Yntro # 4 – Self-management for productivity | Vivid colors in nature | Make every decision worthwhile | Flow like water and enjoy the journey | An extension of your mind | Can Artificial Intelligence have a consciousness? | A rank of Alien civilizations

This week I wanted to try a different approach to write this newsletter. I did it during the week, and not on the weekend. This way can spend more time on each topic, and I’m happy with the result. Sorry for its length!

On to Yntro!

Self-management for productivity

Time management is a misleading term. You can’t manage time, it just keeps moving. But you can manage yourself during time, so what you manage is your attention, your focus. The only thing we can do is to decide how to use our available time on activities of higher value, the ones that get us closer to our goals. Time management is a game of choices, it’s not about cramming more tasks into a day or getting your errands done faster, it’s about being deliberate with your time and making real progress towards your goals and ideal life.

Use Sunday as a time for reflection and growth. As a period that you can utilize for introspection and contemplation. Use it as an excuse to reconnect with those you love and go into the week refreshed and feeling cared.

Vivid colors in nature

Jumping spiders have the best vision of all spiders, even comparable to some vertebrates. We used to think that they can only perceive two colors (blue and green), but in the green cones of their eyes they have some tiny red lenses that allow them to see also red and orange. That explains why males exhibit such reddish bright colors.

But also male tarantulas are vividly colorful. Recently, scientists discovered that vibrant blue colors may be used to communicate between potential mates, while green coloration appears to depend on whether the species is arboreal (tree-dwelling), suggesting that this color likely functions in camouflage.

We also know that octopus can display a wide range of colors. In this video you can see how this octopus changes colors in her sleep. Suggesting that it might be a sign that she’s dreaming!

Make every decision worthwhile

Leaving a job is not always an easy task, and can be followed by anxiety, stress and self-doubt. And it will be helpful to know some stuff before committing to the decision. But sometimes that is the price of freedom and flexibility. Keep growing and learning new stuff. Get comfortable with the cliff-edge of no income. Whatever you do, enjoy this exact moment. You just don’t know how long it will be until the next wave of work rolls in.

Flow like water and enjoy the journey

I came across this great interview, or better called it a conversation, between a daughter and her father. Both learned from each other during their lives, and these are their conclusions: We need to have perseverance but also learn how to flow like water against the obstacles. Always find new ways to achieve what you want. Make things happen for you, don’t wait for them to arrive at your door. Set as many goals you want during your life, and work towards them. But most important, enjoy the journey and the detours they might take you. At the end, time is the most valuable thing we have in our life. Spend it with your loved ones.

An extension of your mind

We are always trying new tools because they’re aspirational by nature. They can help us to become a better version of ourselves. Looking into this idea, I came across the concept of creating a Second Brain, which basically is a tool or structure to create an extension of your mind. And it should work the exact same way as your mind already works, but better. This extension should be as messy and intuitive as your real mind, but it should sort itself automatically when you need it to. It should be a place for the information in your brain to spill over, without the fear of losing it. It should support your mind, without you even having to think about it.

The best is that this Second Brain can be unique for every person (an app, a notebook, a bookmark), as long as it fulfills its purpose. And what is it purpose? Whenever you learn something, note it down. When you take notes, you learn to distill key ideas, because writing helps you to build understanding and retain knowledge. But don’t copy textually, once you grasp the idea, write it down in using your own words. Develop a system that helps find your notes and turn them into shareable insights. So you can discuss your notes with others, helping your understanding deepen even further.

When you know how to approach new information, it doesn’t matter in what format it comes. With a bit of effort, you’ll be able to learn from almost any source. With a note-taking system, your goal is to feed your note-taking tool—your Second Brain.

Can Artificial Intelligence have a consciousness?

Can machines really think or just simulate thinking? If machines are able to think in the future that means that they will need to be conscious (meaning aware of its state and actions) as consciousness is the cornerstone of human thinking. Dr. Kaku presented what he called the “space-time theory of consciousness” to bring together the definition of consciousness from fields such as biology and neuroscience.

He defined “Consciousness is the process of creating a model of the world using multiple feedback loops in various parameters (ex: temperature, space, time, and in relation to others), in order to accomplish a goal ( ex: find mates, food, shelter)”. Applying Dr. Kaku’s space-time theory of consciousness to AI systems, it is obvious that AI agents can exhibit some basic forms of consciousness, similar to a basic animal that response to its environment.

A rank of Alien civilizations

The Kardashev Scale is a method of measuring a civilization’s level of technological advancement based on the amount of energy they are able to use. Guess where we are on this scale:

Humanity rank at 0.75 based on our world energy consumption. If we increase our energy consumption at an average rate of 3 percent each year, we may attain Type 1 status in 100–200 years, Type 2 status in a few thousand years, and Type 3 status in 100,000 to a million years.

Comments on recycling plastic

Thanks to readers of this newsletter for sharing their comments regarding recycling plastic (shared in the last issue):

“Recycling plastic is complicated. It can be improved, for example, if one takes reusable containers to the supermarket and they fill it for you; or all liquids in glass, even if it is more expensive. But as long as there is the option that what comes in plastic is cheaper, the problem will persist.”

“It really is a worrisome global issue. On a local level, the city needs to do more to limit the use of plastic. Although it seems that recycling has gotten better throughout the city, it still isn’t really a thing, where I live at least there is no recycling, and honesty you have to very disciplined to separate your plastic and take it somewhere to recycle. Stores need to start charging for bags. Once people have to start paying, they will learn to bring their own reusable bags. And if people need to pay for a bag, it should be paper, not plastic.”

“On a more positive note, straws have become less common, or places at least give out paper straws. People are busy and habit-driven, once things are facilitated, like recycling, or taken away, like free plastic bags, habits will change.”

I agree with these ideas, we can start making a change, even if it feels too small, it will make a difference.

Quick Fact

The world’s deepest lake is Lake Baikal in Russia. It is over 1642 meters deep. Worldwide, there are 37 lakes known to be at least 400 meters deep.

Final thoughts

I really enjoy sharing different ideas each week, but it makes me really happy that members started to share their ideas and discussing over different topics. I will try to encourage it more often. What do you think about that?

As always, if you’re enjoying Yntro, tell your friends about it (just send them here).

You can read the past issues of Yntro here.

Have a great week!

Mauricio