Here is some feedback

Differences

Similarities

• Crucial for credible journalism: Both are needed to ensure trust and respect from an audience who knows how to evaluate credible journalism.

• Informed Public: Both are needed for a well informed public.

• Effortful: Both require editing, fact check, caring, and so on.

• Ethical: Both are essential elements of ethical practice by journalists.

Summary

• Accuracy ensures factual correctness; Objectivity ensures fairness and neutrality — both are distinct but essential qualities.

• A report can be accurate yet biased, or objective yet factually incorrect, showing the need for both.

• Together, they uphold ethical journalism, foster public trust, and support an informed society.

Fact-checking is a method for determining if information is true or accurate by taking the following actions:

1. Verifying claims
2. Considering different perspectives fairly
3. Identifying methods used to introduce or exaggerate bias.

Engineering is the process of developing technology products.

Analysis

Process

A process is a method or set of steps for accomplishing something.

Technology Product

A technology product is a good or service whose development is enhanced by the application of math, science, computer programming, technology and so forth. Examples: Rockets, mobile phones, highways, bridges, manufacturing plants, nuclear reactors, medical devices of all kinds, cars, trucks, and so forth.

Development

Development refers to actions that advance a product: invention, design, research, testing, prototyping, building math models, improving, application, and so on.

An argument is a set of statements that includes a conclusion and one or more premises intended to support or justify the conclusion.

Use :%s/\<todo\>/TODO:/g

• :%s → substitute across all lines

• < > → match whole word boundaries

• g → apply change globally on each line

💡 Bonus tip: If you want to confirm each replacement, use c at the end:

:%s/\<todo\>/TODO:/gc

1. Normal mode – For navigating and issuing commands.

2. Insert mode – For editing text.

3. Visual mode – For selecting blocks of text and issuing associated commands.

4. Command-line mode – For entering commands like :w, :q, and :s/foo/bar/g.

• Work in different modes (Normal, Insert, Visual, Command-line).
• move around efficiently
• edit text
• highlight text (in Visual mode)
• search or search and replace
• explore a directory (using :Ex or plugins)
• copy, cut (delete), and paste text (using registers)
• undo and redo changes
• save (:w) and exit (:q, :wq, :q!)
• work with multiple files and buffers
• use tabs and windows to manage multiple views
• record and play macros for repetitive tasks
• file management: create new, delete, search, …
• use registers to store and retrieve text
• customize your environment (key mappings, options, syntax highlighting)
• run shell commands from within Vim
• leverage a vast ecosystem of plugins to extend functionality.
• use powerful text objects and motions for precise editing
• navigate and refer to specific line numbers.
• utilize auto-completion for words and filenames.

A proposition is a statement that is either true or false. That is, it has a truth value.

In brief, use three ways:

• ctermfg=blue: color name
• ctermfg=123: ANSI color code
• ctermfg=#FF229A: hex color code (e.g., #RRGGBB)

A mode is a setting that determines what happens when your press various keys or key combinations.

Example: In normal mode, pressing the “j” key causes the cursor to move down one line. In insert mode, pressing the “j” key inserts the “j” character.

Vim is a modal editor; this means that the the meaning of the keystrokes changes depending on the mode that you are in.

The most common modes in Vim are normal, insert, command, and visual.

Determining whether a news article follows journalistic ethics requires a critical assessment of several factors. Here’s a priority order of the most important things to look for:

1. Accuracy and Factual Reporting: The most crucial element of ethical journalism is accuracy. Ensure that the article presents verifiable and well-sourced facts. Look for multiple sources and cross-references, and check if the information is consistent with established facts.

2. Objectivity and Impartiality: Ethical journalism should strive to provide a balanced perspective without bias or personal opinion. Check for signs of sensationalism, editorializing, or slant in language, and assess whether different viewpoints are represented fairly.

3. Transparency and Attribution: Verify that the article clearly cites its sources and provides proper attribution for quotes, statistics, and data. Transparency about the sources used is a key component of journalistic ethics.

4. Independence and Freedom from Influence: Investigate whether the news outlet or journalist appears to be influenced by political, corporate, or other external interests. Ethical journalism should maintain independence from such influences.

5. Contextual Reporting: Assess whether the article provides sufficient context to help readers understand the broader picture. Lack of context can distort the meaning of a story and lead to misinterpretation.

6. Verification and Fact-Checking: Ethical journalism involves rigorous fact-checking and verification of information before publication. Look for signs that the article has undergone thorough editorial scrutiny.

7. Ethical Sourcing and Privacy: Ensure that the article respects the privacy and dignity of individuals mentioned, especially in sensitive or controversial stories. Consider whether the information was obtained ethically and legally.

8. Corrections and Accountability: Check if the news outlet is willing to acknowledge and correct errors promptly when they are discovered. Ethical journalism holds itself accountable for mistakes.

9. Editorial Independence: Assess whether the news outlet maintains editorial independence and safeguards its journalists’ freedom to report on issues of public interest without undue interference.

10. Diversity and Inclusivity: Ethical journalism should reflect the diversity of perspectives and voices in society. Consider whether the article includes a range of viewpoints and avoids discrimination or stereotypes.

11. Sensitivity and Responsible Reporting: Ethical journalism should exercise care and sensitivity when reporting on topics such as tragedy, crime, or vulnerable individuals. It should avoid sensationalism and prioritize the well-being of those affected.

12. Plagiarism and Copyright Compliance: Ensure that the article does not plagiarize content from other sources and respects copyright laws by obtaining permission or providing proper attribution.

13. Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest: Investigate whether the journalist or news outlet discloses any potential conflicts of interest that could influence their reporting.

14. Editorial Guidelines and Codes of Ethics: Many reputable news organizations have established editorial guidelines and codes of ethics that their journalists follow. Familiarize yourself with these guidelines, if available, and check if the article adheres to them.

15. Public Accountability and Feedback Mechanisms: Ethical news outlets should have mechanisms for receiving and addressing public feedback and complaints about their reporting.

It’s important to approach news articles with a critical and discerning eye, and to consider multiple sources and viewpoints to get a more well-rounded understanding of a topic. No single factor alone can guarantee the ethical quality of an article, so it’s best to evaluate articles holistically by considering these criteria.

A conspiracy theory is a belief or claim that secretive groups covertly work towards harmful goals, typically unsupported by sufficient evidence.

Note: It would be better to say “conspiracy hypothesis” because a conspiracy theory represents someone’s “educated guess” at the cause of something. In general, theory is used to describe a conclusion that has massive evidence and justification to support it. However, the term “conspiracy theory” is the common usage.

Conclusion: There are approximately 0.556 moles, or 3.35 × 10²³ molecules, in 10 grams of water. The reasoning follows below.

Step 1: Calculate the Number of Moles

The molar mass of water (H₂O) is about 18.015 g/mol. This value is obtained from the atomic masses of hydrogen (approximately 1.008 g/mol) and oxygen (approximately 16.00 g/mol):

• 2 hydrogen atoms: 2 × 1.008, g/mol = 2.016, g/mol

• 1 oxygen atom: 16.00, g/mol

Thus, the molar mass of water is:

2.016 g/mol + 16.00 g/mol = 18.016 g/mol

However, for simplicity, we often use 18.015 g/mol.

Using the formula to find the number of moles:

$$\text{Number of moles} = \frac{\text{Mass of the substance}}{\text{Molar mass}}$$

we calculate:

$$\text{Number of moles} = \frac{10 , \text{g}}{18.015 , \text{g/mol}} \approx 0.556 , \text{moles}$$

Step 2: Calculate the Number of Molecules

To determine the number of molecules, we use Avogadro’s number, which is approximately 6.022 × 10²³ molecules per mole.

Number of molecules = Number of moles × 6.022 × 10²³ molecules/mol

This gives us:

Number of molecules = 0.556, moles × 6.022 × 10²³, molecules/mol ≈ 3.35 × 10²³ molecules

Therefore, 10 grams of water contains approximately 0.556 moles and 3.35 × 10²³ molecules.

Claim: Mass times length squared divided by time cubed: [M L^2 / T^3]

Reasoning

1. Power has dimensions: [P] = [F L / T]
2. Force has dimensions: [F] = [M L / T^2]
3. Substitude 2 into 1.
4. Therefore, [P] = [M L^2 / T^3]

Definition: the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions, typically in a particular domain.

Examples

1. Her business acumen led the company to new heights.
2. He demonstrated remarkable acumen in negotiating the deal.
3. With her political acumen, she quickly rose through the ranks.

LTM (long-term memory) stores information for a long time — days to years.
STM (short-term memory) holds information briefly — seconds to minutes.

Brief

There are 7 primary dimensions: mass, length, time, amount of matter (moles), luminosity, temperature, and current.

Details

1. Mass: A measure of how much matter is in an object, expressed in mass units (kg).
2. Length: A measure of distance or spatial extent, expressed in meters (m).
3. Time: The continuous progression of existence and events, measured in seconds (s).
4. Amount of Matter: A measure of the quantity of substance, expressed in moles (mol).
5. Luminosity: A measure of the amount of light emitted by a source, expressed in candela (cd).
6. Temperature: A measure of the thermal energy of particles in a substance, expressed in kelvin (K).
7. Current: A measure of the flow of electric charge, expressed in amperes (A).

Brief

A dimension is something that can be measured in order to quantify a physical parameter such as energy, voltage, or force, or mass flow rate.

A primary dimension is a dimension that is not derivable from other dimensions. All dimensions can be built from a set of 7 primary dimensions.

Details

(from Gemini AI)

A primary dimension, also known as a basic or fundamental dimension, is one of the independent dimensions in a system of measurement.1 These dimensions are considered fundamental because they are not derivable from other dimensions. All other physical quantities and their associated dimensions can be expressed as combinations of these primary dimensions.

Think of them as the basic building blocks for describing the physical world in a measurable way. Just like you can combine basic colors to create a wide range of other colors, you can combine primary dimensions to describe more complex quantities.

There are seven primary dimensions recognized by the International System of Units (SI), which is the most widely used system of units:

1. Mass (M): Represents the amount of matter in an object.
2. Length (L): Represents spatial extent.4
3. Time (T): Represents duration.5
4. Amount of matter (N): Represents the number of entities (like atoms or molecules) in a sample, measured in moles.
5. Luminosity (J): Represents the power emitted by a light source.
6. Temperature (Θ): Represents the degree of hotness or coldness of a substance.
7. Electric current (I): Represents the rate of flow of electric charge.6

These primary dimensions form the foundation for understanding and quantifying physical phenomena. They are essential for dimensional analysis, which is a powerful tool used in science and engineering to check the consistency of equations and to derive relationships between physical quantities.

In Brief: Dimensional homogeneity is the principle that in any valid physical equation, all terms must have the same dimensions (or units).

For example, in the equation F = ma, both terms F and ma have the same dimensions, which is [ML/T²], or the same units, such as newtons.

Molar mass is the mass, in grams, of one mole of particles, such as atoms or molecules.

Definition: Using or containing too many words; tediously lengthy.

🗣️

Examples

1. The author’s prolix style made the novel difficult to read.
2. His prolix explanation confused more than it clarified.
3. Despite the prolix speech, the main points were still unclear.

Definition: the lowest or most unsuccessful point in a situation

Examples

1. After losing her job and going through a difficult breakup, she felt like she had reached the nadir of her life.
2. The company hit its nadir when sales dropped to an all-time low last quarter.
3. The patient’s health reached its nadir before the new treatment started to show results.

Definition: inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true, without consideration of evidence or the opinions of others

Examples

1. The professor presented his theories in a dogmatic manner, leaving no room for alternative interpretations.
2. She was criticized for her dogmatic approach to management, which often stifled creativity in her team.
3. Despite evidence to the contrary, he remained dogmatic in his beliefs about the benefits of the diet.

Definition: using or containing too many words; tediously lengthy.

Examples

1. The prolix speech left the audience feeling drowsy and uninterested.
2. Her prolix writing style made the article difficult to follow.
3. Despite its prolix nature, the book offered insightful analysis.

Definition: A detailed examination of the elements or structure of something.

Examples

1. The analysis of the data revealed significant trends.
2. Her analysis of the poem offered new insights.
3. We need a thorough analysis of the situation to make an informed decision.

Definition: Serving to alleviate pain or soothe discomfort; often used to describe something inoffensive or bland.

Examples

1. The therapist’s anodyne words helped calm the patient.
2. The anodyne music played softly in the background, creating a soothing ambiance.
3. His anodyne comments during the meeting avoided any potential controversy.

Definition: complete and utter, often used to emphasize something negative or bad

Examples

1. The claim was dismissed as arrant nonsense.
2. He is an arrant fool for trusting her again.
3. The project was deemed an arrant failure by the critics.

Definition: Lacking understanding or knowledge.

Examples

1. The travelers found themselves benighted and lost in the unfamiliar landscape.
2. Her benighted views on modern science were the result of never attending school.
3. During their journey, they stumbled across a benighted village that was untouched by time.

Definition: rude in a mean-spirited and surly way

Examples

1. The churlish behavior during the meeting annoyed everyone.
2. Despite his wealth, his churlish attitude made him unpopular.
3. She couldn’t understand why he was being so churlish despite their previous pleasant interactions.

Definition: lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm

Examples

1. His desultory efforts in preparing for the exam did not yield good results.
2. The conversation at the party was desultory, with topics ranging randomly from politics to pets.
3. She made a few desultory remarks about the weather before changing the subject entirely.

Logic is a set of methods, each of which uses facts to figure out the decision that maximizes the likelihood of being the “best decision.”

In Brief

What: Finding similarities and differences between two ideas, two things, two actions, or whatever.

• Examples: Compare and contrast.
  • weight and mass
  • electric-vehicles and fossil-fuel-vehicles
  • apples and oranges
  • power and energy

• Rationale
  • Useful for learning
  • Useful for seeing patterns

• How: List the similarities. List the differences using various means
  • Tables
  • Lists
  • Venn Diagrams

• When
  • When two things, like weight and mass, seem like the same thing
  • When you want to see how two things differ

: concepts, ideas, actions, theories, things,

Why: Super useful for learning, teaching, decision making, figuring out, explaining, and similar. Helps you understand things that are easily mixed up.

How?: Many methods: venn diagram, tables, lists, etc.

When?: Whenever comparing two things that seem similar.

More Details (from ChatGPT)

Comparing and contrasting are fundamental processes of analyzing and evaluating similarities and differences between two or more things, ideas, concepts, or entities. These processes help individuals gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter and make informed decisions. Let’s break down the what, why, how, and when of comparing and contrasting:

1. What:
   • Comparing: It involves identifying similarities or commonalities between two or more items or ideas. It highlights the shared characteristics or features.
   • Contrasting: This process focuses on identifying differences or distinctions between the same items or ideas. It emphasizes what sets them apart.
2. Why:
   • To understand better: Comparing and contrasting help individuals gain a clearer and more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter by highlighting its various facets.
   • To make informed decisions: It assists in decision-making by providing a basis for evaluating options and choosing the most suitable one.
   • To facilitate learning: In education, comparing and contrasting are often used as teaching tools to help students grasp complex concepts and develop critical thinking skills.
   • To solve problems: Analyzing similarities and differences can be instrumental in problem-solving, as it aids in identifying solutions or alternative approaches.
3. How:
   • Identify the subjects of comparison/contrast: Determine what you want to compare or contrast. This could be objects, ideas, concepts, individuals, etc.
   • Establish criteria: Decide on the specific criteria or aspects you will focus on when making comparisons or contrasts. These criteria depend on the context and purpose.
   • Gather information: Collect relevant information or data about each subject being compared or contrasted.
   • Create a structure: Organize your comparison or contrast in a clear and logical manner, using methods such as lists, tables, Venn diagrams, or paragraphs.
   • Analyze and interpret: Examine the collected information and draw conclusions about the similarities and differences.
   • Provide evidence: Support your comparisons and contrasts with evidence or examples to make your analysis more convincing.
4. When:
   • Academically: Comparing and contrasting are commonly used in essays, research papers, and presentations to analyze literature, historical events, scientific theories, and more.
   • Decision-making: When faced with choices, individuals often use this approach to weigh the pros and cons of different options.
   • Problem-solving: It is employed to identify solutions or approaches to address issues or challenges.
   • Critical thinking: As a mental exercise, comparing and contrasting can be practiced regularly to enhance one’s critical thinking skills.

In summary, comparing and contrasting are valuable tools for gaining insights, making decisions, solving problems, and developing critical thinking skills. They are used across various contexts to explore and analyze the similarities and differences between different subjects, leading to a deeper understanding and informed choices.

Definition: False information deliberately spread to deceive people.

Examples

1. The government warned about the surge of disinformation online.
2. Journalists strive to fight disinformation by verifying facts before publication.
3. Social media platforms have taken steps to curb the spread of disinformation.

Definition: a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement

Examples

1. After weeks of doing nothing during the summer holidays, Jacob felt a deep sense of ennui.
2. The relentless monotony of his daily routine brought about a pervasive ennui he found hard to shake off.
3. As the meeting dragged on for hours, ennui settled over the room like a heavy fog.

Definition: requiring immediate attention or action

Examples

1. The exigent circumstances of the emergency required prompt action by the staff.
2. The manager faced exigent demands from the clients and had to prioritize their needs.
3. Due to an exigent situation, the company had to expedite its decision-making process.

Definition: silly and pointless.

Examples

1. The comedian made a fatuous comment that didn’t amuse the audience.
2. His fatuous behavior at the meeting cost him the respect of his colleagues.
3. She ignored his fatuous remarks and continued with her presentation.

Definition: lacking ease or grace; unsophisticated and socially awkward

Examples

1. His comments at the dinner party were considered gauche and made everyone uncomfortable.
2. She felt gauche at her first fancy gala, unsure of the etiquette.
3. His gauche mannerisms often made it difficult for him to fit in at work.

Definition: causing harm or destruction, especially by supernatural means

Examples

1. The witch cast a maleficent spell over the village.
2. His intentions were maleficent, aiming to ruin her reputation.
3. The forest was said to be home to maleficent spirits.

Definition: the complete works or comprehensive creative output of an artist, writer, or composer.

Examples

1. The museum will be exhibiting the entire oeuvre of the famous painter.
2. Critics often discuss the director’s oeuvre when analyzing his latest film.
3. Her literary oeuvre spans several decades and includes numerous bestsellers.

1. Persuader: The person or group who is trying to persuade.

2. Target: The person or group the persuader is trying to influence.

Definition: deceitfulness; untrustworthiness.

Examples

1. The spy was known for his perfidy, betraying his own country.
2. Her act of perfidy shattered their friendship beyond repair.
3. The perfidy in his actions led to a loss of trust within the team.

Definition: Making a show of being morally superior to other people.

Examples

1. His sanctimonious attitude made him few friends.
2. She was tired of his sanctimonious sermons about how to live.
3. The politician’s sanctimonious speech was full of hypocrisy.

Definition: An essential condition, element, or factor; something that is absolutely necessary or indispensable.

Examples

1. Honesty is the sine qua non of a good relationship.
2. In today’s digital age, internet access has become a sine qua non for education.
3. Trust is the sine qua non of a successful business partnership.

Definition: characterized by showing concern or care; attentive.

Examples

1. She was always solicitous about the welfare of her students.
2. He had a solicitous expression as he helped his grandmother up the stairs.
3. The solicitous waiter made sure we had everything we needed during our meal.

Definition: The combination of components or elements to form a connected whole.

Examples

1. The scientist’s synthesis of new data led to a breakthrough in the research.
2. Musicians thrive on the synthesis of different genres to create unique sounds.
3. Her essay showcased a synthesis of various philosophical perspectives.

Definition: sharp, keen, or incisive in expression or style

Examples

1. Her trenchant remarks cut through the lengthy debate, bringing the discussion to a quick conclusion.
2. The trenchant analysis of the book gave readers a new perspective on the theme.
3. He has a trenchant wit that can captivate an audience instantly.

Definition: notably polite or polished in manner

Examples

1. The diplomat’s urbane demeanor made negotiations smooth and successful.
2. He held the door with an urbane gesture, impressing those around him.
3. Her urbane wit captivated the audience at the gala.

CT is a subject that equips an actor (person or group) to consistently do three things:

1. Make the best decisions.

2. Find truth; that is, have an accurate view of reality.

3. Justify their conclusions, aka claims, recommendations, opinions, and so on.

Resource: See How to Apply Critical Thinking (CT).

Purpose: Make it your purpose to find truth or figure out the best action to take.

Iteration: While the quality of your decision is improving, take the following actions.

1. Key Question: ID the most useful thing to make a decision about. Frame this as a simple question.

2. Research: Get good information for answering the key question. Good info meets seven criteria: super-useful, true, accurate, justified, easy-to-understand, well-organized, and justified.

3. Logic: For your context, figure out the best method for using facts to reveal truth. Skillfully apply this method.

4. Argument: Present your findings in the way that best communicates with your target audience. The two essential parts are:

   1. Conclusion. State the answer to the key question.

   2. Reasoning. Give the reasons why you or anyone else should agree with your conclusion.

5. Improvement: As appropriate, figure out way to improve the quality of your decision, and take these steps.

An autocommand is code that looks for events (such as entering a buffer, saving a file, or leaving insert mode) and takes actions in response.

Examples of autocommand use:

1. Save a file when the user switches from insert mode to normal mode.
2. Highlight trailing whitespace when opening a file.
3. Automatically set filetype settings when opening certain file extensions.

Example Vim autocommand syntax:

" Save file on leaving insert mode
autocmd InsertLeave * write

" Highlight trailing whitespace
autocmd BufRead,BufNewFile * match ErrorMsg '\s\+$'

" Set filetype to markdown for .md files
autocmd BufRead,BufNewFile *.md set filetype=markdown

A keybinding in Vim is a shortcut that associates a specific key or combination of keys with a desired action; that is, a command or sequence of commands.

Examples

You can use Vim’s keybindings or define your own.

Keybindings enhance productivity and reduce cognitive overload.

Conclusion: No.

Reasoning:

1. Definitions:

   • Predisposition: A tendency to act in a certain way.
   • Bias: A predisposition that results in unfairness, distortion, or systematic error.
   • Warranted: Justified with good reasons or evidence.

2. Bias is typically a warrantless or unjustified predisposition — something that distorts thinking, judgment, or decision-making.

3. If a predisposition is based on solid evidence, reasoning, or experience, it’s better described as a justified belief.

4. A justified belief is valuable. Example: A doctor is predisposed to test for malaria in patients returning from sub-Saharan Africa because malaria is common there. This isn’t a bias — it’s a justified belief.

5. Summary: A warranted predisposition is not a bias. Bias implies error or unfairness. A justified predisposition is generally a strength — an efficient guide to action based on evidence.

A regular expression (regex) is a sequence of characters that defines a search pattern for matching, finding, or manipulating text.

For example, the regex \d+ applied to “Order 1239 and 45” will match one or more digits. It will return ['1239', '45'].

News refers to current information about {recent events, trends, people, weather, etc} that are public interest.

• Analysis (3 main element)
  • Current information
  • About events, trends, people etc.
  • Relevant to the public.

News is information about recent events or issues that matter to the public because of their impact, relevance, or interest.

• Analysis (Key elements to look for):
  • The event or issue is recent (or newly revealed)
  • It affects people’s lives or decisions (impact)
  • It is relevant or interesting to the public

Use the command:

:bufdo bd

A regex is short for “regular expression,” and both terms mean the same thing.

A regular expression is a pattern of characters used to search, match, or modify text.

Example: The regex [\w\.-]+@[\w\.-]+\.\w+ will find all email addresses in a block of text.

Learning regexes takes time because they are abstract and complicated. Therefore, there must be strong reasons to justify why the effort to learn them is worthwhile.

1. Regexes are powerful tools for working with text. They allow you to:

   • Find all text that matches a specific pattern (e.g., all email addresses in a document).
   • Replace or modify text that matches a given pattern (e.g., reformatting phone numbers).
   • Validate input (e.g., ensuring a password meets certain rules).

2. Regexes save massive amounts of time. Instead of writing dozens of lines of code to process text, a single regex can often accomplish the task. This makes your code faster to write, easier to maintain, and more efficient.

3. Regexes are a fundamental coding skill. They are widely used in:

   • Programming languages (Python, JavaScript, etc.).
   • Command-line tools (grep, sed).
   • Text editors (VS Code, Sublime, Vim).
   • Data analysis and web scraping.

4. Regexes are worth the effort. While they take a little time to learn, they pay off by giving you the ability to solve complex text-processing problems quickly and with minimal code.

Wow Factor Examples

Note: AI generated. I have not validated these yet.

• Extract all email addresses from a large document:

  [\w\.-]+@[\w\.-]+\.\w+

• Find all dates in formats like 2025-07-27 or 07/27/2025:

  \b\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}\b|\b\d{2}/\d{2}/\d{4}\b

• Validate strong passwords (8+ characters with at least 1 uppercase, 1 lowercase, 1 number):

  ^(?=.*[a-z])(?=.*[A-Z])(?=.*\d).{8,}$

Applications involve three steps.

1. Define your regex (the search pattern)
2. Choose the helper function from the re module that does what you want.
3. Write code that does what you want.

Example: Finding all emails in text.

import re

# 1. Define a regex that matches email address.  
regex = r"[\w\.-]+@[\w\.-]+\.\w+"
text = "Contact help@chat.com or info@openai.org."

# 2. Select a helper function to find all matches 
emails = re.findall(regex, text)
print(emails)

# Results: ['help@chat.com', 'info@openai.org']

Persuasion is the process of getting a person or group to believe something, do something, or change their identity.

1. To influence ethically and effectively
   Learning persuasion helps you guide others to take actions that are in their own best interest. This is especially important if you have responsibility for others—as a parent, teacher, manager, leader, doctor, nurse, accountant, lawyer, and so on.

2. To protect yourself and others from manipulation
   Manipulation is a common form of unethical persuasion. Skilled manipulators often succeed because their targets don’t realize what’s happening. When you understand how persuasion works, you can spot manipulation and respond in the best ways.

Persuasion is the process of getting a person or group to believe something, do something, or change their identity.

Persuasion is ethical when two criteria are met:

1. Acting in the target’s best interest
   Your goal is to help the person or group, not exploit them.

2. Using transparent and acceptable methods
   You use methods that most people would consider fair and acceptable—even if they knew those methods were being used on them.

Manipulation (unethical persuasion) occurs when two criteria are met.

1. The persuader is acting in their own best interest without regard for the target’s best interest.

2. The persuader is using methods that most people would consider unacceptable if they knew those methods were being used on them.

Three common methods used by manipulators are

1. Using flawed information.
2. Using coercion; force, threats, unjustified fear, and so on.
3. Using psychological tricks that work on many people.

Yes—but it’s not easy. While most people think that willpower and self-control are the keys to acting in their own best interests, research and experience suggest otherwise.

What actually works are methods like:

• Environmental design – changing your surroundings to make good actions easier and bad ones harder.
• Reframing – changing how you think about a situation to shift motivation.
• Identity shifting – aligning choices with who you want to be.
• Habit shaping – building automatic behaviors that serve your long-term goals.

A skilled persuader can succeed by combining persuasive reasoning (“This is in my best interest because…”) with behavioral tools like those above. The real skill is in using persuasion not just to convince—but to create conditions that make follow-through likely.

A keybinding is mapping between a key stroke and one or more commands. For example, you can map a key stroke to open a file that you commonly use.

Syntax

vim.keymap.set(mode, keys, command)  -- Explanation

• mode: The mode for the keybinding (e.g., ‘n’ for normal, ‘i’ for insert).

• keys: The key combination to trigger the command.

• command: The Vim command or Lua function to run.

• explanation: Documentation of the keymap (optional)

Example and Details

1. Add the keybinding to either:

   • ~/.config/nvim/init.lua — for a single-file config, or

   • ~/.config/nvim/lua/keybindings.lua — if you organize configs by module.

2. Example keybinding:

vim.keymap.set('n', '<leader>cd', ':cd /Users/donaldelger/Documents/Vault/Notes<CR>')
-- Change directory to Notes

Explanation

• ‘n’: This binding works in normal mode.

• ‘cd’: The shortcut you press (by default, unless you’ve changed your ).

• :cd /Users/donaldelger/Documents/Vault/Notes<CR>: Runs the Vim :cd command to change the current directory. <CR> simulates pressing Enter.

This lets you quickly switch to your Vault Notes directory by pressing in normal mode.

The one question among all the possible questions whose answer provides the highest payoffs (holistic sum of rewards minus drawbacks).

1. Persuader convinces their target to exercise.

2. Persuader convinces their boss to run better meetings.

3. Persuader convinces team members to consistently come to meetings on time and prepared.

4. Persuader convinces their city to improve the safety near a dangerous intersection.

5. Persuader crafts a web site that gets many people to sign up for a paid service.

6. Persuader gets their love one to stop smoking.

7. Persuader gets an abundance of people to volunteer for helping to provide food to those in need.

8. Persuader gets a patient to follow the advice of their doctor.

9. Persuader gets students to read before coming to class.

10. Persuader convinces the target to change their beliefs about the efficacy and risks of vaccines.

11. Persuader convinces the target to value moral and professional ethics rather than viewing them as situational.

12. Persuader convinces the target that deeply learning the material in chemistry and statistics is more important than just earning an A.

13. Persuader convinces the target that climate change is real and primarily driven by human activity, shifting their belief from skepticism to concern.

14. Persuader convinces the target that addiction is a health condition—not a moral failing—prompting greater empathy and support for recovery-based approaches.

15. Persuader convinces the target to see failure as a necessary part of growth, changing their belief that mistakes are signs of incompetence.

16. Persuader convinces the target to believe that their vote matters, countering a previously held belief that individual political action is meaningless.

17. Persuader convinces target that they can and should start taking small steps to improve their physical and emotional wellbeing.

Harmful Persuasion Examples

1. Persuader convinces the target that opioid drugs are safe and worthwhile—as long as you “know what you’re doing”—downplaying the risks of addiction and misuse.

2. Persuader convinces the target that a charismatic leader holds absolute truth, and that anyone who disagrees is misled or dangerous.

3. Persuader convinces the target that a fraudulent investment scheme is safe and guaranteed, leading them to ignore warning signs and lose money.

Encoding is figuring out new information so it makes sense and so that it sticks in your LTM (Long Term Memory).

Knowledge is useful and accurate information stored in long-term memory.

A task is a specific action to be performed, typically to progress towards a goal.

1. Persuader convinces a student who sees themselves as “bad at math” to adopt the identity of a capable problem solver.

2. Persuader helps a reluctant leader begin to see themselves as someone who can and should take charge and inspire others.

3. Persuader guides a person who views themselves as a smoker to identify as someone who lives a healthy, smoke-free lifestyle.

4. Persuader helps a new employee stop thinking of themselves as “just the new guy” and start embracing their role as a valued team member.

5. Persuader influences a shy teen to begin seeing themselves as someone who can speak up and contribute in group settings.

1. Persuader convinces the target to change their beliefs about which political party is best for the country.

2. Persuader convinces the target to change their beliefs about the efficacy and risks of vaccines.

3. Persuader convinces the target to value moral and professional ethics rather than viewing them as situational.

4. Persuader convinces the target that deeply learning the material in chemistry and statistics is more important than just earning an A.

5. Persuader convinces the target that climate change is real and primarily driven by human activity, shifting their belief from skepticism to concern.

6. Persuader convinces the target that addiction is a health condition—not a moral failing—prompting greater empathy and support for recovery-based approaches.

7. Persuader convinces the target to see failure as a necessary part of growth, changing their belief that mistakes are signs of incompetence.

8. Persuader convinces the target to believe that their vote matters, countering a previously held belief that individual political action is meaningless.

9. Persuader convinces target that they can and should start taking small steps to improve their physical and emotional wellbeing.

Harmful Persuasion Examples

1. Persuader convinces the target that opioid drugs are safe and worthwhile—as long as you “know what you’re doing”—downplaying the risks of addiction and misuse.

2. Persuader convinces the target that a charismatic leader holds absolute truth, and that anyone who disagrees is misled or dangerous.

3. Persuader convinces the target that a fraudulent investment scheme is safe and guaranteed, leading them to ignore warning signs and lose money.

Some actors manipulate others to get what they want—resources, approval, obedience, or advantage.

They choose manipulation because it works: it can bypass resistance, speed up compliance, and deliver results.

But this comes at a cost: it violates trust, autonomy, and fairness. Manipulators are willing to accept those costs—usually for self-interest, power, or control—even if it harms others.

To avoid guilt or self-reproach, manipulators often hide the manipulation from themselves using psychological shields like:

• rationalization (“Everyone does it.”)
• minimization (“It’s not a big deal.”)
• blame-shifting (“They made me do it.”)

These defenses let them see themselves as good, even while manipulating others.

The result is True.

Reasoning:

1. First, True and False is False
2. Then, False or True is True.

and returns True only if both sides are True.
or returns True if at least one side is True.

Claim: False

Reasoning

1. True or False is True.
   
2. Then not True is False.

A force is an interaction between two bodies that can be characterized as a push or pull acting at a point.

For more detail see Force.

1. The push of the foot downward on the pedal.
2. The pull of the bike chain on a gear attached to the rear wheel.
3. The weight of the bicycle plus the rider.
4. The push of the bike tire downward on the road.

Notice: Every example is the push or pull of one body on another.

Temporary feedback text

Use get() when there is a unique record.

from myapp.models import Task

task = Task.objects.get(id=123)
print(task.title)

Notes:

1. The cup is free of its surroundings; it is a free body.

2. The weight include the weight of the water and the weight of the cup.

3. The cup should be modeled as a particle. Thus, it can be drawn as shown on the right sketch.

In HTML5, the headings are

<h1>Heading One</h1>
<h2>Heading One</h2>
...
<h6>Heading One</h6>

The are six heading elements, each defined with the <h1> to <h6> tags.

The <h1> heading is the most prominent or important, and the <h6> the least.

A con man is someone who tricks people by pretending to be trustworthy so they can manipulate, steal, or exploit them.

Propaganda is information or messages spread by governments, organizations, or individuals to influence how people think or act. It sometimes, but not always, uses deception, coercion, or brain-tricks to manipulate its target audience.

See Propaganda.

You can build anything into long-term memory — like a great golf swing — by repeating this 4-step learning cycle:

→ Encode → Sleep → Apply → Repeat

→ Encode (Get Good Information and Figure it Out)

• Focus: Pay close attention to one specific part of the swing (e.g., grip or follow-through).
• Understand: Watch slow-motion videos of pros and take lessons to understand the mechanics.
• Make it meaningful: Use analogies that make sense to you — e.g., “swinging like a pendulum.”
• Break it down: Learn the swing in parts — grip, stance, backswing, downswing, follow-through — before combining them.

→ Sleep (Consolidate Information in Your Brain)

• After practice, get a full night’s sleep to help consolidate what you’ve learned.
• Review key thoughts or visualize your swing before bed.
• Avoid cramming or watching new swing advice late at night.

→ Apply

• Use the swing in drills and in real-world settings.
• Practice recalling and performing the motion without looking it up.
• Get feedback (e.g., from observations of ball flight, videos, peers, coaches, and so on).
• Use deliberate practice: isolate weak points and fix them with intent.

→ Repeat

• Revisit the skill regularly — especially weak areas.
• Use spaced repetition: practice today, then again after a few days, and so on.
• Spiral back to the basics over time to deepen understanding.
• Add variations: different clubs, lies, and shot goals to build flexibility.

With each cycle of Encode → Sleep → Apply → Repeat, your golf swing becomes smoother, more automatic, and easier to adjust under pressure.

Takeaway

Long-term memory isn’t built in a day — it’s built in loops. Repeat the cycle and refine each pass. That’s how learning sticks.

If you can recall and use it easily after a long delay, it’s in your long-term memory.

Practice strengthens memory by helping you recall, use, and refine what you’ve learned.

Declarative knowledge is what you can describe or explain.
Nondeclarative knowledge is what you know but can’t easily explain, like riding a bike.

Memory is the ability to store, recall, and use information. Memory

Things are more memorable when they are meaningful, connected, emotional, or repeated.

Feedback shows what’s working and what needs fixing — it helps you improve faster.

Sleep helps your brain consolidate what you’ve learned — it’s like pressing “save” on your memory.

A memory trace, also called an engram, is the physical and chemical change in the brain’s neural networks that represents stored information or skills for later recall.

Classes datetime and timedelta are used for most time calculations. They both import from the datetime module.

from datetime import datetime, timedelta

# Step 1: Create a datetime object for 10:00 today
time_obj = datetime.strptime("10:00", "%H:%M")

# Step 2: Create the timedelta to subtract
delta = timedelta(hours=3, minutes=6)

# Step 3: Subtract
new_time = time_obj - delta

# Step 4: Show result
print(new_time.strftime("%H:%M"))

1. Remembering: Recalling facts, definitions, or basic concepts from memory.

2. Understanding: Explaining ideas or concepts in one’s own words; showing comprehension.

3. Applying: Using knowledge in new but similar situations to solve problems or carry out tasks.

4. Analyzing: Breaking information into parts to understand relationships, patterns, and underlying structures.

5. Evaluating: Making judgments about the value, quality, or effectiveness of ideas, solutions, or methods using criteria and standards.

6. Creating: Putting elements together to form a new whole—designing, generating, or producing original work.

Evaluate (making judgments with criteria).

The method has three steps: goal, analysis to give a subgoal, attainment of the subgoal by deliberate practice.

Goal: Kayak safely and skillfully. Describe the ideas needed for skilled kayaking.

Next we break the long-term goal down into parts. One of these parts involves doing a roll.

Subgoal: Skillfully and effortlessly roll a kayak in challenging whitewater. That is, excel at combat rolls. Describe the main ideas for safely and effectively doing an Eskimo roll.

The next step, deliberate practice (DP), is where the magic happen. It is the essence of how learning works. DP proceeds by repetitions.

Repetition 1: The learner gets some information about how to roll. They watch their teacher demonstrate the roll. They try this out over and over in a swimming pool and cannot do it. They get some feedback from their teacher. They have some fun.

Rolling is hard to do for a beginner, so the next 11 repetitions are developmental. Note: each repetition is a practice session in which the learner is doing several attempted rolls.

Repetitions 2 to 12:: Over the course of several weeks, the student continues to get good information about how to roll. The student watches many videos of skilled kayakers and they try to imitate them. The student has fun and looks forward to practicing. Finally on the 12th repetition, the student successfully rolls the kayak to an upright position.

The next set of repetitions are in the river.

Repetitions 12 to 72:: For several years, the learner continues to practice and refine their technique. They progress from combat rolls in easy white water to combat rolls in challenging white water. They teach their friends. After many repetitions, they have a solid combat roll that they hit nearly every time. This roll is automatic and easy to do because it is built into their brain, aka muscle memory.

Here is the summary of deliberate practice.

While (knowledge + performance) are developing: 1. Get information. 2. Apply this information in the real world with imitation-feedback-growth-rewards.

For this example:

imitation: Watch skilled kayakers and trying to copy them.

feedback: This is information from self, teachers, peers, and the real world that help you figure out how to roll and then how to improve your roll.

growth: This involves getting better and better at rolling and better and better at understanding how to roll.

rewards: This involve learning to roll such that it is always fun and enjoyable. These rewards are what makes learning addictive.

Create (designing something new).

Example: “Calculate the area of a circle with radius 4 cm.”

This is Evaluate (judging based on evidence and criteria).

Example: “State the formula for the area of a circle.”

• Remember: Recall facts and definitions.
• Understand: Explain or summarize meaning.
• Apply: Use knowledge in practical situations.
• Analyze: Break into parts and see relationships.
• Evaluate: Judge quality based on criteria.
• Create: Combine elements into something new.

1. Remember
2. Understand
3. Apply
4. Analyze
5. Evaluate
6. Create

Analyze (exploring relationships; B4).

Journalism is when an actor (person or group) does 5 things:

1. Systematically gathers information relevant to the public interest.
2. Verifies that the information is factually accurate.
3. Shares this information in a clear and understandable way.
4. Strives to remain free from undue outside influence.
5. Follows professional ethical standards.

Logic is a systematic method that uses rules & evidence for one of two things.

1. To reach the best conclusion.
2. To determine how to best proceed when solving a problem.

Analysis is the process of breaking something down into its essential parts.

The “Analysis” line means that logic has 3 essential parts.

1. Analysis must be systematic.
2. Analysis must apply rules and info.
3. Analysis is done for two purposes.
   • To reach the best conclusion.
   • To determine the best way to proceed when solving a problem.

The curly brackets {}, from set theory in math, indicate a set; in this case the set of things that are necessary and sufficient for an action to be classified as analysis.

1. Safety and Security – Protection from crime, terrorism, and external threats through effective law enforcement and national defense.

2. Economic Stability and Opportunity – A strong economy with jobs, fair wages, affordable housing, and opportunities for upward mobility.

3. Healthcare Access – Affordable and reliable access to medical care, prescription drugs, and preventive health services.

4. Fair Governance and Justice – A government that upholds the rule of law, protects civil rights, and treats people fairly regardless of background.

5. Infrastructure and Services – Reliable roads, bridges, public transportation, clean water, electricity, and digital infrastructure like internet access.

1. Mass Media – Use television, radio, and newspapers to reach wide audiences quickly with speeches, interviews, ads, and news coverage.

2. Digital Platforms – Leverage social media (e.g., YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, X/Twitter) and email campaigns to engage directly with large numbers of people, share updates, and encourage participation.

3. Public Events and Networks – Hold rallies, town halls, debates, and community meetings, or partner with civic organizations, unions, or interest groups to spread messages broadly and mobilize support.

1. Images
   • Immutable “blueprints” that contain the application code, runtime, libraries, and dependencies.
   • Ensure consistency: the same image runs the same way across any system.
   • Analogy: like a recipe that anyone can use to bake the same cake, no matter where the kitchen is.
2. Containers
   • Running instances of images that are isolated but lightweight.
   • Provide the execution environment with controlled resources (CPU, memory, filesystem).
   • Analogy: like baking a cake from the recipe—each cake (container) is independent but based on the same recipe (image).
3. Configuration (env vars, volumes, ports)
   • Env Vars: settings that change how the app runs without altering the image (e.g., API keys, language, location).
   • Volumes: persistent storage that outlives the container (e.g., saving user data).
   • Ports: define how the container talks to the outside world (e.g., port 80 for web traffic).
   • Analogy: env vars are like dials on a machine, volumes are like external hard drives, and ports are like doors or windows letting traffic in and out.

• Units. Pa, psi, N/m^2
• Secondary Dimensions: F/A = Force/Area, Mass*Acceleration/Area
• Primary Dimensions: M/L*T^2

1. stress = force/area
2. force is 2000 lbf = 8896.4 N
3. \(A = \pi * D^2/4 = 0.0005067 \text{m}^2\)
4. Thus, stress = 8896.4 N / 0.0005067 m^2 = 17.6 MPa

1. The goal is reached.
2. The path is the most desirable way to reach that goal.
3. There are the fewest drawbacks (stress, frustration, cost, time, hassles, conflicts, etc.).
4. There is minimal friction while taking steps along the path.
   • Friction is anything that resists smooth progress, such as confusion, inefficiency, or unnecessary obstacles.
5. The path produces the greatest rewards (enjoyment, satisfaction, learning, connection, achievement, etc.).

Tip: The essential parts of anything are revealed through analysis. Here is an analysis of “Happy Path”:

Analysis: {Most desirable way to reach a goal state, Fewest drawbacks, Lowest friction, Most rewards, Goal attainment}

A path refers to the anticipated or actual steps taken to move from the present state (current conditions) toward a desired goal state (future conditions).

Analysis: {Steps, Steps progress toward the Goal State}

1. Logseq is an open-source knowledge management and note-taking tool.
2. It organizes information as a hierarchical framework of interlinked blocks.

1. Logseq helps to keep information organized efficiently.
2. It allows building information inductively without requiring a top-down structure.

1. A block is the fundamental unit in Logseq (like a paragraph or list item).
2. Blocks can be linked, collapsed, and embedded, among other functions.
3. On a page, you write with blocks; think of them as nested lists.

1. A backlink points back to the page or block that referenced the current item.
2. Bidirectional links create a navigable network of ideas.
3. Backlinks help you see and traverse relationships.

1. Graph view provides a visual representation of your notes.
2. It shows the connections between pages and blocks as a network of nodes and edges.
3. The graph view helps you identify patterns and relations in your data.

1. Square brackets name and hashtags #name are both used for linking in Logseq.
2. name creates a page link, while #name tags content with a keyword.
3. Both enhance navigation and organization by connecting related data.

1. The block link syntax is written as ((block link name)).
2. It allows you to create links directly to specific blocks within Logseq.
3. Example: ((Task-1)) would link to a block with the content “Task-1.”

1. Logseq is an open-source knowledge management and note-taking tool.
2. It organizes information as a hierarchical framework of interlinked blocks.

1. Logseq helps to keep information organized efficiently.
2. It allows building information inductively without a top-down structure.

1. A block is the fundamental unit in Logseq (similar to a paragraph or list item).
2. Blocks can be linked, collapsed, embedded, and more.
3. On a page, you write with blocks and think of them as nested lists.

1. A backlink indicates the page or block that referenced the current item.
2. Bidirectional links create a navigable network of ideas.
3. Backlinks help you see and traverse relationships.

1. Graph view provides a visual representation of your notes.
2. It shows connections between pages and blocks as a network of nodes and edges.
3. The graph view helps you identify patterns and relationships in your data.

1. Square brackets name and hashtags #name are both used for linking in Logseq.
2. name creates a page link, while #name tags content with a keyword.
3. Both enhance navigation and organization by connecting related data.

1. The block link syntax is written as ((block link name)).
2. It allows you to create links directly to specific blocks within Logseq.
3. Example: ((Task-1)) would link to a block with the content “Task-1.”

1. Tags are used to mark content that evolves or accumulates meaning over time.
2. Examples: #places-to-visit, #chemistry, #critical-thinking.

1. Use a page title when the contents will eventually reach a stable or finished form.
2. Examples: A recipe, a method, a list of material properties.
3. Key idea: Content will stabilize.

Organization is the process of systematically arranging items, allowing them to be easily located and used.

1. Enhances time management skills.
2. Reduces feelings of frustration.
3. Facilitates managing complex tasks by maintaining clarity and order.

1. CRUD stands for Create, Read, Update, and Delete.
2. It describes standard operations of a database:
   • Create records: Adding new information.
   • Read records: Retrieving necessary information.
   • Update records: Modifying existing data.
   • Delete records: Removing unnecessary data.
3. Proper organization requires keeping data current and accessible through these operations.

Friction is anything that makes an action harder to start, continue, or complete. Friction impedes motion (moving forward).

1. Anything that consists of items can be organized.
2. Examples include: A project, a desk, tools, clothing, tasks, code, books, computer files, financial records, lessons in a course, things to do, and shopping lists.

Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages.

A message is what the sender wishes the receiver to understand. It includes ideas, information, feelings, intentions, or requests.

![[This Old Man.mp3]]

Useful Resource: Learning a Song

Utilize resources such as sheet music, lyrics, or video tutorials for guidance.

Definitions:

Cognitive content → the factual or conceptual meaning (what the message is about) Affective content → the emotional and motivational tone (how the message feels)

Simple: Cognitive tells what. Affective signals how to feel and how the relationship stands.

Examples: - “The meeting is at 3pm.” → mostly cognitive - “I really appreciate your help!” → mostly affective - “We need that report ASAP!” → both (information + urgency/pressure)

Success criteria are a set of measurable indicators that define what high-quality (desirable) results look like.

Examples: - Party → {everyone has fun, great food, good attendance} - Novel → {readers love it, captivating plot, interesting characters, meaningful insights} - New Car → {good price, love it, safe, good mileage, reliable}

Sender role (essence) → {receiver understands intended meaning, high likelihood of intended response}

Sender role (empowering fundamentals) → {accurate, clear, concise, complete, logical, persuasive, audience-appropriate, engaging, action-oriented}

Receiver role (essence) → {accurately understand intended meaning, respond in the best way}

Receiver role (empowering fundamentals) → {active processing, skilled decoding, clarifying questions, paraphrasing}

Paraphrasing is a listening skill where the receiver restates the sender’s message in their own words to check that they’ve understood the intended meaning.

Conclusion: No.

Reasoning:

1. Definitions:

   • Predisposition: A tendency to act in a certain way.
   • Bias: A predisposition that results in unfairness, distortion, or systematic error.
   • Warranted: Justified with good reasons or evidence.

2. Bias is typically a warrantless or unjustified predisposition—something that distorts thinking, judgment, or decision-making.

3. If a predisposition is based on solid evidence, reasoning, or experience, it’s better described as a justified belief.

4. A justified belief is valuable. Example: A doctor is predisposed to test for malaria in patients returning from sub-Saharan Africa because malaria is common there. This isn’t a bias—it’s a justified belief.

5. Summary: A warranted predisposition is not a bias. Bias implies error or unfairness. A justified predisposition is generally a strength—an efficient guide to action based on evidence.

A sender constructs a message using codes and channels the receiver can understand. Common resources include:

• Words and language
• Symbols and visual cues
• Tone of voice and vocal features (pitch, pace, volume)
• Body language (posture, gestures, eye contact, facial expression)
• Medium-specific elements (images, diagrams, emojis, formatting)

Essence → The sender chooses forms of expression that fit the receiver and support the sender’s intended meaning and purposes.

The sender’s job is to:

• Decide the meaning they want the receiver to understand.
• Clarify the purpose(s) of the message (inform, request, persuade, connect).
• Craft the message so the intended meaning and purposes are easy for the receiver to understand.
• Choose words, symbols, tone, and nonverbal cues that support clarity and accuracy.

Essence → Create a message that the receiver can accurately decode and respond to in the best way.

The receiver’s job is to:

• Accurately decode the sender’s intended meaning.
• Infer the sender’s purpose(s) (inform, request, persuade, connect).
• Respond in the best way, supporting mutual understanding and shared goals.
• Use active listening and clarifying questions when unsure of the meaning.

Essence → Understand what the sender means and wants — and respond in a way that moves the communication forward effectively.

1. The two main roles are sender and receiver.
2. The sender’s job is to clearly encode their intended meaning in a form the receiver can easily understand.
3. The receiver’s job is to decode the message and respond in the best way.

A channel is the path a message travels from sender to receiver.

It can be: - Physical (air for spoken words, paper for writing) - Technological (text messages, email, social media) - Nonverbal pathways (facial expressions, gestures)

The key idea: The channel is how the message gets there.

An oligarchy is a form of government or social structure in which power and authority are concentrated in the hands of a small, privileged group of individuals or entities. These individuals or entities, often referred to as oligarchs, typically belong to the same social, economic, or political elite, and they use their influence and control to make key decisions that benefit their interests and maintain their dominance. Oligarchies can take various forms, such as a ruling family, a group of wealthy individuals, a political party, or a corporate elite. In contrast to a democracy, where power is ideally distributed among the people, in an oligarchy, a select few hold significant power and influence over the government and society.

Decoding is accurately understanding the sender’s meaning, emotions, and intentions using all available cues and context.

More Depth → see Encoding and Decoding

TimberWolf (chair 2)

Education is more important than entertainment.

It falls into this category because it describe the worth of something (education) as compared to something else (entertainment).

A derivative represents the rate at which a function is changing at any given point.

Mathematically, it is the limit of the average rate of change of the function over an interval as the interval approaches zero. For a function f(x) , the derivative is denoted as \(f’(x)\) or \(\frac{df}{dx}\) . It is defined as:

\[ f’(x) = \lim_{{h \to 0}} \frac{f(x+h) - f(x)}{h} \]

In simpler terms, it measures how the function’s output value changes as the input value changes by an infinitesimally small amount.

Best to do this from memory.

1. Make a dir; set up a venv in this dir, source this venv.
2. Install Flask via pip.
3. Create a hello world app.
4. Run the app.

Here is app.py

from flask import Flask

app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/')
def hello():
    return "Hello World!"

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(debug=True)

# Add record to database
role="markdown writer"
task = "Convert the following text to markdown"
t2 = Tasks(role=role, task=task)
session.add(t2)
session.commit()

# Query all records
session.query(Tasks).all()

# Search for records by string in field (case insensitive)
session.query(Tasks).filter(Tasks.role.ilike('%markdown%')).all()

More Detail

Code Setup

1. Set up a venv and install SQLAlchemy.

from sqlalchemy import create_engine, Column, Integer, String, Text
from sqlalchemy.orm import sessionmaker, declarative_base

# Create a SQLite database connection
engine = create_engine('sqlite:///example.db', echo=True)

# Define a base class for declarative class definitions
Base = declarative_base()

# Define a model (table)
class Tasks(Base):
    __tablename__ = 'tasks'
    id = Column(Integer, primary_key=True, autoincrement=True)
    role = Column(String(100))
    task = Column(Text)

    def __repr__(self):
        return f"{self.role}: {self.task}"

# Recreate all tables in the database
Base.metadata.drop_all(engine)
Base.metadata.create_all(engine)

# Create a session factory
Session = sessionmaker(bind=engine)
session = Session()

1. Best set of steps for reaching the goal state.
2. Best means most enjoyable, easiest, lowest cost, fewest conflicts, lowest stress, and so on depending on the values of the people involved.

1. Helps you make better personal decisions
   • Spot opportunities (e.g., new medical breakthroughs, beneficial programs)
   • Prepare for threats (e.g., storms, safety warnings, scams)
   • Manage your finances more wisely (e.g., economic changes, product recalls)
2. Builds stronger social connection
   • News gives you shared topics for conversation
   • Being informed helps you contribute value in discussions
   • You can support others with relevant information when it matters
3. Improves your contribution as a citizen
   • Informed voting leads to better outcomes for your community
   • Awareness of public issues helps you engage thoughtfully
   • You can advocate for positive change based on evidence

Overall, staying informed helps you protect what matters, pursue new possibilities, strengthen relationships, and contribute to a healthier society.

Success in news literacy can vary by the person and the situation, but most people value the following outcomes:

1. Efficient engagement
   • Able to stay informed with reasonable time, effort, cost, and hassle
   • Systems and habits that make news easy to access and understand
2. Well-rounded understanding
   • Awareness of major topics that affect everyone (elections, weather, health, economy)
   • Knowledge of personal interest areas (sports, science, arts, technology, etc.)
   • Ability to connect new information to what you already know
3. Accuracy and truth-seeking
   • Information is based on credible sources and evidence
   • Able to detect errors, misleading claims, and unreliable content
4. Balanced and fair perspectives
   • Exposure to different viewpoints
   • Ability to evaluate bias (in sources and in oneself)
   • Focus on what is most likely true and most important
5. Healthy emotional management
   • Avoid unnecessary anxiety, outrage, and manipulation
   • Maintain calm, curiosity, and critical thinking—even on tough topics
   • Know when to step back to protect wellbeing

Overall, news literacy means getting the information you need, without being misled or overwhelmed, and using that information to make good decisions for yourself and your community.

The key is honesty. There are no wrong answers. Here are some examples.

• I want to be able to tell what’s true and what’s garbage, because I don’t want to be fooled.
• I want to stay informed without feeling overwhelmed, because life is already stressful enough.
• I want to follow important issues in my community, because I want to vote based on facts, not hype.
• I want to keep up with the news that matters to me, because I enjoy good conversations with friends.
• I want to know why people disagree about big issues, because I want to understand others better.

Be truthful about where you are now and what you want. That honesty will guide your growth.

1. Accurate information helps us understand the world as it truly is.
   • Better decisions for health, money, safety, and daily life.
   • Less confusion, fewer preventable mistakes.
2. Inaccurate information gives us a distorted view of reality.
   • Leads to bad decisions and unnecessary stress.
   • Makes it easier for others to manipulate or mislead us.
3. A clear, accurate view of reality increases confidence and calm.
   • We feel more in control when we know what’s actually happening.
   • We can focus our energy on what really matters.
4. When accuracy is a priority, we get better outcomes.
   • Stronger communities, smarter voting, more trust in each other.

So in short: accuracy protects us — and helps us succeed.

Biased news presents information in a way that is misleading, distorted, or wrong.

Caring about bias helps you notice when the news is pushing you toward a certain belief instead of giving you a balanced view.

When you can detect bias, you are less likely to be misled, fooled, or manipulated — and more likely to make decisions based on reality, not spin.

General: Bias is a systematic error in thinking, measurement, or communication that leads to misleading, distorted, or wrong views about reality.

News: In the news, bias is when the news is presented in a way that is misleading, distorted, or wrong about reality.

Accurate news reports facts that are true, supported by reliable evidence, and not distorted.

A fact is an objective statement — one that can be checked and verified using evidence, regardless of anyone’s opinion.

Accuracy does not mean perfection. Most facts carry some uncertainty, based on the best evidence available at the time. If new evidence emerges, our understanding may improve. Good journalism updates information when needed.

• Examples of accurate, objective statements in news:
  • “The fire resulted in three deaths,” according to the county fire department.
  • “The governor said, ‘I support the bill,’ during today’s press conference.”
  • “A new poll shows Candidate A leads Candidate B by 4 percentage points,” based on data from a reputable polling organization.

Accurate news is honest about what is known, what is uncertain, and what may change.

There are many reasons, here are some of them.

1. Get your messages heard and acted on.
2. Express who you are; have a voice you feel good about.
3. Respond to incoming messages in the best ways possible.
4. Avoid being misled, tricked, or conned by false information.

Speak from your heart; be open and honest.

There are no right or wrong answers. Here are some examples that sound like real people:

• I want to be able to create simple and effective messages because I like getting good results.
• I want to communicate clearly with my family because misunderstandings cause stress we don’t need.
• I want to feel confident speaking up in groups because my ideas deserve to be heard.
• I want to express myself without freezing up because I don’t want fear to run my life.
• I want to listen better when others talk because I care about what they’re trying to tell me.
• I want to communicate well at work because good communication leads to better teamwork and opportunities.
• I want to understand what people really mean because guessing wrong causes problems.

Be honest about what you truly want — that honesty makes your growth stronger.

1. Reduce or eliminate distortions in reality → Move towards an accurate view of reality → Make better decisions.

2. Avoid being unfair to others → Move towards fairness and justice for yourself and others.

Bias is a systematic tendency to favor certain outcomes, perspectives, or interpretations over others in ways that deviate from reality or fairness.

A clear answer describes bias as a normal pattern in human thinking that shifts how we interpret information. It also notes why bias matters: it influences what we notice, believe, and do. Aim for clarity and simplicity, not technical definitions.

Strong responses notice that confidence can come from confirmation bias, selective exposure, or overgeneralization. The goal is not to judge the person but to identify the pattern: certainty may come from limited evidence or one-sided information.

Here is a.

Here is b.

Here is c.

Good answers point out that the claim uses broad generalization, lacks evidence, and treats groups as uniform. Note that real groups contain many individuals and contexts, so “always” statements are a red flag for bias.

A balanced message uses neutral language, acknowledges uncertainty, and considers more than one viewpoint. A biased message uses loaded words, exaggeration, or one-sided reasoning. Keep both messages short so the contrast is clear.

Strong answers notice possible biases such as assumption of correctness, ingroup favoritism, or failure to consider others’ knowledge, experiences, or values. Missing information may include alternative evidence, differing perspectives, or different priorities.

A justified conclusion is supported by clear evidence and reasoning. A biased conclusion is driven by selective evidence, emotion, or group identity. The examples should show this difference plainly without needing specialized language.

A useful answer names a context (such as conflict, loyalty, fear, pride, or frustration) that could shift attention or judgment. This task is about noticing patterns, not confessing beliefs. Keep the focus on the emotional conditions, not personal details.

A strong response briefly summarizes the chosen example and identifies a specific bias pattern such as framing, overconfidence, selective evidence, or group identity. The goal is to show you can apply the idea in a real-world context.

Good answers name real-world quantities and classify them by dimension.

Examples:

• Car speed → speed (L/T)
• Weight of a book → mass (M)
• Time to boil water → time (T)

If you give units instead of dimensions, convert units → dimensions.

Correct mapping:

• meters → length (L)
• newtons → force (M·L/T²)
• °C → temperature (Θ)
• ft/s² → acceleration (L/T²)

If you used units instead of dimensions, convert units → dimension symbols.

A strong answer makes these points:

• A primary dimension is a fundamental building block (L, M, T, I, Θ, N, J).
• All other dimensions can be expressed in terms of these.
• They are the “atoms” of dimensional reasoning.

Avoid giving examples of units (m, kg). Units are not primary dimensions.

Correct reductions:

• Speed → L/T
• Force → M·L/T²
• Pressure → M/(L·T²)

If you used units, convert units → dimensions → primary dimensions.

Correct breakdown:

• [F] = M·L/T²
• [m] = M
• [a] = L/T²
• So [F] = [m][a]

If symbols or units were misused, return to primary dimension definitions.

Reasoning:

• [v] = L/T
• [a]t = (L/T²)(T) = L/T
• = L

The equation adds terms with dimensions L/T and L.

Therefore, not DH.

Correct reasoning:

• [u]t = (L/T)(T) = L
• [a]t² = (L/T²)(T²) = L

All terms → L.

Therefore, the equation is DH.

Clarifications:

• Newton is a unit of force, not mass.
• Force has dimension M·L/T².
• Mass has dimension M.

Mixing units and dimensions leads to conceptual errors.

Key points:

• All terms in an equation must have the same dimensions.
• Ensures the equation is physically meaningful.
• Prevents mistakes like adding incompatible quantities.
• Helps catch algebraic or conceptual errors.

Correct reductions:

• Kinetic energy → M·L²/T²
• Power → M·L²/T³
• Momentum → M·L/T

If stuck, break each component into primary dimensions.

Good explanations include:

• Dimensions reveal structure and relationships.
• Units vary by system; dimensions remain constant.
• Dimensional thinking allows error-checking and concept comparison.

Correct transformation:

• Flow rate → L³/T
• Pressure → M/(L·T²)

A good answer expresses the situation in dimension space, not unit space.

A strong example:

• Describes a concrete real situation.
• Shows how dimensional reasoning identifies what matters.
• Demonstrates the habit of checking reality using dimensions.

If the answer uses only units, convert them to dimensions.

A strong answer:

• Reports affect honestly.
• Identifies reasons for that affect.
• States at least one meaningful future use.

No wrong feelings; the goal is awareness. High clarity usually leads to rising affect.

1. Clarify Your Aim

   • What outcomes do you most want?
   • What role are you playing? (requesting, informing, persuading, entertaining, connecting, etc.)
   • What does “success” look like for this interaction?

2. Design Your Message

   • Who is your audience and what do they care about?
   • What do you need them to understand, feel, or do?
   • What channels will you use? (words, tone, body language, visuals, structure)

3. Deliver and Observe

   • Send the message through the channels you chose.
   • Watch what actually happens: reactions, behaviors, signs of understanding or confusion.
   • Compare the real outcome with your intended outcome.

4. Reflect and Improve

   • What worked?
   • What didn’t?
   • What will you adjust next time (aim, message design, or delivery)?

Most incoming messages should be filtered out. If you choose to process a message, follow these steps.

1. Receive and Understand

   • Grok (deeply understand) the message
     • Use active listening for spoken messages.
     • Use reading-for-understanding for written messages.

2. Interpret the Message

   • What information is the sender giving you?
   • What is the sender feeling, or hoping you will feel?
   • What does the sender want you to do?
     • requests, information exchange, persuasion, entertainment, coordination, etc.

3. Choose and Deliver Your Response

   • Decide the response that best serves your aims and the situation.
   • Give the response and observe what actually happens.

4. Reflect and Improve

   • What worked?
   • What didn’t?
   • What will you adjust next time?

1. Excellence consistently produces the best payoffs in real life: better results, smoother interactions, fewer conflicts, and clearer understanding.
2. When you pursue excellence, your overall payoffs (rewards minus drawbacks, taken holistically) increase across all situations.
3. These positive payoffs begin immediately; you do not need to be an expert before benefits show up.
4. Excellence is not “extra work.” It is the most efficient path to the outcomes you want.

Pursuit of excellence gives you the most rewards the fastest.

(Best Results) + (Sender’s Happy Path)

• Best results means achieving the outcomes you value the most.

• Your happy path is the set of actions and responses that lead you to those outcomes in the most desirable ways possible.

• Creating a clear and easy path for the receiver is part of your happy path, because it increases the likelihood that you get the results you want.

1. Your purpose defines the results you want the most.
2. When your purpose is clear, your choices become clear, and your chances of getting those results increase.
3. Without a clear purpose, messages drift, weaken, or backfire; with a clear purpose, everything aligns.

A sender without a clear purpose is like a hiker without a destination — every step is motion, not progress.

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” George Harrison “Any Road”

1. Your purpose is the results you want the most.
2. Identifying purpose helps you get them.

1. Review a list of common purposes and notice which ones feel most important or desirable for this situation.
2. Select the purpose (or small set of purposes) that best captures what you want the most.
3. Prioritize your chosen purposes so you know which one leads and which ones support.

List of Purposes = a short set of purposes that cover most communication: {inform, request, inquire, persuade, coordinate, encourage, and so on}

{inform, request, inquire, persuade, coordinate, encourage, connect, entertain, emote, express}

• This TwF uses set notation {} from math. A set is a collection of items that fit a rule; no duplicates, and order does not matter.

• Notice that the set has 10 items.

1. Purposes: connect, persuade, inform.

2. Priority Order:

   • Connect: Build trust and openness so students are ready to learn.
   • Persuade: Help students believe the material is valuable and worth engaging with.
   • Inform: Present the essential content students must understand.

3. Synthesis: Connect with students so you can persuade them of the value of the lesson, and then inform them with the content they need to learn.

1. Purposes: connect, inform, express, emote.

2. Priority Order:

   • Connect: The core purpose of small talk is strengthening relationships.
   • Express/Emote: Sharing thoughts and feelings deepens connection and builds trust.
   • Inform: Casual updates help maintain a shared sense of what is happening in each other’s lives.

3. Synthesis: Build relationships by sharing small updates, expressing your thoughts, and showing how you feel.

Giving someone your full attention with the purpose of deeply understanding their message and helping them feel heard and valued.

Analysis: {Fully Attention by Reciever, Deep Understanding of Sender’s Message, Speaker Feels Heard and Valued}

You understand the speaker’s message accurately, they feel heard and valued, and you gain trust, connection, and far less conflict.

Analysis: {Accurate Understanding, Speaker Feels Heard and Valued, Trust, Low Conflict, Enduring Relationships}

1. Give full attention: be mentally present and stop all multitasking.
2. Physically orient toward the speaker: body, eyes, and hands aligned and open.
3. Seek deep understanding: grok their ideas, emotions, and wants.
   • Suspend judging the message or planning your response until understanding is complete.
4. Signal engagement: use natural cues such as nods, short verbal signals, and subtle mirroring.
5. Confirm understanding and connect: paraphrase, validate their feelings and intentions, and respond appropriately.

1. Continually build trust and connections with other people.
2. Continually make others feel important, valued, and cared about.
3. Social situations feel easy, natural, and low-stress.

Informal conversations on light-topics for Ease + Rapport + Social Connections

1. Approach effectively
   • Use lottery-winning posture: open, relaxed, confident
   • Smile and make brief eye contact
   • Use a natural greeting or handshake when appropriate
2. Use a simple, low-stakes opener
   • Hi, I’m Don
   • How’s your day going?
   • What brought you here today?
3. Sustain an easy back-and-forth rhythm
   • Use active listening
   • Ask simple open questions
   • Stay with light, safe topics
   • Build on what they say; follow threads
   • Pivot when needed to keep balance
   • Be curious, not intense
4. Exit gracefully
   • Thanks, it was nice talking with you
   • Excuse me, I’m going to grab a drink
   • I’ll let you get back to your group

Informal conversations on light-topics for Ease + Rapport + Social Connections

1. Continually build trust and connections with other people.
2. Continually make others feel important, valued, and cared about.
3. Social situations feel easy, natural, and low-stress.

• Purpose:
  • Exchange money for a great meal and a good overall experience.
  • Enable a flourishing, sustainable business for the restaurant.
• Inputs:
  • Diner: payment, clear orders, reasonable behavior.
  • Restaurant: food, service, ambiance, clean and safe environment.
• Outputs:
  • Prepared meals.
  • Service.
  • Dining experience.
• Success criteria:
  • Food tastes good and is safe to eat.
  • Food is delivered in a reasonable amount of time.
  • Diner leaves satisfied and willing to return.
  • Staff are treated well and can do their jobs effectively.
  • The restaurant is profitable enough to continue operating.
• Exceptions:
  • Unruly or abusive customers.
  • Wrong or missing orders.
  • Long waits or service breakdowns.
  • Poor food quality.
  • Complaints or disputes.
  • Theft or non-payment.
  • Handled through remakes, refunds, apologies, removal of customers, or other corrective actions that preserve as much value as possible.

• Purpose:
  • Companionship, enjoyment, and sometimes social status for the owner.
  • Food, shelter, safety, care, and belonging for the dog.
• Inputs:
  • Dog: being itself, responding to training, basic cooperation (house rules, commands).
  • Owner: food, water, shelter, safety, training, veterinary care, exercise, socialization, cleanup, time, and attention.
• Outputs:
  • Companionship and emotional connection.
  • Shared experiences (walks, play, trips).
  • Security and awareness (barking, presence, warning behaviors).
• Success criteria:
  • Dog is healthy, safe, and well cared for.
  • Dog is up to date on vaccinations and basic medical care.
  • Dog is reasonably well-mannered and responds to commands appropriate to its breed and age.
  • Owner enjoys the relationship and feels the dog adds value to their life.
  • Dog is treated as a valued member of the household.
  • The relationship is enjoyable for both dog and owner.
• Exceptions:
  • Biting or dangerous aggression.
  • Excessive barking or destructive behavior.
  • Dog escaping or getting lost.
  • Dog illness or injury.
  • Abuse or neglect by the owner.
  • Fights with other dogs.
  • Chasing or harming people or animals.
  • Handled through training, behavior modification, medical care, containment, rehoming, or intervention by professionals when needed.

Yes. Designing a solar power system requires understanding energy conversion, efficiency limits, heat losses, and power output. Thermodynamics is essential for predicting and improving system results.

• Purpose:
  • Deliver a compelling story about the human experience.
  • Engage the reader emotionally, imaginatively, and intellectually.
  • Provide enjoyment, meaning, insight, or escape for the reader.
• Inputs:
  • Book: story elements such as characters, setting, plot, language, structure, and medium.
  • Reader: time, attention, willingness to engage, imagination, and basic literacy in the book’s language and genre.
• Outputs:
  • A completed reading experience.
  • Emotional, imaginative, or intellectual responses in the reader (e.g., enjoyment, insight, reflection).
• Success criteria:
  • Reader finds the book engaging and worth their time.
  • Reader finishes the book or meaningfully engages with it.
  • Reader feels rewarded (entertained, moved, enlightened, or satisfied).
  • Reader is willing to recommend the book or read similar books.
• Exceptions:
  • Reader abandons the book due to boredom, confusion, or mismatch of expectations.
  • Book content is poorly written, incoherent, or misleading relative to genre signals.
  • Reader expectations do not align with the book’s style, pacing, or themes.

Purpose → Inputs → Outputs → Success Criteria → Reflect and Improve

Highest chances of a great relationship as defined by best results + best path for both actors.

1. Making a claim that lacks a mechanism for changing it.
2. Defending this claim.
3. Holding it with certainty/conviction.

1. Get better relationships and collaboration.
2. Avoid harm to self and battling with others.
3. Better choices for all.

1. Effectively deal with actors who have fixed (immutable) positions.
2. Optimize your chances of changing fixed (immutable) positions. Note: worldview changes occur glacially slow, while specific position changes can occur in real time.
3. Maintain respect, dignity, and relationships.

1. Start by acknowledging the value driving their position (e.g., shipping on time, reliability, professionalism).
2. Ask questions that surface other values they likely care about, such as safety, quality, cost, customer trust, or team reputation.
3. Frame the situation as a value tradeoff rather than a right-versus-wrong dispute.
4. Use questions to invite them into a higher-order identity (e.g., responsible steward, problem-solver, team hero).
5. Avoid logic-heavy rebuttals; pure reasoning often fails against fixed positions.
6. A strong response affirms the deadline while opening space for reconsideration, for example:
   • “Shipping on time is really important. How should we weigh that against quality and customer impact here?”
   • “If this causes issues later, how would that reflect on us as a team?”
   • “Is there a way to protect the deadline and still address the risk?”
   • “What would being the responsible choice look like in this case?”

Thermodynamics is the branch of physics that explains how energy moves and changes form, how heat, energy, and work relate, and the limits on how efficiently heat can be turned into useful work.

Thermodynamics provides rewards by enabling people to: - Understand where energy goes and why losses occur - Predict system behavior involving energy, heat, work, or power - Design and improve systems to get better results - Recognize fundamental limits on efficiency and performance

Yes. Understanding tennis performance involves energy intake (food), conversion to work (muscle activity), and heat generation and removal. When the goal is to understand or improve results, thermodynamics is relevant.

Thermodynamics is not important if your goal is simply to ride the bike for transportation or fun. Thermodynamics is important if your goal is to understand, predict, or improve results such as energy expenditure, heat buildup, fatigue, efficiency, or performance.

Thermodynamics is not important for operating a chain saw. Thermodynamics is important for designing, improving, testing, or troubleshooting a chain saw, where fuel efficiency, power output, heat dissipation, and reliability affect results.

The argument is flawed. Early steam engines were built by trial and error and were inefficient, costly, and unreliable. Thermodynamics was developed because better results were needed. The existence of early engines does not mean thermodynamics is unnecessary for understanding, improving, or optimizing system performance.

Ask: Do results matter here, and do those results depend on energy, heat, work, or power? If yes, thermodynamics is relevant.