Learning Education and Understanding

Motivation, Ambition, Concentration for Technical Mastery

2011-07-04T06:14:00.000-07:00

Motivation, Ambition, Concentration

******
MOTIVATION: ENFP Champion appeal
Q) Why should "I" learn this? In what way will it help me or others?
Ans)
A) Real life example which will HELP an actual person(Myself/Others) by
a) Making me stronger.
b) Making it more understandable.
c) Removing/Reducing work.
d) Making it faster.
e) Making it do more in less.
f) Making it easier.
g) Making it better.
h) Making it more adaptable.

ex: Re-scheduling work items in a cafeteria will help both the cook and the customer give and get better service.
Both of them will bless you for your help.

B) The reason for learning DS or Algos is:
1) It mimcs the way the mind works (as in AI)
2) Smarter programs which organise better and make better informed choices.
3) Faster, cheaper, better.

Q) What is the Relevance of what I'm learning to what I want to achieve?
I need to search through billions of search items within seconds.
What you need is a HashTable. Size doesn't matter with HashTables.
A Hash Table can chomp through millions or billions of search items within milli-seconds.

Information Ingestion: INTP/Visual Intuitive appeal
Absorbing information parallely:
Find the right source of info - Find a book which you would write for yourself.
**Analogy - Train as a linked list. Room Keys mapped to Room No is a map.
Clock uses modulo to fit 2*12*60*60 seconds in just 60 positions.
Completely explains concept with just an example.

Diagrams - showing systems and subsystems with relations to one another, the flow of information from one to another,
Timelines - to show time related order of processes,
Graphs - intuitively sense the general trend that is followed. Stay on track during text explanation by orienting self through the source, destination and approximate path.
Example: Case-study exhibiting how and why the paths are taken through the system.

Experimentation: Get the info by experimenting on a simulation or code.
Coding - Code in highest level possible. Use lower levels for optimization (done last).

Glossary of Terms - explanation for commonly used terms.
Tutorials - Read up tutorials and annotate them for future reference.

Prototyping:
Mapping to Known systems - mapping to same things in other places.
Check the input/output/error interfaces of your model ie whether it snaps into place instead of the real thing.
Test the model using normal input first and then wrong input and perverse input.
Check the implementation ie the subsystems Do a walkthrough of the UseCase Scenarios to check that all subsystems are also modelled accurately.

********
[STARTING TROUBLE. Getting your feet wet with exploring/understanding a system]
Associating with the thing. Getting a feel for this thing by walking all round it.
Trying to see it from slightly different angles.
Feeling in some way in sync with it. Trying to get under its skin.
Knowing the flow of control in the system - "First it goes here, checks for this, then in case 1 does this else does that..."
Avoiding making eye contact with the system, hoping that if you don't do that you won't have to really take the trouble of making friends with it. Effort to get past the unknowns and strange things it may offer.
Black-box view works so why tamper with it to open a Pandora's box i.e. why multiply unknowns.
Why go from "I don't know how the whole thing works, to, I don't know how these subsystems work" which is exactly the mark of an expert in the making.
"I don't know mathematics at all!!" is more solidly formidable than
"I don't understand matrix multiplication".
It's always easier to reject the whole thing than its part.
I can hope to learn matrix multiplication within days/months but learning "Mathematics" is another ball game. Similary learning Matrices is tougher than just the multiplicaton.

"The negative of the system as a whole is more than the sum of the negatives of its parts."

Solution:
+ List the unknowns as explicitly as possible on paper.
+ List the known as much as possible.
+ To even be able to list the unknowns requires reflection and research. Just enumerating and classifying unknowns increases both knowledge and familiarity with the system.
+ Fleshing out the bones in an iterative manner.

A feeling of being overwhelmed by
1) The branchiness of the system 2) The depth and width of the branches.
Generally prefer balanced/symmetrical binary trees?? i.e. compactness.

Not all branches may be as deep (actually may be scanty).
Jumping to conclusion that if one particular branch is dense depth/width wise same will be the case for the rest of the branches.
Solution:
1) Determine the distribution of density/complexity across the problem.
2) Determine the relevance of knowing a particular branch currently.
3) Choose which compartment of the cupboard you're going to start with. Choosing a small symmetrical compartment with good logical structure is best as it sets the mood for the rest of the clean-up.
3) Use paper/pen to work out a particular branch. Draw diagrams to illustrate the flow.

Chunking the info to keep the details organised.
Tidy up the mental closet by concentrating on understanding/tidying only a part of it.
(Not wanting to associate with it.
Trying to keep a single view of it.
Not bothering with getting different views of it.
Not wanting to "invest" time and effort in getting to know it.
I'm not really going to be doing this anyway etc.)

Draft material for a blog on Motivation, Ambition, Concentration
>>>>>>>

Instances which overcame resistance to learning something :

Positives :
----------------

"This is easy pickings"

"I only need to repeat this formula so many times and I'll get the prize. If that's what it takes so be it..."

"I only need to learn these basic steps to be able to do this"
(howto approach, need-to-know, selective ignorance, acknowledge the fact that you're no expert)

"If I understand this one crucial thing I'll understand the whole thing"
(holistic, top-down approach, crux of the matter, less effort turns complex to simple)

"If I do this I'll get an edge" "I must learn this esoteric factoid for future use in emergency"
(special knowledge)

"This is powerful and highly desirable"

"If HE can do it, I can do it no probs", "How does HE do it"
(watch, observe)

"If I don't do it, I'm a dead duck"
(ask for help, acknowledge your ignorance)

"I'm going to become strong by doing this"

"Hmmm... This is interesting... Wow.... Wonderful... How does this work..."

"I'll show him how to do it the buffoon. Hmmm... It's not as easy as it looks... Maybe I'll have to put in more effort"

"I'll prove him wrong. I Know I can do it..."

Negatives :
----------------

"Maybe if I ignore it, it'll go away"
(If I ignore it anymore I'll no longer be able to have a choice and then I'll have to lump whatever happens)

"You mean to say that I've got to jump through so many hoops to do such a simple thing.... Maybe I'm better off doing what I already know."
(Learn by rote esp. Learning specific short-cuts for a task,)

"I don't even know the words you're saying. It must be a very complex thing..."
(Learn the talk/terminology relate it to graphs, sensations...)
(Learn by Doing - many things are more complex in words than in actions.
Example:
1) It's easier to use the wizards in Visual Studio than to describe how to use them,
2) xml books make the subject esoteric but writing and tweaking xml files is easier to get it to work
)

"It looks very dark in there, I wonder what kind of devils live there who'll eat me alive...."
(Gather first hand knowledge by "Take a breath, Jump-in and Hope for the best", be part of a group aka job interview)

"There are too many things I need to keep in my head at a time"
(slow down, solve one thing at a time, write down on paper, capture the many things into a mind-map, concentrate on the root of the problem, play with a toy problem, concentrate on point-solutions instead of a general solution )

"There are too many things happening in parallel at a time"
(Graphs, Flow diagrams, timelines, time sequence diagrams etc...)
(Heuristics i.e. knowing the safe zone while driving behind another car)

"I only have 2 hands how can I do so many things at once"
(Tools, delegation)

"That looks too complex maybe if I learn something else it'll become easy"
(Prepare for the final task so you'll need least adaptation finally. Toy projects help in simplifying the task but keeping it the same)

"I don't even remember all the details"
(put down on paper what you remember, extend what you know, try to remember scenes instead of information)

+ Hearing/discussing a problem with someone. Classroom introduction helps.
(Not having to initiate the learning process, reduces the effort to be put in.)

+ Necessity to understand a concept for performing a task.
Being faced with a new and previously unknown/unpleasant task.
(Getting into new project, delivering a seminar, teaching a course)

+ Seeing someone else doing something makes it look achievable,
(ease of learning something specific - from seeing someone do it, instead of learning the whole hog or spending time in trial and error.)

+ Not taking the task seriously
(Playing around with it as in guitar, attending an exam with acceptance of failure.)

+ Preparing for something which is not be needed now.

Back to Basics - The 3 R's of Education - Reading, wRiting, aRithmatic

2011-01-12T06:05:00.000-08:00

Reading comprehension
Writing - Essay and Precis writing
Arithmatic - hmmm.... (mental math perhaps)

Youth For Seva Workshop on using FOSS softwares for Teachers

2011-01-11T21:41:00.000-08:00

Youth For Seva Workshop on using FOSS softwares for Teachers

1) Though many schools don’t even have electricity let alone computers it won’t be very long before laptops etc become easily available for cheap.
2) All those older computers that are being replaced by newer ones can be used for free by teachers, schools and students.
3) By the time we can build up free learning resources for children - similar to wikipedia but more targetted as learning sites- the other resources will come through somehow.

Good to hear that YFS is doing all this and more.
Thanks to Naren Ramakrishnan for sending the YFS website and info.

See Also:
My blog post on Moodle info
Edubuntu (ubuntu linux for education)
Edubuntu Software Screenshots
Edubuntu Applications list

Edubuntu for Intel PC download DVD by torrent
Virtual Edubuntu Trial Session online
----
Expanded list of Edubuntu Resources below with brief descriptions:

KDE Edu usage videos by Google Code-In Student:

----
Gbrainy for puzzles, brain-teasers, memory-trainers, visually and auditorily activating your brain
----
GCompris Learning Games for children age 2 to 10
----
Tux4Kids learning games and edutainment (Math, Paint, Typing)
----
Gnome Nanny protect kids from bad sites/regulate internet time
----
iTalc - monitoring and remote controlling your school's network for teachers
----
LTSP - Share resources like servers/software/internet/anti-virus etc among school computers
----

What makes for a Great Teacher

2011-01-02T02:15:00.000-08:00

IISC CEC (Continuing Education Centre) Technical Courses

2011-01-01T22:47:00.000-08:00

IISC Technical Short Term Courses (4-5 months on Week-ends)

IISC Activities

The innovative Young Fellowship Program in Science for young students at the +2 level and Young Engineering Fellowship Program for third year BE Students have received overwhelming response.
The Centre for Scientific and Industries Consultancy, the recently founded Society for Innovation and Development, Sir Dorabji Tata Centre for Tropical Diseases and Advanced Bio Energy Technology Society provide an effective interface with industry.

Extension Lectures

Many faculty members of the Indian Institute of Science have volunteered to deliver lectures in institutions of higher learning at the technical level, in Engineering and science colleges at semi—technical level and in schools, public/cultural organizations, Doordarshan and All India Radio at the popular level.
These Lectures on Science, Engineering and Technology subject are being arranged not only in Bangalore, but also in centers within a radius of 500 KM around Bangalore mostly in the State of Karnataka. Many of these lectures are supported by demonstration, slides or models. The audience will often have a chance to personally interact with the speakers after the talk to learn more in their area of interest.

SC Centre for Continuing Education Extension Lecture Programme
Extension Lecture Programme Details (PDF)

Centre for Continuing Education

Indian Institute of Science
Bangalore 560 012
E-mail: chairman@cce.iisc.ernet.in

Qualifications

B.E/B.Tech./MCA or Equivalent. Need Certificate or Provisional Certificate (not mark-sheet)
See the pdf files for each course as required for exact details as in some places B.Sc. is mentioned.

Courses

Interesting courses held in 2010 (Jan-2011 to May-2011)

Strategic Management :
How to arrive at strategic decisions in business for managers and entrepreneurs.
Project Management:
Howto go about managing your project
Intelligent Agents and Applications:
Applying AI/Expert System concepts in your programs
Communication Protocols Design & Testing:
Howto design a Network System/Protocol

Important Dates

Issue of application commences (@ Rs. 150/-)  15-11-2010 - MONDAY
Last date for submission of application 03-12-2010 -FRIDAY
Intimation for aptitude/objective test* 08-12-2010 - WEDNESDAY
Aptitude / Objective test * 19-12-2010 - SUNDAY
Intimation of selection  22-12-2010 - WEDNESDAY
Receiving fees  From 27-12-2010 To 12-01-2011 - MONDAY To WEDNESDAY   
Classes Commence  20-01-2011 - THURSDAY
Final Exams Commence  23-05-2011 To 28-05-2011 - MONDAY To SATURDAY

(only if required) - Please check with PROFICIENCE Office on the specified date.

Reference:
Proficience Courses for Jan-May2011
Full Course Details PDF
IISC-CEC Enquiry WebPage

The Art of Learning

2010-12-24T04:22:00.000-08:00

Lifelong Learning in Programming

Learning by Online Debate and Discussion
The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin

Education: Curriculum, Syllabus, Teaching Methods.
Learning: Making a Mental Model. Learning Styles, Cognitive Science
Understanding: Seeing the flow
Feeling: Balls to Bones

http://www.klee.ac/en/lsp/science_en_020730.pdf

Motivation/Why I wanna Learn:
---------------------------------
I'm doing it because I know it makes me stronger.
Being truthful. If I don't understand/know something admit it, learn and grow.

What happens when I do this?Where does it end?What makes it tick?How does it work?Why does it work in that way?Is there a better way to do this?Is there any direct way of doing this instead of the complex way?I just want to change this one parts behaviour independant of other parts?I've always wanted to do this. Can it do this?Where can I get to the meat of the matter?What can I use this for?
+ Read about ideas and technologies. Thought and discussed a) concepts, (WHAT) b) reinventing it, (HOW) c) tradeoffs, (WHY) d) applications. (WHERE)
+ Tried out ideas on a bare-bones model. a) Experimented with edge-cases, (what-if) b) Special circumstances, c) Special needs and applications. Didn't want complete it. Too complex.
+ Used libraries/tools. a) Tracing the flow of the system. b) Joining 2 things to create a new thing. Didn't add more things. Too complex. Have to design/create piping between tools/libraries. Piping Code and Processing code should be seperated.

Learning Style Preferences

2010-11-30T13:08:00.000-08:00

INTP:

+ Big picture

+ Structure

+ Logic

+ Concepts

+ Model

+ Understanding

+ Simplicity in Complexity

+ Continual Practise

+ Detachment/Objective view

+ Intuitive

+ Perceptive

+ Different points of view/situations

+ Thought processes/Heuristics

+ Clarity of thought

+ Observe

+ Competence

+ Independant thought

+ Knowledge, Meaning

+ Innovative (doing more with what is available by reconfiguring things)

+ Freeform solutions

+ Abstract ideas applied to real life situations/problems.

+ Controlled freedom

+ Library

+ Able to see patterns, relationships between seemingly unconnected data

ENFP:

+ Global Learner (Top-Down approach)

Learn through many different paths: observing, reading, listening, interacting, debugging, discover, research and explore. Brainstorming with others to develop new ideas.

+ Communication Skills, Seminars, Teaching, Mentoring

+ ideas person

+ Creativity and Insight into situations, problem solving and people.

===========================================================

Learning Style:

INTP:

INTPs learn best by reading, reflecting and conceptualizing.

To them, learning is an ongoing process throughout life, and a way of understanding the universe. They enjoy playing with ideas, experimenting with possibilities and thinking around their subject, and are often absorbed in thought.

They learn particularly well on their own or in small groups and prefer unstructured teaching in which they are free to explore ideas and experiment for themselves. They ask many questions and tend not to accept a teacher’s or a system’s authority at face value. Memorization of facts, sequential exercises and hands-on training are less useful to them than discussion, reflection, analysis and brainstorming. They prefer an intellectually stimulating atmosphere in which open debate or enquiry is encouraged, though they may need encouragement to communicate and explain their ideas in terms that other people can understand. They enjoy amassing knowledge and demonstrating their expertise or competence in their own field, but may need to learn to utilize their knowledge in practical ways.

As learners, INTPs:

· ask searching questions

· enjoy systems, theories, concepts and abstract patterns

· are good at analyzing, conceptualising and theorizing

· dislike structure, targets and routine

· are stimulated by ideas and quick to grasp possibilities

· may need to think about how they can use what they have learnt

· may need to integrate their ideas into a whole, rather than go from subject to subject

· are motivated to improve themselves and their understanding

· may not be thorough and overlook facts and details

INTPs learn best when:

· encountering new problems or opportunities from which to learn

· encouraged to read, research and reflect on a subject

· listening and observing, e.g. watching how other people do things, listening to a lecture or presentation, taking notes

· allowed to give free reign to their creativity and inspiration

· allowed to absorb ideas at their own pace and to digest them thoroughly before acting on them or making decisions

· encouraged to excel and praised for a good job

· given the opportunity to explore or question assumptions, presuppositions or methodologies

· being presented with logical, coherent arguments

INTPs learn least well and may be demotivated when:

· having to take centre stage or being put 'under the spotlight'

· asked to repeat essentially the same activity over and over again

· there is more focus on facts and figures than intellectual exploration

· being taught by 'rote' (i.e. repetition), or when given specific instructions or rigid guidelines

· involved in situations which require spur-of-the-moment action and decision-making

· presented with too many distractions or alternatives

Howto create a knowledge base using Wikis

2010-11-08T02:04:00.000-08:00

[Howto]
How to start a wiki
Use Google Site's Project Wiki Template to create your wiki in minutes
WikiPatterns wiki for building wikis (patterns, antipatterns, adoption-patterns, adoption-anti-patterns)
Interview on "Who Writes Wikipedia"

[Softwares]
Pikie - A Blog like wiki
TiddlyWiki

WikiMindMap (converts a wikipedia entry into a freemind mind-map)
MediaWiki Administrators’ Tutorial Guide

[Hosting]
Comparison of Wiki farms

[Books]
Professional Wikis (Wrox)
MediaWiki - Beyond Wikipedia (O'Reilly)
Wikis for Dummies
WikiPatterns - Patterns working For and Against Wiki Adoption

The WikiWay Book wiki by Ward Cunningham

Wikinomics home page
Wikinomics Summary

[See Also]

Howto use Moodle for Creating a Learning Environment

2010-11-07T23:45:00.000-08:00

[About]
What is Moodle?
About Moodle (details)
Moodle Demonstration Site
Moodle features course

[Howtos]
Writing Lessons using Moodle's Lesson-Module
Lesson-Module FAQ
Writing Books using Moodle's Book-Module

Books:
Using Moodle (online flash version)
Using Moodle (pdf version),
Using Moodle web-page,

Moodle E-Learning Course Development
Moodle 1.9 Teaching Techniques
Moodle Teacher Handbook
Moodle 1.9 Multimedia
Using Lessons in Moodle: An Illustrated Guide
Effective Use of Quizzes in Moodle

Howto Keep Your Brain Flexible, Strong and Active

2010-11-07T21:45:00.000-08:00

Brain-Games to help keep it in shape by an expert in learning science click here

TODO:

Kawashima Brain Training Game
Eye-Q Speed Reading Trainer

[ProblemSolving]
Wikipedia on "How to Solve It by George Polya" (Pdf on
How To Solve It, Scanned book "How to Solve It " from Scribd)
How to Solve It: Modern Heuristics
How to Develop a Mindset for Math | BetterExplained,
Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning (Volume I) by George Polya,
Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning: Volume II Patterns and Inference by George Polya,
Mathematical Discovery: On Understanding, Learning and Teaching,
The Language of Mathematics: Making the Invisible Visible by Keith Devlin

[Puzzles]
Puzzles for Programmers and Pros
Solve One Puzzle A Day

[Visual-Spatial]
Xultris (Tetris) for FireFox
Sudoku for FireFox
Sokoban for Windows
Rubiks Cube

[Auditory]
ming-a-ling for FireFox: "Passively" learn words and phrases of a foreign language while you browse the web.
TODO - Podcasts

[Kineaesthetic]
The Mathematical Mechanic: Using Physical Reasoning To Solve Problems
Mathematics and the Physical World,
Mathematics for the Nonmathematician,
Calculus: An Intuitive and Physical Approach (Second Edition)

Teach Yourself Mathematics in an Intuitive, Interesting and Fun Way

2010-11-07T01:29:00.000-07:00

The "Head First Series" on Mathematics is a great resource on learning mathematics from the basics.

They're brought out editions on Statistics, Algebra and there's even a Manga Guide to Calculus (though this needs to be imported from US)!!!

The Teaching Company (TTC) have some good videos on learning mathematics (and other subjects too).

Books:
[Teaching and Learning]
Mathematical Discovery: On Understanding, Learning and Teaching by George Polya,
Teaching Math with Moodle 1.9 (open source free software and book)

Fun Maths:
Arvind Gupta Math Toys and Books,
"e": The Story of a Number,
An Imaginary Tale: The Story of "i"

Links:
How to Develop a Mindset for Math | BetterExplained,
Excellent article on Math Notation (Semiotics),
(Cut-The-Knot.org) Interactive Mathematics Miscellany and Puzzles, Index,
According to the Rules (Rete AI algorithm in easy english)
Math Better Explained : Downloadable ebook with slides ($$)
Blog on Setting up Moodle for Mathematics
Teach College Math Resources (presentations etc)

[Learning and Understanding Math Intuitively]
The Mathematical Mechanic: Using Physical Reasoning To Solve Problems
Calculus: An Intuitive and Physical Approach (Second Edition) by Morris Kline
Mathematics and the Physical World by Morris Kline,
Mathematics for the Non-mathematician,
The Language of Mathematics: Making the Invisible Visible by Keith Devlin
chycho (with Video Series on Mathematics freely available as a torrent)
How to Lie with Statistics

Head First Series:

Head First 2D Geometry,
Head First Algebra,
Head First Statistics,
Manga Guide to Calculus,
Mathematica Cookbook,
Statistics Hacks, Statistics in a Nutshell

Problem Solving approaches to attack a problem from multiple angles:
Wikipedia on "How to Solve It by George Polya",
How to Solve It: Modern Heuristics by Michaelwicz and Fogel,

Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning (Volume I) by George Polya,
Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning: Volume II Patterns and Inference by George Polya,

The Teaching Company (Videos/Audios) on Learning Different Subjects:
[Mathematics]

TTC - Joy of Mathematics
TTC - High School Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry, Chemistry
TTC - Calculus Made Clear
TTC - Understanding Calculus - Problems, Solutions and Tips
TTC - Physics in Your Life
TTC - Meaning From Data - Statistics Made Clear
TTC - An Introduction to Number Theory
TTC - What Are The Chances - Probability Made Clear
TTC - Understanding Complexity
TTC - Great Scientific Ideas That Changed the World
TTC - Zero to Infinity - A History of NumbersTTC - Albert Einstein

[Thinking & Communication]

TTC - How to become a Superstar Student
TTC - The Art and Craft of Mathematical Problem Solving
TTC - The Art of Critical Decision Making
TTC - Tools of Thinking - Understanding the World Through Experience and Reason
TTC - Joy of Thinking
TTC - Argumentation - The Study of Effective Reasoning
TTC - Building Great Sentences
TTC - Psychology of Human Behaviour

[Other]

TTC - Understanding Genetics
TTC - Understanding the Brain
TTC - Eckhart Tolle - In the Presence of a Great Mystery
TTC - Nutrition Made Clear
TTC - Biology And Human Behaviour
TTC - Understanding the Fundamentals of Music
TTC - Art of Teaching (Audio)
TTC - Questions of Value

Transceiving - Increasing Knowledge by Exchanging Ideas

2010-10-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

The Transceiver Project - For Transmission and Reception of Knowledge and Ideas.

Key idea is to transmit and receive ideas to build up a knowledge base.
Idea is to avoid static nature of knowledge bases.
This can be done by using podcasts, streaming and social networking channels to increase the connectivity to people's ideas and minds.

[Thoughts]
a) Fun: The most viral things on the web are Cutesy pictures of babies and babes and funny videos and mails.We should try to emulate this popular channel by mimicking its properties.
b) Memorable:
http://www.headfirstlabs.com/readme.php
http://www.headfirstlabs.com/about.php
Recommended Reading: http://www.headfirstlabs.com/bookstore.php

c) Infectious: This allows the self-propagation by chain-mail/forwarding/retweeting mechanisms.
http://www.copyblogger.com/go-viral-on-twitter/
http://www.copyblogger.com/viral-copy/

[Transception]
Social-Network-ing
PodCast-ing
VideoStream-ing:

ShowMeDo site teach you how to produce your own screencasts
Howto instructions and a video on using CamStudio (GPL)
Demo-ing
WebAnnotate-ing
Presentation-ing
RSS-Feed-ing
Debate/Discuss-ing;
Learning by Online Debate and Discussion

[Knowledge-Base-ing]
Forum-ing
Research-ing

Wiki-ing
Blog-ing
BookMark-ing
Website-ing
MindMap-ing,

SemanticWeb-ing,
TopicMap-ing,
ConceptMap-ing

ContentCreation-ing ( http://moodle.org/about/, http://sakaiproject.org/ )

Augmented Reality (AR):
Pragmatic Programmer BookShelf: Augmented Reality A Practical Guide

East meets West - Interesting Remix of Cultural Choices

2010-10-11T08:25:00.000-07:00

How do different people from Different Cultures make their Choice?
Why do they make the choices they do?

See these different videos from Ted.com and "Make your Own Choice"!! :-)

1) Western/American Way (by Kevin Kelly):
Summary:
More (choice) is better. Technology is life's way of accelerating more choices/options.
With "Exceptions to every Rule".
Note: The presenter acknowledges that there are 6 basic choices in the form of types of life.
But seems like his American Perspective forces him to note the rare exceptions are pointed out as significant.

2) Eastern Way (by Sheena Iyengar)
Summary:
Where Less is More. The Eastern Way is to be happy with a few options that have been chosen by respected persons of the group (parents, experts etc).

Conclusion:
Seems like Americans excel at what they prefer - innovation/individualism.
And Easterners excel at what they prefer - tradition/groupism.

Both walking on the path(s) laid out for them by their respective societies.

Question for the Reader:
So, What happens when East meets West?!!

What do you think of the Videos?
Do you have a totally new viewpoint on the whole cultural thing?

Use the buttons below to share this article and leave your comments.

P.S:
Personally I feel....
What happens when East meets West?!!
Well we already know the answer to that - Renaissance.
Or is that from the Western perspective?!!
What was the effect of the "Renaissance" on the East? Interesting question to follow.
Only time will tell.
As Russell Peters said "One day the whole world is gonna be Beige!!!"

Learning, Evolution, Life and Civilization with Genes, Memes and Temes

2010-10-11T02:22:00.000-07:00

Susan Blackmore on TED.com uses the basic law of "Natural Selection" and Units of Replication to explain Learning, Evolution and "Life"(sic). She explains how units of replication - Genes (physical), Memes (mental) and Temes (technological) are the driving forces for replicating information or "Life".

Memes use up nearly 20% of our energy and are indiscriminate in their propagation.
She seems to suggest that these memes need to be filtered to avoid ending our "civilization-as-we-know-it" from an untimely end.

She actually uses an old idea used to statistically calculate number of intelligent AND communicating ALIEN civilizations which made it through the dangerous parts of their history. These would be the civilizations which could possibly contact us if at all. She then modifies this equation to reflect Replicator Generations instead of Technology Revolutions.

Imagine an internet where both "good", "bad" and "ugly" ideas are roaming about cross-pollinating each other without any filteration device except for "Natural Selection" i.e. the meme which replicates most "wins".

Where humans/intelligent data mining bots are taken over by causes and holy-wars but now with much better equipment to carry out a solitary madmans delusions ("virulent/mad/bad" memes??)

As Susan says we don't know if our civilization will make it through the Temes Replication.
Further she proposes (in effect) that the internet is a VAST collection of Temes (good, bad and ugly) which replicates on its own.

Visions of Terminator 2 and RepRap and maybe WallE come alive in the above talks.

What is the "viewpoint" of a bacterium with respect to a human being and vice-versa.
After all we're relatives but with maybe better replicating capability (at least as far as ideas/memes are concerned).

We consider them life-forms of no great importance unless they're useful/harmful to us as in say
a) Yeast for yoghurt and other such uses - grow them and even sell them in sachets for baking cakes.
b) Disease causing bacteria- just wipe them out.

Maybe more "advanced" memes will view humans with the same angle - utility. Makes sense!!

There was a Doctor-Who episode called "Full Circle" with around the same premise as the storyline.

Maybe best taken with a pinch of salt... as evolutionary processes can be slow (or fast depending on the circumstance). Still thought-provoking as to why life is getting so complex.
Blame it on the Memes/Temes!! :-)

On a more "positive" side of the story on Memes and Temes.
Steven Johnson: Where good ideas come from | Video on TED.com
Steve Johnson describes "The Liquid Network" of Britain (coffee-houses) which allowed people gather and talk and bounce ideas off each other.

Essentially allowed these coffee-houses allowed ideas/memes to "have sex" and "create little hybrid ideas" i.e. convergence and emergence of new and more powerful memes.

Its hybrid ideas like these that led to Hitech devices made with off-the-shelf low tech parts below.
Hitech incubators for premature babies don't work for long in African countries, as they don't have trouble sourcing spare-parts and finding tools/technicians to maintain them.
Somebody then observed that these countries have enough infrastructure to maintain cars!!
Putting these 2 memes together he thought of using off-the-shelf locally available car parts to build a premature baby incubator for African countries. So now they have car mechanics (not high-tech engineers) maintain these mash-up devices by simply replacing/repairing these worn-out parts.

Come to think of it this blog itself is a mash-up of all the above articles!!
AND
A meme/teme in its own right.

Anybody who reads this blog post replicates these ideas in their own head. Beware!! :-D

Talent vs Genius

2010-10-10T23:39:00.001-07:00

Explores the questions:
Why do so many talented people not make it to success?

What differentiates the successful scientists from the good ones?

in reference to:

"``Why do so few scientists make significant contributions and so many are forgotten in the long run?''"
- You and Your Research (view on Google Sidewiki)

Feedback from the world

2010-10-10T14:26:00.001-07:00

Feedback from the world is as important as feedback from your work.

See Also:
Steve Johnson on TED.com describes "The Liquid Network" which allows ideas to "have sex" and create "little hybrid ideas" in "coffee-houses" where people gather and talk and bounce ideas off each other.
This seems to be a meme-like behaviour

in reference to:

"He who works with the door open gets all kinds of interruptions, but he also occasionally gets clues as to what the world is and what might be important."
- You and Your Research (view on Google Sidewiki)

The Art of Researching

2010-10-09T09:09:00.001-07:00

You And Your Research by Richard Hamming
How to Do Research (at MIT AI Lab) by many people at MIT
Collected Advice on Research And Writing: A collection of advice on researching effective communication (primarily for computer scientists)

2010-04-15T17:28:00.000-07:00

Developing Effective Communication skills for Presentations, Negotiation and Cooperation with people

a) [WHY]
It's very important to present your ideas to the stakeholders and people who make the decisions.
This article started out as mail of 2 lines of copy-paste. But its grown into an article so blogging for other people to find and use.

Communication, marketing are some very important skills which are not taught in schools/colleges. But they're essential in day-to-day life.

Most people assume it's some kind of magic/in-born talent for some gifted people. However, like most things with patient practise we can grasp at least 50% of the skills by studying with the Masters in these fields.

I've seen some very hardworking, talented people miss out on what they deserve because they didn't have proper guidance on these very important topics.

b) [WHAT]
These are some good books that I found to be very useful in breaking the communication barrier.

I've personally benefited from reading, understanding and applying the techniques/principles given in them.

These people are gurus in their respective fields i.e.
a) Negotiation [Herb Cohen]
b) Marketing [Dale Carnegie] and
c) Open Source development [Eric S Raymond]

These books are available VERY cheaply on the roadside stalls or you can try for e bo oks also.
If you find reading tiring videos, Audio books, ebooks are also available on these topics.

c) [HOW]
[Communication skills]
1) You can negotiate Anything [Herb Cohen] Rating: (12/10)
This slim booklet is so powerful = power + full !!It helps you understand the games that go on behind the scene in any negotiation.
Whether its bargaining with a salesman or negotiating your salary with your boss.
As they say "You don't get what you deserve. You get what you negotiate"
This book has helped me to confidently negotiate my salary successfully at least 2-3 times.
This guy could negotiate with even ter ror ist s.

2) Art of Public Speaking [Dale Carnegie] Rating: (10/10)
This book is about effectively communicating your ideas.
So that people listen, understand and appreciate them.
"Effective communication" - Presentations, Emails, Phone conversations,
Business case presentations all come under this.

Have you seen a really great idea die just because the innovator could not sell his idea to others?
Have you seen speakers bore people into a coma during a presentation?
Have you seen an expert talk incoherently on a really good topic?

This world famous book teaches how to avoid all these and other basic pitfalls/mistakes people make.
It also teaches you some great methods/principles to follow in any communication scenario.

3) How to Win Friends and Influence People [Dale Carnegie] Rating: (10/10)
How to talk so that people listen to your ideas.
How and Why do people cooperate? Why don't they cooperate even if its in their interest?
How to get past the barriers which prevent people to cooperate for mutual benefit

4) How to ask questions the Smart Way [Eric S Raymond] Rating: (10/10)
http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
This small but powerful howto tells you how you can get people to help you.
All you need is to make it easy for them to help you.
A superb collection of methods to get an answer on a newsgroup/forum.
Helps equally well with team members who can help you but are too busy to sit with you for 30 minutes or more.

2007-05-03T22:06:00.000-07:00

Learning C++:
1) Audio/Podcasts:
Many people find it tiring to read up on a subject.
Many trainings address this as the trainer vocally introduces the subject with visual aids like drawings etc. If the training is only audio/mp3 we can listen to it even while driving to work or in leisure time. Many such videos/podcasts are available online. These can be used.

Learning C++ at many levels:
[System Level]
Debugging CaseStudies under different environments - If a system fails knowing the flow of the system helps to find and fix the problem
Compiler flags, linker flags etc - Introduction to compiler suites and tools like linkers, assemblers ie how they work together to make up the compiler system.
C++ Under the Hood (Internals)

[Library Level]
STL, Boost - Library usage and design to minimize memorization of usage
Generic Programming
OOAD, UML, API & Library design

[Framework Level]
Design Patterns CaseStudies
Frameworks theory applied to .Net/Jave Framework design.
Xml for data driven programming

Learning can be classified as follows:
Introduction to a subject and its terminology ( 'What' )
Medium level oriented to problem solving ('How')
Long term oriented to solving classes of problems at a higher/deeper level. ('Why')

Any courseware addressing all 3 levels acts as a Reference having lasting value.

Theory Vs Practical:
It is always best to see the theory in action:
A) Creation of a FAQ to address common problems faced by people.
B) Creation of a Wiki to collect ideas, knowledge and articles by contributors.
Many topics are part of a web of knowledge and can only be understood by following up on hyperlinks.
C) A debugging view of a system in action helps to make sense of the systems we use.
1) A concrete example helps to focus the mind.
2) Debugging allows us to break down the scope to a few lines.
3) Theory helps to connect all the steps into a conceptual model.

2006-12-05T01:00:00.000-08:00

The Brain and the Mind

Interesting chat with my friend KMan on "The Brain and the Mind"

**************
Gurudutt: Recently read a book called "The Emerging Mind" by an Indian NRI writing for the BBC Series on TV.

KMan: how was it and wht is it about ?

Gurudutt: Quote : "Mr X has the strange affliction that when he looks at his mother, he says 'this person looks like my mother but she's an imposter' i.e. He's able to identify the person but is unable to identify with her!!"

KMan: which is causing this ?

Gurudutt: Mr. X's brain has a part which is involved with identifying
images with people. This is working properly.

KMan: hmm

Gurudutt: However this part feeds info to the emotional part of his brain which invokes feelings about the person.
The linking part is damaged. Hence no emotional feelings even though identification is perfect.

KMan: cool

Gurudutt: Feeling is believing!!

KMan: yes

Gurudutt: I think You might be really interested in another story from the book.....

KMan: tell me..

Gurudutt: There are many people in this world who associate Numbers with Colours!!

KMan: hmm

Gurudutt: If you were to show such a person a number say 3 he would see it in say Red colour. This is known as Synaesthesia....

KMan: ok

Gurudutt: 2 or more senses.... Actually (the author) says to perform the kiki or boo-boo test on a person to find out if he's synaesthetic....

KMan: what's that?

Gurudutt: Imagine an image which is really spiky with sharp angles to it.
Now, imagine another image which is round with arms like an amoeba....
Each of these things has a name either Kiki or BooBoo. Choose the name.

KMan: just like that
Gurudutt: Yeah.

KMan: see, kiki has more edges and booboo is more smooth so natural inclination wud be to associate kiki with sharp and spikey

Gurudutt: Exactly!! Most people on this earth will answer the same. This is nothing but a kind of synaesthia. Audio and Video ....
The colored numbers are doing the same but with an abstract concept like a Number and Color.

KMan: so does it mean that we too are synaesthetic?

Gurudutt: Actually if you listen to the sounds for the words - 'sharp' and 'smooth' don't they indicate somewhat the concepts....
Definitely. It's just a property of the brain. (Not to be confused with the earlier story about Mr. X, which is an injury)

Gurudutt:
The Emerging Mind :
http://www.open2.net/reith2003/index.html
Purple Numbers and Sharp Cheese :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/reith2003/lecture4.shtml

KMan: got it

***************

Does Your Career suit your Temperament?

2006-12-05T00:55:00.000-08:00

Are you happy in your career?
If you answered "No or Maybe" read on for info on how to fine-tune your efforts at work.
If you answered "Yes" you can still use the information in this article to fine-tune your efforts at work.

How can knowing your personality type help you be happy in your chosen career?
"Do What You Are" a book by Barbara Barron describes how you can use your personality type to find the right job/role most suited to yourself.

Knowing your personality type will help answer the below questions:
What things drive you and motivate you? -
How do you like to make your decisions - intuitively, snap-decisions, think-it-over etc.
What qualities come naturally to you?
What kind of job are you most suited for these qualities?

We NEED you here:
There are job-types and even roles within a given job-type which desperately need YOUR type of thinking. It may be difficult to change your job all at once. But you can always take up a different job role that is more suited to your way of thinking. Or find a way to make the job-change.

On the other hand not knowing your personality type can be quite uncomfortable or even harmful.
There are LOTS of people who're stuck in the wrong job-role.
It's like an athelete-type chained to a desk-job or a professor type trying to deal with business.

It might be much more fulfilling for the athlete-type to take a more people-oriented/travelling kind of job or the proffessor-type to take up the role of mentoring/training people in the business. But then there are different types of athletes and proffessors too. So how do you know which job-role to go for?

Stereotypes vs Personality Types:

We normally describe people by types like - Strong-Silent Type, Sensitive Type, Girl-Next-Door type etc.
Knowing these general personality types doesn't help us in a specific way to identify our job-role.

What we need is a good tool for learning about your own strengths and weaknesses.
Knowing your own personality type can help you

reduce waste of time and effort
help concentrate on specific areas of improvement

So now you can concentrate on your strengths for short-term gains and weaknesses for long-term gains.

Find Your Personality Type:

MBTI tests (Myer-Briggs Temperament Indicator) test are used by many reputed companies (citations) to find the suitable position for a person. We normally describe people by types like - Strong-Silent Type, Sensitive Type, Girl-Next-Door type etc. Knowing these general personality types doesn't help us in more than a descriptive manner.

Luckily for us, the famous psychologist Carl Jung, and later Myer-Briggs observed these patterns very closely.
During their interactions with people they observed 4 basic qualities recurring every time.
They realised that there were Four Broad Groups of personalities.

The Four Broad Personality Groups are:

SP Artisans, (Action oriented) SJ Guardians, (Stability oriented) NT Rationals, (Thinking oriented) NF Idealists (Ideals oriented)

Reference: Personality Types (from Keirsey.com)

Descriptions of Personality Types (just click on the links below):
I) Artisans
a) Entertainers
Performer (ESPF): MarlynMonroe, Elvis Presley
Composers (ISPF): BobDylan, Cher, Mozart

b) Operators
Crafters (ISTP): BruceLee, MichealDouglas
Promoters (ESTP): Madonna, Roosevelt, Churchill, JFKennedy

II)Guardians
a) Administrators
Inspectors (ISTJ):WarrenBuffet (bill gates of finance),Queen Elizabeth II
Supervisors (ESTJ): US Prez Cleveland

b) Conservators
Protectors: Mother Teresa
Providers: George Washington

III) Rationals
a) Engineers
Architects (INTP): Albert Einstein, Marie Curie
Inventors (ENTP): Walt Disney,

b) Coordinators
MasterMinds (INTJ): Ayn Rand, Eisenhower.
FieldMarshals (ENTJ): Bill Gates, Margaret Thatcher

IV) Idealists
a) Advocates:
Healers (INFP) : Albert Schwiezter, Lady Diana, Richard Gere.
Champions (ENFP): Charles Dickens

b) Mentors:
Counsellors (INFJ): Mahatma Gandhi, Jane Godall, Sidney Poitier
Teachers (ENFJ) : Mikhael Gorbachev, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Mead

Some of the descriptions are so accurate, they point out some really precise things about a person/temperament.

What do the combinations of letters stand for e.g. I/E, S/N, P/J, T/F:

Introvert/Extravert = I/E

Sensing/iNtuitive = S/N

Thinking/Feeling = T/F

Perceptive/Judgemental = P/J

Example: INTJ, ENFP etc.

The personality tests really try to find your range of preference at the time of taking the test.
They ask a lot of questions for different situations and worded in different ways.

Personality Tests:

Let's imagine that there are 4 bowls containing 2 chits of paper with a single letter each.

1) I or E,

2) S or N,

3) T or F,

4) P or J.

A person can choose a total of 4 chits of paper from these 4 bowls.

Then they would get 1 specific combination of 4 letters - say "I S T P"

Using 4*4 combinations we get total of 16 types of Personalities.

Note: The choice from each bowl is not really an exclusive choice. It only reflects you what you chose.

Note: Temperament is not final or clear cut. It is a helpful guideline for better understanding others and oneself.

Range-Of-Preference:
Tests try to identify what is the Range-of-Preference for your choices.
Whether someone is an Intravert/Extraver 70-30 % of the time in different situations.
Imagine a scale of 1-100. Now your Friend's score may look something like this:

I --------------------^----- E (10% Intravert, 90%Extravert)
S ------------^------------- N (50% iNtuitive, 50% Sensory)
T ------------------^-------F (25% Thinking, 75% Feeling)
P --^-----------------------J (80% Perceptive, 20% Judgemental)

So the above test indicates the person is primarily an ESFP.
I/E = What world you focus on - Inner world (I) or external world (E)
S/N = Comfortable dealing with tangible things (S) or abstract things (N)
F/T = How you judge people or things - by your feelings (F) or logical thinking (T).
P/J = How you make decisions - P = Open to changes around you. Make decisions slowly. J = make decisions quickly

Note: The tests are subjective and only record your preferences at time of the test.
Try to only answer with your normal choice and NOT what you'd like to do or like to be.
You can take the test at different times to ensure you get a stable preference reading.

Finally, Take it with a pinch of salt.

See Also:
Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron
The DDLI Page (Free multiple choice personality test)
Online test based on Jung - Myers-Briggs typology
Student Learning and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

2006-12-05T00:53:00.000-08:00

IQ and EQ

(post on orkut on IQ vs. EQ)

Emotions And Intelligence

The word Emotion describes itself. The thing that causes Action/Motion.
Intelligence seems to be more of an ability to form the right connections from an almost infinite no. of possibilities by using Reasoning/Logic or even Heuristics (the small set of "Good Moves" in any given field).

The Reptilian/Mid Brain is responsible for Emotions and the NeoCortex or New Brain is the Logical/Intelligent part. Emotions seem to lend weightage to our decisions.
That is why in highly emotional situations the weightage of the emotion may over-ride in favour of a not so good choice.
"Heroes also feel fear, they just don't let it stop them from doing what needs to be done"

Most things have a dual aspect,
"If you benefit from something, there's sure to be a loss involved somewhere too".
Emotions come in handy in many situations.
Fear adds the extra edge in dangerous situations (but also weakens us if not appropriate). Anger, Love/Passion, Shrewdness, Discipline each have their plus and minus aspects.
The person who can control his emotions is able to avoid the bad effects.
Intelligence tells us that emotions may not be appropriate in some situations.
"Fear and Anger, quick to join you in a fight..."
"Fear leads to Anger, Anger leads to Pain, Pain leads to Suffering..." -Yoda of StarWars.

If you look at it, emotions are necessary to guide our actions. If Intelligence allows us to screen and control our emotions, we'd be able to act correctly in any situation.The reason it is so difficult to control emotions is that they're related to the autonomic nervous system.

Meditation, Pranayama/Yoga seek to gain Conscious control of an otherwise autonomic system.

Insight into How and Why something works (or fails)

2006-12-05T00:51:00.000-08:00

Insight Fundaas - (Annotated with Apprenticeship patterns terminology on 16-Oct-2010)

Insight into Why something works or fails across Different Domains

[Stretching]
Difficult Tasks are made of very Easy Parts. (TakeInsanelySmallSteps)
Half done for Years is better than Full Done Today and Abandoned Tomorrow, (TakeInsanelySmallSteps)
Concentrate on Today's Work/Result and not on Tomorrow's Success.
Enjoy the Calm that comes with not looking for Results.
Being-It is just Becoming-It many, many times.
Try to understand the anatomy of a failure. Address the sub-failures and the problems will resolve themselves. (LearnHowYouFail)

[Dieting]
New ideas need getting used to. (LetItGrowOnYou)
What seems alien today is because of never being in that situation.
Walk a few steps on that new path and see how it becomes familiar with time. (TakeInsanelySmallSteps)
Keep it simple. Don't try to achieve too many things at once.
Be Flexible, if you miss a step, catch up later.
Only when you get success with one thing, Add another. (LetItGrowOnYou)
Time limits are counter-productive, don't set targets if don't have to.
60% is the Target.
Don't be too hard on yourself. Follow the Bell-Curve. Try to average out your actions.
Match Feasts with light meals, moderate rest of the time.
1500 calories per day, cut in whatever way (by week or day).
Whatever you want to get rid of, first trivialize (mid-day light meal)
Understand opposites, use them to advantage by playing off one against the other. (fruits, corn flakes, sweet corn, sweets, biryani, curd & spice) (WisdomLiesInParadox)
Do something, anything. Count your blessings. (TakeInsanelySmallSteps)
Be happy with Whatever you can achieve Today.
Exercise is the last thing to do.

[C/C++]
The most abstract thing when concretised becomes very understandable. (MakePrototypes)
When someone is spouting mumbo-jumbo try to make a concrete example of it.
The devil lies in the details. A detail is just how closely you look at things.
"With Computers what takes Years can be done in seconds. With Computers what should take seconds can take days."

[Cricket]
Correct practise will help you stay the course in Pressure situations.
Understand the mechanics behind Technique. (DigDeeper)
There's more to cricket than technique. (Courage)
Concentrate on the ball. See only the ball.
If a skill involves many things. Pick the first and master it. One by one you'll be able to master the whole of the skill. [Bowling action] (TakeInsanelySmallSteps)
Observe yourself as you do something. Divide and conquer. (ReflectAsYouWork)

[Acupressure]

[Emotions/Intelligence]

[Work]
Don't get so involved with Details that you miss the forest for the trees. (ReflectAsYouWork)
Every once in a while,
step back and observe your actions and surroundings,
abstract the details and look at both,
put in the effort to reconcile both,
it'll make life easy and keep it easy.

How to become a Master by Understanding How You Learn Best

2006-12-05T00:48:00.000-08:00

How to become a Master!!

"Climb every mountain,
Ford every stream,
Follow every Rainbow,
Till you find your Dream" - [Sound of Music]

Do you want to be the best you can and like your work/life?
It takes around 7 years of daily doing something (pro-actively/interestedly) to become an expert at the world level.
So you could put in anything from an hour to 3 hours (your choice) and come out on top around 7 years later.
In the olden days people used to have Gurus to guide them through their learning and life.
Most people cannot afford to hire coaches for their work. They may not even be available if you could afford them.
So the oppurtunity to raise ones expertise lies with oneself.

"Geniuses don't do different things, they just do things differently"
How do I learn more in less time?
By using the right resources, tools and information.
Ask the RIGHT questions. Put effort in the right places.

"It's not how much you have, but how well you use it" -- Austin Powers Father

There is a person who got polio and lost the use of his legs. Today he's a Black Belt in Karate.
He fights by walking on his hands. How does he do it. He uses what he has. He has arms not legs.
So he chose to use those instead to walk.
So first we need to find out what abilities you don't and DO possess.

"Know Your Self" - [Anonymous]
1) Learning Style - Style of seeking information on a subject
2) Temperament -
What kind of environment do you prefer?
What kind of situations do you prefer or are best at?
These and many other choices define your temperament.

Why should I know my Learning Style?
Short answer: Knowledge is power.
Q) Are you left-handed or right-handed?
Have you tried NOT using your favored hand. Brushing teeth, putting-on shoes, opening doors becomes so unusually difficult.
This is what we do in many of the things we do. People choose careers, skills to master using the wrong hand.
Cognitive Science (The science of learning) has found at least 4 LEARNING STYLES:
1) Visual - use of pictures/graphs/observation, think in images,
2) Auditory - lectures, mnemonics, audio-tapes,
3) Kineaesthetic - experiments/lab, building things, do-it-yourself,
4) Symbolic - dealing with abstract symbols, formulae
If you know your own strengths and weaknesses, you can put your best foot forward in whatever you do.
No matter which field you're in you can always use these abilities to "LEARN DIFFERENTLY".
To be able to find your preferences there are a few tools that you can use.
There is a tool called BrainMap which has a questionnaire to find out how you learn:
Now that you know your learning style, how do you adapt it to your other qualities or preferences:
Which Areas of your work would you be best at or interested in.

Temperament Theory:
Carl Gustav Jung the renowned German/Austrian Psychologist proposed people have different temperaments.
Each temperament of the 16 temperaments has some unique characteristics.
A) Introvert/Extravert - ie looking inward or to the external world. (need not mean the usual meaning)
B) Sensory/iNtuitive - depending on info from the senses or from intuition.
C) Thinking/Feeling - depending on thought or feeling.
D) Perceptive/Judgemental - open to many possibilites or few.
This leads to 4*4=16 temperaments.
Imagine a slider which indicates say 60% Thinking + 40% Feeling. So everyone of us has different %age on each parameter.

MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) based on Carl Gustav Jungs work (the renowned Psychologist)
Many Corporates/Individuals are using these tests to match their talent to the right job.
This helps people understand strengths and weaknesses.
They can then align their learning/work with strengths, while working on making weak areas stronger.

This is a good freeware program to find out your personality type.
Personality/Temperament Test (DDLI) Download: http://www.ling.rochester.edu/~duniho/ddli/ddli341.zip
DDLI MainPage: http://www.ling.rochester.edu/~duniho/ddli/index.html
Note:
1) Download the .zip file,
2) Extract the program and other files into a folder.
3) Run the program. Its a non windows program and runs in DOS mode.
4) Answer the questions around 100.
Answers based on What you DO rather than what you Want to do/be.
5) Save the results to a file by providing the filename.
IMP: If you don't save the results into a file you'd be unable to access the test results. You'd have to give the test again.
6) Open the results file in wordpad or notepad.
Check the 4 Letter code say ESTJ or INTP against the text files describing the characteristics of that particular sub-type.

+ If the descriptions don't seem to match don't worry.
Maybe the test was lead astray by ambiguity in your answers or some other reason.
+ The test is only meant to "Describe" you better and doesn't try to fit you into any box.
+ You already know what you are and are not. This just helps put all those things into words.
Also the test may show what you ARE right now. You may grow and change as you adapt to different circumstances.

You can also go to a different website for more descriptions of a given type:
Personality/Temperament Descriptions: www.keirsey.com
I've got a book form of these descriptions and a paper test for the same called "Please Understand Me - II" by David Keirsey.

Finally don't take the results too seriously but with a pinch of salt.
Its not a science but a guideline and at worst makes for some good TimePass.