Zero Parallax Article Archive
This article archive includes all articles on this website. Articles are assigned to a category to ideally make finding a particular article easier but also to find articles that are related by topic.
Currently, the topic clusters have no hierarchy. Their ordering is currently rather arbitrary. And their may be some overlap.
The Indexing, Memory, Learning category looks at indexing in general, for example, indexing Chinese characters. Why is indexing important? It makes things easier to find. And that relates to memory and learning. When we learn things, we store them in memory in, ideally, easy to find locations. And so one aspect of learning isn't so much the storing, but the indexing so that the contents of memory are easy to withdraw.
The Basic Principles category focuses on principles that can be applied when problem solving or trying to do things efficiently, and effectively. These are things that, among other things, we might take for granted, or that seem so obvious they don't bear thinking about until we run into difficulty.
The Know Mind, Presence, Flow focuses on the idea of flow, which is also known as "no mind" (and which I like to refer to as know mind) and being present. A simple way to think of this state of being is that it and thinking are mutually exclusive. It is possible to be half in the flow, but in the ideal or perfect flow state thinking is absent. The mental machinery in which it runs is turned off.
Closely related to No mind is the category called Decision Making, Taking Action, The Power Of Choice.
This category focuses on the making of choices so that you can get into the flow. If you know what you are trying to do, you can get on with doing it. Hence know mind.
Being effective while in the flow takes training. The category First Principles, Flexible Thinking, Modular Habits is about training effectively and efficiently. It's also about problem solving. And it involves the development of modular habits. A key angle is the application of first principles to break systems down from two points of view in terms of signals as well as components.
Closely related to this two-view application of first principles is the category Two Points Of View, Consciousness, Understanding. The articles here look at how we can apply zero parallax concepts to ourselves as well as the world we are a part of.
Perhaps the real point of all of this is working towards our limitless potential. And that's where an understanding of Limits And Infinity can be helpful.
Article archive TOC
Indexing, Memory, Learning
A Calculus For Learning Your Body
How does an understanding of calculus help you learn your body? Learn the basic elements that tie together art, engineering, and even learning your body.
Better Mental Models Part 1
With 4 types of mental model: predictive, executive, informational, functional, the more important point is that all of these model types can be modularized in such a way that they use the same basic components to make learning and problem solving easier.
Building Intuition A First Principles Approach
The better you understand a system, the easier it is to derive intuitions. Some simple suggestions for building this understanding from a first principles approach.
Complex Systems In Terms Of Ideas Relationships And Change
Learning to understand complex systems in terms of ideas, relationships and change (how the method of loci relates to understanding)
Contexting And Indexing Memories For Easier Recall
Why indexing is important; understanding how our brain indexes information so that we can retrieve information more easily
Creating An Easy Lookup Indexing System For Chinese Characters
Chinese characters and the importance of an effective and easy to use indexing system.
Indexing Context And Understanding
Effective indexing can make it easier to find information or things whether they are stored in memory or in physical locations and in turn lead to improvements in getting things done, faster learning and better understanding. The method of loci is a way of indexing information using clearly defined locations as a context. It may actually be the basis of understanding any complex system.
Learning Chinese By Reading It
One way to practice reading Chinese is to read it. The trouble is, how do you lookup characters if you don't know their meaning, or for that matter, their pronunciation?
Learning To Understand
If we understand something well enough it's like we've built a model within our consciousness. As a result we don't have to ask google, we know how to do something without having to think about it.
Overcoming Frustration Through Habits
Frustration can occur when learning new things or when making small changes that have unanticipated consequences. Habits can be used to minimize frustration.
The Overlooked Costs Of Poor Indexing
Poor indexing makes information and things harder to find and harder to retrieve. Effective indexing takes time and effort. Is it worth the effort?
Basic Principles
Center The Heart Of An Idea
What is center? Walking on the surface of the earth our own center moves around the earth’s center, two centers and the idea of them together creating a third.
Consciously Connecting
By changing connections within ourselves we express ourselves. By changing connections between ourselves and others we change the way we relate and so express the idea we are a part of.
Creating Space
Creating space or looking for space as a means of easily getting into the flow.
Expressing Ourselves Freely
After less than satisfactory results at a Tai Ji competition I realized the problem. I had been trying to impress the judges when I should have focused on the experience.
Decision Making, Taking Action, The Power Of Choice
Make Decision Making Easier
How do you make decision making easier? By working within the limits of short term memory.
Right And Wrong Versus Possibilities
Right and wrong or what choice is best? Sometimes there is no best choice. You simply have to make a choice to start moving forwards.
Know Mind, Presence, Flow
A Good Death Is Its Own Reward
Rather than just seeking external validation, joy can come directly from immersing ourselves in our experiences.
Being Present Non Critical State Of Mind
Being present means that you aren't thinking, that you aren't being criticial, judging. As a result, it's a lot more fun.'
Being Present
What does it mean to be present? How do we get there?
First Principles, Flexible Thinking, Modular Habits
Basic Principles Ideas
In basic principles, an idea is like a battery. It's the potential to create a particular change. It's potential is realized when it is connected to other ideas.
First Principles Relationships As A Vehicle For Change
To reason from first principles it can be helpful to have a general set of tools for breaking down systems. The [relationship] is one of these tools.
First Principles
First principles thinking is about modeling things based on function rather than form. It's about understanding how things work versus simply knowing how a thing looks.
Flexible Thinking A First Principles Approach
Reasoning from first principles can lead to flexible thinking, particularly when we break systems down not just into components, but into signals, or if you like, stories.
Ideas As Elements For Working From First Principles
When working from first principles we create functional building blocks. [idea] is a general term that can be used for these functional building blocks. What are the qualities of such an [idea] that make it useful in terms of first principles thinking?
Ideas As Units Of Meaning
In basic principles, an idea is like a battery. It's the potential to create a particular change. It's potential is realized when it is connected to other ideas.
Information Energy And The Idea Of Change
Trying to explain the idea of change I often put it in terms of information or energy, as if these three concepts (energy, information or change) are more or less equivalent.
Modularizing Habits
Habits are automatic responses to inputs that can occur without us having to think. Are habits good or bad? Better questions might: why do we have habits and how can we use them?
Muscle Control As First Principles Approach To Body Awareness
Muscle control is a first principles approach to learning our body because it allows us to sense individual parts while we use them and to control them. By feeling and controlling change within our body we can get better at handling change in general.
Software Tools For Your Brain
Part of learning and problem solving is abstracting complex systems so that we can visualize them in our minds eye.
Working From First Principles Overview
Working from first principles is about differentiating complex systems, breaking them down into component parts so that we can understand how they work.
Two Points Of View, Consciousness, Understanding
Do You Feel Lucky
How do you make yourself more lucky? One way is to look back at prior experiences so that you can recognize the patterns that cause problems. The question then is why do we have these patterns?
Rewriting Our Operating System
What if we, as humans, have operating systems. How would we go about rewriting them to create better versions of ourselves?
The Calculus Of Thinking 1
Critical thinking is an important skill when problem solving. It leads to being able to think for yourself. How do you go about learning it?
What Is Zero Parallax
Parallax is viewing error. As an example, looking at an analog clock from the side we might see that it’s 3 o’clock when it’s actually 3:01 or 3:02.
Limits And Infinity
Limits Create Potential
The creative and flexible use of limits can make teaching and learning more effective.
Understanding Infinity
Understanding what infinity really means so that we can play within it.
