Day: 31 December 2023

• Interesting read about linux networking at TCP port level. It shows you how complicated can be but still amazing to understand Linux kernel.

• Some views about AI:
  • 1) link1: Cory Doctorow about bubbles and AI. Models that run on commodity hardware will survive. He uses a 2×2 grid based on value (how much you will pay) and risk tolerance (how perfect the product needs to be)
  • 2) link2: Bill Gates views for AI. It is the word for 2023. And future for 2024. Still I think in link1, AI has to be democratic and easily available. I doubt most developing countries can afford NVDIA H200 in Azure…. I agree nuclear (fusion) energy is the only way forwards in the Western world until we have viable fision energy.
  • 3) link3: Prompt Engineering

• Unstoppable motivation: This is an unexpected pearl. Intrinsic motivation is always preferred (more effective and energized) than extrinsic motivation (external elements: money, prizes, people opinion). But not always is so clearly binary. Extrinsic motivations can help too:
  • “Introjected Motivation. “I’m doing this because I’ll feel guilty or bad about myself if I don’t.” People who highly rated this statement have high introjected motivation.”
  • “Identified Motivation. “I’m doing this because I truly value the goal it’s helping me work towards.” People who highly rated this statement have high identified motivation.“
• Because having intrinsic and extrinsic will give you more tools to move forwards when one of them weakens.
• “the only type of extrinsic motivation that corresponded with greater happiness was identified motivation. In other words, it was the hikers who motivated themselves by aligning their actions with what they truly valued and who not only completed the trail—but also felt happiest at the end of it“
• And the most important part of the article: How to get more intrinsic and identified motivation in your life:
  • Figure out what really matters to you: For me this is the most complex and scary part.
    • Long Term: The eulogy method
      • Medium Term: How will be your life in 5 years time if you follow Current path, alternative path and radical path? money, social obligations, and what people would think, are irrelevant. No excuses
      • Short Term: Wheel of life: measure your health, work and relationship.
  • Definitely I need to do the medium and short term. That would clarify many things…

• 8 steps: i have read about rules but this keeps some basic into perspective:
  • Take care of yourself: shower, dress, etc
  • Order your room, kitchen, etc: your kingdom = yourself
  • Go outside – socialize
  • Sweat: work out
  • Money: control your economy.
  • Remove dependencies: sugar, diet attention (emails, youtube)
  • Strategy – create your action plan.
  • Execute: dont overthink

• 40s crisis: I think we “overestimate” our cultural background, we think our lives are going the same phases as our grandparents or later. Quite wrong. This is a new phase and “recent” (half XX century). We are at the peak and we only see ahead the downwards of life. Likely our grandparents were already at 40. We have the social life cycle. That creates age-anxiety if we dont meet that cycle. Divorce increases along the years in XX century to reorient live. Min 31:25 is a pearl: We dont begin to live until we begin to die. And the real American dream (not based on materialism / radical capitalism) and moving to happiness in a hurry (consuming) created that crisis because you couldn’t achieve that American dream.

• Application of Game Theory: Prisioners Dilema: Simplest win, tit for tat:
  • – nice (vs nasty): you dont defect first
  • – forgiving: you can retaliate but forgives
  • – retaliatory: strike back immediately, dont be a push over.
  • – clear: eye for eye
• Interesting is that a small cluster of tip for taps can take over a population of nasty strategies. Most life is not zero-sum, try to find win-win.

• PostgreSQL upgrade without downtime: Slides are ok, but would be nice to get the video for more details.