Decibel #3
One Liner: Longevity FAQ
Aging is one of the biggest problems in the world and while I don’t feel I’m likely to work on it directly, I do enjoy staying informed as a casual enthusiast.
A Few Thoughts: Antimemetics Division
I have this notion that information-hazards are mostly fake, or at least should be. Knowledge feels inherently good. Yes, there are secrets told that would devastate, but mostly I think that it’s better to know than not to know. I admit there are examples of things that probably should be difficult to come to know, like bioweapon development techniques, but on the whole info-hazards feel made up to me.
I was recommended this series of science fiction short stories in which info-hazards play a prominent role and I now wholeheartedly recommend you check them out. They take a some very clever turns and I think do a pretty interesting job of exploring a space of science fiction which I hadn’t seen before. Refreshing and novel, it’s worth your time.
I read the following:
- SCP-055 (background text)
- We Need To Talk About Fifty-Five
- Introductory Antimemetics
- Unforgettable, That’s What You Are
- CASE COLOURLESS GREEN
- Your Last First Day
Take Some Time: On Excellence and Experts
The first link is a report exploring the nature of excellence, using swimming as a case study. The second is a video by Veritasium on four required pieces for becoming an expert.
The nature of excellence and experts aren’t totally equal, but I generally characterize excellent people as experts in something and experts as excellent in something. Both of these pieces identify four major points.
Excellence is Mundane:
- Qualitative differences, not quantitative tend to matter more. It’s not about practicing an extra hour each day, it’s about the way in which you practice. Do you show up on time? Is every stroke focused on the best technique?
- Talent is overhyped — it takes very little talent to be an Olypian. This research suggests 100k people in the US are olympic capable.
- Excellence is mundane. “Excellence is accomplished through the doing of actions, ordinary in themselves, performed consistently and carefully, habitualized, compounded together, added up over time.”
- Make small, manageable steps. Work on improving your kick turn duration, not winning the olympics.
The 4 things it takes to be an expert:
- Valid environment — one that has predictable regularities
- Repeated attempts
- Timely feedback
- Don’t get too comfortable — “Deliberate practice”.
Neither one is mentions genes, either physical or mental, as a major contributor. This means, almost certainly, you can become excellent or an expert in something. Despite an initial surprise, this feels inline with my own lived experience — the experts I’ve met tend to exhibit the above behaviors. Certainly being born with advantages of all types helps, but it doesn’t seem to be required.
Veritasium’s “deliberate practice” encapsulates the spirit behind the qualitative differences in the swimming piece. That same attitude that is trying to always improve and to be the best is the same one that is not getting too comfortable during learning.
Both pieces focus on the importance of feedback. The small, manageable steps aren’t for reducing effort. They are mostly to collect higher quality feedback! When studying just the kick-turn, the feedback is small, precise, and focused, letting the swimmer analyze and learn what the best turns feel like before committing them to memory with repeated attempts.
Sometimes though, you may not need to become an expert. Maybe it’s the ordinary brushing of teeth, or calling your mother, or telling your friends and family you love them, but even without the focus and care of expert-style training, there are compounding interests in just continuously showing up.
RSS should also work.