Author Archives: idj4thinking

Math-y Board Games

Playing board games which involve fair amounts of mathematical understanding are by nature hard to balance. After all, if someone in the group is a lot better at statistics, or understanding conditional probability, it’s likely they’ll have a significant advantage. This is a problem for both cooperative and adversarial board games. In cooperative board games,Continue reading “Math-y Board Games”

Staying Execution in Courts of Public Opinion

The drama between Mr. Beast and Dogpack404 showcases what’s commonly referred to in domestic violence circles as a smear campaign. This is where a fire hose of accusations are shot at someone, by someone who doesn’t seem to stand to gain very much for doing so. The idea that someone is putting themselves on theContinue reading “Staying Execution in Courts of Public Opinion”

Rapid Up-Skilling is Compound Interest

You learn by doing things and getting prompt feedback on how well you’re doing them. The longer the time you have to utilize an increasing set of specialized skills, the better you’re able to take advantage of them. Getting good at things often cross-pollinates with other things. For instance, when I got good at sparringContinue reading “Rapid Up-Skilling is Compound Interest”

Jared Kushner is REALLY competent

I’m going to go out and say it, but I think the most competent person in the Trump presidency, and the one to focus most on to understand what’s going on is probably Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump’s husband. A little context: Kushner is from a rich Jewish family with a couple hints of corruption andContinue reading “Jared Kushner is REALLY competent”

Pleasantly Impressed by Kazuo Ishiguro

If I find something I like a lot about an author, I try to devour their entire ouvre, to understand exactly what I like about their style. I’ve been captivated by Kazuo Ishiguro’s Remains of The Day, finding it clear and expressive. It’s not quite like Philip Roth, but it’s a book I enjoy theContinue reading “Pleasantly Impressed by Kazuo Ishiguro”

The Genius / Productivity Tradeoff

I’ve noticed that works of genius come from extended periods of not-busy time. Being able to produce a staggering work comes from the ability to be absorbed in it. Inconvenient for the rest of us, that puts us in a position where it’s challenging to produce something of immense value, especially as we go aboutContinue reading “The Genius / Productivity Tradeoff”

Measuring the Wrong Things (a minor mea culpa)

During the height of my arrogance T-3 months ago, I believed it was possible to write a reasonable rough draft of my book after starting a full time job, while breezing through a masters program, reading Infinite Jest, training for a half marathon, building a business, and keeping up regular blog posts. As I wasContinue reading “Measuring the Wrong Things (a minor mea culpa)”

Relationship Building Assorted Tips

The ability to build relationships is ultimately based on your overall comfort interacting with other people. If you’re consistently spending time with others, and having positive interactions, it’s a lot easier to do social things successfully.  For the most part, people want you to succeed when you interact with them. They want comfortable, relaxed interactionsContinue reading “Relationship Building Assorted Tips”