For and Against

Knowing what you fight for is far more important than knowing only what you fight against.

Create, Work

Some people who don't consider themselves "creative" continually claim that they just can't do it, that they don't have the ability, that they don't have the inspiration. Well, not to burst your romantic bubble but so much of the "creative" process is simply sweaty, grinding work. After writing up an album's worth of songs, the actual "creation" of them (that is, the manifestation of them into the album) is sheer hours. Sure there is a lot of art involved, but it's not the purely inspired process (at least not for me) that some people believe it to be. In reality, creating is not just a spontaneous discharge of divine mana interjecting itself into the unconsciousness between hiccups of lucidity. Creating requires significant amounts of toiling, deliberateness, and patience.

Having known and worked with artists of all kinds, I would submit that the most "creative" tend to be those who are willing to buckle down, on a regular basis, and put the work in. Some of that time results in output, while some of it doesn't - but that shouldn't diminish its value - what appears to be "lost" time is actually the cost of doing business, so to speak. As Edison and others would know, it took many mistakes to get it right. That time "lost" is also quite productive in another, more subtle, way: Like most things, an artist's quality of work is usually a function of how much of it they do. The more they work, the better their output becomes. I notice that those who wait for inspiration tend to not to finish much and, as a result, potentially stunt their own creative growth.

Having said all that, the artist's mind is a complicated one. Often, taking a long hiatus from work can actually produce unprecedented results when the artist returns to it. Regardless, nothing good comes easy. Art is not an exception to that rule. In fact, the work that creation requires makes the the act of doing it that much more worth it, regardless of the end result.

Choosing

At some point, choosing the right thing becomes less about knowing what you want and more about knowing what you're willing to give up.

intermz Profiled on Scholastici.us, an Education Blog

Today, Scholastici.us, an education blog, featured intermz as a “fascinating new thing” that “appears to be very promising!” Visit the profile at

http://www.scholastici.us/2007/09/21/tgif-weekly-catchup-week-of-915-921/

Dropping Your Resistance to Learning

One of the most effective techniques I use to learn new information/skills is to actively put down the walls I have against learning it. (From now on, "new information" will also mean "new skills.") Now, you may be presuming that just because you want to learn something that you are automatically open to it, but, unfortunately, that is far from the case. Humans, especially as we get older, put up more and more resistance to new tricks (as it were) for two primary reasons: 1) the physiological reason: our brains continually myelinate over time, which makes adding/changing ideas and information more difficult, and 2) the psychological reason: we want/need to believe that we are generally right, and any information that does not immediately fit with what we already understand is suspect. My strong belief is that the psychological reason, what one might call "pride" or "stubbornness," is the stronger wall than the physiological reason.

These walls drastically reduce the speed and quality at which you can learn new things. Children can learn with stunning speed because their brains are hardly myelinated (extreme brain elasticity), but also because they have few preconceived notions of how things should be. They have little reason or motivation to force particular ways of thinking onto new information. Children simply allow the information to come in.

This may all sound like abstract psycho-babel, but you can identify the times in which you put up walls against learning what you want to. Ask yourself this question. When I am looking at new information, do I say to myself, however quietly:

1. That doesn't make sense.
2. That's not possible.
3. Nothing I know fits with that.
4. If I consider this new information, will I look stupid?

Those thoughts are the result of internal resistance to new information. (You can, of course, ask those questions of information that you've investigated thoroughly.) Children, incidentally, rarely allow such internal questions, if they occur at all, to stop them from learning. Children do not need to all new information to immediately fit; they can just accept it. And they are not afraid of looking stupid by embracing new data. We adults, on the other hand, often are; we believe maturity comes from stability of mind.

How do you deal with these internal walls? I use a twofold approach:

• Take a cue from children and flip your resistance on its head:
1. "That doesn't make sense," to "That's interesting."
2. "That's not possible," to "That's amazing!"
3. "Nothing I know fits with that," to "Maybe I've been wrong all along..."
4. "If I consider this new information, will I look stupid?" to "Would I be stupid not to investigate this new information?"
• Convince yourself that this new information or new skill/activity is not new at all; pretend you've been doing it since you can remember.

This second technique, of convincing yourself the new is not new at all, is a bit tricky but is probably the most effective technique I have ever used to learn or do anything I want to. Why? Familiarity with anything, by definition, means you have less skepticism and reservations about it, which precludes the necessity of having internal resistance. Here's an example of how I applied this technique.

Three years ago, a friend and I decided to go sky diving for the first time. Most of the other first-timers were full of butterflies and anxiety. A few practiced their jumping motions incessantly and were probably thinking what would happen if they didn't perform the motions just right. Instead, I went through the prescribed motions just twice, and reminded myself I'd done all of this before (which was a complete fabrication). I thought about what a nice ride I was going to have because I didn't need to think about my technique. On the way up to 13,000 ft., I imagined how easy all my previous jumps had been (although I'd never jumped before). When the airplane door opened, and my tandem instructor and I approached the leap, it all seemed so natural; no butterflies, no anxiety, no problem.

This technique of self-deception to create familiarity is a bit subtle and requires some control over your fear of losing control. But the technique is astoundingly effective because: fear and anxiety makes people hesitate; hesitation is what makes learning and doing so difficult; quelling anxiety by feigning familiarity reduces hesitation and accelerates learning.

In the end, the essence of these techniques is realizing that removing internal obstacles is much easier than overcoming them (the typical technique). Don't try to break down your walls; put them on wheels and truck them out!

I Might Have Intelligence, So Make Me Artificial

Artificial intelligence, in the barest of senses, indicates some form of intelligence possessed by an artificial entity. Obviously, making something artificial "intelligent" has been, and remains, a great challenge. But why, if we are simply trying to bring "artificial" and "intelligence" together into a single entity, do we always try to make artificial things intelligent? Ethical considerations don't seem to sever other gray-area research, so why don't we try to make intelligent things artificial?

The Length of Faith

Faith is the distance between what you know and what you believe.

                                Faith
------------------|>>>>>>>>>>>|
               Knowledge               Belief

So a lack of faith usually means you believe only in what you know.

An abundance of faith, on the other hand, usually means one of two things:

1. You know little and believe a lot.
2. You know a lot and believe even more.

Which are you?

Preview of intermz.com

A upcoming web encyclopedia called intermz.com aims to help us learn any subject we want to by putting it in terms of what we already know. The idea is that if we can see how new information and information we already understand overlap, we can learn the new stuff at break-neck speed.

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How Do You Get the Girl For Good?

Be the man you would want your daughter to marry.

Life Goals Are Scary

We tend to be terrified of actually pursuing and accomplishing our life goals because, if we do, then we risk running out of dreams to dream about. After all, fantasizing about what you could be is much easier than figuring out what you would have to become after that.

Who To Marry

Marry the person who has the perfect flaws.

A Possible Message From the Outside

It said to us, “You, the modern human. You learned to create systems and abuse them, while boasting of moving forward towards your own destruction. And you, the traditionalist. You continue to give new thought little air, and still replant the seeds of past mistakes. How am I to reconcile your similarities?

“And you of the brain. You decipher the world with the greatest devices available. Meanwhile, you of the heart acquire the world through your introspective spiritual engagements. Yet, you both manage to lack insight. What so frightens you?”

The Importance of Ambiguity

In an era of yes or no, on or off, GOP or Dem., we have become accustomed to, and nearly dependent upon, predictable things, easy-to-categorize things, and easy-to-stereotype things. We ask for and expect unambiguous answers to even malformed questions and value words with a single, concise meaning. And while clarity and efficiency has become the foundation of our information-driven world, we should not forget the importance of the ambiguous things, the cloudy, amorphous things like Tori Amos lyrics or Kafkan parables that let the imagination play and hope wander. In fact, I would submit that ambiguity and the quest to resolve it is an essential part of what differentiates us from animals. We once thought language separated us, but we are slowly discovering that some animals, too, have complex language. We only seem to surpass animals' curiosity, imagination, and technical ability by simple measures of degree. What we do that animals don't appear to is wrestle over the existence of the afterlife or the distinction between good and evil. Religion, philosophy, and ethics are entire disciplines devoted to the study of the ambiguous.

I work in IT and it is my job to be exacting and precise. I deal with hundreds of billions of discrete bits of information that must be exactly transformed into meaningful information. There is no room for uncertainty, but that is why I’m rapt by the worlds of art, music, and nature. Nothing ever has to make exact sense. Indeed, the most valuable examples of art, music, and nature are those that make almost no initial sense at all. When is something alive and when is something dead? What did Bob Marley really mean in his immortal lyric, "No woman, no cry?" These kinds of things truly make life as a human being worth living. It's within these vague oceans between definite shores that the beauty of human nature shines through and magic happens. Here are a few reasons why.

Ambiguity compels creativity in a way that nothing else does. Take T.S. Elliot's opening line in his epic poem "The Wasteland": "April is the cruelest month." He could have written, "Spring is the most depressing time for a humankind so alienated from itself and lacking of life." Instead, the poet veiled his meaning behind a hazy phrase to challenge us to work for his meaning. If we accept the challenge, we plunge into a white squall of creation: Our imagination begins to work, chewing on any morsel of information given, trying to pull out the flavor and discover what is at its heart. (How can a month be cruel? And why April?) We flex our ingenuity, exploring all possible interpretations of the message to arrive at some kind of basic understanding. (April is the start of Spring. Spring is the season of rebirth. Rebirth can be cruel to a society that is dead. Why is this society dead?) This search quickly becomes cathartic and downright philosophical.

But don't think that this kind of search and discovery, compelled by ambiguity, is only found in high brow art and literature. The major religious texts of the world are fraught with implied mantras and contradictory teachings—especially within themselves—enough so to fuel millennia of conflict among sects claiming to have the one true interpretation. But how can that be if they all differ, despite being based on the very same writings? I would argue that the reason religious texts, and the religions that interpret them, remain alive and a conscious part of contemporary debate is because of their ambiguous nature. Nothing is more potent in sparking attention than controversy, and nothing sparks controversy like statements that have not or cannot been proven either true or false; does life really begin at conception? Which god is the one true god? Ambiguity is the puzzle of two watches that tell different times. And it is this kind of uncertainty that fuels human existence and the human experience.

Another magical thing that ambiguity can offer is the deepest possible insights into truth. Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, Inc, tells his customers, "The more you know, the less you need." It's a simple, elegant truth that many of us have no doubt witnessed and can relate to. But how can that be if no direct mention is made of what is less needed? Therein lies the magic. Yvon trusts you to figure it out for yourself. First, your mind cycles through some possible answers; "The more you know," the less time you need; "The more you know," the less energy you need; the less materials you need, the less support you need; and so on, until you suddenly realize that all of those possibilities are equally true, all at once. Yvon's phrase is able to capture all of those truths in a single, stand-alone truth because he never actually mentions any of the possibilities. He simply leaves it up to you to figure it out. And now that you have, there is no more potent way to believe in the truth of something than to feel like you discovered it for yourself. How wonderful is that?

To try to describe to you all of ambiguity's fantastic figments would be like trying to describe the end of eternity. Even writing this essay has been an exercise in chiseling out something that is, by its very nature, hard to define. But there is one more facet of ambiguity that I'd like to offer up for consideration: The uncovering of truth and tendency about a person. How do you interpret A Clockwork Orange? What do you see in that ink splotch? What is your definition of love? What is your spouse's? There are no right answers to these questions, but there certainly are a lot of revealing ones.

Ambiguity spans the abyss between left and right, where "maybe" and "sort of" are often the most precise answers, but where "What do you think?" is uncertainly the best. Within that ephemeral region of question and curiosity, of impetus, lives the courage to not know something for certain. It is only there, in that nebulous space, that we thrive as humans, at the fringes of truth and revelation, as the great diviners of our own destiny. For without ambiguity, we would be relegated to the mechanized perpetuity of the easy-to-predict, and forget to face that which is even more frightening than the unknown—that which we may never know for sure. Because to face uncertain doubt gets at the very core of what drives our highly controversial existence. Know what I mean?

Side note: This essay was originally written for submission to NPR.org's This I Believe segment, but I wasn't able to get it to down to the 500 requisite words. So here it is in its entirety.

Be Wary of Intelligent People

Intelligent people are the most frightening because not only do they err as all other people do, but they can fully rationalize their error--and often at someone's expense.

Thriving In Your World

You attract and keep the people who thrive in the world you choose to create.

After You've Done It

You can let anyone tell you that you can't do it, but it won't matter after you've done it.

If There Is No Climate Crisis

Despite all of the evidence to the contrary, for a moment, let's assume that all proponents of global warming are wrong and that there is no environmental crisis. The primary skeptics of global warming contend that since there is no crisis, we should not disrupt present economic and personal practices for the sake of a false cause. My response to that is "So what if this is a false crisis?" For the first time since World War II, the world is united behind a cause that is not exclusively self-advancing for a small group of people. For the first time since WWII, we are all aware of something other than immediate gratification and comfort--we are paying attention to the planet beneath our feet and our children yet to be born. Even if there is no climate crisis, I think it crucial that we continue to believe in and act against it as if it were attacking the very future of our existence. By doing so, we are at least unified behind something concerned with the long-term improvements that all people can benefit from. Global warming is giving us reason to be more self-aware and to investigate where human kind stands against a common enemy instead of standing exclusively against itself.

The Hypocricy of Being Told Not to Tell

Keep in mind the contradiction of people telling you not to tell other people what to do.

Impossible!

People say things are impossible so that they don't have to do it.

What is Maturity?

Maturity is simply the degree to which you understand a situation and can respond accordingly with your intended effect.

When You Should Have Your First Heart Break

First heart break is like the chicken pox--get it over with when you're young.

Rules for Writing Effective Personal Statements

Here are my rules for writing good a personal statement:

1. Be interesting. Interesting content trumps interesting writing style, but style is important. The best culinary dishes not only taste good, but also look good.
   
2. Emphasize what sets you apart from your peers and makes you the ideal candidate.
3. Illustrate knowledge and experience, dedication and conviction.
4. Connect with your reader on an emotional level.
5. Don't use a laundry list form.
   
6. Incorporate a coherent theme. (What’s your overarching message/angle?)
7. Skip "Duh" points.
8. Use flattery with precision.
9. Don't use grandiose statements about "life."
   
10. Open strong, close strong.
    

Examples of how these rules should be applied:

1. Be interesting - Mention activities/attributes of yours that show you're not just a flat academic type. Ex: "I love to sing. Why? Because it's one of the few activities that help me balance my work and my spiritual side."
   
2. Set yourself apart - What makes you different? Is it just your activities, or do you have more than that? How about (real) life-altering experiences that set you on your current course and made you the best at what you want to do? Ex: "Ten years after my terrifying accident put me into a local ER, I still remember what it felt like to wait forever. As a doctor, I hope never to put others through the same."
   
3. Illustrate - It's easy to say you're experienced and dedicated, which is why saying it isn't enough. Give real, visceral examples of how you earned your experience or showed your dedication. Ex: "My water had run out 12 hours before. My food had run out two days before. I could hardly focus. But when I got the sample, the reason I stayed became clear."
   
4. Emotion - Without turning your personal statement into a novel, be sure to hit on the emotional chords of your audience. Doing so will make your statement much more memorable. Using a story, try to evoke empathy, sadness, joy, or triumph (but never sympathy for you). Make sure this story also illustrates other attributes about you (see above).
5. Don't list - One of the best ways to make you invisible is to use a laundry list of your accolades and achievements. Everyone will do this because they believe that cramming as many accolades as possible into a single page makes them look accomplished. You might look accomplished, but you'll also look like everyone else. Choose the accolades you illustrate wisely, and make each one a solid punch that keeps your reader interested and your story in their memory. Avoid bullet lists and a series of paragraphs that are each constructed around a bragging point.
6. Your theme - This is a slightly complicated point, but an important one that can really put your personal statement at the top of the pile. A theme is some characteristic about you (like a belief or attribute) that you continually come back to during the course of your statement. The strongest themes are ones that you develop early on in your statement and also close with. Ex: "I believe nothing is more important than detail; each little detail is one more reason to perfect the next one."
7. Kill the "Duh" - "Duh" points are anything that you reader already knows or is obvious. Listing off superlatives or the awards the program you're applying has won falls into this category. Avoid saying things like, "Your program interests me greatly." Duh! You wouldn't be applying if you didn't feel that way.
8. Precise flattery - Blanket flattery like "Your program is the greatest in the country," is meaningless and will make you look unoriginal and brown-nosed. Use flattery to illustrate why very specific aspects of the program you are applying to attracts you and why those aspects make you a good fit for the program. Remember: this is a statement about you; not a statement about the program.
9. Avoid making general statements about "life" - This should be pretty self explanatory. Talking about life doesn't say much about you except that are trying hard to sound profound. Grandeur has its place, but not in a personal statement. The best way not to just sound profound is to be profound. Say something deep about you or something you've experienced.
   
10. Open and close strong - People best remember your first and last impressions. Personal statements are no different. Open with a line that gets your reader interested in what they are about to read. Avoid lines like, "I am applying to ____ because..." at all costs. Try something like, "I had never been so frightened in my life as I was during my hour on that bus." Close with line(s) that wrap everything you've said up in a tight, punchy bundle. Briefly go over the reasons you are the best candidate for the program, and tie in your main points (even better, your theme).

Suggested structure for developing your statement

Most personal statements are limited to one page, which gives you very little room to extrapolate all of your wondrous virtues. However, you can also look at it in a positive way: a one-page limitation forces you to stick with the most important points.

Once you've decided which attributes to include, you'll need some kind of loose structure that handles how your statement opens, develops, and closes. The structure I recommend is as follows:

1. Open with something specific - A story, fact, or statement of belief can go here. Specifics garner much more interest than generalities.
2. Develop into broader ideas - More general information elaborating on you as a person and setting up the reasons why you are the right candidate.
3. Continue developing principles using specifics - Use examples or statements of belief to buttress your case.
4. Close by coming full circle - In the close, bring back some story or attribute you emphasized earlier and drive it home. Think of lines in movies where the main character is told something in the beginning, goes through some kind of transformation, and that line returns to him in the end. It gives you a feeling of closure, completeness, and satisfaction. A good personal statement does all three of those things.
   

Relatively Dangerous

The danger of relativism is that it can become an easy place to hide from responsibility. If you believe all perspectives are relative, then you don't need to form or have an opinion. If you don't have an opinion, then you don't have to be responsible for following it.

Mistaken Machine

Machines can't make mistakes because only humans have expectations.