FTWW #6: Poker theory, genius, accelerated learning and the economics of sleep

To all my intellectually curious friends, here are a few things that I’ve come across that I think you will enjoy immensely. A little bit of something for everyone.

So for those who wonder, here goes.

“Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath.” — Michael Caine

[POKER] MIT has launched a new course called “Poker Theory and Analytics” and has opened it up to the public for free. Creative Commons FTW.

Course includes videos, syllabus, and PDFs of course notes. And for further reading, these software developers cracked the code for an online poker shuffling algorithm to figure out how to cheat the system. Is random truly random? A lesson in software security.

And now in application: Getting Schooled in Risk — The Lessons of Poker.

[PROBLEM SOLVING] A short game sheds light on government policy, corporate America and why no one likes to be wrong. Try it out.

[VC] Came across a great video on EVERYTHING you need to know about Venture Capital from Dana Mead, a partner for Kleiner, Perking, Caufield & Byers.

Being an entrepreneur is a struggle. Have you felt The Struggle? A great essay by Ben Horowitz.

[LEARNING] Tim Ferris gives a great 25min speech on the ins-and-outs of accelerated learning techniques.

Pair this with Tim’s full guide on how to learn a language to working fluency within 6 months.

In search of metaphor — Seth Godin
The best way to learn a complex idea is to find it living inside something else you already understand.
“This,” is like, “that.”
An amateur memorizes. A professional looks for metaphors.
It’s not a talent, it’s a practice. When you see a story, an example, a wonderment, take a moment to look for the metaphor inside.
Lessons are often found where we look for them.

[PODCAST] The Economics of Sleep Pt2 — Sleep, Money & Productivity. Extra sleep time leads to increased earnings.

TED Radio Hours: Finite — In a world with limited resources, can we find ways to salvage what’s disappearing?

Fireside Markets — Quantitative Value with Dr. Wesley Gray. A great conversation Dr. Gray on value investing, efficient markets, the risks of high tracking error/active share strategies, data mining and much more. Further reading: references on where does Warren Buffet’s alpha comes from and how to measure the famed “moat.”

[CODING] The best resource for learning HTML for newbies from Shay Howe. I’ve used it to start creating my own.

More nerdy reading: How Shazam Works. You know you’ve always wondered but never asked.

[GENIUS] In case you care to feel incompetent, this boy genius fused an atom at 14, has advised the US government on counter-terrorism and plans to beat cancer — and he’s still only 21.

For further self-loathing, someone recommended reading the resumes of recent Rhodes Scholar recipients. Makes you wonder what you have been doing wrong all this time.

Enjoy!