WW #27: On Balance, Surveillance & Studying Techniques
Hi, it's me Waldi!
Here are this week’s 5 pieces of insights and wisdom. Enjoy! :)
I respect your time and prune the fluff in these emails reletnlessly.
I.
Life is a balance of having a long-term, exciting, fulfilling vision and enjoying the daily actions and adjustments that get you there. The key is to make both as attractive, easy-to-do and simple as possible.
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II.
Modern streaming services watch you similarly to how scientists watch mice in a lab. They pay attention to what you search for, how long you read, watch, or listen to a piece of content, when you pause or rewind and what you consume repeatedly. Then, they feed this information to their algorithm to deduce your preferences, mood and emotions. The algorithm then suggests recommendations that strongly align with your preferences. Through this endless surveillance cycle, a company can understand you better than you understand yourself and play you like a piano. Pressing the right keys at the right time to keep you hooked to their service. Beware.
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III.
We default to judgment because it's easy, seductive and an opportunity to escape the painful parts of ourselves.
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IV.
Curiosity can be a way of life. Ask supposedly stupid questions until you're satisfied with the answers. Learn until you're satisfied with your understanding. Just follow your curiosity.
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V.
When you try to learn things to remember later, try to simulate the environment where you'll need to remember them as best as you can during your learning practice. Listen to background sounds that mimic what you would hear. Study in a room that looks similar. Wear the same perfume or recreate the smell of the place you'll be in. These preparations make it more likely that you'll recall what you need later.