NonTrivial

In this episode I discuss how the only way to become good at anything is to start at the end, acting as though we already know how to do the thing. By placing ourselves directly into real-world envir…

In this episode I discuss how the best preparation is no preparation. I will argue that despite its paradoxical nature there is deep truth to this idea, founded on how information accumulates over ti…

In this episode I argue that the detailed patterns we study cannot be used as the basis for improving things. The inspection of bird's wings does not lead to human flight, the admiration of a wise ma…

In this episode I talk about penny-pinching, which I take to mean any kind of nit-picking or hyper-detailed behavior, that I argue leads to bad long-term outcomes. Penny-pinching is when we try to us…

In this episode I'll be challenging the idea that human progress owes its advancement to the efforts of a few, that society has progressed by riding the coattails of giants; those individuals that hi…

This is part 2 of my episode on facts and logic. In this part we're going to look at 2 hot debates as examples for when logic does and does not work. We'll discuss whether or not to wear a mask, and …

In this episode I talk about facts and logic; when they work and when they don't. I explain the power of logic and how it helps us structure arguments. I discuss how to know when arguments are done w…

In this episode I talk about the difference between consuming and creating. I discuss how we often assume the process of creating is supposed to resemble how we read about it, when in reality the cre…

In this episode I talk about the apparent dichotomy between specialization and generalization, and how choosing just one leaves us unfulfilled. I look at our inevitable attempt to balance both sides,…

In this episode I talk about skill, specifically how skill is often not what we think it is. I take a look at our perception of skill and what I think is wrong with that perception, specifically how …