … [Read more…]
Lies undermine ideas. They enable a ceasing of fruitful discussion by injecting the toxic notion of ‘correct until proven wrong.’ An incorrect statement, even when it is not known to be false, can be a lie. Sometimes it is an error, not a deliberate subversion. Lies fed to us from birth sink so deep that … [Read more…]
Nothing in the flock is intelligent, but the behavior of the flock is intelligent.