Batesian Mimicry: Why Copycats Are Successful
One of our first interview guests for The Knowledge Project was the former NFL executive Michael Lombardi. In our interview, we discussed topics ranging from the nature of leadership to decision …
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The Probability Distribution of the Future
The best colloquial definition of risk may be the following: “Risk means more things can happen than will happen.” We found it through the inimitable Howard Marks, but it’s a quote …
Book Recommendations by the Legendary Washington Post CEO Don Graham
“My goal in reading a book is to entertain myself and perhaps to learn. You won’t read much unless what you read is enjoyable for you.” — Don Graham *** In 1973, Warren Buffett famously …
The Founder Principle: A Wonderful Idea from Biology
We’ve all been taught natural selection; the mechanism by which species evolve through differential reproductive success. Most of us are familiar with the idea that random mutations in DNA cause …
Why Great Writers Write
“Books are never finished.They are merely abandoned.” — Oscar Wilde *** Why do great writers write? The question will never be answered only explored — in the context of culture, time, and …
Ethos, Logos and Pathos: The Structure of a Great Speech
“A speech is like a love affair. Any fool can start it, but to end it requires considerable skill.” — Lord Mancroft *** The structure of a great oral argument has been passed down through …
The Green Lumber Fallacy: The Difference between Talking and Doing
“All that glitters is not gold,” the saying goes. The aesthetics of things often fool us. People we call ignorant might not be ignorant. People we call smart might not be smart. The Green …
Creating a Growth Mindset in the Workplace
Carol Dweck‘s concept of Mindset permeates through every aspect of our lives. One area particularity affected is in the workplace. We spend half of our day at work (some of you likely spend more …
Frozen Accidents: Why the Future Is So Unpredictable
“Each of us human beings, for example, is the product of an enormously long sequence of accidents, any of which could have turned out differently.” — Murray Gell-Mann *** What parts of …
Remembering More of Everything: The Memory Palace
“When information goes ‘in one ear and out the other,’ it’s often because it doesn’t have anything to stick to.” — Joshua Foer *** That’s a quote from the book Moonwalking with …
What Biology Enables, Culture Forbids
We get a little confused when deciding if a particular human behavior is cultural or biological. Is homosexuality a natural act or unnatural? How about Facebook? Is it unnatural human behavior? …
Using Multidisciplinary Thinking to Approach Problems in a Complex World
Complex outcomes in human systems are a tough nut to crack when it comes to deciding what’s really true. Any phenomena we might try to explain will have a host of competing theories, many of …
Becoming an Expert: The Elements of Success
We’re massively impressed by a concert pianist, or a wide receiver, or a truly skillful visual artist. Their abilities seem otherworldly. But what makes these people so skillful? How did they …
Breaking the Rules: Moneyball Edition
Most of the book Simple Rules by Donald Sull and Kathleen Eisenhardt talks about identifying a problem area (or an area ripe for “simple rules”) and then walks you through creating your …
Words Like Loaded Pistols: Wartime Rhetoric
Rhetoric, or the art of persuasion, is an ancient topic that’s no less relevant today. We are in a golden age of information sharing, which means you are swimming in a pool of rhetoric every …
A Short List of Books for Doing New Things
Andrew Ng has quite the modern resume. He founded Coursera, a wonderful website that gives anyone with Internet access the ability to take high level university courses on almost any topic. He founded …