Apply computer science concepts to the rest of your life

Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decision

The favorite takeaways I noted from the book as I learned how to apply computer science concepts to the rest of my life

• When balancing favorite experiences 🏄‍♀️ and new ones, nothing matters as much as the interval ⏲ over which we plan to enjoy them.
• Thrashing refers to any situation where the system grinds to a halt 🛑  because it’s entirely preoccupied with metawork.
• Overfitting is a kind of idolatry of data 📈 , a consequence of focusing on what we’ve been able to measure 📐  rather than what matters 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 .
• “Incentive structures work,” as Steve Jobs put it. “So you have to be very careful of what you incent people to do because various incentive structures create all sorts of consequences that you can’t anticipate.”
• It really is true 1️⃣  that the company will build whatever the CEO decides to measure 📐 ”- Sam Altman from YCombinator
• Unless we’re willing to spend eons striving for perfection 🎯  every time we encounter a hitch, hard problems demand that instead of spinning our tires 🚘 , we imagine easier versions and tackle those first.  When applied correctly, this is not just wishful thinking, not fantasy or idle daydreaming.  It’s one of our best ways of making progress 🏗 .
• The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not Eureka❗ but That’s funny❓