In learning any new area of study, I’ve found that sociology to be super important. Rather than just reading the literature, I try to be immersed on the communi

In learning any new area of study, I’ve found that sociology to be super important. Rather than just reading the literature, I try to be immersed on the community and to overhear what people are talking about (r/localllama on Reddit is a good start). RAG is the coin of the realm in those communities and beyond. It’s not infrequently mentioned — in fact rather the opposite. I’ve found that learning an area solely by reading the literature etc is necessary but insufficient because you don’t get a sense of which topics are important. I’ve made this mistake several times in my career and ended up working on things that no one cared about.