Tag archives for luck

  1. Moist Robots

    Scott Adams has this really memorable term for how to think about people: moist robots.  Moist because — well, we’re wet and squishy.  Robots because there are certain predictable behaviors that we repeat.  In situations like A, most people do f(A).  In situation; in situations like B, most people will do f(B).  Sounds very robot-like…

  2. A Good Bet

    What’s the difference between a good bet and a winning bet?  Let’s look at some examples: A good bet is betting $10 to win $15 in a fair coin flip; a winning bet is winning $10 by betting $15 in a fair coin flip. A good bet is getting a university degree; a winning bet…

  3. Russian Roulette (or Luck Vs Skill)

    Imagine this scenario1 and see if there is something off about it: You get a chance to meet the world champion in Russian roulette.  He has traveled across the globe, putting a gun to his own head and skillfully not shooting himself.  He’s faced hundreds of opponents from every country you can name, including the…

  4. Luck or Passion?

    Preface: I wrote a post a while back titled: Lucky or Smart?  Along those same lines, I pose another question: Luck or Passion?  (hint: luck wins every time.) A very common piece of advice that keeps coming up, over and over again, is “follow your passion”1.  While this advice is always well intentioned, and perhaps…

  5. Lucky or smart?

    When I was young, I was taught one universal truth: do well in school and you’ll be successful.  While it’s a nice simplistic view of the world, it’s not entirely accurate.  Let’s put that aside the fact that there are no universal truths for a second, and focus on the sentiment of the message: studying…