THUNK

Reading nonfiction can be an enjoyable, leisurely hobby, but sometimes you just need to ASSIMILATE KNOWLEDGE. Video: http://youtu.be/u7EiDwPCb7M Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2023/05/10/239.-How-to-Read-a-Book.html

Melvin Conway noticed a curious symmetry between the shape of organizations and the technologies they created, an observation that might be invaluable for avoiding disaster. Video: http://youtu.be/anac2Cdyzi0 Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2023/04/24/238.-Conway's-Law-and-Division-of-Labor.html

Machine learning algorithms are in the spotlight right now, leading some to worry about them remaking the world into something alien, but there’s another, less popular concern: what if they make it into exactly what we think it is? Video: http://youtu.be/vuyaZtBSV1w Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2023/03/31/237.-Machine-Learning-Models-and-Reification.html

Acting against our better judgment is a bit of a puzzle: if we know what’s “best,” and nothing is preventing us, why don’t we do it? Who is it that’s doing the controlling or being controlled in “self-control?” Video: http://youtu.be/jHGFlyHnhFQ Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2023/02/24/236.-Self-Control,-Akrasia,-and-Multiple-Self-Theory.html

As global warming taxes the structures supporting our towns and cities, the technical standards that define the operation of those structures will be tested…but who decides what those standards should be? Are they equal to the task? Video: http://youtu.be/64sVW1naQN0 Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2023/02/06/235.-Infrastructure-and-Standards.html

In the new year, many will try to develop habits of keeping their homes & workspaces tidy, but maybe their longing for uncluttered space is driven more by a set of cultural biases than any sort of practical advantage. Video: http://youtu.be/V3VoO7Xr2TQ Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2023/01/05/234.-Tidiness.html

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Q is a bit of a puzzle - on the one hand, he’s an incomprehensibly intelligent being from outside time and space. On the other hand, he’s incredibly aggravating and petty. One might say that, with such phenomenal insight, he should be more objective…but what does that mean, exactly? Video: http://youtu.be/gmJYsgGUAm4 Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/12/14/2...

Apple has built their brand on a fanatical commitment to design, but their devices can be straight-up hostile when it comes to repair & maintenance. Maybe one leads to the other. Video: http://youtu.be/8PfDRgEud2s Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/11/24/232.-Repair-vs.-Design.html

Have you ever watched in horror as someone systematically, deliberately makes every wrong decision necessary for disaster? Philosopher Leslie Howe advances a theory that may help to explain the phenomenon: it’s easy to ignore warning signs if you buy your own bullshit. Video: http://youtu.be/8CrbNNwirkI Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/11/12/231.-Self-Bullshit.html

Ads are everywhere, & find their way into more places every day. Companies spend hundreds of billions of dollars shilling for their products. But theres a question we havent answered conclusively: do they work? Video: http://youtu.be/iln8PuiQ8kk Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/10/12/230.-Advertising.html

When you think of “being productive,” you probably imagine some variation of rise-and-grind. But Cal Newport’s theory of Deep Work suggests, if we want to maximize productivity, maybe we should try to cultivate some room for quiet, uninterrupted thinking. Video: http://youtu.be/uUMl5KtHh4E Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/09/19/229.-Deep-Work.html

We often look to intelligent individuals to provide us with insight and guidance, but if you ask science writer David Robson, intelligence isnt just the wrong barometer for good decision-making, it may lead to worse decisions! Video: http://youtu.be/1K23sO-G0uE Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/09/04/228.-The-Intelligence-Trap-and-Evidence-Based-Wisdom.html

Mechanical engineering has its own, mathematically-defined version of “less is more,” & once you know about it, you’ll see it everywhere. Video: http://youtu.be/Akarqe17hFM Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/07/25/227.-Minimum-Constraint-Design.html

The logic of the ultimatum game is simple - something is better than nothing, so you ought to accept any deal where you come out ahead, no matter how unfair that deal is. Why, then, does almost everyone reject unfair deals, even if it means sacrifice? Video: http://youtu.be/o0MyC54j-SM Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/07/03/226.-The-Ultimatum-Game.html

Every generation invents its own lingo - language naturally evolves & develops over time. But quietly re-inventing terminology for stuff thats already named (relexicalization) can be a move with far-reaching political & epistemic consequences. Video: http://youtu.be/F2_m2JVkBY0 Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/06/10/225.-Relexicalization-Extraneous-Renaming.html

Many of those who are 100% convinced by Nick Bostrom’s arguments about the potential for a runaway superintelligence tend to share certain beliefs about the world - is it possible that his case hits much differently depending on one’s starting assumptions? Video: http://youtu.be/ZWPsmQxrGY8 Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/05/15/224.-Superintelligence-Assumptions.html

What walks on 4 legs in the morning, 2 legs at noon, & 3 legs at night? A very peculiar dog! …wait, was that not the answer? Why is it that puzzles are so different from real-life problems? Video: http://youtu.be/Ky0Ji7AryZs Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/04/18/223.-Puzzles-vs.-Problems.html

Could certain FORMS of media, the details of how their textual CONTENT is instantiated, reliably affect the MEANING of the messages they convey? Put another way: is PowerPoint making us stupid? Video: http://youtu.be/_e6BS7wSLpg Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/03/28/222.-Powerpoint-Form-and-Content.html

Sometimes, it feels like the best way forward on a project is to throw everything out and start over from scratch, but Joel Spolsky is adamant that this is a terrible idea, and theres decent evidence that hes right. Video: http://youtu.be/3iUySuDkly8 Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/03/14/221.-Spolsky's-Maxim-and-Starting-from-Scratch.html

Charles Peirce’s ideas were revolutionary, kicking off an entire philosophical movement now called “pragmatism,” but one might argue that his ideas bear little resemblance to the path pragmatism ultimately took…he certainly thought as much. Video: http://youtu.be/aWrEPmoox_I Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/02/21/220.-Peirce's-Pragmatism.html

YouTubers HATE him! This ONE WEIRD TRICK has sensationalist media creators ~THINKING DEEPLY~ about the systemic pressures of a RACE TO THE BOTTOM FOR ATTENTION!!! CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE!!!!!11!! Video: http://youtu.be/nwOVZgClUs8 Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/01/24/219.-Clickbait-and-Sensationalism.html

Research suggests that authentic dissent frequently leads a group to better decisions than a contrarian simply playing Devils Advocate. The question is: why should it matter if someone really disagrees, or is just faking it? Video: http://youtu.be/lP_2ZaolKxU Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2021/12/22/218.-Playing-Devil's-Advocate.html

CAD is hard, but bad modeling habits make it even harder. A theory of what makes for good CAD might make things a little easier for you. Video: http://youtu.be/wR72zjh39qI Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2021/12/06/217.-A-Theory-of-Good-CAD.html

Are descriptors like “good” and “evil” pointing at real, objective features of the world? Surprisingly, despite the weirdness of moral facts, most philosophers would say “yes.” Why? Well…morality might not be the only thing in those crosshairs…😬 Video: http://youtu.be/lOKw7BceAck Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2021/11/16/216.-Companions-in-Guilt.html

Futurists often suggest that technology grows exponentially more powerful over time, but there may be good reasons to doubt this notion, & very good reasons not to wait around for the future tech they promise is imminent. Video: http://youtu.be/cvzgehavGy0 Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2021/10/15/215.-The-Theory-of-Accelerating-Change.html