Go and the Brain

It shouldn't be surprising that there's a region of the brain that plays Go.

(Not that I really know there is.)

After all, it seems boring and academically obvious when researchers say there's a region of the brain for reading.

But reading has only been something most people did for the past 150 years or so. Probably not enough time for us to evolve a whole new part of the brain.

So really there must be some sort of preexisting structure that is good for reading, and when you learn to read this brain structure does it, rather than having a built-in reading ability. Why be surprised by similar structures for go, or hopscotch, or drinking games?

More on IQ Tests

According to Wikipedia the average intelligence for offensive tackles and newswriters is the same. Better watch out AJ before you make fun of football ;-)

Hiring Smart

What sort of company uses an IQ test to see if they'll hire you or not?

When you (read: I) decide whether to hire a programmer or not, you might ask some programming questions, talk about it a bit, and in the end definitely bump them up in your mind if they "got everything right". But it should really be about using the puzzle as a starting point for a conversation, where the interviewer is thinking to themselves "Could I work with them and not keep thinking they're slowing me down?" That's the eventual question, anyways, that will really determine whether they're a good hire or not.

But apparently finance sorts of jobs will just give you some standardized tests. Are you going to end up hiring a bunch of nerds with no real world communications skills instead of intelligent well-rounded people?

I don't know. But if you are, well, it should be good for the sort of people who are friends of mine trying to get jobs in the finance biz. ;-)

Play the game and cram for your IQ test. Half of your eventual finance job will probably be about how to work hard to find the flaw in a stupid system, so it'll be good practice.

Time for a Launch Party

Finally Google is aware of my blog... there's a bit of confusion around the url though, the top result for [lacker style] is chosucks.com! Naturally you can view all this fine content at chosucks.com as well, but jeez you might as well use lacker.info.

Or really, you might as well just search for [lacker style] to get to this blog. Typing in urls is so 1998.

Bookmark this:

http://www.google.com/search?q=lacker+style

Ho Hum

You'd think it would be more interesting sitting in a meeting where we discuss the fundamental artificial intelligence principles behind Google News. But, it is not.

(Maybe you wouldn't think that anyway.)

Compliments

Dan: "Ipso facto competent? That's the nicest thing you ever said about me!"

Actually You Are Competent After All

Since there's only a few people who read this, you must be someone I know and hang out with a bunch, which makes you ipso facto competent.

Pluots

Not really a word, because it's a trademark.

Hopefully in the future everyone talks about pluots all the time and it gets Kleenexed.

Or maybe (lamely) everyone will have to refer to them as plum-apricots to escape the trademark lawyers.

You Are Incompetent

Odds are, anyways. What can you tell yourself that an incompetent person couldn't tell themselves? Make sure you account for selection bias - an incompetent person's most competent attribute is probably a 99th+ percentile one, given that they have thought about more than 100 qualities of themselves over their lifetime and are likely to easily remember the best ones?

Probably a better strategy in the long term to fake humility.

If you're convinced by the sort of study that happens to make it to a physical newspaper, check out this.

On Lacker Style

AJ: "He calls it Lacker Style. But he uses someone else's template!"

Me: "Exactly! That's Lacker style."

Keep Alive

Oh man I better blog before I go too long without blogging.

I wonder why the AFC systematically wins the super bowl, but from about 1983 - 1997 the NFC systematically won the super bowl. I'm pretty sure it's not just random.

Relatedly, the same person going to Princeton will be more ambitious, study harder, and get a better job than if they go to Ohio State. Even if subsequent employers never read resumes, and classes are all worthless. I feel like I see this frequently. It's a shame to pay so much money for a psychological effect, but at least it's something. Easier to believe this than believe you pay for the diploma when it seems fairly obvious that most future employers don't care.

Ambitious people rise to meet their context. AFC teams tell themselves "We need the next Peyton Manning." NFC teams tell themselves "We just need to go 8 and 8 next year and we'll make the playoffs."

Too much time at a job you don't like, and you'll turn into them.