Kevin Vogelsang

Learning changes us.  As we continue to learn, we begin thinking differently about things.  And as we become accustomed to possessing our specific set of knowledge and skills, we begin to forget what it was like to not have them; we simply can’t fathom that other people don’t know the same things as we do.

This phenomena,  The Curse of Knowledge, represents a powerful concept to understand.

The great thinkers either implicitly or explicitly understood this.  If you have great thoughts, you must share them with even greater clarity–you’re sharing them with people who know far less about them.  This is the only way great ideas can spread.

Kevin
10.26.2009

Being good at “talking to girls” is an important skill in life.  But, I don’t say this for the reasons you’re probably thinking.

I’ve been going to a lot of meetups and networking events lately, which led me to a few thoughts about social events.

The nature of social events really doesn’t change all that much as you get older.  Some people are talkative.  Some are more reserved.  Some groups mix well.  Some don’t.  These personalities all come to the party to create an interesting set of interactions.

And while the basic nature doesn’t change all that much, the goals/value of social events does evolve.  In middle school and high school, you could say the value of social events are to learn basic social skills (or something like that).  In college, events are more about having fun and meeting members of the opposite sex.  After college, you start seeing more events that are meant to also further business goals.

At a recent networking event, I was briefly contemplating how to get a friend an introduction to a business contact of mine.  For some reason, I realized I was playing the role of the “wing-man”, except in a different context.  Consequently, I then had another realization: being good at “talking to women” (or your preferred sex) is a valuable skill set.  (I think the slang term “hitting on” gets to my meaning more clearly, but I didn’t want to send the wrong message.)

Specifically, I’m referring to being skilled at meeting that one person  you really want to talk to and connect with in a meaningful way.  Now of course, the reason I analogize this skill to “talking to women” is simply because, as a male, this is the first version of this type of competitive social game that I encountered in my life.  Many versions exist.  The point is, being able to connect with that one person in the room that is significant to you (and likely others) is important.

So I guess you could say “talking to” members of your preferred sex is an important part of an education.  And going through this exercise hones skills that have tangible value  in your professional life, if you’re paying attention.

Kevin
10.22.09

Last Wednesday, the MIT Enterprise Forum hosted a talk by Ray Kurzweil that I was lucky enough to be able to attend (although, to my credit, it took a little cleverness to get into the talk).

In his talk, Ray discussed his theories and beliefs regarding the exponential increase in the power and price performance of technology.  The key point is that information technologies–such as computer processor speeds and the cost of DNA sequencing–don’t develop linearly, which is unintuitive and unnatural to the human brain when thinking about the future.

Ray and his ideas are very controversial, and he has many harsh critics.  However, nothing of value goes without criticisms and resistance.  Big ideas challenge people’s models of the world.

I had heard Ray talk about his theories several times before, although not in-person.  One thing that struck me was a sense of pragmatism characteristic of an entrepreneur that had solved real problems.  He was not someone who had sat in an ivory tower up in the clouds creating naive notions. He was also not defensive or dismissive of his critics opinions.  I’ve read descriptions that have claimed quite the opposite, even to go so far as to say that “Kurzweil has no sense of objective reality.”

The sense of pragmatism was perhaps better able to come across in this specific talk because Ray also spoke about more common issues such as building a team for a venture.

Ray’s combination of pragmatism, experience, and big ideas make him influential to me personally.   One quote from Ray that I’ll share, “You don’t want to start designing the solution when you have the problem. You want to have the solution ready when you have the problem.”

I’ve posted two links to videos that share more about Ray and his ideas.  Not all of Ray’s ideas are rooted in Data.  Some are more beliefs.  However, beliefs undoubtedly have their place in world, and Ray’s are among some of the most profoundly influential of our day.

TED Talk by Ray Kurzweil (~8 min)
The Singularity of Ray Kurzweil (~20 min)

Kevin
10.20.2009

In recent months, I’ve begun to spend more time thinking about and studying art and design. I don’t have a lot of time to do so, but it’s now actively on my mind.

When you begin to attempt to reconstruct the world, whether it be a   concrete or more abstract interpretation, you begin to look more closely.  You gain a heightened perception of the world’s form and function; you see the world as it actually is.

And whether you’re constructing a portrait or a caricature, the devil is in the details, and to see those details clearly, you need to look objectively.

You could say the brain is constructed to be biased. We walk around carrying models in our head.  We walk past a tree, and we generalize its form down to the essentials of a tree.  Never mind the fact that it’s likely one of a kind.  (We do the same for nearly all things in the world.)

And thank goodness that most people can do this to a minimal degree.  The world does need people who can “get on with it”, avoid being bogged down, and keep the machine running.  But when you need to build, reconstruct, or repair the machine, you need people enamored with all its subtle complexities.

And from this perspective, artists and engineers aren’t so different.  They’ve simply delved into the world with a different set of tools and mastered their realm.

And upon writing this, I’ve discovered two things:

First, if you want to build the machine, find the subtle complexities you’re enamored with, not the great goals you wish to accomplish.

And second, be wary of the models you hold in your head.

Kevin
10.10.2009