James Yorke: fifty years of chaos (theory)
Almost fifty years ago, when my student T. Y. Li and I wrote a math paper titled “Period 3 Implies Chaos”, I could not predict… Read More »James Yorke: fifty years of chaos (theory)
October 2023
Peter Senge on complexity and the difficulty of organisational learning
The Delusion of Learning from Experience The most powerful learning comes from direct experience. Indeed, we learn eating, crawling, walking, and communicating through direct trial… Read More »Peter Senge on complexity and the difficulty of organisational learning
David Fincher on the labour of direction
Despite being one of the most renowned and distinctive film-makers in the business, Fincher is not comfortable with being described as an “auteur”, or even… Read More »David Fincher on the labour of direction
Andy Warhol on coke, hotdogs and American equality
America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca Cola,… Read More »Andy Warhol on coke, hotdogs and American equality
Peter Senge on apathy, compliance, enrollment and commitment
Apathy: Neither for nor against vision. No interest. No energy. “Is it five o’clock yet?” Noncompliance: Does not see benefits of vision and will not… Read More »Peter Senge on apathy, compliance, enrollment and commitment
Competition
Compete From Latin competere, in its late sense ‘strive or contend for (something)’, from com- ‘together’ + petere ‘aim at, seek’. OED I offer this… Read More »Competition
Seeing and Describing (Jakarta Edition)
A Jakarta alleyway at 36 degrees centigrade, 65% humidity. DRIVERLESSCROC: Glances at sky. It’s hot. DELIVERYMAN: Squints upwards. Grins at DC. You keep getting redder,… Read More »Seeing and Describing (Jakarta Edition)
Loving the plateau (2)
George Leonard reminds us that the majority of the time we spend doing anything will be spent on the plateau rather than on the peaks… Read More »Loving the plateau (2)
Werner Herzog vs cinéma vérité : director as sting
Alex Gibney: In a panel I was on with you, you said that a film-maker should not be a “fly on the wall”. Rather, a… Read More »Werner Herzog vs cinéma vérité : director as sting
Statistical Rethinking: Richard McElreath on Bayes in the Garden of Forking Data
I’ve had a few goes at understanding Bayesian statistics and feel like I haven’t really grasped it. This video from Richard McElreath (lectures accompanying a… Read More »Statistical Rethinking: Richard McElreath on Bayes in the Garden of Forking Data