Curious Dilettantes #0001
Curious Dilettantes #0001
Learn something that expands your mind, in just a few minutes each week.
The Eye (art, photography)
Ronit Baranga is a contemporary artist in Israel whose primary forms of expressions are sculpting and creating installations. Her hyper-realistic work explores themes of emotional states and relationships, in a very graphic, and at times, jarring way. The photos above are from her “Between Four Walls” exhibit at Braverman Gallery in Tel Aviv. It runs through January 12th, 2023.
The Mind (self improvement)
Do you get flustered when asked to introduce yourself in a professional setting? Here’s a simple framework that you can use to remove the nerves associated with having to tell everyone who you are in a situation that’s new to you:
Present: Start with a present-tense statement such as “Hey everyone, I’m Stuart, and I’m the new Director of Operations here at Company Y.”
Past: Add a couple of points that provide relevant details, and help establish credibility, e.g. “Prior to this, I was the Head of Operations at Company X, where I helped them turn around 2 bad years and be profitable again.”
Future: Show that you’re excited about the future in a sentence that may sound like this one - “I’m glad to be a part of this team, and to help this company succeed.”
The Machine (technology)
ChatGPT is a product from OpenAI, an artificial intelligence company that was founded by Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and others in 2015. It’s effectively a chatbot, similar to the annoying ones that you might see on some websites, or that you see when you’re trying to get in touch with a company’s customer support through their website. The big difference with ChatGPT is that it communicates with you in human-like conversations. When prompted with a question, it returns information in clear, simple sentences, and explains concepts in ways that people can easily understand. Easiest thing to do to really understand what it is? Click this link to try it out for yourself. Some ideas for tasks to request: “How should i celebrate a 5 year old’s birthday?”, “What should I get someone who doesn’t like possessions for their birthday?”
You’ll be amazed at what it’s capable of.
The Heart (relationships, social situations)
Here is a simple guide to help you avoid conflict. When you’re in a tense situation that could potentially blow up, whether you’re at home or in the office, answering these 3 questions honestly could very well help you avoid a disastrous outcome. Before you open your mouth, pause and ask yourself:
Does it need to be said?
Are you the person who needs to say it?
Does it need to be said, by you, right at that very moment?
The Wonder (random curiosities)
Ron Garan is an ex-NASA astronaut, and an ex-combat fighter pilot. In this interview, he describes the phenomenon astronauts experience called the “overview effect”, where they come to the stark realization of the interconnected and interdependent nature of life on earth. In Garan, the overview effect birthed the realization that humankind needs to view itself as a planetary species in order to survive.