Half A Thought

Benjamin Keep, J.D., Ph.D., is interested in how science and learning works to answer three questions: How we learn, how we teach, and how we engage with science. Ben and Abhi had a one-hour chat after Abhi read Ben’s posts on deliberate practice (here). In this episode, expect to learn about deliberate practice in knowledge work, training like an athlete, learning something anything new, understanding things ground-up, and becoming a better-equipped learner for the 21st century. 

In this episode, Ali and Abhi catch up with each other after a long time and share thoughts on life, productivity, lessons learned from college, and the way forward. Tune in for an exciting, casual chat. 

Sleep-like states have been defined in a wide range of animal taxa yet its fundamental function and regulation remains a mystery. To answer this question, Ali has been doing research for the past 3 years attempting to find the origin of sleep through one of the most primitive organisms known: the jellyfish. From understanding behavior to looking to molecular mechanisms, he shares the results he has found and where the future is for understanding sleep. 

The United States Healthcare system is unlike that of any other. While you may think that the richest country would have the best quality of care for its citizens, think again. With inequities through all social determinants of health, hear about the current problems we face in healthcare and the potential alternatives we can consider. 

Most of the time, we base our priorities on deadlines.  What happens when we don't have deadlines, what method do we use to prioritize tasks? The answer is in dependencies. This episode describes why dependencies are important and how even when prioritization fails, what support system we have in place to make priorities again. 

In this episode, Abhi talks about Sherlock and what we can learn from him. From A Study In Scarlet to why Sherlock is neither an expert nor a generalist to how Sherlock is guided by his gyroscope (and not compass), Abhi takes you through the journey of Sherlock's greatness. 

Ali has grown up in Silicon Valley all his life. His schooling and upbringing have been surrounded by an environment of constant growth, innovation, and technological development. Yet it wasn't until 2 weeks ago that he began to recognize problems he didn't see. What is income inequality and why is it important for the future of the San Francisco Bay Area?

In this longform episode, we talk all things media. With the rise of TikTok, the GameStop saga,  the influencer economy, and Clubhouse, we begin with understanding how we got here. The publishing bubble, the old and physical media, and information asymmetries of the past. Then came the Internet, which changed everything. Distribution, physical media's monopoly, was suddenly eaten up by the Internet. Multitemporality was the new norm. Here, we talk of media consolidation, shared experiences, Disney, and Buzzfeed.The future will lead us into a Metaverse of sorts. What does that look like? Where are we headed? How does traditional media change because of new-age media? Tune in to listen to this rather comprehensive take on the past, present, and future of media.

History, history, history. A classic joke amongst history students is that history repeats itself; I hope that makes sense now. But also similarly important is because of this fact is we can use history as an accurate predictor for the future. With Ali reliving some past experiences, he thinks about how this dictates his future decisions. 

In this chat, Sid and I talk about thinking in systems, reading, setting deadlines (with caffeine), using primitive note-taking systems, and advice you should not take. (Hint: Don't build in public.) Sidhartha Jha is the writer of the weekly newsletter 'Sid's Sunday Snapshots', that talks about books, tech, psychology, and Chicago. It's a snapshot of his thoughts for the past week, and it's amazing. Check it out here: https://sss.substack.com/

A short inbetween-isode in coming of something big, Ali briefly talks about what happened about GameStop and the large wealth gap between those at hedge funds and those on Reddit. 

What makes things work together? Why is it that code blocks must be made to work in sequence with each other or why making your FIFA team to have high chemistry is important? Because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. But how is it that the parts work together to make something better. Through coding for weeks straight I found the answer in flexibility. 

We all grow older. But that doesn't mean we have to grow up. Ali recently completed a LEGO  set of NASA's Saturn V and found it reminding him of his childhood building with LEGO's. Not often do you find an adult playing with a children's toy, however, it's one of the most pure of feelings to be a child again, to be able to think divergently and liberally. However, there is a balance to be struck between being both a child and an adult to be truly creative thinkers, builders, and people. 

It's the start of a new year and most people make resolutions and goals. Some are definitive yet some are exploratory. Some are flexible and adjustable, some are rigid and have limits. Whether they are resolutions or life decisions, making plans is a very dynamic process. Here, Abhi and Ali appropriately deconstruct critical components of goal setting and what things to consider when deciding what goal to pursue. 

To finish off the year, Ali writes a letter to 2020, describing his experience, his lessons, and the things he found most valuable from a time like no other. From his academics, to entertainment, and most importantly, friendships, there is no better way to thank 2020 for the time it has spent with us and remembering it fondly with good memories. Happy New Year! 

How can we become better listeners? In this episode, Abhi answers Ali's questions with 3 simple strategies of precise listening, clean questions, and conscious listening. Tune in!

Why Computers Are Better Thinkers: Ali responds to Abhi’s question on how to think more effectively. Ali’s approach takes it a layer deeper than thinking; entering the realm of metacognition. The best way to think is to actively understand our thinking process, just as computers do. In discussing examples of AlphaGo to what it takes to be creative, maybe it’s time that humans begin to think like computers and not the other way around.  

Our world is filled with noise. Becoming a better listener is a grand task. Here, Ali takes just one component of it: Auditory adaptation. All sounds lose meaning because of their repetition. Each time they occur we take the same interpretation, and it’s part of the reason why many times, we fail to listen. Ali looks to musicians as an example to refresh ourselves to the noise around us, and tries to find meaning in every noise we have. 

In this episode, Abhi poses a series of deep yet simple questions on how to think effectively, efficiently, and in a structured manner... how to think about problems... what frameworks to use to evaluate problems that matter and do 'great work'... and other such questions. Tune in to listen to this episode of audio diaries :)

Ali has started playing chess again. And he's addicted. He's been playing 6-8 games a day, solving puzzles in his free time, and spending hours watching videos on strategy. This new distraction of his however is not to no avail. His thinking is beginning to change and the way he makes decision are inspired by the very moves he makes in a chess match. This episode discusses what makes chess a brilliant game and why it really is a metaphor for life.