"The basic framework I’d like to suggest is the one I used for my Foundations project: pick a defined area of improvement, and make a focused effort at improving your knowledge and behavior over one month... I break down the process of conducting a month-long sprint into four parts: Choose a theme. Take action. Get … Continue reading The One-Month Knowledge Sprint: How to Read Books, Take Action, and Change Your Life
Category: reading
Beyond the Machine: Creative agency in the AI landscape
"There is no purpose to better machines if they do not also produce better humans." —Frank Chimero in Beyond the Machine: Creative Agency in the A.I. Landscape
Zuihitsu, 2025-10
Technically, zuihitsu are longer reflections than what I tend to collect. But, the general idea is right. Here’s this month’s installment. If you want the complete set, please download the fortune file. You can't make a good deal with a bad person.—Warren Buffett When the anecdotes and the data disagree, the anecdotes are usually right.—Jeff Bezos … Continue reading Zuihitsu, 2025-10
Principles of Interaction
Note: This essay is a work in progress, a way to think through some ideas I have about social interaction, reality testing, worldviews and what not. Introduction "Von Neumann would carry on a conversation with my 3-year-old son, and the two of them would talk as equals, and I sometimes wondered if he used the … Continue reading Principles of Interaction
Peter Thiel on the Middle Class
"One fairly minor quote [from the recent Ross Douthat interview of Peter Thiel] that's worth thinking about: "I would define the middle class as the people who expect their kids to do better than themselves." This is actually a great working definition: a dividing line between middle and lower class is the assumption that the … Continue reading Peter Thiel on the Middle Class
Arnold Bennett’s Ten Step Plan for Learning to Appreciate Poetry
"I would advocate for more use of an anthology. And more memorisation. You may also find that, to begin with, you do not want take such a critical approach and would prefer to follow your nose rather than doing what Hazlitt tells you (although you should read Hazlitt at some point, he is among the … Continue reading Arnold Bennett’s Ten Step Plan for Learning to Appreciate Poetry
Zuihitsu, 2025-04
Technically, zuihitsu are longer reflections than what I tend to collect. But, the general idea is right. Here’s this month’s installment. If you want the complete set, please download the fortune file. Information scarcity rewards knowledge acquisition. Information abundance requires pattern recognition.—Adam Grant Resilience does not prioritize efficiency. You cannot back into the future. Engage with … Continue reading Zuihitsu, 2025-04
Zuihitsu, 2025-03
Technically, zuihitsu are longer reflections than what I tend to collect. But, the general idea is right. Here’s this month’s installment. If you want the complete set, please download the fortune file. Do not depend only on theory if your life is at stake. Whatever torch we kindle, and whatever space it may illuminate, our horizon … Continue reading Zuihitsu, 2025-03
Tsampa
Tsampa is roasted pearl barley flour that is a staple food of Tibet. Tools Large flat skillet Sieve Clean cloth Spatula Grinder Ingredients 250g organic pearl barley Recipe Take the barley, place in a bowl, cover well with cold water and soak for 12 – 24 hours. Drain the barley in a sieve and leave … Continue reading Tsampa
Zuihitsu, 2025-02
Technically, zuihitsu are longer reflections than what I tend to collect. But, the general idea is right. Here’s this month’s installment. If you want the complete set, please download the fortune file. Money loves speed. Poverty loves waiting. Resist the urge to maximize value. Where there is ruin, there is hope for a treasure.—Rumi A man … Continue reading Zuihitsu, 2025-02
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