You and Your Research

You and your research notes

https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/YouAndYourResearch.html

• ``There are wavelengths that people cannot see, there are sounds that people cannot hear, and maybe computers have thoughts that people cannot think.''

• Shannon information theory?

• Hired as a clerk for the computers of people like Feynman and Shannon. Kept asking 'why?'

• you must first tell yourself that you'd like to do something significant

• there is always repitition we see in people who make impacts, like Shannon. Partly luck but the only control we have over that is our circumstances

• great work is not just 'brains'; often the issue is with articulation, a lack of an ability to access the language and forum necessary to develop ideas

• once you've developed the courage to face - and solve - important problems, you can - he postulates that this will lead to a stream of successes if you stick to the method

• the best stem work is often done early in the career while the best literary work is often done late

• do not define your scale by the problems you've faced, Shannon error

Research times from @random_walker

Knowing lots of things isn't important. What is important is:

• Knowing what you know and don't.

• Being good at teaching what you know.

• Admitting when you're incorrect.

• Communicating uncertainty effectively.

• Spotting bullshit.

• Recognizing others with expertise.

• Recognizing different domains of expertise.

• Recognizing different kinds of expertise.

• Drawing from the expertise of others without deferring to authourity.

• Accepting the unknowable. Abstractions exist for a reason!