J.D. Moyer

sci-fi author, beatmaker

Category: Metaprogramming Page 24 of 29

A Multi-Modal Approach to Solving Extremely Difficult Problems — Part I

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On December 3

In Metaprogramming, Problem Solving

Plato and Aristotle ... solvin' some problems.

Most problems are easy to solve.  The solution leaps into your head the instant you understand the nature of the problem.  In the course of our day we might solve a dozen, or even a hundred smallish problems (unclogging, plugging in, restarting, mediating, debugging, delegating, etc.).  It’s one thing our giant brains evolved to excel at.

But every once in awhile we run into a real doozy — a problem so difficult or intractable that it truly stumps us.  Maybe we’re half a million in debt, with no income to speak of.  Maybe we have a chronic illness that has proven resistant to medicine and lifestyle changes.  Maybe the behavior of a client, significant other, or family member has escalated to red alarm level — they’re destroying us or themselves and they’re out of control.  Maybe we’ve invaded a country on false pretenses and now we’re stuck there and it’s costing us lives and billions of dollars.  No easy solution springs to mind.  What’s the best approach?

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Dealing With Cybernetic Discombobulation

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On November 26

In Metaprogramming

Everyone should have a dedicated recombobulation space.

Losing your phone, moving to a new country, breaking your leg, your laptop self-destructing, getting a concussion — all these disruptive events can be described as cybernetic discombobulation.  The systems, body, habits, technologies, and databases we rely on to navigate daily life occasionally break or corrupt or become obsolete (or we break them on purpose in pursuit of growth or change or freedom).

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Willpower as a Commodity, Part III (Thought Vaccines)

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On November 18

In Health/Body-hacking, Metaprogramming

Keep reading … it will makes sense.

In my earlier posts in this series, I wrote about the idea that willpower is less a muscle we can strengthen, and more a limited resource that we need to spend wisely.  If we spend our day doing taxes (difficult), we’ll have less energy at the end of the day to resist sweet desserts or other temptations.

We all “leak” willpower to some extent, wasting our daily supply of mental fortitude on battles like staying awake when we’re sleepy, resisting food cravings, making ourselves do work we don’t want to do, enduring annoying people, etc.  If we take proactive steps to either change our lives or establish new habits, these “leaks” go away and we’re left with more willpower to work on whatever we really want to work on (making art, earning money, fixing stuff, improving the lives of others — whatever our “life’s work” happens to be).

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Manufactured Stress — How We Sabotage Our Own Quality of Consciousness

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On October 28

In Mental Health, Metaprogramming

This is not my neighbor's dog.

Last night the neighbor’s dog bit me.  It was just a little nip on my calf — a sheep dog’s instinct — and it took me a second to even register what had happened.  Once I realized what had happened I approached the mutt (who was now peeing in my front yard) and stared him down.  He ignored me, so as he dashed off I growled at him.  He promptly turned and charged at me.

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The Importance of Like

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On September 29

In Culture Rants/Shares, Metaprogramming

What draws us to certain styles, things, and types of people?

Why do we prefer what we prefer? Lately I’ve been thinking that “personal taste” is somewhat illusory; what different people “like” is actually a simple algorithm based on age, gender, and cultural trends.  The majority of two to five year old girls in the United States like the color pink, fairies, and Disney princesses. (Gender stereotyping?  Sure, but also observation.)  Hipsters “like” single gear bikes.  Hippies “like” hummus.  And so on …

Beneath (or maybe mingled with) these broad demographic probabilities lies our real personal taste.  For most of us, it (luckily) overlaps with the zeitgeist — others are compelled to wear Renaissance Faire clothes to work every day.

Casual Friday?

For a myriad of biological and cultural and indeterminate reasons, we find ourselves with a set of strong and weak preferences toward various foods, clothing styles, people, types of work, activities, and situations.  How important is it to pay attention to these preferences?

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