The story follows Winston, a 39-year old who lives in Oceania, a totalitarian state that wants to control every aspect of its people’s lives and tries to avoid the mistakes similar regimes have done in the past.They claim that power should not be a means to an end. If the Party seeks power for its own sake, then there is no way they will lose it.

Story

Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimetres inside your skull.

The Party employs various methods to maintain its power and control over the population. One of these methods is "Newspeak," a language designed to limit the range of thought and eliminate unorthodox or rebellious ideas. Another key aspect is the constant surveillance through telescreens, which monitor citizens for any signs of misbehavior.

Power

Winston hears about a secret brotherhood, and he starts a diary where he expresses his rebellious thoughts. He becomes involved in acts of subversion and attempts to challenge the Party's control. As the book follows his story, you hope he will eventually succeed in overturning the state, but the ending is not a happy one.

Rebellion

The Party claims that past events survive only in written records and in human memories. Therefore they are constantly altering past events to suit their present needs.Whenever the Party decides a person must be killed, they also erase the person's name from every written record. That person never existed.They do the same for ideas, and they plan to abolish even the most common ones, such that one should want to have a family.

Altering Reality

Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.

We do not destroy the heretic because he resists us: so long as he resists us we never destroy him. We convert him, we capture his inner mind, we reshape him. We burn all evil and all illusion out of him; we bring him over to our side, not in appearance, but genuinely, heart and soul. We make him one of ourselves before we kill him. It is intolerable to us that an erroneous thought should exist anywhere in the world, however secret and powerless it may be. Even in the instant of death we cannot permit any deviation.

1984, published in 1949, is a dystopian and satirical novel. It revolves around Winston Smith, who lives in a nation called Oceania, in a province called Airstrip One, which represents present-day England. This state is controlled by the Party, headed by a mysterious leader who is addressed as Emmanuel Goldstein, also known as the Big Brother. The Party watches every single move that Smith and other citizens make. The nation's language and history is forcefully changed for the benefit of the Party. A new language, Newspeak, is being compulsively implemented to ensure works that have anything to do with political rebellion are omitted. In Oceania, even rebellious thoughts are illegal and are said to be the worst of all crimes. The people are suppressed and any form of individuality is not tolerated, including love and sex. Smith works as a low-ranking member of the Party who alters historical records. He hates the Party and thus buys an illegal diary in which he pens down his thoughts. He meets Julia, a coworker, who seems to been romantically inclined towards him. He however doubts that she is a Party spy who will get him imprisoned for his 'thoughtcrimes'. Her love turns out to be true and they have a covert affair. Smith's hatred for the Party grows day by day and he is convinced that a powerful Party official O'Brien is actually trying to overthrow the present government with the help of a secret group named the Brotherhood. As the story goes on, readers learn the twists and turns that life in Oceania has in store for Smith. He faces terror, betrayal, freedom, and a broken spirit. 1984 is the author's haunting vision of the future. The book has been adapted into television programmes, films, radio broadcasts and plays. In 2003, the book was number 8 on BBC's survey The Big Read. It was 6th and 13th on the reader's and editor's list of Modern Library 100 Best Novels, respectively. In 2005, it was added to the 100 Best English Language Novel from 1923 to 2005 by TIME magazine. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Eric Arthur Blair, better known by his pen name George Orwell (1903-1950), was an English author and journalist. His work is marked by keen intelligence and wit, a profound awareness of social injustice, an intense opposition to totalitarianism, a passion for clarity in language, and a belief in democratic socialism. In addition to his literary career Orwell served as a police officer with the Indian Imperial Police in Burma from 1922-1927 and fought with the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War from 1936-1937. He was severely wounded when he was shot through his throat. Orwell and his wife were accused of 'Rabid Trotskyism' and tried in absentia in Barcelona, along with other leaders of the POUM, in 1938. However by then they had escaped from Spain and returned to England. Between 1941 and 1943, Orwell worked on propaganda for the BBC. In 1943, he became literary editor of the Tribune, a weekly left-wing magazine. He was a prolific polemical journalist, article writer, literary critic, reviewer, poet and writer of fiction, and considered perhaps the twentieth century's best chronicler of English culture. Orwell is best known for the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (published in 1949) and the satirical novella Animal Farm (1945)-they have together sold more copies than any two books by any other twentieth-century author. His 1938 book Homage to Catalonia, an account of his experiences as a volunteer on the Republican side during the Spanish Civil War, together with numerous essays on politics, literature, language, and culture, are widely acclaimed. In 2008, The Times ranked him second on a list of 'The 50 greatest British writers since 1945'.

books

Books

politics

Politics

1984

"If you became conscious today, what would be the fastest way to  learn what's possible in the world in order to create a massively beneficial impact?"  According to Beniamin, the key to finding the answer lies in studying the lives and work of influential individuals in the fields of science, business, and the arts throughout history.He agreed to himself that he would read hundreds of books in these areas before starting anything on his own. He says that his thinking and view of the world changed a lot after.

Asking the Right Questions

Two books he finds really important are Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography and Peter Thiel's Zero to One.He mentions some other people he has studied and have influenced him a lot: Platon, Newton, Paul Graham, and Elon Musk.What he suggests in order to learn a lot about the world is to study mathematics, physics, and computer science for technology, while for the humanities he recommends reading the most popular science-fiction books.

Book Recommendations

"Who are the people today that will be recognized for their work 20-30-50 years from now?" If you could recognize the potential of the next Einstein before he became famous, then you would be many years ahead of others in terms of knowledge. Discovering the answer to this question leads you to an area that is highly likely to generate significant wealth, either through working or investing in it.

Recognizing the Geniuses of the Future

Beniamin is a tech entrepreneur and an all-round fascinating person. This particular conversation is in Romanian, but if you're interested, he shares similar ideas in English in other podcasts.

Una dintre marile minți ale României actuale – Benianim Mincu – îi dezvăluie astăzi lui Mihai Morar care sunt întrebările corecte pe care trebuie să le pui pentru o lume mai bună. Fondatorul companiei Elrond, cotată la un moment dat la 10 miliarde de doari, ne spune cum setea de cunoaștere este cea care l-a împins pe drumul său. Cum a trecut de la cărți la computere, cum caută în permanență un mod de a face cunoașterea mai accesibilă tuturor, și cum rolul tehnologiei este să ne facă viața mai bună. Un podcast care îți oferă ocazia să îți schimbi perspectiva din care privești lucrurile, astăzi la Fain & Simplu, cu Mihai Morar. Podcast prezentat de CEC Bank. Banca de casă a românilor. 👉 Instagram: https://instagram.com/cecbank Episod susținut de Beciul Domnesc: 👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeciulDomnesc/ 👉 Instagram: https://instagram.com/beciul.domnesc SHOW NOTES: 00:00 – Întâlnire cu viitorul 04:00 – De la cărți la computer 07:39 – Tehnologia face cultura accesibilă tuturor 14:12 – Modul inovator în care a plecat la drum 19:00 – Miza pe blockchain și pe propriile forțe 25:08 – Primul milion de euro, adus de investiții în start-up 27:49 – Cum pui întrebările corecte 35:40 – De la Platon și Newton la Musk 40:15 – I-a intuit potențialul lui Elon Musk de acum 10 ani! 46:10 – Perioada de aur este acum 48:11 – Își revine piața crypto după 2022? 57:44 – Pariul blockchain pentru viitor: crypto & metaverse 1:06:09 – Ce este metaverse 1:13:46 – Tehnologia are sens doar dacă ajută omul 1:23:08 – Care sunt reperele morale ale unui inovator 1:31:16 – A îmbogățit pe cineva Elrond și Egld? 1:44:14 – Cum vor arăta lucrurile în următorii ani 1:52:33 – Va lua xWorld locul divertismentului clasic? 2:01:26 – Este creierul nostru pregătit pentru ce urmează? 2:07:55 – Va reuși Elrond să depășească PIB-ul României? 2:09:39 – Ce s-a întâmplat cu adevărat cu FTX 2:20:55 – Cum a afectat scandalul FTX piața 2:24:34 – Ce cărți îți recomandă Beniamin Mincu 2:27:35 – Ce l-ar întreba pe Elon Musk 2:32:35 – Ești ambițios? 2:36:44 – Metoda de educație ideală este... 2:40:38 – Promisiunea pentru viitor a lui Beniamin Mincu #MihaiMorar #Elrond #Podcast ABONEAZĂ-TE PENTRU MAI MULTE CLIPURI FAINE: 🟠 https://bit.ly/Subscribe_FainSiSimplu FAIN & SIMPLU ONLINE: 🟠 CLUB PENTRU MINTE, TRUP și SUFLET - https://fainsisimplu.ro ⚪ SPOTIFY - https://bit.ly/FainSiSimplu_Spotify ⚪ APPLE PODCASTS - https://bit.ly/FainSiSimplu_ApplePodcasts ⚪ GOOGLE PODCASTS - https://bit.ly/FainSiSimplu_GooglePodcasts 🟠 YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/fainsisimplu 🟠 FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/fainsisimplu 🟠 INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/fainsisimplu MIHAI MORAR ONLINE: 🟠 FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/mihaimorar 🟠 INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/mihaimorar 🟠 TIKTOK - https://www.tiktok.com/@mihaimorarofficial

career

Career

moneyandinvestments

Money & Investments

technologyandthefuture

Technology & The Future

podcasts

Podcasts

CUM VA DEPĂȘI BENIAMIN MINCU CRIZA CRYPTO ȘI PIB-UL ROMÂNIEI? | Fain & Simplu cu Mihai Morar 101

The community you are part of during school suddenly disappears after graduating, but a great piece of advice John gives is to try to befriend the new people you meet.He has brunch with his friends every Sunday, and he invites every new person he meets to join them. He was surprised by how many people actually come and want to become part of a community themselves.

Cultivate A Community

A great way to stop talking to yourself in a negative way is to imagine you are talking to your best friend.If your best friend told you about something they are worried about, such as graduating and not knowing what do in life, you probably wouldn’t say “Yeah, life is basically over”, but instead you would try to encourage them. This is a great way to talk to yourself as well.

Be Your Own Best Friend

John shares some advice he found really useful in his life after graduation, but that can be applied at any point in one’s life.

sign up pls: https://bookshelved.com/ follow me: https://www.instagram.com/thejohnfish/ music: Blinding by Cushy (epidemic sounds)

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

3 Lessons for Life After Graduation

We use 3 cognitive processes while programming or reading code:<ul><li>Long-term memory (LTM) is similar to the hard drive of the brain. It stores the things that we have learned in the past, such as syntax or an algorithm.</li><li>Short-term memory (STM) is like the RAM or cache memory. We use it to remember the things we have just seen, such as the type of a variable or a function name.</li><li>Working memory is the CPU of the brain. This is what we use for thoughts, ideas, and coming up with solutions while programming.</li></ul>

Cognitive Processes 

In an experiment, both chess masters and average players were asked to memorize a chess board configuration, and the chess masters did way better. That was because the experts had previously seen something similar, and they only had to store a few items in their STM, such as “Sicilian opening with a knight moved to D4”. The average players were trying to memorize the whole board. Research showed that we can only hold around 7 items in our STM.When they ran the experiment with a configuration with pieces arranged completely random, the chess masters did just as bad as the average players.

A Chess Experiment

The way the chess experiment applies to programming is that we should aim to split our code into chunks that make it more readable and easier to remember.We can achieve this by using design patterns and comments. If a function’s name is enough to describe what it does, then a comment is not necessary. But sometimes a comment is needed to increase code readability.

Chunking Code

Active elaboration is the process of thinking about similar things when learning a new concept. This helps strengthen the concept in memory.In the context of programming, you can think about similar concepts in another programming language or if the concept fits a certain paradigm, framework, or domain.

Active Elaboration

Since code is similar to natural language, we can apply the same techniques that we use to understand text to understand a piece of code. A great way is to try to summarize the piece of code in words, which helps you understand it better and can serve as documentation.

Understanding Code

It is pretty obvious that the names of variables matter. But oftentimes when we are in the middle of a hard problem, thinking about the name of a variable is too much for our cognitive capacity, so we just choose the first thing that comes to mind.But we can increase our naming abilities while reviewing other people’s code. When you see one of their variables for the first time, take a few seconds to try to predict what it will be used for, and later evaluate how accurate its name was. Overtime, this should increase your intuition about good variable names.

Naming Variables

A good name must fit the natural language the variables are defined in. For example, since in English you would say “the maximum number of points”, it makes more sense to choose the name max_points over points_max.Also, the aim should be to use 2-4 words per variable (apart from the common 1 word names).

Choosing A Good Name

Since we can only hold a few things at once in our memory, this can slow us down while programming or while reading code. There are 2 strategies we can use.<ol><li>Automatization: Practice a concept so much that it becomes second nature. If you’ve been programming for a while, you never think about the syntax of a for-loop, so that does not take almost any brain power while writing code.</li><li>Making models: a model is an abstraction you make to reduce your cognitive load, such as a diagram about a complicated codebase that helps you understand it better.</li></ol>

Using Memory To Your Advantage

One of the things I take away from this book is that confusion and feeling cognitively overwhelmed is fine, and is part of life and learning. Before I knew all I know about cognition, I used to get upset with myself for not being smart enough to read complicated papers or explore unfamiliar code; now I can be kinder to myself and say, “Well, maybe you have too much cognitive load.”

"A great book with deep insights into the bridge between programming and the human mind." - Mike Taylor, CGI Your brain responds in a predictable way when it encounters new or difficult tasks. This unique book teaches you concrete techniques rooted in cognitive science that will improve the way you learn and think about code. In The Programmer’s Brain: What every programmer needs to know about cognition you will learn: Fast and effective ways to master new programming languages Speed reading skills to quickly comprehend new code Techniques to unravel the meaning of complex code Ways to learn new syntax and keep it memorized Writing code that is easy for others to read Picking the right names for your variables Making your codebase more understandable to newcomers Onboarding new developers to your team Learn how to optimize your brain’s natural cognitive processes to read code more easily, write code faster, and pick up new languages in much less time. This book will help you through the confusion you feel when faced with strange and complex code, and explain a codebase in ways that can make a new team member productive in days! Foreword by Jon Skeet. About the technology Take advantage of your brain’s natural processes to be a better programmer. Techniques based in cognitive science make it possible to learn new languages faster, improve productivity, reduce the need for code rewrites, and more. This unique book will help you achieve these gains. About the book The Programmer’s Brain unlocks the way we think about code. It offers scientifically sound techniques that can radically improve the way you master new technology, comprehend code, and memorize syntax. You’ll learn how to benefit from productive struggle and turn confusion into a learning tool. Along the way, you’ll discover how to create study resources as you become an expert at teaching yourself and bringing new colleagues up to speed. What's inside Understand how your brain sees code Speed reading skills to learn code quickly Techniques to unravel complex code Tips for making codebases understandable About the reader For programmers who have experience working in more than one language. About the author Dr. Felienne Hermans is an associate professor at Leiden University in the Netherlands. She has spent the last decade researching programming, how to learn and how to teach it. Table of Contents PART 1 ON READING CODE BETTER 1 Decoding your confusion while coding 2 Speed reading for code 3 How to learn programming syntax quickly 4 How to read complex code PART 2 ON THINKING ABOUT CODE 5 Reaching a deeper understanding of code 6 Getting better at solving programming problems 7 Misconceptions: Bugs in thinking PART 3 ON WRITING BETTER CODE 8 How to get better at naming things 9 Avoiding bad code and cognitive load: Two frameworks 10 Getting better at solving complex problems PART 4 ON COLLABORATING ON CODE 11 The act of writing code 12 Designing and improving larger systems 13 How to onboard new developers

computerscience

Computer Science

The Programmer's Brain

Seek freedom and become captive of your desires, seek discipline and find your liberty.

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE directed by Denis Villeneuve, starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, David Dastmalchian, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem. Frank Herbert’s classic masterpiece—a triumph of the imagination and one of the bestselling science fiction novels of all time. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for.... When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.  A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.

Dune

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.

Imagine a world in which children have mandatory music classes in school where they only learn music theory, without being allowed to compose or listen to a song.That is how the author of the book sees the way mathematics is taught in school.

A Musician’s Nightmare 

Mathematics should not be seen as a practical subject, where you are taught only stuff that will become useful later (without seeing exactly how).Instead of plugging some variables into memorized formulas, we should do mathematics for fun, without thinking about its practical applications. The author argues that teaching mathematics in its natural state will completely change how students see the subject.

The Way To Do Mathematics

Just as music or painting are not done with a sensible purpose in mind, but rather as food for the soul, mathematics should be treated in the same way.Pure mathematics exists only in our imagination, so starting from a problem you can continue to explore countless other implications. There is also a lot to discover, and you feel exalted when you suddenly discover something that was there all along.

Mathematics Is An Art

A mathematician, like a painter or poet, is a maker of patterns. If his patterns are more permanent, it’s because they are made with ideas.

The way to teach mathematics should be to encourage playing and having fun with ideas, only introducing new concepts and definitions when they are necessary.The question that arises in this case is whether it is a problem that students could end up finishing school and not knowing formulas such as the quadratic equation. The author makes the case that most adults don’t actually remember it, and don’t even need it anyway.Even if you consider its applications in science and engineering, teaching creative and independent thinking in mathematics will help students more than memorizing formulas.

A Better Mathematics Education

Mathematics is beautiful, but this is rarely shown in school.

“One of the best critiques of current K-12 mathematics education I have ever seen, written by a first-class research mathematician who elected to devote his teaching career to K-12 education.” —Keith Devlin, NPR’s “Math Guy”A brilliant research mathematician reveals math to be a creative art form on par with painting, poetry, and sculpture, and rejects the standard anxiety-producing teaching methods used in most schools today. Witty and accessible, Paul Lockhart’s controversial approach will provoke spirited debate among educators and parents alike, altering the way we think about math forever.Paul Lockhart is the author of Arithmetic, Measurement, and A Mathematician’s Lament. He has taught mathematics at Brown University, University of California, Santa Cruz, and to K-12 level students at St. Ann’s School in Brooklyn, New York.

education

Learning & Education

problemsolving

Problem Solving

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

A Mathematician's Lament

Writing is useful because it is hard. It's the effort that goes into writing a clear sentence that leads to better thinking.

Writing Leads To Better Thinking

Kind of what Deepstash helps you achieve.

mindfulness

Mindfulness

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

writing

Reading & Writing

creativity

Creativity

3-2-1: The real reason you fail to stick with habits, and the secret to making anything great

Legendary programmer DHH makes the case that the way we develop software today could go two ways in the current AI era. The first possibility is that AI will be just like the no-code waves he has seen throughout his career, which promised to completely replace ”old-school” programming.

Will AI Replace Software Development?

The other possibility is that AI will indeed bring a massive change. However, we should still be proud of our work, since even as electricity was becoming popular, people still needed gas lamps to navigate in the dark.

Making Gas Lamps In The Era Of Electricity

Great perspective for programmers who worry about AI replacing them.

artificialintelligence

Artificial Intelligence

How to continue making kerosene lamps on the eve of electricity

Every person could have an AI bot learn their behavior and see how well it would match with AI’s representing other people.This would save you all the time talking to a person only to realize you don’t actually get along.

AI Effect On Dating

Interesting to see our predictions on AI vs. how it will actually play out.

Lex Fridman Podcast full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgIo36F6Fsg Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/lex to get 15% off - InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/lex to get 20% off - Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lex to get 1 month of fish oil GUEST BIO: Simone Giertz is an inventor, designer, engineer, and roboticist famous for a combination of humor and brilliant creative design in the systems and products she creates. PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ Full episodes playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 Clips playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOeciFP3CBCIEElOJeitOr41 SOCIAL: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman - Reddit: https://reddit.com/r/lexfridman - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman

videos

Videos

How AI will change online dating | Simone Giertz and Lex Fridman

First principles thinking is the act of boiling a process down to the fundamental parts that you know are true and building up from there.First principles thinking is a fancy way of saying "think like a scientist." Scientists don't assume anything. They start with questions like, What are we absolutely sure is true? What has been proven?

What is first principles thinking

Imagine you have three things:<ul><li>A motorboat with a skier behind it</li><li>A military tank</li><li>A bicycle</li></ul>Now, let's break these items down into their constituent parts:<ul><li>Motorboat: motor, the hull of a boat, and a pair of skis.</li><li>Tank: metal treads, steel armor plates, and a gun.</li><li>Bicycle: handlebars, wheels, gears, and a seat.</li></ul>What can you create from these individual parts? One option is to make a snowmobile by combining the handlebars and seat from the bike, the metal treads from the tank, and the motor and skis from the boat.

An example of first principles thinking

Be wary of the ideas you inherit. Old conventions and previous forms are often accepted without question and, once accepted, they set a boundary around creativity.Continuous improvement tends to occur within the boundary set by the original vision. By comparison, first principles thinking requires you to abandon your allegiance to previous forms and put the function front and center. What are you trying to accomplish? What is the functional outcome you are looking to achieve?

Thinking for yourself

First principles thinking, which is sometimes called reasoning from first principles, is one of the most effective strategies you can employ for breaking down complicated problems and generating original solutions. It also might be the single best approach to learn how to think for yourself.

1984

CUM VA DEPĂȘI BENIAMIN MINCU CRIZA CRYPTO ȘI PIB-UL ROMÂNIEI? | Fain & Simplu cu Mihai Morar 101

3 Lessons for Life After Graduation

The Programmer's Brain

Dune

Andrei Hodoroaga