6 ms·

HEURISTIC #1 When in doubt, chose the adventure. (Credit: Nietzsche) HEURISTIC #2 What’s the right thing to do here, versus the comfortable one? HEURISTIC #3

by leobg 5y ago

HEURISTIC #1 When in doubt, chose the adventure. (Credit: Nietzsche) HEURISTIC #2 What’s the right thing to do here, versus the comfortable one? HEURISTIC #3 To make a thing inevitable, do as much as you can right now. For instance, to make it inevitable to take a letter to my office the next day, I put it inside my shoes. (Credit: BF Skinner) HEURISTIC #4 If it’s popular and most people agree with it, walk on. Interesting and unfashionable is where the real fun is - and, likely, the values of tomorrow. (Credit: Peter Thiel, and, again, Nietzsche)

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
_3u10 5y ago
Definitely agree. One of the heuristics I use is NPC vs PC. If it feels like something NPCs do or is a fetch quest I avoid it, delegate it, outsource it, etc. If it's a PC thing, then I do it myself.
- boston_clone 5y ago
  This seems like a quick path to losing respect from your team. Are you an IC or management? I mean, I kind of get it, but I also believe that there's a sense of zen humility in, say, doing the dishes.
  - javajosh 5y ago
    I think we should give the GP the benefit of the doubt and assume he's talking about not pulling work that he thinks is for an NPC. Presumably if he gets stuck with work for an NPC he'll do it.
  - muzani 5y ago
    Where I work, this routine stuff is handled by an ops team. But we have a saying that ops will have a different job scope every 6 months because it will be automated. The ops team gets plenty of respect and are probably the real PCs. However phrasing it as PC/NPC work does seem insulting. Even games are evolving into forms where everyone is the PC. To mess with the analogy even more, it's usually low level PCs that are tasked with rat hunting and fetch quests.
  - _3u10 5y ago
    I’m not trying to achieve zen. If I was I’d advise quitting tech, and going to a monastery. Becoming a zen master is definitely a PC move. It’s just not mine (or isn’t currently, losing all my stuff and sleeping on a sleeping bag definitely raised my awareness of how irrelevant stuff is) Teams generally like me, I’m always pushing boundaries and always willing to provide paperwork for them to CYA and blame it on me should it blow up.
systemvoltage 5y ago
I find Peter Thiel's thinking absolutely fascinating despite controversial opinions in the circles here. I highly recommend listening to his interviews even if you disagree with him and possibly have made up the mind.
- jacobolus 5y ago
  > Interesting and unfashionable is where the real fun is ... Credit: Peter Thiel This guy is dumping millions into funding fascist politicians, with the hopes of making fascism the next big thing and corrupting/subverting the US republic. Not sure that’s the best inspiration, though if it works out I’m sure he’ll profit. Pretty much the opposite of picking the right thing vs. the comfortable [personally profitable] thing.
  - Bilal_io 5y ago
    As they say, the rich profit from war and from peace.
  - galacticaactual 5y ago
    Really. Because only one side has a repeated pattern of silencing the other. And it’s not the side that Peter supports.
    - unclebucknasty 5y ago
      Peter doesn't support the side that ejects anyone (e.g. Kinzinger, Cheney) who dares to disagree with Trump? He doesn't support the side whose existential litmus test is allegiance to a massive lie? He doesn't support the side that is currently banning books? His "side" has literally become a thought-policing cult, infected with conspiracy theorists and white supremacists who rabidly attack anyone with whom they disagree. They do this with vitriol and threats of real violence, including planned militia-style assaults on elected officials (Whitmer), even in their own party (Pence). As well, their own reps (Cawthorn, Gosar, Trump, etc.) purposely use the language of violence against those who disagree with them. Their openly fascist dream-becoming-reality is to enforce their will at gunpoint. So what, exactly, are you talking about?
kamaal 5y ago
>>HEURISTIC #3 To make a thing inevitable, do as much as you can right now. I have an another HEURISTIC, like do not put impossible clauses as preconditions in front of possible things, if you do- the possible now becomes impossible. eg: Like deciding you will to get a gym membership when prices fall, this is a wrong way of thinking, instead if you can afford a membership(which almost always you can) go workout in the gym. Putting the discount clauses now only acts as a means preventing you from getting fit.
ryan-allen 5y ago
I came here thinking this was going to be a super boring thread, and realise now I'm wrong. These are very provoking, thank you!
lewisjoe 5y ago
About heuristic #2: An interesting contrast comes to mind. Sometimes the right thing ends up being comfortable too. The problem with such a situation is, people use this heuristic to justify that the thing isn't right because it is too comfortable or they bring up a wrong thing that is complicated and use this heuristic as a defence (it is hard therefore it must be right) Happens all the time in the workplace. For example take debates like using dynamically typed vs statically typed languages or turing-machine based approach vs lambda calculus (functional approach).

by leobg 5y ago

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

_3u10 5y ago

Definitely agree. One of the heuristics I use is NPC vs PC. If it feels like something NPCs do or is a fetch quest I avoid it, delegate it, outsource it, etc. If it's a PC thing, then I do it myself.

boston_clone 5y ago
This seems like a quick path to losing respect from your team. Are you an IC or management? I mean, I kind of get it, but I also believe that there's a sense of zen humility in, say, doing the dishes.
- javajosh 5y ago
  I think we should give the GP the benefit of the doubt and assume he's talking about not pulling work that he thinks is for an NPC. Presumably if he gets stuck with work for an NPC he'll do it.
- muzani 5y ago
  Where I work, this routine stuff is handled by an ops team. But we have a saying that ops will have a different job scope every 6 months because it will be automated. The ops team gets plenty of respect and are probably the real PCs. However phrasing it as PC/NPC work does seem insulting. Even games are evolving into forms where everyone is the PC. To mess with the analogy even more, it's usually low level PCs that are tasked with rat hunting and fetch quests.
- _3u10 5y ago
  I’m not trying to achieve zen. If I was I’d advise quitting tech, and going to a monastery. Becoming a zen master is definitely a PC move. It’s just not mine (or isn’t currently, losing all my stuff and sleeping on a sleeping bag definitely raised my awareness of how irrelevant stuff is) Teams generally like me, I’m always pushing boundaries and always willing to provide paperwork for them to CYA and blame it on me should it blow up.

systemvoltage 5y ago

I find Peter Thiel's thinking absolutely fascinating despite controversial opinions in the circles here. I highly recommend listening to his interviews even if you disagree with him and possibly have made up the mind.

jacobolus 5y ago
> Interesting and unfashionable is where the real fun is ... Credit: Peter Thiel This guy is dumping millions into funding fascist politicians, with the hopes of making fascism the next big thing and corrupting/subverting the US republic. Not sure that’s the best inspiration, though if it works out I’m sure he’ll profit. Pretty much the opposite of picking the right thing vs. the comfortable [personally profitable] thing.
- Bilal_io 5y ago
  As they say, the rich profit from war and from peace.
- galacticaactual 5y ago
  Really. Because only one side has a repeated pattern of silencing the other. And it’s not the side that Peter supports.
  - unclebucknasty 5y ago
    Peter doesn't support the side that ejects anyone (e.g. Kinzinger, Cheney) who dares to disagree with Trump? He doesn't support the side whose existential litmus test is allegiance to a massive lie? He doesn't support the side that is currently banning books? His "side" has literally become a thought-policing cult, infected with conspiracy theorists and white supremacists who rabidly attack anyone with whom they disagree. They do this with vitriol and threats of real violence, including planned militia-style assaults on elected officials (Whitmer), even in their own party (Pence). As well, their own reps (Cawthorn, Gosar, Trump, etc.) purposely use the language of violence against those who disagree with them. Their openly fascist dream-becoming-reality is to enforce their will at gunpoint. So what, exactly, are you talking about?

kamaal 5y ago

>>HEURISTIC #3 To make a thing inevitable, do as much as you can right now. I have an another HEURISTIC, like do not put impossible clauses as preconditions in front of possible things, if you do- the possible now becomes impossible. eg: Like deciding you will to get a gym membership when prices fall, this is a wrong way of thinking, instead if you can afford a membership(which almost always you can) go workout in the gym. Putting the discount clauses now only acts as a means preventing you from getting fit.

ryan-allen 5y ago

I came here thinking this was going to be a super boring thread, and realise now I'm wrong. These are very provoking, thank you!

lewisjoe 5y ago

About heuristic #2: An interesting contrast comes to mind. Sometimes the right thing ends up being comfortable too. The problem with such a situation is, people use this heuristic to justify that the thing isn't right because it is too comfortable or they bring up a wrong thing that is complicated and use this heuristic as a defence (it is hard therefore it must be right) Happens all the time in the workplace. For example take debates like using dynamically typed vs statically typed languages or turing-machine based approach vs lambda calculus (functional approach).