Thinking (Or Not Thinking) Like Computers

'The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to think like computers.'

Sydney J. Harris

A sentiment that I find very interesting, though I rather disagree with it. I don't think that the use of computers, or technology for that matter, forces people to think like the devices they are using. The degree to which we use computers and smartphones has certainly altered our habits and lead to a lot of screen time, but does that mean we are thinking like computers?

In order to use computers and technology effectively, I think we actually have to do the opposite. Instead of 'mechanical' thinking, as computing is now, we have to think creatively. We have to first understand how the computer works (to some degree) and then how to interface with it in order to produce our desired outcomes or results.

Pablo Picasso said,

'Computers are useless. They can only give you answers'

but that is not true anymore. Computers help you explore and discover, but many of those capabilities (programs) have been built by people. The computer remains the machine that runs them. 

Learning to program, how to ask the computer questions and how to make it do what you want is an great challenge that forces the learner to think within a logical framework to come up with creative solutions to their problem. That seems like the opposite of 'machine' thinking to me. 

Another trend that I think will continue to be very important is the set of programming tools that allow non-programmers to build in a different way. For example, html generators and visual editing of website templates allow the user to interact with the computer without a complex understanding of programming. Another example, a company called IntuiLab came out with IntuiFace, a 'platform for creating interactive digital experiences'. Commands and interactions are built in a visual composer with mouse clicks instead of lines of code. 

I like that the gap between someones programming skills and the things they are able to do is closing. I think this is an interesting niche that will continue to grow, especially as digital technology continues to play an important role in our lives. I wouldn't be surprised if someone out there is currently working on, or has already come out with, an interface to perform data science operations without being a data scientist, or an intuitive way to interact with databases. 

I Don't Know

'It’s enormously disorienting to simply say, “I don’t know.” But it’s infinitely more rewarding to understand than to be right — even if that means changing your mind about a topic, an ideology, or, above all, yourself.'

Maria Popova (Brainpickings.org)

Another call to arms to go along with Steven Johnson's

"Being right keeps you in place, being wrong forces you to explore"

and Seth Godin's "I Don't Get It" post. When we encounter something we don't know or don't understand, it is very easy to pull back and to avoid that question or concept. If we kept doing that for every unknown, we would develop an extremely restricted comfort zone. But this is a very deterministic approach. You tell yourself "If I don't know that already then I probably never will" even though that is far from the truth. 

To solve the problems of the present and the future, we need to be more adept at flexible, adaptable and truly critical thinking. If we depend on some 'expert' to have the answers to the questions we don't know, we will be disappointed and lost when we realize they can't help us. I believe that in order to attack complex problems like climate change, poverty and hunger, energy, education, woman's right and gender inequality, and healthcare, it is more important to focus on what we can learn rather than what we already know. 

 

Think and Do

“What one does is what counts. Not what one had the intention of doing.”

Pablo Picasso

I have been doing a lot of thinking and brainstorming lately about everything from startup ideas and how existing companies could change or improve to how to optimize my routines and be more productive. And while coming up with new ideas is a great thing, I always worry about my think and do balance. Am I spending too much time thinking and not enough time acting? (The other side of that coin exists as well: too much doing and not enough thinking about it)

I started writing on this blog for precisely that reason; to work through ideas and present them. Though it does not consist of doing that idea, for me it is a clear action and ensures I am taking the idea seriously.

I have also tried to develop a bias to action to supplement my thinking, which I was able to put into practice recently. My roommate and I tend to spend Saturdays working at a coffee shop and last week we had a brainstorming session to come up with 10 new ideas in 30 minutes.  The session went great, and we talked through a number of ideas. The real magic though wasn't in the ideas from the session, it was the space that it put our minds in. Later that night we were joking around and all of a sudden had developed a concept for a series of videos, a website and possibly an app. Here we had something that was much more immediately actionable than some of the other ideas we had discussed earlier, so we pulled the trigger and decided that we have to do it. We got to work right away and have already written preliminary scripts and started getting the pieces together. 

Now, doing isn't necessarily shipping, and shipping is crucial. But doing is on the path to shipping and it marks the crucial transition from ideation to action. While I don't want to prevent myself from dreaming and coming up with new ideas, I also want to make sure I am always acting on some of those ideas.

 

Thankful

I am thankful that I have the desire to do more, and am in a position to do so. I am thankful that I am in a place where I wake up everyday with the freedom to choose. I am thankful that I can dream, and act on those dreams. It is a luxury to have that freedom, and I am thankful for everything that has put me in this position and for the generosity of others. 

Work, Play, and Living

'The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he's always doing both.'

L. P. Jacks

 

So much for work/life balance. I like this sentiment because it does away with the pretense that everything you do has to be done for a specific reason without delving into the, sometimes idealistic sounding, 'do what you love' advice. It places focus on the individual because, regardless of what you are doing, you are still yourself. It is important to focus on what you're doing, not on what it's called or what category it falls under. As Toni Morrison put it

'Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined.'

I try to use the pursuit of my own 'vision of excellence' as a compass. If I don't have the desire to pursue excellence at a particular activity in my life, then that might be something I want to change. It also reminds me to avoid compartmentalizing my life to avoid the connotations associated with 'work' and 'play,' and to encourage connection between all aspects of my life.