Social media is so convenient. Rewarding confidence rather than competence. Choose to find the joy. We are nothing if not flexible. It's a simulation, silly. The monster's not what you think. Share your ideas.
“The ego is a fascinating monster.”
– Alanis Morissette
1. “Social media creates an illusion of convenience”
If nothing is curated, how do we find things? – (Tadaima)
When I started 7 Takeaways, I said something somewhere like “the world doesn’t need another curated newsletter”.
I was wrong. Curation is one way we break out of the echo chamber and social media algorithms from which we currently get all of our information. We need more, not fewer, curated newsletters and other sources from a diverse collection of curators.
We need critics who devote their lives to browsing through the pile and telling us what is worth our time and what isn’t.
It’s important.
The ones who prioritize comfort will stay in their algorithmic bubbles, while those who care about broadening their horizons will prioritize finding things on their own.
Do this: Broaden your horizons . (My list of sources might be one place to start.)
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2. “The summit of Mount Stupid”
Often Wrong, Seldom in Doubt – Tom Greene – (Wit & Wisdom)
We are awash in examples of the Dunning-Kruger effect. People who don’t know enough about a thing to realize just how bad they are at that thing.
We live in a society that rewards confidence more than competence. The loudest talking head on TV often wins the argument. People with little expertise label themselves as “thought leaders”.
The Dunning-Kruger effect isn’t just a quirky psychological glitch—it’s a cultural epidemic.
The problem is that as much as we might want to, we just can’t fix it in others. People gonna people.
What we can do is make sure we’re less likely to fall into the trap.
The antidote? A little humility, a lot of learning, and the wisdom to know when to sit down and let someone else fly …
Seems like a Catch 22 to me. The people who most need to know this are those least likely to think they need to know this.
Do this: Stay humble.
3. “I’ve already decided it’s going to be wonderful.”
We’re Too Old to Use The Age-Old Excuse to Avoid Joy – Julie Hubbel – (Too Old For This Sh*t)
A lovely piece on not just finding joy, but expecting it (perhaps the most reliable way to find it, after all).
The joy that is available to us doesn’t dissipate. We simply choose not to see it.
Perhaps it’s more than that. Perhaps we’re so distracted by everything else going on (and there is so much going on) that we simply don’t notice it. It’s less of a choice not to see it, as a choice to not to actively look for it. We need to choose to expect it. I know, that’s difficult these days, but important nonetheless.
Do this: “Despite the news, despite the doom and gloom, despite….all of it, let’s choose to find the joy that is everywhere.”
4. “It’s about being flexible in how you think”
Cognitive Reappraisal: The Art of Seeing Things Differently – Anne-Laure Le Cunff – (Ness Labs)
Sh*t happens. It just does, and often at the most inconvenient times. So do you balk and get upset, or do you reassess, recover, and re-plan?
I think I’ve mentioned before one of my favorite phrases in the heat of unexpected chaos is “we are nothing if not flexible”. I’ve come to believe that flexibility is a superpower.
Over time, cognitive reappraisal can help you to respond more calmly when things don’t go as expected and stay grounded in situations that might otherwise feel overwhelming.
Even as I type this, we have the potential for a minor upheaval in our plans later this month. We’re already discussing the alternatives and how we might turn a deep disappointment in one area to an opportunity in another.
Do this: Stay flexible.
5. “LLMs do not think and feel but instead mimic and mirror”
What Happens When People Don’t Understand How AI Works – Tyler Austin Harper – (The Atlantic)
LLMs, or Large Language Models, are the backbone of what we today call Artificial Intelligence or AI. If there were one concept relating to AI I wish more people would internalize, it’s the takeaway above. AI is a simulation, nothing more. It’s a computer program, like many others. Impressive? Yes. Useful? It can be. But a computer program designed to simulate intelligent interactions.
Large language models do not, cannot, and will not “understand” anything at all. They are not emotionally intelligent or smart in any meaningful or recognizably human sense of the word. LLMs are impressive probability gadgets …
Here’s the thing: when and how does it matter when the simulation can’t be distinguished from the real thing? Today AI is generally easy(ish) to identify, but that is changing rapidly. Does it matter? How does it matter? Why does it matter?
I’m not saying it doesn’t matter. I am saying that knee-jerk reactions for or against it help no one. These are important questions that need to be considered as AI moves forward.
Do this: Understand: it’s a simulation, nothing more.
6. “The technology isn’t the problem. The obsession is.”
Every generation discovers the same monster. – Greg Storey – (Brilliantcrank)
You may have heard of people becoming so enthralled with AI that they’ve convinced themselves AI is sentient, or AI is god, or AI has told them they are god, or AI has helped them recover repressed memories, or more. A recent Rolling Stone article covered the topic: People Are Losing Loved Ones to AI-Fueled Spiritual Fantasies.
Storey’s position is simple:
People who lose themselves in AI were always going to lose themselves in something. Books, movies, radio, television, the internet—whatever promised them answers, purpose, or cosmic significance. The technology changes. The psychological pattern doesn’t.
His essay lists many examples, most of which you’re also probably very familiar with of this happening again and again in the days before AI. In a nutshell: we’ve been here before. And before. And before. As he sums it up:
The monster isn’t in the machine. It’s in the mirror.
Do this: Be careful where you place your blame.
7. “Ideas don’t belong in your head”
The Secret Inside my MIT Commencement Speech – Hank Green – (YouTube)
Green is an awkward, energetic, slightly disorganized speaker, and yet his MIT commencement speech contains several takeaway-worthy nuggets. I selected the one above just because it seems so counter intuitive, until you continue:
They cannot help anyone in your head. I sometimes see people become like addicted to their amazing idea. They love it so much they cannot expose it to the imperfection of reality. Stop waiting. Get the ideas out. You may fail, but while you fail, you will build new tools.
It’s an entertaining speech.
Do this: Capture your ideas. Share your ideas.
Random links
- Department Store Catalogs
- Teachers Are Not OK – 404 Media, on AI
- You Are What You Won’t Do For Money
- The Deepfake Scams You’re Not Ready For – Worth sharing.
- Probe lenses and focus stacking: the secrets to incredible photos taken inside instruments
What I’m reading now
- Mistborn: The Final Empire – Brandon Sanderson
- Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World – Anne-Laure Le Cunff
- Nudge: The Final Edition – Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein
- The Science of Storytelling – Will Storr (audio)
My Reading List – everything I’ve read since 2021.
My Sources Page – the common sources I scan/read regularly.
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“Social media creates an illusion of convenience” ✔
“LLMs do not think and feel but instead mimic and mirror” ✔
6. “The technology isn’t the problem. The obsession is.” ✔
The Deepfake Scams You’re Not Ready For (Made with Google Veo 3) ✔