The100: Self insight, intuitive imaginative leaps, & vintage pets

Invisible ignorance 

David Dunning (yes, the Dunning in the Dunning-Kruger effect) was interviewed about ‘self insight’. It’s a fascinating discussion. 

“In terms of our character, we overplay how much agency we have over the world. We’re not as influential as we think.  And in terms of confidence, we overestimate how much we know…. each of us knows a tremendous amount, but by definition, our ignorance is infinite. And the problem with that is our ignorance is also invisible to us. That creates an issue.”

You are not your consumer? More on that another time. 

Hello Officer (yes, you)

Every now and again LinkedIn puts a random post in my feed which makes me sit up a bit straighter. Lou Haynes Jr, a police detective, did exactly that when he posted a list of the top traits shared by the best investigators. 

Disprove your theories, challenge assumptions, etc… It’s a list that is directly relevant to people in the world of research. I mean, isn’t investigator a better name than researcher? Fabulous. 

 “Intuitive imaginative leaps”

I also love this quote that Jim O’Shaughnessy shared from Robert Rhinehart:

“One does not get a jet engine by improving the propeller. One does not breed horses until they give birth to a car. Telephones did not come from research on mail. Where on earth did the inspiration for the transistor and these other “leaps” of innovation come from to begin with?”

The quote comes from this article on Paradigm shifts, which is well worth reading, especially if you’re involved in innovation. 

Saving the planet, nudge by nudge 

How can you nudge sustainable behaviour? 

It’s a question our friends at Capuchin have answered. They looked at the science behind sustainability behaviour, the say vs. do gap (and 10 planet saving nudges which beat it), disrupting old habits and creating new ones and most importantly, how to persuade the unpersuadables. A must listen for anyone with this on their KPIs. 

Eh? I…

I was so interested to read about how historians, drowning in sources, were using AI. 

Professor Mark Humphries believed AI had real promise but rendered much of his research impenetrable to automated search due to the wide variety of formats. However, things changed. 

“Improved database management may be a far cry from the world-conquering superintelligence some predict, but it’s characteristic of the way language models are filtering the real world.”

It also talks about AI bias & reflective writing. Surprised by the capabilities he wrote in his newsletter:

“AI is simply starting to outrun many people’s imaginations.”

Are you asking yourself ‘why?’ enough? 

A final reminder for those that missed it: I am available to present (for free) my latest piece on why ‘why’ will never die. It’s a 30 min talk. Understanding ‘why’ has never been more important, and those that embrace its comeback will see themselves with a strong competitive advantage as a result.

My general premise is that most organisations’ deep understanding of the people they serve is faltering, leading to a higher risk of failure when it comes to product and services. Data is no longer enough. It never was. AI may make this worse, not better. 

Jailbroken GPTs 

As with anything that becomes popular there’s always something that comes along to take advantage in a negative way. 

It’s the darker corner of the web that is using alternatively named GPT sites to increase their efficiency and capability. The point being, it’s not all sunshine and flowers, and we should be aware of that. 

Addiction is the new big fish

Art is long dead. Entertainment using art? Gone. Distraction? That’s just a lesser part of the strategy. A mere tactic now. Addiction. That’s the goal. That’s now the dream.

“They don’t say it openly, but they don’t need to. Just look at what they do.”

This is also not a joke

Last year I did a stand up comedy course, so this thread from Owen Cyclops about stand up comedy links to public speaking – about working a crowd, how people respond and perception of people – was relevant and resulted in much nodding. I still think everyone should give it a go. Trust me, you are funny (in a good way). 

Think stand up comedy is uncomfortable? How about preparing for a concert, then realising when the music starts, that you’ve prepared for completely the wrong piece? From horror show to triumph. Yeah, bring on the comedy. Incredible. 

And finally…

And do you want to see some of the earliest pet photographs? Of course you do.