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vgr's profile
Venkatesh Rao
Venkatesh Rao
Venkatesh Rao
@vgr

Tweets

Venkatesh Rao

@vgr

This is my conversational account. For my work follow @ribbonfarm, @breaking_smart, @artofgig. Tweets are 90% vacuous views, apathetically held. Mediocritopian.

Los Angeles, CA
venkateshrao.com
Joined August 2007

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    1. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr 20 Sep 2019
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      A basic difference between science and engineering is that confirmation bias is a feature rather than a bug. When a proposition is false under normal conditions and true under weird conditions that stress the definitions of the proposition, what do you do?

      1 reply 0 retweets 11 likes
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    2. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr 20 Sep 2019
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      As a scientist, you try to refine the definitions so that the proposition becomes watertight absolutely true. As an engineer, you sometimes try to make the weird conditions normal, by stabilizing and expanding their range from exceptional to default.

      1 reply 0 retweets 5 likes
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    3. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr 20 Sep 2019
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      Example: "Heavier than air flight is impossible" Exception: birds are heavier than air Scientist: investigate hollow bones and refine the theory in terms of power/weight ratios to get to a true statement Engineer: hack the exception to let humans fly woohoo

      1 reply 0 retweets 5 likes
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    4. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr 20 Sep 2019
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      "Invention" is a word meaning "seeking conditions under which a certain weird, exceptional effect is normal, controlled, and useful" The kettle lid does not move by itself except when the water is boiling. Turn that exceptional kettle behavior into normal steam engine behavior.

      1 reply 2 retweets 13 likes
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      Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr 20 Sep 2019
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      Confirmation bias angle is that you're pursuing the belief (false until it is not) that "things that humans want moved can move by themselves without the need for living things moving them." As a scientific proposition this is easily mostly falsified in the world-as-is in 1750.

      5:48 PM - 20 Sep 2019
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        2. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr 20 Sep 2019
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          But then somebody looks at water wheels and windmills that seem to confirm the proposition in very narrow ways. Somebody else notices the apocryphal kettle lid bouncing around. And hey, pursuing confirmation bias produces steam engine and...awaaaaay we go

          1 reply 0 retweets 2 likes
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        3. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr 20 Sep 2019
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          Fast forward a couple of centuries, and almost everything humans want moved is being moved by non-biological power. Woohoo. Seeking confirmation bias has made the false idea true, via invention.

          0 replies 0 retweets 2 likes
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        4. End of conversation

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