The first time takes twice as long
There is a world of difference between doing something for the first time, doing it a second time, doing it regularly, and doing it as… Read More »The first time takes twice as long
June 2023
Design matters (22): Phases of the moon
“Every day, the moon rises fifty minutes than the day before.” I found this video really helpful for visualising the details of how moon-phases work.… Read More »Design matters (22): Phases of the moon
Eye on AI: Ross Anderson on model collapse; or, The Curse of Recursion
Until about now, most of the text online was written by humans. But this text has been used to train GPT3(.5) and GPT4, and these… Read More »Eye on AI: Ross Anderson on model collapse; or, The Curse of Recursion
Recommendation: Philip Marris on the Theory of Constraints
A very good introduction.
Double discounting the future
“I’ll get it to you next week.” Discounting the future is a double-edged sword. First, we find it easier to commit to events further in… Read More »Double discounting the future
Design Matters (21): Book of Common Prayer, built to last
RULE TO KNOW WHEN THE MOVEABLE FEASTS AND HOLY-DAYS BEGIN EASTER-DAY, on which the rest depend, is always the First Sunday after the Full Moon,… Read More »Design Matters (21): Book of Common Prayer, built to last
A good solution
All else being equal, a good solution: All else is never equal, of course. But every time you make a trade off in one of… Read More »A good solution
Alasdair MacIntyre on virtue and practices (3): Practices, virtue and learning
[See here for MacIntyre’s initial definition of a practice] A practice involves standards of excellence and obedience to rules as well as the achievement of… Read More »Alasdair MacIntyre on virtue and practices (3): Practices, virtue and learning
Recommendation: Marc Andreessen on possibilities for AI
Andreessen’s Why AI Will Save the World (echoing the title of his prescient 2005 essay Why Software is Eating the World) is well worth reading,… Read More »Recommendation: Marc Andreessen on possibilities for AI
Wise Guys
We all get older; not everyone gets wiser. A wise person has learned: they make fewer of certain kinds of mistake – in particular the… Read More »Wise Guys