Imagine if we had a learning curriculum for modern knowledge work. This curriculum would reliably produce elite performers, training them in the
The Throughput of Learning - Forte Labs
Learning in the 21st century is not about acquiring more information, knowledge, or even insights. The goal is to maximize the throughput of invalidated
Why can't our tech billionaires learn anything new?
On Marc Andreessen's "techno-optimist manifesto"
Why can't our tech billionaires learn anything new?
On Marc Andreessen's "techno-optimist manifesto"
Just-In-Time PM #4: Intermediate Packets - Forte Labs
In Part 3, I argued that having a personal knowledge base is the linchpin of success in a creative economy. A knowledge base allows you to reuse past work, draw from past experiences, share your knowledge in concrete form, and eventually, build products and services out of that knowledge. This requires strategically structuring your work in the first place, as a series of what I call intermediate packets.
Just-In-Time PM #11: Late Starts on the Critical Path - Forte Labs
In Part 10, I argued that digital knowledge work was fundamentally different than other kinds of work, because its structure, features, and purpose could be added or changed after it was built. Principle #4 of Digital Knowledge Work is therefore to “Start everything as late as possible.”
My 4-Stage System for Learning Anything New - Forte Labs
Discover the systematic approach that turns curiosity into expertise through immersion, building, mentorship, and community.
The Rise of the Full-Stack Freelancer - Forte Labs
A Portfolio Approach to Modern Work In the past, being a freelancer meant being a specialist. The only way you could generate enough income to make it as
Avoiding Digital Productivity Traps - Cal Newport
Last week in this newsletter, I summarized some interesting results from a study that analyzed the behavior of 164,000 knowledge workers. It found that introducing ... Read more
The Knowledge Ecology
The important thing here is that the music is not in the piano. And knowledge and edification is not in the computer. The computer is simply an instrument whose music is ideas. Yes? No? Yes-no-yes-no-yes-no.
Immutable Skills
How knowledge redevelops at higher levels of abstraction, and why its still dependent on properties of the printing press
PRISM: Capturing the Invisible Art of Scientific Practice
A New Tool for Recording and Scaling Laboratory Expertise
Chief people officers—and Jamie Dimon—say AI can’t learn ‘human skills.’ The world's youngest self-made billionaires want to prove them wrong | Fortune
What's the price of training an AI to take your job someday (soon)? Mercor has contract gig listings as high as $150 per hour.
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Education and Workforce Trajectories in Tech: A Workshop
Convened by the National Academies’ Action Collaborative on Education and Workforce Trajectories in Tech, The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Education and Workforce Trajectories in Tech is a one-day exploratory workshop examining how AI is altering the value of human expertise, organizational workforce structures, and career pathways in the tech sector. Bringing together leaders from higher education, industry, and research institutions, discussions will consider how education and workforce systems can prepare individuals with the ethical, technical, and analytical capabilities needed to adapt and thrive in an AI-impacted landscape.
The idea of a "tech industry" has always relied on "computer" being a special kind of medium, akin to alchemy. And if tech demands to be king, AI hype has now elevated LLMs to a king of kings. But the solipsism has hit a dead end. The only way forward is to recognize that computers are not special.
LLMs are just normal technology. But tech is just a normal medium.
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