Disclaimer:  I'm not trying to start a huge discussion on monetary policy or libertarianism.  Mainly, I'm trying to convince people I know that backing currency with silver is illogical.

 

A few people I know think it's a problem that the US dollar is no longer backed by silver (i.e., you cannot trade in your dollars for silver).  They feel that the money is "worthless" because it can't be traded in for silver, which has (they might say, or unconsciously believe) intrinsic value. 

The way I see it, money is valuable because 1) people believe in it (markets allow it to have value), and 2) it can be traded for any arbitrary good or service (as opposed to one arbitrary good, like silver.) 

 

So, two questions:

1) I am missing something?  Is there a good rationale for a silver backing?  Was there a rationale historically--apart from the fact that perhaps many people once believed that silver is intrinsically valuable and this allowed paper currency to gain traction? 

2) Is there a short, concise article on the web that clearly explains that the silver-backing does not in fact give value to the dollar?

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subvocalization

I'm curious about how often or to what degree visitors to this site subvocalize as they read.  I was originally interested in reducing subvocalizations as a way to increase reading speed, as the idea is mentioned in multiple pieces I've read about speed reading.

The Wikipedia entry seems to focus on subtle throat and muscle movements, but I'm more interested to know if you "say" or "hear" the words in your head as you read.

Since reading about subvocalization recently, I seem to notice that I "say/hear" what I'm reading quite frequently.  I'm not sure if this is causal (in the way that the command "don't think of pink elephants" obliges you to do so), or if I just notice it more now, or both. 

When I'm very engrossed in a book either I don't notice the subvocalizations or they stop happening, so seems that it could either be a cause or a symptom of distractedness.

In the comments, please describe your mental subvocalizations (or lack of them) and if they are related to how engrossed you are in the book.  Any other comments relevant comments about speed reading or subvocalizations are welcome.

http://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2013/11/singularity-or-bust-.html

 

I've never heard of this before, and have only watched 7 minutes so far, but I'd imagine many people here would be interested in this video.

I currently log the total number of hours I work each day in an OpenOffice Spreadsheet.  I input the start time, lunch/break time, and end time, and it calculates the total hours worked.  I'm not savvy enough to create this type of spreadsheet myself, so I looked through a large number of templates online before finding one that works as I've described above.  I'm still not crazy about the way that this spreadsheet is laid out.  

If you can link to a spreadsheet available for download similar to the one described above, please do so in the comments.  

If you use time-logging for various distinct projects throughout the day, please describe this process and link to the software you use (if possible). 

More of a meta-discussion: how time-logging this enhanced your performance or time management?, for what types of projects/activities is it best to time-log?, general comments about the idea

I'm looking to build up a “tool-box” of strategies/techniques/habits for reading non-fiction effectively and efficiently.

 I’ve already posted on this topic; below, I’ve tried to distill/summarize some of strategies shared by Less Wrong users and those contained in the resources they recommended.  Thanks to those who contributed.   

 As far as I know, the strategies below are not supported by a research/experimental literature.  If you know of any such evidence, please link to it. 

 I know that there are many people on Less Wrong who read (and mentally integrate!) incredible amounts.  I’m hoping more users will contribute to this post.  I welcome any additional strategies/habits in the comments.     

Please feel free to comment on the structure/writing of the post, and if you think it’s a topic worthy of being posted on the main page. 

I’ve tried to break strategies down into things you should do before, during, and after reading, but I think some strategies are applicable across these divisions.

 

Before Reading

-Consider purpose

-are you looking for specific skill, broadening general knowledge

 -Generate a question, if you can’t yet formulate a question, follow your interests

 -Read selectively

            -ask good readers to explain the thesis of a book, reevaluate your interest in a text   

            -select books that are frequently cited in bibliographies of texts related to your topic of interest

            -read the Wikipedia page, gauge interest

 -Assemble reading materials

-Create a bibliography for the topic of interest  

-Quickly inspect the books (author, table of contents, index, Wikipedia page), as you consider the question “does this book deserve a lot of time and attention?”    

-Select a few texts to read closely (though you won’t necessarily read them cover to cover)

  -remove distractions (people, websites, wear noise canceling headphones)

 -Make reading enjoyable

            -when possible, read books you find inherently enjoyable  

            -read when energy levels are high

            -open to a random page and see if you like the author’s voice before extensive reading

            -set time aside, and set time limits to avoid fatigue/reading without comprehension

 

During Reading

-learn as much as you can before you read the text in earnest

            -research author’s bio, biases, intellectual context

            -identify genre, consider genre conventions

            -scan table of contents/index for key words and concepts; study unfamiliar items

            -book’s thesis

            -identify the question the book purports to answer

 -Prevent boredom

            -mind map concepts (http://freeplane.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page)

            -visualize/anthropomorphize to increase vividness/memorability of concepts you have trouble with

            -make predictions about the book’s content, the way the author will argue for the thesis, check for accuracy of these predictions

            -write out how what you read connects or diverges from your current understanding of the topic

 -summarize the text in small chunks to monitor understanding

            - restate the argument/evidence from the past three page 

-explain how the section relates to the primary thesis                                

 -depending on your purpose, just read until you find what you need to know

 -note what you don’t understand, for further review or reading, or immediate study if necessary

 -don’t read what you already know; skip a section if you already have it down

 -authors repeat things, skip this if you got it the first time

 -recreate the author’s argument thus far (I’m halfway through the book, this is the argument so far…)

 -take notes on the structure of the book, the concepts in the book, and how the book relates to other books

 

After Reading

-Spaced repetition of ideas/concepts (don’t cram)

 -discuss what you’ve read with an expert (or someone knowledgeable)on the topic

 -seek to understand (recreate an argument in good faith, and grasp its’ (perhaps flawed) logic) before you disagree

 -you don’t need to have an opinion on a book; it’s ok not to understand or not to have enough background to make an informed claim 

 -read other books on the topic and try to identify the relationships between the various arguments and claims you find about a subject

 -teach someone else the material

 -do exercises (if the book contains them)

 -summarize the thesis

 -walk through author’s arguments

 -relate thesis to background knowledge/other texts

 -explain how this author’s thesis stands relates to that of other authors who’ve written on the topic

 

Sources

 

Most of the ideas I’ve outlined  above, and the sources I’ve listed below come from the first post I made on the topic: http://lesswrong.com/r/discussion/lw/imr/please_share_your_reading/ Thanks to those who contributed to that discussion. 

 Summaries of How to Read a Book, Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren:

 http://sachachua.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/20120306-visual-book-notes-how-to-read-a-book.png

 http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/how-to-read-a-book/

 http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/tag/mortimer-adler/

 http://www.oxfordtutorials.com/How%20to%20Read%20a%20Book%20Outline.htm

 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/review-how-to-read-a-book/

 http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/06/17/how-to-read-a-book/

 

Other Sources

 http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/morebooks

 http://www.overcomingbias.com/2010/05/chase-your-reading.html

 http://pne.people.si.umich.edu/PDF/howtoread.pdf

 http://lesswrong.com/r/discussion/lw/i9p/improving_enjoyment_and_retention_reading/

 http://violentmetaphors.com/2013/08/25/how-to-read-and-understand-a-scientific-paper-2/

 

 

I'm looking to build up a “tool-box” of strategies/techniques/habits for reading non-fiction effectively and efficiently.  I'm looking for methods to help me retain concepts, locate main ideas, make connections, etc.

If anyone has posted about this topic previously, please link to the post. 

Please point to relevant resources that have worked for you; additionally please describe skills/systems that you've developed personally. 

An example of a useful comment I got posting in an open thread, from Jayson_Virissimo

 “As I read textbooks, I summarize the most important concepts (along with doing the exercises, if there are any) and write them in a notebook and then later (less than a week) enter the notes into Anki as cloze-delete flashcards. I don't have an objective measure of retention, but I believe that it has vastly improved relative to when I would simply read the book.” 

Here is an example of an existing resource that I found useful:

http://violentmetaphors.com/2013/08/25/how-to-read-and-understand-a-scientific-paper-2/

 

Here are some questions/prompts that may spur your thinking:

Describe the setting where you read.

Do you schedule reading time?  How?   

How do you decide what to read next?

Do you write notes by hand, on a computer?

Do you wear noise-canceling headphones? 

Do you skim texts?

Do you reread texts?

How often do you reread “foundational” texts, or texts that shifted your paradigm? 

How often do you decide not to finish a book?

 

 

I may do a series of posts on this in discussion, and if other users find it interesting/useful I may eventually make it into a post for the main page.   

I want people to express their opinions on the following questions/idea.  I guess the answer will depend on your personal definition/interpretation of loyalty, but I guess that's the point, I want to see what people think about what I consider to be an important topic. 

 

It seems like there is a spectrum of loyalty. 

Maybe on the left end we have "transactional" loyalty; as in the case of, "if my spouse doesn't cheat, I will stay with them." 

Maybe on the right end we have "stubborn" or "cost-independent" loyalty; as in the case of, "if a member of my military unit dies, my unit will recover the body - burning through all available resources if necessary."  

 

In practice, does "stubborn" loyalty exist?  Is it desirable?  What about when it comes to beliefs?  Does it allow for institutions to flourish that couldn't otherwise?  Is this type of loyalty categorically unreasonable?    

 

I guess these all seem like prisoner's dilemma questions, about "tit for tat" strategies, etc, but I want to know how people on this site think about these matters in everyday life; in personal relationships, with regards to their own beliefs, especially toward their children (if you have children). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm reading Antifragile, and I don't have much relevant background, so it's hard for me to evaluate what he's saying.  If anyone has relevant background/expertise, I'd like to hear it. 

 

I can certainly see how the author's tone could annoy a lot of readers, but so far I've found his style entertaining and quite obviously (to me at least) a part of his "shtick", so it comes across as clever and funny instead of arrogant. 

 

I guess this could also evolve into a meta-discussion of how to evaluate books when you have little frame of reference, but I would imagine that has been discussed in other posts on this site.  (Please link to a post of that topic if you can).