Letters Remain

Month: June 2010

  • Hypertext Comprehension and Delinkification

    Deciding whether to click on links while reading material in hypertext form gives rise to an additional cognitive load and additional distractions, goes a theory championed by Steve Gillmor and Nicholas Carr. In certain circumstances this is an argument for the “delinkification” of text, they suggest, as this will hopefully bring about increased comprehension. While…

  • Blood Sugar and the Depletion of Self-Control

    Self-control is a finite resource, goes the ego depletion theory, and through various means can be “used-up”. What, exactly, depletes and builds this resource isn’t fully known but a number of studies have shown some intriguing correlations with blood glucose level (explaining, possibly, the cookie self-control study). The abstract of a study by Roy Baumeister summarises the findings…

  • On Being Wrong: Estimating Our Beliefs

    Following the forced retirement of Helen Thomas following her controversial comments on Israel and Palestine, Felix Salmon discusses how being wrong–and more importantly, the willingness to be wrong–is an admirable trait that should be applauded. In discussing this, Salmon points to a conversation between Tyler Cowen and Wil Wilkinson, where Cowen proposes: Take whatever your…

  • Ira Glass on Being Wrong and Manufacturing Inspiration

    Discussing how many great stories “hinge on people being wrong”, Kathryn Schulz interviews This American Life host Ira Glass on the benefits of being wrong. I feel like being wrong is really important to doing decent work. To do any kind of creative work well, you have to run at stuff knowing that it’s usually…

  • Using Anchoring for Personal Appraisals

    I believe the anchoring effect to be one of the most intriguing psychological phenomena, mainly due to its impact, ease of observation and ease of use. I’ve written much about anchoring before and find it hard to resist new studies on the topic. One recent study shows that even irrelevant anchors can be used to…

  • Essential Startup Essays

    Om Malik presents what he believes are the ten essential startup essays of 2009: Paul Graham: What Startups Are Really Like Sean Ellis: Milestones to Startup Success Eric Ries: Myth: Entrepreneurship Will Make You Rich Venture Hacks: What Is the Minimum Viable Product? Mike Speiser: The Power of Continuous Improvement Mike Speiser: Getting Comfortable With…

  • The Keynote MBA

    Truth is, the great value in most MBA and JD programs can be boiled down to 5 to 10 talks, presentations, classes and conversations that changed the way you experienced the world. Following up on this comment, Jonathan Fields presents The Seven Keynote MBA: seven keynote speeches, from a diverse group of people, that together…

  • The Ideas of Frank Chimero

    Designer Frank Chimero presents his ‘Ideas’: his manifesto of sorts principles on creativity, motivation and innovation. Chimero briefly covers seven topics, entitled: Why is Greater Than How Not More. Instead, Better. Surprise + Clarity = Delight Sincire, Authentic & Honest No Silver Bullets, No Secrets Quality + Sincerity = Enthusiasm Everything is Something or Other I’m…

  • Motivation and the Cognitive Surplus

    This short discussion between Clay Shirky and Daniel Pink on cognitive surplus and motivation is full of little insights and allusions to interesting pieces of research. This, from Dan Pink, is a wonderful overview of the research into motivation, presented in typical Pink clarity: We have a biological drive. We eat when we’re hungry, drink when we’re…

  • Statistical Literacy Guides

    I am suitably impressed by the clarity and breadth of the House of Commons Library’s statistical literacy guide on How to spot spin and inappropriate use of statistics (pdf, via @TimHarford). A quick dig around the archives revealed a full series of statistical literacy guides (all pdf), all of which are fantastically readable, accessible and comprehensive. These…