26 Comments
Sep 24Liked by Andrew Smith

I hope you use your writing talent in other areas as well…

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Sep 24Liked by Andrew Smith

Perhaps textbooks, scriptwriting, opinion columns in magazines and newspapers. Or you might stretch yourself into the short story arena…

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author

I've never written a textbook, although BJJ Path is kind of like a textbook for BJJ, in a way. It's a reference, anyway: www.bjjpath.com

I have published a series of articles into a book that we all worked on together at my BJJ school: https://www.amazon.com/Wit-Wisdom-Little-that-Could-ebook/dp/B093FYVZHB

I have written a few short stories, too. Here's one on Substack: https://goatfury.substack.com/p/the-founders

There's also a pretty wide range over here, if you're curious: https://hubpages.com/@goatfury

I'm not super interested in writing for a newspaper or magazine, but if I could just write stuff I enjoy like I do right now, I might change my mind, as with the relationship Isaac Asimov formed with his publishers toward the end of his life.

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Like Asimov, might you explore Science Fiction or future history?

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author

I enjoyed the sci-fi story I linked to above. I'm not sure how interested I am in doing that regularly, though.

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Sep 25Liked by Andrew Smith

Perhaps try something where the super intelligence is non-binary. I understand the standard reader needs dualism to make sense of the world.

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author

You might enjoy Michael Woudenberg's Paradox book. He appreciates nuance like this and integrates it into his sci-fi writing, and I've done a bunch of nonfiction collabs with him. He writes well.

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author

What other areas?

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It took 1.3 billion years to go from prokaryotes to eukaryotes… maybe that’s the reason life throughout the galaxy is potentially so rare. That’s a long time for a planet to remain stable enough to maintain a constant stream of evolution to run its course.

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Sep 23Liked by Andrew Smith

The pinnacle of membrane's evolution was its inclusion in the esteemed 1993 hit by Cypress Hill, which included the line "Insane in the Membrane."

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Sep 23Liked by Andrew Smith

i like this discussion but not sure the metaphor to coperations

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author

I think you're right. There's more to be said there and I rushed it a bit, too.

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Sep 23Liked by Andrew Smith

Aw I didn't mean to make you feel a certain way I was just enthralled w the billion year old membranes 🤪

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author

Ha! Not at all. I write every day, so I can only stay so attached to anything I've written. I like it that way, though, so I can learn from the things I write, and these little signals are easy to integrate that way!

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Sep 23Liked by Andrew Smith

Can I ask why u write everyday

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author

Sure, no problem at all. I enjoy the practice of learning about something new and sharing it with folks. There's generally some kind of research component every day, even if it's a subject I already know well, since i want to make sure I get the information right. I also feel like the writing and creating process is extremely important to me, and discussing these ideas with an audience as intelligent as this one has a huge intrinsic reward for me. That's pretty much it in a nutshell.

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Read the title, thought of this, well actually heard it in my brain: https://youtu.be/RijB8wnJCN0

read the article and thought of this potential seismic shift in semiconductor power players eating each other: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/20/technology/qualcomm-intel-talks-sale.html?unlocked_article_code=1.M04.tbNc.eWeYuI32eftH&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

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author

Yeah, INTC was on my mind as well.

Here's one more brainworm for today: M-Branes, the generalization of the concept of a point particle (or string, or whatever) across higher dimensions. Insane, those M-branes!

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no way on the M-Brane! never got string theory, that's insane!

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In psychotherapy, we often discuss boundaries as semi-permeable membranes. These membranes help us maintain our sense of self, protect our emotional well-being, and regulate our interactions with others. Just like a biological membrane, psychological boundaries can be too rigid, leading to isolation and inflexibility, or too permeable, allowing harmful influences to infiltrate our inner world.

It's interesting to consider how the concept of a membrane can also be applied to societal and technological systems. The internet, as you mentioned, is a vast ocean of information, and our ability to navigate it safely and productively depends on our ability to set boundaries. Just as a cell membrane regulates the flow of substances, we must be mindful of the information we allow into our minds and the messages we send out into the world.

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author

I love the psychotherapy use! I was grasping for another example like this, so I could sort of analogize membranes in other spaces, just to get people thinking along those lines... hopefully folks will just read your comment and do just that.

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You and Larry Gonick: twins separated at birth?

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author

Maybe my dad's twin!

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The company acquiring another thing has caused much havoc in show business. In the past, it was companies outside the business acquiring entertainment companies and clashing with the established management over how to run things, but now it tends to be within the media sector in order to consolidate conglomerate infrastructure. Both have tended to restrict creativity more than necessary.

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author

Is one worse than the other? I can see how both can be incredibly problematic, and probably full of unintended consequences.

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