#048: Computational Kindness, Deep Dive on Nuclear Energy, Math Book You Actually Want to Read

Hi All!

We are pleased to welcome you to this week's edition of Undiscovered, a newsletter with exclusive resources and insights expanding from the material found on our main site - becketu.com.

This week, we will take a look at an innovative science curriculum for younger students, a deep dive on a California nuclear power plant, how to take the cognitive load off your friends when making plans, and more. Let's dive in:

The Science Curriculum I Wish I Had

I recently came across a tweet from ex-university professor and current homeschool teacher, Claire Honeycutt, who describes the new science curriculum she is using with her kids. It's from Elemental Science and the weekly plan goes roughly as follows, described by Honeycutt:

It's an exciting take on learning that I wish was emphasized more during my childhood. Science is meant to be fun and interactive, and this program from Elemental Science looks perfect for young people looking to understand fundamental concepts.

Deep Drive on Nuclear Electricity

​Diablo Canyon Power Plant is a nuclear power plant that provides a significant amount of California's total clean electricity. Nuclear advocate Isabelle Boemeke recently shared the latest podcast from Bg2 Pod covering the importance of nuclear power, the history and future of Diablo Canyon Power Plant, the role of AI in the nuclear industry, nuclear regulation, and more.

Boemeke breaks down the podcast highlights in this mini-thread, and has even more resources to learn about nuclear energy on her website, Isodope. Nuclear energy remains a divisive topic due to its connotations, however, it's important to study its safety compared to current energy methods, especially as other countries look to expand their nuclear power plant production.

The Only Math Guide Book You Need to Read?

​Math Academy is one of the first resources I recommend to anyone wanting to improve their math proficiency, and I just came across their 400-page book, The Math Academy Way. It is structured within Google Docs and teaches you how to learn the subject efficiently.

What I enjoy about the book's setup is how it takes the time to walk through the science of learning, how the brain works, and common misconceptions about our perceived self-limitations. It goes into the different strategies of learning math including active learning, deliberate practice, spaced repetition, and how using modern technology allows for the gamification of progress.

The sub-chapters in each unit are a page or two at most, and you are free to bounce around within the book to whatever looks interesting to you.

New Stripe Developer Site Balances Utility & Design

​Stripe.dev is a website that teaches you how to build web and mobile applications to accept payments, send payouts, and manage your business online with Stripe. Designed by the talented Devin Jacoviello, it is equally beautiful as it is useful.

I first came across the site after Devin shared the design inspiration behind it. The thread is an interesting look behind the scenes of one of the most respected companies in the world, and how they go about managing functionality and aesthetics with a human touch.

Computational Kindness

Imagine this scenario: a friend from out of town is coming to visit you. They are looking for things to do together in the city, when you say: "What do you want to do? I'm completely fine with anything!"

This is how the majority of our interactions may go, but there's a problem with this approach. It places all the cognitive strain on your friend by making them come up with ideas and make decisions on both of your behalf. In other words, what seems like a kind gesture of flexibility can also be interpreted as a lack of effort or worse, truly not caring at all.

The way to prevent this issue is by acting with computational kindness. It's an idea first presented by the book Algorithms to Live By, which states that it is more thoughtful to plan, or at least offer, initial ideas of what to do rather than tasking others with having to figure it out.

This idea extends beyond a friend visiting from out of town. It could include taking initiative at work by seeing something that needs to be done and proactively working on it. It's asking a partner what they want to eat or watch that night and giving them options to choose between. By thinking about it first, you open the door to however much cognitive effort the other person wants to spend by observing how they respond.

​Tenobrus first shared this idea on Twitter, and @yyallian correctly observed how people who are good at dating seem to act in this manner. Try this with someone in your life this weekend!

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