Nice post. I sometimes keep going past the point when opportunity costs would tell me to stop, partly because I am terrier-like and partly because once one memory escapes me I fear all the others will see I'm no longer the hunter I once was and start playing hide-and-seek, just for the hell of it.
What would you say 'Proustian moments' are measuring and motivating and why do they feel profound?
Interesting. I have to confess I don’t know though if I’m honest, I have similar experiences. For me, it feels a little bit like, “well, if I really had to, how many birds could I get?” That is, finding the next bird seems like it’s not worth the effort, in terms of the opportunity cost but, on the other hand, I’m motivated to know how far I could go if I really needed to? Perhaps that’s useful information to have? And thanks for the comment and kind words! -RK
I metal detect and have thought about it exactly like this. One continues until the initial "expectations" are "confirmed".Lets call this expectation of effort worth the bother, or when the fun stops. Plus a bit that varies between people, I.E. when exactly does one stops after this??? and the plus-a-bit varies according to the time of day, a guess as to the sites' history, sugar levels, the weather etc. I guess we are confirming the confirmation.
Once a story develops about a metal detecting site, some signals are not bothered with. On my machine old beaver-tail drink-can ring-pulls, AUD $.20 pieces and gold rings are all the same signal. Once I dig up say 10 ring pulls I don't dig that signal anymore.
If I only dig up 20cent pieces and no ring-pulls then that's the time I found a gold ring. The site was a park built after the time ring-pulls generally were no longer used.
One has to test one's feelings with the appropriate level of persistence. There may well be gold rings hidden among the ring pulls, but generally there are so many ring-pulls, one does not have the time to get the needle in the haystack.
If one is a member of a [hunter-gatherer] band it is a form of cross insurance to specialise a bit, so long as you know someone... I know I have relied my whole life on someone somewhere being able to do the higher levels mathematics. And answer the sport and entertainment questions on quizz night.
Nice post. I sometimes keep going past the point when opportunity costs would tell me to stop, partly because I am terrier-like and partly because once one memory escapes me I fear all the others will see I'm no longer the hunter I once was and start playing hide-and-seek, just for the hell of it.
What would you say 'Proustian moments' are measuring and motivating and why do they feel profound?
Interesting. I have to confess I don’t know though if I’m honest, I have similar experiences. For me, it feels a little bit like, “well, if I really had to, how many birds could I get?” That is, finding the next bird seems like it’s not worth the effort, in terms of the opportunity cost but, on the other hand, I’m motivated to know how far I could go if I really needed to? Perhaps that’s useful information to have? And thanks for the comment and kind words! -RK
I metal detect and have thought about it exactly like this. One continues until the initial "expectations" are "confirmed".Lets call this expectation of effort worth the bother, or when the fun stops. Plus a bit that varies between people, I.E. when exactly does one stops after this??? and the plus-a-bit varies according to the time of day, a guess as to the sites' history, sugar levels, the weather etc. I guess we are confirming the confirmation.
Once a story develops about a metal detecting site, some signals are not bothered with. On my machine old beaver-tail drink-can ring-pulls, AUD $.20 pieces and gold rings are all the same signal. Once I dig up say 10 ring pulls I don't dig that signal anymore.
If I only dig up 20cent pieces and no ring-pulls then that's the time I found a gold ring. The site was a park built after the time ring-pulls generally were no longer used.
One has to test one's feelings with the appropriate level of persistence. There may well be gold rings hidden among the ring pulls, but generally there are so many ring-pulls, one does not have the time to get the needle in the haystack.
If one is a member of a [hunter-gatherer] band it is a form of cross insurance to specialise a bit, so long as you know someone... I know I have relied my whole life on someone somewhere being able to do the higher levels mathematics. And answer the sport and entertainment questions on quizz night.