I’ve met a lot of engineers who have become fascinated with investing in the stock market. Except it’s usually not straightforward index investing (which is probably the main thing non-professionals should be investing in) but something convoluted involving a lot of math, options and stock picking. Anyone who studies finance or economics probably understands why […]
How I’m Maintaining the Ability to Speak Six Languages
It’s now been over a month since Vat and I returned from Korea and ended the year without English. Now is the most sensitive time for determining whether I can maintain the ability to speak Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and Korean, so I wanted to share my plan. If you learn something quickly you also forget […]
Why Learn “Useless” Things?
Early on when Vat and I were learning Korean, he complained to me about a vocabulary list he was learning from. The list had intermediate-level words such as “technique” and “to brighten” to which Vat said, “when am I ever going to use these words?” The complaint was a fair one, we were still in […]
Choose: Growth or Consistency
People like to profess the virtue of ideas that are incompatible with each other. “Look before you leap,” yet, “he who hesitates is lost.” Sometimes these contradictions contain a more nuanced explanation. I believe that learning things spaced over time results in greater retention, yet I do short-term learning projects. But I follow those fast […]
I'm a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, podcast host, computer programmer and an avid reader. Since 2006, I've published weekly essays on this website to help people like you learn and think better. My work has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, TEDx, Pocket, Business Insider and more. I don't promise I have all the answers, just a place to start.