March 7, 2022
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Kris Tyte & Sean Snodgrass
Bright Side of Nukes & Cognitive Bias
In this episode of Positively Pedestrian, we discuss the bright side of a Nuclear Holocaust and the bizarre brave new world of Cognitive Bias. We discuss bad managers we've had, probably everyone has had, cognitive biases, the prevalence of violence in our society and the difficulties navigating the deep complexities of modern life.
Quotable
“We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.
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Quotable
“People would go to bed when the sun went down, wake up in the middle of the night, do some work or eat, then go back to sleep.
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Quotable
“Wake up, get a couple of things done that you need to get done that were on your mind just sounds like a good idea.
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Comment
The idea of casually finding someone’s “mirror side tables from a dungeon setup” in their yard is absolutely wild and hilarious.
Follow Up Notes
Train travel often reveals the less curated, private sides of residential areas, offering a unique sociological perspective.
Photo
Infographic-style image showing accumulation of unused items in residential backyards as observed from train routes, highlighting consumer waste patterns.
Quotable
“You just have to look on the bright side and take advantage of what life gives you.
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Quotable
“You got to stay positive and just think about when your jaw falls off, you don’t have to brush half of your teeth.
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Photo
Infographic illustrating the immediate and long-term effects of nuclear explosions, including blast radius, thermal radiation, and fallout zones.
Comment
The “business casual but also ready to run” outfit description is way too accurate for modern office culture.
Listener Q&A
Why do companies sometimes hire managers with unrelated experience to lead technical teams?
Liliana Coste’s Response
Often it comes down to perceived leadership ability or organizational politics, but it can lead to inefficiencies if the manager lacks domain knowledge.
Quotable
“I’ve learned less is more by a lot.
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Photo
Infographic comparing traditional analog workflows with fully digital systems, showing efficiency gains and reduced clutter.
Follow Up Notes
Code bloat and dependency management are major concerns in modern software development, often impacting performance and security.
Quotable
“You're reducing your attack surface by narrowing your functions to three instead of 300.
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Photo
Infographic illustrating how reducing dependencies in software can minimize attack surface and improve maintainability.
Comment
Using idle load time to preload high-res images is actually genius UX design.
Quotable
“Clearly the idea is to have none, right?
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Photo
Infographic mapping out common cognitive biases and how they influence decision-making in everyday life.
Quotable
“Your brain is just doing what it naturally does for defense, for survival.
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Quotable
“Your reality is highly subjective.
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Follow Up Notes
The discussion highlights tension between subjective lived experience and externally imposed behavioral standards in institutions.
Quotable
“So instead of all this stuff saying you have cognitive bias, why don't we turn your all around and say, look, everybody has their own subjective experience, all right? But in this corporate culture, we're building something different. And here's what it looks like.
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Comment
The comparison between corporate culture and military conditioning is intense but kind of makes sense.
Photo
Infographic showing how the brain uses shortcuts and heuristics to process information quickly under pressure.
Quotable
“If someone is just doing something to tear you down, they're not trying to help you.
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Quotable
“If everyone's brain has a cognitive bias, is it really wrong?
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Follow Up Notes
The episode concludes with a philosophical reflection on human cognition and the limits of self-analysis without external tools.
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