Obviously non-obvious

Introduction to Metaphors

Why should anyone think about metaphors? Metaphors are like magic ladders that help us understand new ideas by comparing them to things we already know. They’re not just for poets or writers; they’re used everywhere, from doctors explaining health to scientists describing the universe. A metaphor is when you say something is something else to make a point. Like if you hear the immune system being described as an army, it is describing the body’s defense against pathogens where certain cells are fighting off invaders, while other cells are carrying out more specialized roles, like scouts. Similarly, when a physicist says an atom is like a solar system with tiny particles buzzing around the nucleus, they are not saying the electrons are literally buzzing around. It is a conceptual tool to sort of grasp what is going on without resorting Read more…

By Sohhom, ago

Metacognition: A Secret Weapon For Powerful Mind

In the jigsaw puzzle of our minds, metacognition is the edge piece that holds our thinking together. It’s not just thinking, but thinking about thinking. Metacognition, in practical terms, is the ability of reflecting on one’s own thought processes. It can be a great tool but a tricky thing to learn. It includes things like observing your emotions, thoughts, forming theories about how they work in your own mind as well as the minds of others. It is possible that even animals are capable of metacognition. But more interestingly, there is evidence that with humans, metacognition is what sets apart great leaders and thinkers from the mediocre ones. In this post, we outline the what and why of metacognition, and leave it to you to find out how and to what extent you can apply it in your daily decision Read more…

By Sohhom, ago

Emotional robot stories from pre-ChatGPT era

ChatGPT is amazing, but have you ever seen outputs from text completion models, i.e. the precursors to ChatGPT? Do you think ChatGPT is skilled at “understanding” the human emotional expressions yet? Do you think the images are more emotionally accurate than the texts? Here is a list of actual outputs from OpenAI. All of them were generated with the input “A story about a robot expressing the emotion []” where the brackets indicate placeholders for specific emotion keywords. Enjoy! A robot named Aloof A robot named “Aloof” had been inside the body of a human woman for years, waiting for a opportunity to express her emotion above ground. Finally, she decided to enter a state called “delighted” and immediately Carmen Became Elated, Wrote Aloof. text-ada-001 A robot named Z3-8 Once upon a time, there existed a robot known as Z3-8. Read more…

By Sohhom, ago

A primer on scams in the age of AI

Online scams are a common threat in the digital age, and it’s important to know how to spot and avoid them. With the rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Bard/Gemini, Grok and more, the scams will only become more sophisticated and difficult to detect. This is one of the unfortunate prices we must pay for the benefits that AI brings us. Here are some examples of common online scams, with suggestions on how to stay safe from them. Phishing These are attempts to trick you into revealing sensitive information, like passwords and credit card numbers. Enhanced phishing attempts could involve AI creating deceptive emails or messages to specific individuals, making them more convincing and harder to detect. You can protect yourself by using security software and keeping it updated, using multi-factor authentication for your accounts, and backing up your Read more…

By Sohhom, ago

5 tips for asking questions without annoying the recipient

Whether you are emailing someone you don’t know, or messaging your colleague, certain common features set apart great questions from the lousy ones. In many cases, it is not the actual question, but the method of asking that can potentially make the interaction less pleasant and less productive for everyone involved. Asking the same question over a phone call or a meeting would also benefit from some of these considerations, but factors such as personal history and “catching up” would become relevant in those contexts. In this article, we present 7 simple tips that illustrate the subtle art of asking questions via text-based media like Slack channels, emails, personal messages, and so on. Google is your friend This is a no-brainer, but frequently overlooked. Just put the exact question you have into Google. Or ChatGPT, Bard etc. If your company Read more…

By Sohhom, ago

5 Actionable Tips to Avoid FOMO

FOMO, or Fear Of Missing Out, is a common anxiety of the modern world where we have too many options and apparently too little time. FOMO is a pattern of thought that others might be having better experiences from which you are absent. It is often characterized by the desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing. However, it can also manifest in other ways, e.g. while choosing investment options, or career changes like quitting one’s boring job and joining a startup. This article will delve briefly into the psychology and impacts of FOMO. We look at the everyday experience of FOMO from a layperson’s perspective. Finally, we offer 5 simple tips and advice on controlling or getting over FOMO. What causes FOMO? Psychologically, FOMO is linked to two human needs: However, in the digital world, FOMO has Read more…

By Sohhom, ago

23 English Idioms that Help You Communicate in Style

To communicate fluently in any language, we need to learn its typical usage patterns and common phrases. Idioms are a great example of this. They also illustrate how cultural practices and patterns become codified in language, and thereafter continues to shape the minds of future generations due to the accumulated meaning over prolonged periods. In this page, we explain and give examples of some common English idioms. In some cases, we also give whimsical commentary or link to interesting external resources, so make sure to stick around till the end! Using these in your conversation or written material may make your language sound more rich, natural and stylish. This handy guide could also be helpful if you are preparing for your TOEFL or IELTS tests. In that case, you should also take a look at our article on oxymorons. Enjoy! Read more…

By Sohhom, ago