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The thinking path

robinsloan.com

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Re: The thinking path

#2
A humble suggestion: Load up contradictory thoughts or points of view, and think about them as you walk. Here's a starter pack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2a-DsX9Ezg

I don't want to tell you what you should get out of this; it took me a long time to understand what 'dialectic' means. This may be intro level material to many people, but not everyone gets to go to a four year college, or gets raised in an open-minded community.

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Reading someone else's philosophy is often a chore. Often people just want the best answer, or the truth.

When I deploy a software system, can I say that it will work? Or can I say that it is working right now?

I can't write software that will work a year from now. I have no idea what the world will look like in a year. Specifically, patches are applied and versions change.

The best answer is almost always contingent on context. We can have shared evidence, but proof is internal to one mind.

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How do you deal with the problems of running a blame free and learning organization?

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'Be Nice to Spiders' was my first introduction to counter-culture. When everyone else is afraid or uncomfortable or angry about something, you don't have to be.

Re: The thinking path

#4
In reading lately have come across a lot of famous names that made 'walking' a big part of their learning. It is good way to let brain wonder and have subconscious solve problems.

Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Aristotle, Thoreau

Also. Buried in the page farther down.

One of the more scary takes on how we could have 'Killer AI'.

Everyone seems to argue 'Killer AI' is still far in the future, because they associate it with the Terminator Movies and current Robot Tech is lagging AI. So why worry, we can still un-plug them.

This video is how it will actually happen. AI can be incorporated into a lot of weapons.

From the linked site

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-2tpwW0kmU

Re: The thinking path

#5
Walking is just one way to pull yourself out of the workplace and give yourself time and space to focus on the problem.

Rich Hickey has a great talk "Hammock Driven Development" in which he describes the value of giving your mind time to think deeply about a problem:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f84n5oFoZBc

Re: The thinking path

#6
I agree with Darwin’s combination of rocks, thinking, and walking, they seem to go together. If you don’t have his circular path, you can put a handful of pebbles in your pocket. Then when you’re at a particularly stuck spot in your thinking, toss one away. Works wonders!

Re: The thinking path

#7

[flagged]

> Now I have to be careful because Dang gave me a chewing for talking about the podcast too much.

Less than 24 hours ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37424978 "Can you please stop using HN to promote your podcast? You're doing it way too much and users are complaining."

Re: The thinking path

#8
post #2

A humble suggestion: Load up contradictory thoughts or points of view, and think about them as you walk. Here's a starter pack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2a-DsX9Ezg I don't want to tell you what you should get out of this; it took me a long time to understand what 'dialectic' means. This may be intro level material to many people, but not everyone gets to go to a four year college, or gets raised in an open-mi…

If you go to high school in France, this will more than ring a bell: it’s the expected essay format.

Often named “dialectic plan”, or “thesis, antithesis, synthesis” [0]

[0]: https://en.m.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thesis,_antithesis,_synthesi...

Re: The thinking path

#10

Walking is just one way to pull yourself out of the workplace and give yourself time and space to focus on the problem. Rich Hickey has a great talk "Hammock Driven Development" in which he describes the value of giving your mind time to think deeply about a problem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f84n5oFoZBc

True, see also the Leo Szilard two-hour-bathtub session approach. Although reports are that he also used the walking method:

> "When Szilard told the story later he never mentioned his destination that morning. He may have had none; he often walked to think."

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/the-curious-wavefunctio...

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