Curiosity Sink__

Curiosity Sink explores cultural phenomena, societal mechanics, technology, and personal development through a critical lens. It muses on diverse topics ranging from activism, problem-solving, cryptocurrency, to music, and personal identity, challenging conventional wisdom and promoting a deeper understanding of the issues at hand.

Activism Problem Solving Cryptocurrency Propaganda and Intelligence Complex Problems Knowledge and Beliefs Communication and Expression Criticism and Feedback Information and Opinions Innovation and Evolution Blockchain Technology Personal Development Music and Creativity Dialogue and Debates Career Choices

The hottest Substack posts of Curiosity Sink__

And their main takeaways

Did Bach Improvise?

2 HN points • 20 Feb 24
🎶 Music Classical Improvisation Education Artistry History
  1. Classical composers like Bach and Beethoven were known to heavily improvise, showcasing a skill akin to jazz improvisation, indicating a long history of improvisation in music.
  2. The invention of written notation wasn't to restrict music to rigid interpretations, but to preserve and transmit musical ideas when recordings were unavailable, highlighting the evolution of music preservation.
  3. Encouraging improvisation over classical compositions can bring new life to old melodies, allowing for personal expression, creativity, and the creation of unique musical interpretations.

Propaganda for the Smart

22 implied HN points • 28 Mar 23
📖 Philosophy Media Ideology Critical Thinking
  1. On the battlefield of ideas, capturing intelligent people involves leveraging their intellect against them.
  2. Intelligent individuals can fall into the trap of feeling unique, forming strong opinions, and embracing ideologies.
  3. Consuming news addictively, social media arguments, and ideological affiliations can blind smart people, making them inadvertently foolish.
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The Impossible Skill

34 implied HN points • 27 May 22
  1. Predicting the future accurately is an impossible skill.
  2. Problem-solvers focus on breaking down issues into solvable chunks, while problem-sellers create fear by bundling unrelated issues together.
  3. History doesn't repeat itself exactly, but rather evolves in spirals with new problems and new solutions.

Can we Evaluate Multi-dimensional Problems Accurately?

22 implied HN points • 23 Aug 22
  1. Population density and resource distribution can create counter-intuitive scenarios.
  2. Problems like overpopulation are multi-dimensional, involving resources like food, water, and energy.
  3. Complex problems require nuanced, multi-dimensional solutions, moving beyond simplistic one-variable approaches.

Your Voice to be Heard

11 implied HN points • 21 Feb 23
🎭️ Culture Social media Authenticity
  1. In a noisy world, to stand out and be noticed, you might need to do something extreme or loud.
  2. Honest signals that make a genuine statement need to be costly to be valued and not easily imitated.
  3. Sometimes, extreme actions or bold statements are needed to drive home a message and make people pay attention.

The Knowledge Tower

22 implied HN points • 26 Jul 22
  1. New knowledge is built on existing knowledge like floors in a tower - differing foundations lead to disagreements.
  2. Changing deeply held beliefs is difficult, especially when identity is tied to knowledge.
  3. Errors in knowledge are inevitable - critical thinking, experience, and humility are key for personal growth.

What is Bitcoin? - The Crypto Series. A Glossary for Me

22 implied HN points • 17 Jan 22
  1. Bitcoin solves the Byzantine Generals Problem by using mathematics and cryptography to enable trustless agreement among individuals.
  2. Bitcoin is superior to gold in terms of scarcity, divisibility, portability, durability, and fungibility.
  3. Bitcoin offers transparency, can separate money from state, and has the potential to bank the unbanked, revolutionizing the financial system.

The Fallacy of Being Well Informed

11 implied HN points • 05 May 22
  1. Opinions are rarely truly our own; we often adopt them from others without realizing.
  2. Digital spaces and echo chambers can distort our sense of being well-informed.
  3. Challenging our beliefs and avoiding cognitive biases can improve our ability to form more informed opinions.

What is a Blockchain? - The Crypto Series. A Glossary for Me

11 implied HN points • 28 Jan 22
  1. Blockchain is a chain of ownership stored on a public and distributed ledger for transparency and public verifiability.
  2. Decentralization in blockchain enhances resilience by eliminating single points of failure and making attacks practically infeasible.
  3. Cryptographic hash functions and digital signatures ensure transaction security and authenticity in blockchain networks.

The Evolution of an Object

11 implied HN points • 10 Jan 22
  1. Every object has evolved through numerous iterations and refinements over time.
  2. Inventions often involve collective knowledge and contributions from multiple people.
  3. Continuous improvement is key to the evolution of objects and solutions.