snackable

 It's difficult for me to be proud of myself professionally. I enjoy what I do, I think it's important - but I don't feel worthy when I think about M' and the Kernel savvy folks I get to work around. I've never felt drawn to the subject. I don't particularly enjoy low level programming of any sort, reversing, exploiting, etc. I enjoy networks and Python, Clean Code, webdev, all that. Even though these are valuable skills, I still feel like they just aren't as appreciated. Why is that?  Are research and low-level inherently more difficult than development and Opera? Or is it a question of accessibility - those that break the barrier get the glory?  I think I need to decide that I am worthy, I do things that are important and no one else could do. But I can't convince myself that is true. The reason for this is the quantification issue. When someone has a certain skill that is rare, it is inherently more impressive. - because it's difficult to quantify...

 Certain things are factual. They exist.  We tend to represent things that exist in different ways. Our representations tend not to be true.  This isn't always the case - some representations can be tied in certain ways to the absolute truth. Here are some examples of things that are tightly dependent on the truth, and some that aren't. Let's start with code. Code is, by definition, the truth - what is written will happen. Sometimes code can be misleading though. Dirty, convoluted code can mislead us as to what is happening. We might interpret it in untruthful ways - there might be side effects we didn't notice, etc. This is why it's important to write clear, expressive code. Next up, we have documentation in code. Comments, docstrings, etc. These can be truthful - but certainly aren't the truth. There's a difference - and having a false piece of documentation can throw us off of our goal of quickly learning the truth when we are reading code. This can happe...

 I taught my first networks lesson.  I'm super stressed out about it. What are my takeaways: 1. Shorter lessons, with breaks. 2. Ask questions, even stupid ones. 3. Don't apologize. 4. Prepare ahead of time.  5. Give things to try out at home. 

I've spent a lot of time recently learning things. The past year has been one long period of learning - studying for Psychometrics, Amnon, Hibur, and now in the team. Along the way I spent some time learning alone too - doing Euler, Natas, React & Django, Fluent Python and Understanding the Linux Kernel. Some of the things I learnt were in other fields too, like reading the Selfish Gene and Rich Dad Poor Dad, as well as watching videos on Statistics and Economics on CrashCourse. After all this learning, I realized how weirdly my mind retains information. I don't actually learn and become knowledgeable in the fields, but I suddenly have these connections that I didn't have previously. Things click, but I can't explain them in depth.  What became clear to me is that actually experiencing things, practicing them, is absolutely key to retention. Just copying code or reading or listening isn't enough to allow you to explain the subject to someone. You need to use the...

People are very different from one another, in many different aspects. Although there are many different traits, some of them tend to correlate. I've found lately that I see a strong correlation between curiosity and intelligence.  What really disappoints me, is that education systems, in their task of preparing the young for their lives, seem to focus very little on curiosity, and usually has the opposite effect on students. Students don't look for the interesting, the unique, but rather for the way to accomplish given tasks. Now, there is value in that. I don't think everyone should only be exploring and discovering niche fields and ignoring general education in predetermined societal areas. Yet it seems to me that the benign is treated with too much importance.  Imagine a teacher telling their students why they should study what they are studying. Imagine reminding them when they forget. Imagine making it interesting, and if things aren't interesting, at least having...

Quite often I think about the nature of leading. People tend to form groups and trust certain individuals to make decisions on behalf of the entire group. This construct certainly raises many questions (what are the pros and cons of doing this; what motivates people to conform to this construct; how to become the trusted one; what makes these types of organizations work/fail), which I hope to address in these pieces. I'm interested in the way the trusted people make others do as they wish. There is no inherent need for anyone to do as someone else says. Any request is fulfilled for a certain reason. Here is how I perceive the reasons.  First, positive and negative reinforcement. I do something because I get something out of it, I don't do something because I lose something because of it. This "trade" is very simple and is truly the basis of everything, although sometimes it doesn't feel like it. Law is a great example - I obey the law because there are repercussio...

Criticism - the practice of judging the merits and faults of something. Many things can lead to the failure of an organization. In fact, there are so many possible downfalls, that one might wonder how organizations even manage to succeed.  I believe the analysis and judgment of merits and faults of different ideas and decisions is a key factor to fostering success. Accepting criticism is often perceived to be the difficult part. But many times, giving criticism is the truly difficult thing to master. This is true when the goal of the criticism is to change flawed behavior, since accepting criticism is difficult even when it is given well, so you have to work hard in order to make it count. So here are my thoughts on receiving and giving criticism: When receiving criticism, whatever it is, first and foremost you must accept it. Try your hardest to not defend your position. Next, analyze the criticism. Was the decision that led to it conscious? If so, is it still the best choice cons...