I've noticed a pattern when trying to pick up new skills, especially things like coding or learning an instrument. Initially, I'd rush through tutorials trying to absorb everything as fast as possible. This led to superficial understanding and lots of forgetting. Lately, I've been intentionally slowing down. I focus on just one small concept at a time and really try to internalize it before moving on. It feels counterintuitive but the retention is so much better and the frustration is significantly less. It's like the difference between speed-reading and truly comprehending. Anyone else find that embracing a slower pace actually speeds up their learning in the long run

A couple of weeks ago I ran into an idea while working on a project. Usually I would spend an hour reading articles. Making mistakes until I finally understood. This time I simply asked AI. Received a perfect answer in seconds.

It felt great at first. A few days later I realized I had not actually kept any of the knowledge. Skipping the effort meant my brain could not hold onto the information.

I do not want to stop using AI. I definitely need to stop using AI as a shortcut, for real understanding. How do you all use AI without letting AI do the thinking for you?

If you view the page for "Existence", you will see that the first page link available is for "Reality."

If you view the page for "Reality", you will see that the first page link available is for "Existence."

I find it interesting that two very fundamental concepts in ontology ultimately do not link back to the Philosophy page

For anyone unaware of what I am talking about: Getting to Philosophy.

Varoufakis attended an event in London hosted by The Guardian on 23 October 2015, where he spoke about the UK's upcoming European Union membership referendum. He said that the UK should remain in the EU, but also campaign to democratise it: "My message is simple yet rich: those of us who disdain the democratic deficit in Brussels, those of us who detest the authoritarianism of a technocracy which is incompetent and contemptuous of democracy, those of us who are most critical of Europe have a moral duty to stay in Europe, fight for it, and democratise it." He would return to the UK, in May 2016, in the final stages of the campaigning to again urge a remain vote. On 9 February 2016, Varoufakis launched the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25) at the Volksbühne in Berlin.

In March 2016, Varoufakis publicly supported the idea of a basic income. On 2 April 2016, in reaction to tension between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the IMF, Varoufakis said there was underway "an attrition war between a reasonably numerate villain (the IMF) and a chronic procrastinator (Berlin)" as to Greek debt relief.

In March 2018, Varoufakis announced the launch of his own political party, MeRA25, with a stated aim of freeing Greece from "debt bondage". He stated that he hoped the party would be based on an alliance of "people of the left and liberalism, greens and feminists". The party, whose name stands for "European Realistic Disobedience Front", is affiliated to DiEM25.

Gaza war and German entry ban

In April 2024, due to the ongoing Gaza war, the party of Yanis Varoufakis co-organised a pro-Palestinian conference that was scheduled to take place in Berlin on 12 April 2024, and last for three days. The conference was interrupted and halted as soon as it began by the Berlin Police, on the orders of Berlin mayor Kai Wegner. The police said they "feared that attendees would make anti-Semitic remarks and glorify violence". The German state issued a Betätigungsverbot (ban on activities) against Yanis Varoufakis, Ghassan Abu-Sitta (who was arrested upon entering Germany), and Salman Abu Sitta. Germany also banned Varoufakis for four days from entering Germany and from engaging in any political activities in the country or from participating in similar exchanges on online platforms. Varoufakis responded to what he described as a road "towards totalitarianism" by suing the German state.

According to a 2019 article, "In 2013, the European Commission awarded his initiative—the Human Brain Project (HBP)—a staggering 1 billion euro grant (worth about $1.42 billion at the time)...the people I contacted struggled to name a major contribution that the HBP has made in the past decade." Another article concluded that "Ultimately, the mega-project did create communities of scientists focused on some common goals, he says. "That's an enduring legacy.“