Anu Kumar

my 12 favorite problems

Neurogenesis: Aug 30, 2023Synapse refined: May 27, 20253 min read

Related: Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte, Personal Development MOC

Anu’s 12 Favorite problems

  1. How can I build real relationships without it feeling forced or shallow?community

  2. What fundamentals can I train to improve a skill?skilllearning

  3. When should you follow the script vs use your instincts?negotiationpower

  4. How can I effectively teach people new techniques or machines in a way that empowers them?psychologylearning

  5. What role does environment (including culture) play in human behavior and habits?cultureneuroscience

  6. Where does this emotion come from, and how can it be processed or used in a healthy way?psychology

  7. How can I automate time-consuming tasks without sacrificing quality and experience-based learning?programminglearning

  8. how can I meaningfully participate in a community?community

  9. when is collectivism or individualism beneficial over the other?culture

  10. Do I believe the actions, reactions, and interactions of this character?writing

  11. What’s the smallest change that can make the biggest difference?change

A little more about how to actually use this:

Quote

“Each time he learned something new, Feynman used it as an opportunity to see if it could help him make progress on something he was already curious about. When he heard about a new finding in a research paper or a new result from an experiment, he would ask himself: Does this have any relevance to any of my favorite problems?

Most of the time, the answer was no. After all, the chances of making a connection between any two random ideas was relatively low.

But once in a while his method would strike gold. He would compare a new finding or result with one of his open questions – even if they were from completely different fields – and find a match. And the insights and breakthroughs that came pouring out as a result would leave everyone around him astonished. “

The (potential) list of Feynman’s own 12 favorite problems (from Forte Labs)

  1. How can we ​​measure the probability that a lump of uranium might explode too soon?

  2. How can I accurately keep track of time in my head?

  3. How can we design a large-scale computing system using only basic equipment?

  4. How can I write a sentence in perfect handwritten Chinese script?

  5. What is the unifying principle underlying light, radio, magnetism, and electricity?

  6. How can I sustain a two-handed polyrhythm on the drums?

  7. What are the most effective ways of teaching introductory physics concepts?

  8. What is the smallest working machine that can be constructed?

  9. How can I compute the emission of light from an excited atom?

  10. What was the root cause of the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster?

  11. How could the discoveries of nuclear physics be used to promote peace instead of war?

  12. How can I keep doing important research with all the fame brought by the Nobel Prize?

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