Viewing profile — brian_spiering

I worked at a small VC-backed startup that tried to create a marketplace for algorithms in a small niche. We were the platform that enterprise customers trusted, and we standardize…

In the USA, there was a person who was traveling around removing bolts. The person showed up in our local area. A couple of members of the climbing community had a conversation wit…

I signed up for it (took about 5 minutes). I'm cautiously optimistic about it having positive return on that investment. One of the best things I have done is sign up for DMAchoice…

I got a the highest paid job I could find with the skills I have that I enjoyed "well-enough". I spent less than I earned. I made mostly low risk investments (with a handful of hig…

The Art of War by Steven Pressfield. It addresses the fears associated with any new endeavor and how to create systems to dance with the fears.

The Sierra Nevada region has a similar history of using the "checkerboard" pattern to promote railroad building. Organizations like the Trust for Public Land and the Truckee Donner…

That is interesting because of the Halo effect. There is a cognitive bias that if a person is right in one area, they will be right in another unrelated area. I try to temper my te…

Yes, there is hope to fully own a self driving vehicle as a consumer. One example is comma.ai, inc.

You are correct that those concepts are interrelated. It works well not to get caught up in precise definitions. Instead, reflect on your current level and take the next best step.…

The Lindy effect can be a useful heuristic. Something invented 30 months probably has less long-term value something that was invented 10 years ago and is being used.

Given the current rate of development, it probably won't be an issue for a while.

In Japan, houses are presumed to have a limited lifespan and depreciate in value over time.

Try David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD), part of which is the Natural Planning Model.

One heuristic is to choose foods without nutrition labels.

The Real Book is an excellent resource for what it is. However since it is the primary book of jazz, it can have too much of an influence. The Real Book has a limited number of son…

There is the nearby Yuba Gap.

I use the "launch ramp" technique. Ask a series of prompts (instead of a single prompt with a long answer). Explain the prompts that will get progressively more complex, aka the ra…

I was working with a non-profit that taught people around the world how to teach tech skills in their local communities. There was a shift to focusing on recent political events wh…

The continued evolution of war. “Hurdling trenches, crawling over shell craters, and walking through forests unhalted by intense gunfire, the tanks cannot be stopped by anything le…

My mathematics anki cards are here: https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/1715995729?cb=1697579387129 They are organized by category with a focus on fundamentals.

I teach tech of all kind, mostly Python programming and advanced data skills. I get deep satisfaction in helping learners on their journey. I also enjoy connecting with them as peo…

Sam Harris is contributing to modern philosophy. He wrote a book entitled "Lying" about on why we should not lie. His talk "Science can answer moral questions" is worth waching htt…

I have at least three different kinds of journals: 1. Workout journal - I write down want I did and what was the effect. Often trends physical trends emerge after weeks, months, or…

There are skateboard coaches. I hired one after skating for 10+ years, and it made a qualitative leap in my abilities.

Accreditation (and funding) in the United States often times requires grades.