Writing Insights (2024)

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Writing as a Thinking Practice Writing is a powerful exercise in refining thought, unearthing new insights, and building clarity. As William Zinsser famously said in his On Writing Well classic: Clear thinking becomes clear writing; one can’t exist without the other. One sharpens the other as writing forces us to slow down and organize our thoughts in ways that speaking or thinking alone often cannot achieve. At its best, clear writing transcends the personal and becomes universal by tapping into shared human experiences and …

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Feel Good Stories about Everyday Extraordinary

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Sometimes, it is the quirky, the overlooked, or the downright difficult that brings us a smile or a thought. Sometimes, we need moments like these, an array of stories, not neatly correlated but a jump from one thought to another, to wander and wonder. Born in 1875 in Arles, France, Jeanne Calment witnessed the turning of two centuries and the transformations they brought with them. At the age of 90, Jeanne entered into a contract with 47-year-old lawyer André-François Raffray, who agreed to pay …

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When Resilience Requires Slack

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The traditional approach to understanding complex systems has been reductionist, breaking them into smaller, simpler components. While effective for understanding mechanical systems like clocks, where each cog serves a clear purpose in isolation, this method falls short when applied to dynamic, interconnected systems like living organisms, ecosystems, weather patterns, or even social structures such as economies, organizations, institutions, supply chains, or families. To look at systems like these and only see parts is to miss the force that ties them together. […] You don’t …

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The Historical Method – You Learn Something Old Every Day

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“You learn something old every day.” X the Owl, a character in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood This article is inspired by a comment on the askHistorians subreddit. It highlights a fundamental difference in how historians approach facts compared to those from fields like science or engineering (my own background). Many assume historians can offer definitive truths about past events, but the reality is more nuanced. And one thing that I, and I suspect others around here who’ve been trained as historians, learn is that the …

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Reading for Knowledge

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Reading is integral to our daily lives, serving various purposes ranging from relaxation to in-depth learning. How we approach reading often depends on our objectives — whether we are unwinding with a novel, seeking specific information, or engaging with academic texts. Reading for Leisure Reading for leisure is an unhurried journey through stories, ideas, and emotions. It allows us to experience pleasure, relaxation, and sometimes escapism through the written or spoken word. The motivation is personal enjoyment rather than academic, professional, or life admin …

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Resources of August 2024 – Sketches, History, and Creative Constraints

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Continuing with the second edition of Resources of the Month: Sketchplanations Sketchplanations is an ever-growing collection of illustrations that explain complex topics through easy, one-panel sketches. When I first discovered it, I spent hours devouring bite-sized explanations on various subjects, from science and behavioral economics to psychology frameworks and business models with detours to domestic life hacks. Some that stood out for me are VUCA, the Hotel Drying Technique, Hara Hachi Bu, Collective Effervescence, The Automation Paradox, Tsundoku, Kaffikok, Detecting Prostate Cancer or Problem-solving. Especially good …

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Resources of July 2024 – Procrastination, Generalization vs. Specialization, Ingenious Living and More

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Note: Sometimes, it can take me up to a year to turn a concept into a published article. I noticed this recently with my latest piece, Insights from Bjarne Stroustrup, Creator of C++, published this July. The idea for that article originated when I watched Stroustroup’s video interview for Honeypot last August. This made me consider creating a series where I gather insights from my findings. I would call it something else than a newsletter, as it might not necessarily be news-oriented but ideas-focused. …

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Insights from Bjarne Stroustrup, Creator of C++

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Bjarne Stroustrup is a renowned Danish computer scientist and the creator of the C++ programming language. Stroustrup’s work has profoundly impacted software development, making C++ one of the most widely used programming languages for system/software development, game programming, and real-time simulations. This article will showcase some relevant quotes from Stroustrup, providing insights into his philosophy and the far-reaching impact of his contributions. About Bjarne Stroustrup You’ve created one of the most efficient and fastest programming languages. No doubt, that has changed our world. Have …

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