In chess, white has a distinct advantage. Historically, white’s winning percentage has ranged from 52 to 56 percent. In 2017, two top chess engines – AlphaZero and Stockfish – played 100 games against each other. AlphaZero won 25 games as white, but only three as black. Why? Because white goes first. …
I didn’t know it at the time, but I first encountered Derek ten years ago. It was during a summer internship. Someone showed a TED talk on the importance of the first follower. Although the idea made an impression on me, I didn’t know who gave the talk. Frankly, I didn’t care. Fast forward to …
I’ve read a lot of books on dating and romance. What started as an attempt to understand my first breakup became an intellectual fascination with intersexual dynamics. I’ve probably read enough on the topic to write a master’s thesis. So while Ansari’s book wasn’t bad, it didn’t teach me anything new. That said, refreshers are …
You attribute an idea to the person that introduced it to you. For example, Derek Sivers introduced me to the value of surprise when writing. People read to learn and they only learn when they’re surprised. Thus, you should find something surprising in your writing. Once you’ve found it, cut everything else. I loved this …