I listened to a TED Talk recently by Steven Johnson. So when I saw he had a NYTimes article published answering the question of whether he was a Communist, I was sure to read it. It’s fascinating. I agree the Fourth-Quadrant he recognizes needs a new term developed. I do think that it fits in … [Read more…]
The key to accomplishment is breaking down goals into smaller and smaller tasks, to the point where they are so inconsequential that putting them off is just plain lazy. This mundane and simple task can be termed a ‘halfstep’. It won’t really count for much, but it’s more than nothing. The tiny adds up. Gradualism … [Read more…]
Sadly, sometimes people seek out arguments they oppose in order to establish straw-men and knock them down. I don’t have things figured out but my experience has been that no one really has a clue about a vast number of mysteries. “Truth can only be hinted at, never known.” And so it frustrates me to … [Read more…]
Imagine you were tasked with creating a new you, but had a limited amount of space to do so. How would you opt to partition your thoughts, memories, and desires? What would you choose as the most important guiding principles? Why would you be willing to leave behind the rest?
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…]