In his book The Signal and the Noise, Nate Silver (of FiveThirtyEight fame) uses an analogy of hedgehogs and foxes to represent different kinds of thinking: “The fox knows many little things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.” Nate brings up the fox or hedgehog in the context of forecasting socio-political events, but I … Continue reading Hedgehogs with Hammers and Foxes with Boxes
Three Easy Active Listening Exercises
Grab a partner, grab a friend, it’s active listening practice time! Active listening is a form of listening where you bring your full attention to the person speaking and seek to understand them, instead of being distracted or focusing on your agenda. Active listening is a great way to help someone feel heard and learn … Continue reading Three Easy Active Listening Exercises
The Gas and Brakes Model of Behavior
Some software developers are eager to get home from work and pick up a programming side project: exploring new technology, learning skills, or just messing around and making things. I was never one of these developers. I have a few half-hearted attempts: an out-of-date personal website with a gray and blue color scheme and a … Continue reading The Gas and Brakes Model of Behavior
The Acceleration of Experience
Paul Graham wrote about the acceleration of addictiveness as a product of technological progress: our ability to create more concentrated versions of substances means we will create more potentially addictive substances, and this poses some risks to society unless we get better at dealing with them. I’ve been reading Peak, a book about expertise by … Continue reading The Acceleration of Experience
Setting Targets to Maintain Motivation
For years, I’ve struggled to maintain motivation and reach definitive endpoints for my projects and pastimes. One of the most demoralizing factors was that I could never tell whether or not an hour or two of work was getting me any closer to where I wanted to be. I couldn’t tell if I was making … Continue reading Setting Targets to Maintain Motivation
The Secret Ingredient to To-Do Lists is Priority
When I imagine a to-do list, what comes to mind is a list of everything I want to do. These to-do lists suck. Within a week or two, they become intimidatingly long and a chore to even look at. So, I stop looking at them. This is a real problem: my memory is not good … Continue reading The Secret Ingredient to To-Do Lists is Priority
Top 5 Books of 2020
1. Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener: When a book shakes your identity to its foundation, it deserves the best book of the year slot. Uncanny Valley is a memoir of Anna Wiener’s plunge from the NYC literary world into the Silicon Valley tech world. She manages to reveal the deep flaws of tech culture without … Continue reading Top 5 Books of 2020
Appeal to Their Beliefs, Not Yours
Veganuary (a challenge where non-vegans go plant-based for January) is coming up and I’ve been reflecting on how we vegans can be better at talking to omnivores about changing their diet. I think we often forget that it’s easier to get someone to adopt a behavior by showing how it fits with their beliefs rather … Continue reading Appeal to Their Beliefs, Not Yours
I Don’t Know the Steps
Have you ever asked someone for advice on how to do something, and what they tell you to do is just as unclear as your original goal? Like asking someone how to be more attractive in dating and being told to be more confident. My friend might be able to turn on the confidence switch, … Continue reading I Don’t Know the Steps
Mistakes Hide Mistakes
When you’re developing a skill, there are some mistakes you won’t be able to make until you get familiar with the basics. A common example is with romantic (or platonic) relationships: It’s tough to encounter the challenges of a three year relationship without being decent at flirting and starting conversations. Part of why this happens … Continue reading Mistakes Hide Mistakes
The Pragmatic Philosopher 