This is the About page for my substack. If you want to know about me, go here.
Periodic Iterative Essays (Peter’s Ponderings)
These essays will range in topic on my whims. Most of the first few will be somewhat directly about me. When I have enough of an idea to write a few paragraphs I'll throw it out there with other odds-and-ends notes I have. After enough cycles I'll call it ‘done’ and revise much less frequently.
I recently found this, and it’s a lot better than my concept for a rating/version system, so I’m stealing it. I’ve redone the colors and wording to fit my preferences though:
At any given time I probably have 10 pink ideas, 10 more (some published) in the orange, and 10 (all published, ideally, but not there yet) in the blue. As I work and rework through the backlog some will bump up to purple. Green is probably 2-5 years out for any one piece, depending on how things go.
Imaginary Monster Parables (Coming Soonish)
Do you want to hear the origin story of the Pygmalion Effect?
Oh yeah, me neither.
But what if mental models weren't just a tool in your toolbox, or whatever a latticework is? What if they could be your imaginary friends?
They were fun as kids, and sometimes helpful, so why not now? Models can be superheros or villains, sidekicks or pets. Whatever they are, they will be more memorable. And more interactive. You can ask for advice, discuss, and debate with them.
The closest I can come to an analogy is Inside Out, but the topics will range far beyond emotions. And while these monsters live inside your head, they aren’t ‘you’. They are constantly pitching their angle on the world, but it’s a narrow view. You are the one in charge, and they have to convince you they are useful each and every time.
I hope to actually publish the stories one day, but for now I’m drafting and illustrating them on the internet. If you like the idea, then come follow the journey with me; I'd love to get some feedback!
And if you have kids, or you still are one, then you are in luck. Because these will be accessible to ~all ages. It's never too early to upgrade your thinking to Woanderful (in every sense of the word).
Mental Models Glossary (Coming Sooner)
Browsing lists of models and their definitions doesn’t help. Maybe a list can help in the moment, but even that* is debatable. Models, heuristics, etc. - whatever you call them - are best learned by doing.
*If you want to see for yourself then try out my ‘app’. Yes, it is a google form, thanks for noticing!
So this isn't so much a glossary for you as it's a framing/understanding exercise for me. Hopefully I can add a little more nuance than the typical name/one-liner combo. In some cases I'll reference a mashup of similar models (as judged by me), and other times they will stand alone. But in every case I'll add more facets, more dimensions, trying to see the full essence.
That essence is what I think I need to start seeing the monsters emerge. At the least it should help push a few more of these into intuition, where I can use them without needing a list to reference.
While I’m still working behind closed doors, here are a few of my favorite references (again, just reading these isn’t necessarily helpful, but more exposure isn’t bad):
