Knowledge Surfing
As is fitting of the times, I spent a few minutes with ChatGPT/Dall*E to prompt my way to that image. In the distant past (last year), I would have used a search engine, scouring the internet for such an image. If I could even find anything close to what I wanted, I’d then be worried about copyright, and the fact the image is probably also being used by someone else. Now, I know this image is “my own”, at least I think so, and it represents exactly what I wanted.
I went through several iterations before I got to this image, and I could go through several more rounds, tweaking along the way, but it was less than 5 minute’s worth of work. Such is “the power of AI”.
This image represents a couple of things that are going on right now. Between advances in hardware tech, and the rise of new things such as LLMs, and quantum computing, and humanoid robotics, there’s a wave of things that threaten to swamp our human understanding of the world and the way things work. I recently had a discussion with a friend who’s working in the core of all this AI hullabaloo, and they are clearly thinking “what does this all mean? It’s moving so fast we haven’t truly thought about the implications to humanity…”. Just let that sink in for a moment. If you thought you were being overwhelmed as an outsider, the people on the inside are having the same thoughts.
OK, so… What to do?
The other thing the image represents is a coping mechanism. When faced with a wave, the best thing to do is learn how to surf. I’ve had many a discussion with people where the topic is the tech of today, and how overwhelming it can be. My advice is always “We are being handed magic wands, learn how to be a magician”. Whether it be magic wands, or surf boards, the advice is about finding a right way to consume the knowledge, and use the tools, rather than being in awe and swamped by them.
Absorbing knowledge quickly is hard. What’s particularly hard is trying to have complete understanding of a bunch of new things all at once. Our brains just aren’t made for that. We’re much slower, taking years to absorb the simplest concepts such as using linear algebra to transform from 3D space to 2D space. I mean, understanding how consuming the internet can turn into humanoid robotics? That’s a bridge too far I think. And just as you finally grok what you think an LLM is, the models are becoming tiny instead of large, and Apple is telling you inference is best done on your mobile device, rather than in the cloud.
How to cope?
Well, way back in 1986, I actually wrote a story in a self published magazine, that deals with this exact topic. I’m going to have to scan those old stories in and re-publish them, because they seem relevant to today. The gist of it was, you have to lower your comprehension quotient in order to understand the bigger picture. Essentially relax your mind, and your body follows (to misquote a movie line).
Another reference for the Berkeley hippies such as myself, Abhyanga yoga. It’s a technique that uses oil, and many touches at the same time. The general idea is, you can’t possibly focus on all the stimuli at once, so, at some point, you just kind of give up, and take all the individual touches as one, and relax into the overall experience.
Alright hippy, what does that have to do with the tech of today? Well, everything. But let’s be practical and structured about it.
How to become a knowledge surfer
Find a short list of information outlets that you can refer to constantly. These outlets need to be low on drama and gas lighting, and present you with a steady stream of factual information
Pick a short list of topics that you’re going to track. It’s hard to follow everything, so just choose two or three things, such as “green energy”, “humanoid robotics”, “quantum communications”
Read your info outlets only once a day
Write a summary of what you’ve learned at the end of each week
Once a month, write a “note to self” style of thing in which you summarize the learnings for the month, and some conclusions about what you think about what you’ve learned
Adjust your list of topics, or information outlets at the beginning of the month, but keep the list short
Interact with other humans, and share your monthly summaries, to get their reactions, and possibly new perspectives
It’s all about structure and balance. You need to know which waves you’re riding, and you need to have a solid foundation (the surf board) upon which to do your information surfing. “Knowledge” comes from gathering data, testing a hypothesis, learning, and moving ahead. If you don’t have such structure, then you get swamped by the data, always grasping and gasping, and definitely not riding the crest of the wave.
This is my practice on a daily basis. I gather information, I summarize in the form of “Hot Takes”, I disseminate to small audiences and get feedback, I move on to the next week’s worth of news. There’s a lot going on in tech, and the world in general. I find that having a structured approach to information gathering makes knowledge surfing easier.