Author Archives: idj4thinking

Doug Campbell Interview Transcript

The video can be watched here. Here’s my interview with Doug Campbell, winner of the SSC forecasting competition! Isadore: Hi Doug. It’s nice to meet you. I wanted to put you on my show originally. When I say show, I mean very loosely. I like to interview public intellectuals. Once in a while I findContinue reading “Doug Campbell Interview Transcript”

Understanding Tony Robbin’s Unshakeable (what I took from it)

I spent the last couple nights before bed reading Tony Robbin’s Unshakeable, his financial freedom playbook. Here’s what I got out of it. Tony Robbins does this thing where his work is light on facts, and heavy on humor and anecdotes. I think generally speaking this is a good formula. It allows him to relateContinue reading “Understanding Tony Robbin’s Unshakeable (what I took from it)”

What Methinks about the McKinsey Mind (notes from a reading)

I just finished the McKinsey Mind. Overall, I think it was well-written with a smattering of humor. There were a couple unintuitive parts surrounding how to approach difficult clients, but you’re never going to get everything right in the book. This was a pretty straightforward framework, but it didn’t really give me much insight intoContinue reading “What Methinks about the McKinsey Mind (notes from a reading)”

Beginning an interview series

I very much enjoy blogging. Frankly, if I don’t have anyone follow me for the rest of this year, while I’m continuing this challenge, I don’t think I would mind at all. Something that’s a little more daunting for me is interviewing people I don’t know. I’m planning on getting more involved in radio andContinue reading “Beginning an interview series”

The Juicy Important Info (Notes I took from reading) In The Reluctant Entrepreneur

I’m starting to look into creating my own business. To that end, I’m going to learn exactly what steps need to be done by reading a variety of books on the subject. Underneath will be my notes for the first book I’m reading. I plan to read a lot of business books in the comingContinue reading “The Juicy Important Info (Notes I took from reading) In The Reluctant Entrepreneur”

What is something you think is true that other people don’t, and why?

When I was going through school, despite being in accelerated programs, I think the curriculum was far too slow, laborious, and repetitive. Instead of the telos being valuable skills, or ‘how to think’, school often felt like a jobs factory mixed with daycare programs and social engineering. When I graduated, I saw a lot ofContinue reading “What is something you think is true that other people don’t, and why?”

The anti-craftsman perspective

My most recent blog post, I wrote a short argument for why I was in favor of seeing craftsmanship integrate with one’s life. I believe that to be true, deeply in my heart. However, like everything else, tradeoffs exist. I want to take this blog post to explore some of the downsides to daily workContinue reading “The anti-craftsman perspective”

Is daily work necessary?

I hear an argument that goes something like “Generally you get can 80% of the results for 20% of the effort. Thus, there’s little reason to do something every day, if it’s not really going to supercharge your results by that much”. Then, they link doing something every day as a form of unnecessary effort,Continue reading “Is daily work necessary?”

My gripe with formerly gifted kids

I see a lot of people talk about how they used to be gifted, and then squandered their potential into mediocrity. Apparently, gifted adults tend to make . From there, they pretty much approach the world with a ‘I’m so much smarter than everyone else, without anything to show for it, or any skills commensurateContinue reading “My gripe with formerly gifted kids”