Reading list: 20 books about japan

 https://www.neverendingvoyage.com/books-about-japan/

I would like to learn as much as I can about Japan before April, just saying. 

Amazon's best books of 2023

 

Check out Amazon's list of best books of 2023

I have not read any of the books on that list. :(

I'll fix that next year. 

Check out the new images from Euclid

The new pictures from the European Space Agency's Euclid are amazing. Check it out!

The picture reveal galaxies never seen before. The image quality is crisp, and the range is much farther than we've ever had. Take a break from your earthly tasks and take a look at the stars. 

How to be better at arguing

 

We've all been there, a co-worker, a friend, a relative or someone you met on the internet has the audacity to not see things the same exact way you do. How dare them! So you proceed to engage in an exchange of ideas in the hopes that this other person can see the light and thank you for changing their erroneous ways. You would think that if you make your case plain, loud and simple enough the other person will just change their mind as a result of your awesome rhetoric. 

How did that work out for you?

Yeah, I didn't think so. 

So,  I thought I'd share my approach, because I actually see arguing as an opportunity to learn something new, a new perspective not considered before or a deeper understanding of a nuanced situation. 

Here is a list of things to think about next time you have a disagreement. 

1. Learn to see things their way. 

This is huge. In order to make yourself understood, you have to understand what's going on first. You must learn how to make the argument against your case better than the person you are arguing with. You need to know how to see things from a different point of view, even if you don't agree with it. Especially if you don't agree with it. This is a must because this is how you learn empathy, and having empathy is what keeps you from being a jerk.  

Making your own counter-argument makes you consider the fact that you could (gasp!) be wrong.  Changing your mind and admitting you were wrong are strong sign that you value the truth and that you are not insecure about your image. 

This is the reason debate teams make people argue and counter-argue the same topic. It's a skill worth practicing and improving upon. 

2. Don't take it personal and don't make it personal. 

Learn to separate the idea from the person.  Don't go after the person, go after the idea. Don't assume that a person that disagrees with you is going after you personally. 

3. Listen more than you talk. 

This one always applies, but when you are arguing I think that most disagreements stem from misunderstandings,  it could be that you both actually agree but were framing the argument differently. You or the other person could be making assumptions that may not be obvious. 

One technique I use is to repeat what the other person just said, in my own words. Synthesize, analyze and understand what they are saying, from their point of view, with their context and then without judgment tell them "What I am hearing is that we shouldn't run these tests in Gamma because...X,Y, Z"

When you do this successfully you can iron out most good faith misunderstandings. 

4. Pick your battles. 

If you feel the urge to always be right, you should evaluate your intentions. What are you trying to achieve? Is this the best way? 

When T***p got elected in 2016, I needed to understand how anyone could vote for that sort of person. I thought that engaging with people online would be useful, but I quickly got tired and I lost my faith in humanity a bit.  Don't feed the trolls. 

Keep the long term in mind. What is this discussion really about? What happens if I don't say anything? A new perspective can make the right choice obvious. 

Sometimes there are hills worth dying for. Know what those are and engage with the long term goal in mind. 

5. If you are wrong. Admit it right away. 

Be the grown up. People will respect you for it. Believe me.