J.D. Moyer

sci-fi author, beatmaker

Why Do We Try Hard Things?

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On October 6

In Metaprogramming

A few weeks ago Kia dropped a huge self-knowledge bomb on my head. Well-meaning, of course. And totally off-the-cuff. But her comment made me understand something profound about myself. And that realization has significantly changed my self-image.

I was complaining about how something I was trying to do was difficult (as I often do). Kia pointed out that almost everything I try to do is difficult. Writing fiction and getting it published, producing music and selling it online, writing good software. None of these things are easy.

Crowded markets, intense competition, middling rewards–these are the hallmarks of the things I choose to do.

Even the things I do for recreation are challenging: improving my chess ELO, collecting every item in Elden Ring, collecting every shiny in Pokemon GO, painting tiny miniatures with very small brushes.

Everything I try to do is…really hard.

Maybe you’re the same way. We push ourselves in different ways. Some people run marathons or lift really heavy weights. I prefer “grindy” challenges where I try over and over again until I get slightly better at what I’m doing, or just get really lucky.

It’s not hard to understand why I enjoy taking on difficult tasks. The struggle and effort are mentally stimulating, and succeeding and/or winning feels good. If the challenge were less, so would be the intrinsic rewards.

But I didn’t fully realize that this was my way. Now, when I felt frustrated with a string of losses or a huge expenditure of effort with little immediate result, I can step back and remind myself “I chose to live this way” (and maybe dial it back a bit, or take a break).

I can be ambitious without feeling trapped by that ambition.

Words in a Likely Order

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On September 8

In Culture Rants/Shares

Last week I was working on a technical problem for a client. Someone on my team filed a support ticket with one of the software companies we’re working with. The company wrote back with a solution. Fantastic! The problem was really annoying, so I was happy to see that there was a workaround. All we needed to do was change a setting.

I looked up the setting, but couldn’t find it. I sent screenshots to the client. Could they find the setting with their admin login?

They couldn’t find it either.

My colleague wrote back to the software company. They responded that the “solution” was an AI generated response, and was incorrect.

What the actual fuck.

At least four people’s time wasted, because an AI made up some words that resembled a technical solution.

And this type of thing is happening all over the tech world. Companies are cutting costs by reducing support staff, replacing them with AI. But the end result is degraded service for the customer, and extra work for the remaining support staff sorting out the bullshit AI responses.

AI is capable of generating “words in a likely order”, as my wife puts it. But the AI doesn’t know or care if the words are true, and apparently neither do the companies deploying the AI tools.

What a fucking scam.

10K Hours is B.S.

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On August 27

In Metaprogramming

As I get a bit older, and the number of activities I have spent ten thousand or more hours practicing increases, I’ve come to the realization that just doing the thing is not enough to get really good. Malcom Gladwell’s observation that the world’s best in every category have accumulated at least ten thousand of practice in their field is just that–an observation. Ten thousand hours of practice may correlate with elite mastery, but it doesn’t cause elite mastery. You need more.

Like many of Gladwell’s big ideas, this one has been refuted many times. The most recent research shows that hours of practice are only loosely associated with mastery. Those with natural talent (and/or good teachers and/or a good study plan) progress much faster that those who focus solely on grinding out the practice hours.

I have at least two natural talents, and I have practiced both very little. One is thinking in abstract data models. From the moment I was exposed to databases, I “got” them. I managed to turn this talent into a part-time career that pays most of my bills. I still had to put in the hours learning to code, but the mental models always came easily.

My other natural talent is that people believe me, without question, based on the sound of my voice. It’s weird. I’ve never practiced it at all. It drives my wife crazy, especially when I happen to be wrong.

In other life areas I’d like very much to be good, but I’m only mediocre. Like chess. I watch chess videos, solve puzzles, play many games, but struggle to break 1000 ELO on chess.com. I’m still in the top 20% of players on the site, but I’ll never be elite. Still, I’m really proud of the progress I’ve made. It’s sweeter because it’s hard earned.

For me, I’ve decided that it’s worth it to try to get better in areas that interest me, even if I’m not naturally talented. It’s exciting to make progress, to devise a study plan and follow it. And access to knowledge, lessons, and expertise has never been easier, thanks to the internet and YouTube. Thanks, Youtubers who take the time to teach others. You rock!

No More Building on Sand

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On June 16

In Culture Rants/Shares, Personal Updates

When Twitter went downhill, I wasn’t sure what to “do” about social media. Many of the authors and artists I followed fled the platform, and my feed became a cesspool of vile posts from accounts I was not following. Though my Twitter/X feed has become more sane, I rarely go there anymore. The company dismantled TweetDeck, my preferred mode of viewing and posting, and I just lost interest.

Until then, Twitter had been my preferred social media platform. I posted to Facebook and Instagram a few times a year, usually to promote a new release. But I was on Twitter daily, posting at least a few times a week, sharing thoughts, opinions, and retweeting items of interest.

Post-Twitter, I decided not to rush the process of finding my next “main” social media site. I signed up for Bluesky, Threads, and Mastadon, but I didn’t spend much time on any of them.

I’d been burned. I’d spent significant time on Twitter, and my experience had been ruined by Elon Musk’s ego purchase and atrociously poor management (firing top engineers, dismantling moderation teams, inviting fascists and bigots back to the platform, alienating advertisers, and generally running the company into the ground). I didn’t want to repeat my mistake by hopping on a new bandwagon.

Then, a few weeks ago, I had a realization. I already had a “main” social media site. It’s this website. It’s self-hosted WordPress.

If I have something to say or share, long-form text is usually my preferred mode of communication. Sometimes I like to share a picture or two, but usually it’s just words. So a WordPress blog is perfect. People can comment on my posts if they want, or message me. And I can share posts to different audiences on Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, and even LinkedIn, depending on the subject matter and vibe.

Many of my family and friends visit my site occasionally to see what I’m up to. I keep up with them by following their posts on whatever social media site(s) they post on, or just call and say hi (a Gen X thing). So my blog does function as a social media site, in addition to being a place where anyone can read my posts or learn more about my fiction writing and music.

And I’m no longer building on sand. No one can rug pull my own site, or buy it and ruin it. Nothing lasts forever, but WordPress.org is open source software. I own my own domain and my own content. Being the sole moderator, I can edit or remove old posts or comments whenever I want.

So welcome to my social media platform.

Reading in Crockett

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On May 19

In Fiction Writing

I put out the message on all my social media channels but forgot to post here until now. If you’re in the Bay Area and looking for something to do today, I’ll be reading at Passionate Feast Vintage & Book in Crockett at around 2pm. I’ve chosen an excerpt from The Last Crucible (Book 3 of Reclaimed Earth) featuring Aina, an awakened cybrid, one of my favorite minor characters in the series. Also reading will be T.K. Rex, Douglas Henderson, and L. Ann Kinyon.

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