Author: Winston Ash

by Winston Ash on Founder Journal

Natural curiosity

 

The plan forms itself. No effort from me. I realize the potential.

Move fast by moving slow. I’ve heard the saying. Let’s act on it.

The many subjects to study. The outcome: simple. Learn more. Apply the knowledge. I like problems. Solving them. Then on to harder problems. Each problem a stepping stone to the next.

Great! Natural curiosity. Use this to my advantage. I get bored with the usual. Instead look for harder problems to solve.

I’m old, but does that have meaning? 31 means I’m older than most and younger than some. No. It has no bearing. Begin at once.

Put ego aside. Start from the easiest problem that I can’t solve. Learn and learn.

Stack knowledge, compress and use it.

Let curiosity be my guide. Knowledge does not come without the effort.

Were the books right? Reap and sow.

 
by Winston Ash on Founder Journal

How Things Work

Love math and science. They are basic. Both describe the world. And the more we understand, the more beauty.
 
Representation of the natural world. They describe magic. Yet, who believes.
 
The deeper you go the more you see. Down the rabbit hole. Does seeing equal understanding?
 
Or more questions?
 
Are answers needed or are questions enough?
 
Funny thing. We spend our whole lives with questions.
 
And each time we answer one, our world expands.
 
Infinity and beyond. Words define our world.
 
The point of thinking. To lead our action.
 
So, where do your thoughts lead you?
 
Me: Deeper.
 
by Winston Ash on Coding

Learning New Ideas

The process simplified.

Define. Meaning. Recall. Repetition.

Two steps.

  1. Skim and pull out important concepts.
  2. Add meaning and depth to those concepts.

To understand abstract concepts, use concrete examples. Nothing beats the real world.

If needed, read actual text.

This process allows fast and deep learning.

Final Step.

Frequent mini-tests. Use flashcards to test your knowledge.

 
by Winston Ash on #Reviews

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow: Book Review

TL;DR – Book is free, great, and worth your time. Get it here.

Finished the book and was blown away. My eyes are open. Devoured the book in two days. Funny how books relate to real life. Fiction is relatable. This book will force you to think seriously about privacy, cyber security, and your rights.

Little Brother

Parts I Liked:

…     The afterword for this book has lots of resources for increasing your online freedom, blocking the snoops and evading the censorware blocks.

…     Web of trust is one of those cool crypto things that I’d read about but never tried. It was a nearly foolproof way to make sure that you could talk to the people you trusted, but that no one else could listen in

…     This is called the man-in-the-middle attack and if you think about it, it’s pretty scary. Someone who man-in-the-middles your communications can trick you in any of a thousand ways.

…     I wrote this, and no one else. No one could have tampered with it or changed it.

Thoughts

Read the entire book through once. Go back over it and start implementing security protocols as needed. Determine your threat model. Learn more about privacy and security. It’s fun.

Next Up

Homeland by Cory Doctorow

 
by Winston Ash on #Report

Friday Briefing: 3/17/2017

Morning, 

Been a while since I did one of these. I enjoy writing these little notes. Look for me in the future. 

  1. Just finished reading two books by Cory Doctorow; Homeland and Little Brother. Both are excellent books and highly recommended. Will open your eyes. The inner security expert went into overdrive after reading. Enjoy, then get to work on enhancing your privacy. Pro Tip, read Little Brother first then Homeland; save for reference material. 
  2. Weight is coming off nicely. Expect to hit my goals this year. Look for a blog post on this soon. Tim Ferris’s book 4 Hour Body is a must read. Take it with a grain of salt. Experiment and document. That’s the way forward. He gives you the projects to get started. 
  3. Question of the Day: What are your plans for St. Patrick’s Day?
  4. Giving credit where due. Bob Lefsetz’s emails put me onto Spotify. Reading his analysis forced me to try it out. Glad I did. Great job, Bob!
 
by Winston Ash on Founder Journal

Better questions

The thought struck me hard. Like a lightning bolt.

Maybe I don’t need the answers. Maybe I need better questions. 

The pursuit of knowledge. Of truth. The way forward. 

Will I ever know all? No. But, I will know more. 

And my quest began. My mind ached for knowledge. More and more. 

No time to relax. 

I poured over books. Took classes I thought I didn’t like. Read everything, always. And I didn’t form opinions. 

I analyzed. Looked for patterns. And searched. 

That was how my days were consumed. Bit by bit. Each story, article, and headline. Consumed, analyzed, and categorized. 

Will I ever find answers? 

…