3 quotes for Nov 12, 2021

A point of view is that quintessential human solution to information overload, an intuitive process of reducing things to an essential relevant and manageable minimum.

— Paul Saffo

I think all of us abstract and reduce things into various different formats. Either in the form of a to-do list or "I stand for this" or any such expression.

A useful way I do this (but it doesn't help with feelings of imposter syndrome) is ... well, here's an example.

Topic: Sun, sunscreen, vitamin D. What?

Information in my head:

• Going out in the sun for the body to make vitamin D only works between 11 am to 3 pm.
• Wear sunscreen that specifically mentions/blocks UVB. Don't just focus on SPF.

And that's about it. I find that this is adequate to answer 90% of the questions that crop up, in relevance to what I learned from my research. Now, until something dramatically changes in the research, do I really need to know more?

Prize Intensity more than Extent.

Excellence resides in quality not in quantity. The best is always few and rare: much lowers value. Even among men giants are commonly the real dwarfs. Some reckon books by the thickness, as if they were written to try the brawn more than the brain. Extent alone never rises above mediocrity: it is the misfortune of universal geniuses that in attempting to be at home everywhere, are so nowhere. Intensity gives eminence, and rises to the heroic in matters sublime.

– Baltasar Gracian

Intensity and quality - if you focus on this in your (strength) training, you are doing it right.

Derek Sivers' books and articles come to mind immediately.

Finally, when my grades hit bottom, my rebellion reaches the breaking point.
I walk into a hair salon in the Bradenton Mall and tell the stylist to just give me a mohawk. Razor the sides, shave them to the scalp, and leave just one thick strip of spiked hair down the middle.

Are you sure, kid?

I want it high, and I want it spiky. Then dye it pink.
...
To the casual observer I've done something that seems like a desperate effort to stand out. But in fact I've rendered myself, my inner self, my true self, invisible. At least, that was the idea.

– Andre Agassi, Open

Besides some sassy old people, who just stop giving a shit and be how they wanna be, most of us do hide a true part of ourselves.

Read this book for a great story about a legend, and you can see both perspectives. I guess if you dislike tennis, you shouldn't read it.

And oh, of course, age alert. If you don't know who Agassi is, I guess it won’t make much sense. A couple of months back, I made a Matrix reference in class and had a couple of people blink at me. Which came out 21 years ago. Wait what?!?!?!