Analogies, things I know, things I don’t know, and how those things interact
Years ago, one of my favorite mentors shared his view that if you don’t understand an idea well enough to explain it using an analogy, you don’t understand it. In hindsight, I think this was his version of the quote attributed to Einstein that “if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” Over…
Certainty, uncertainty, and what we choose to believe
It seems that people have been inventing stories to make sense of events for as long as people have been. Nassem Taleb, in Fooled by Randomness, commented about people’s tendency to create narratives to explain events. In his view, people tended to create deterministic narratives to explain random events or outcomes that resulted from uncertainty. Taleb believes that “You…
All learning applies to everything else
Years ago, my first boss after I finished graduate school shared his beliefs that “all learning applies to everything else” and that “more brains are better for every job.” I learned more from him than I have probably learned from any of my subsequent bosses. Maybe that was him. Maybe that is because of where I was then…
Churchill, Eisenhower, and Colonel Blotto
Churchill’s writing style is one that is particularly approachable and engaging for me. His books on the Second World War, in my opinion, are an incredibly interesting perspective on that arc of history. I have always been fascinated by the contrast in strategic philosophies between Churchill and Eisenhower. I don’t recall ever coming across anything…
(Some) things I have learned from my kids (recently)
Each of our kids is learning things that have stretched my mind. This includes places where I have learned (or relearned) math and philosophy just to keep up. On the math front, I have had to relearn some calculus and differential equations to keep up and help with homework. That has been more enjoyable than…
Musings of an Analyst 