Learn Legit

Every once in a while, one of us posts something that others can immediately tell is just plain wrong. We may not always agree on whether it is or not, but when we do agree, it's for very clear reasons. Advice, like whipping out your 9mm. just to scare somebody, obviously is bad advice; worse, when you add the caveat to fire even one shot that's uncalled for.

Then, there are the times that advice is given that sounds legit, and without the due diligence of checking it, or the references, out, may be taken as such; sometimes it is legit, and sometimes it's fake. We might end up wasting time, effort, or resources on seeking out bad or fraudulent sources of information. Even if what they tell us is solid, they may be untrustworthy sources of said information, themselves, no better at what they claim to do than we are. Worst-case scenario, we learn something either utterly useless, or antithetical to our efforts, and end up making things worse.

I picked up a book called, "Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes", by psychologist Maria Konnikova. It brought up a lot of good points about the way we typically think and function, and the way we could optimally think and function. Really simplifying her points, there are a few key factors to getting to the truth.

Proper observation is the first step. We might try to observe everything, but we can't; we can only observe so much, with so much detail. We need to learn to apply focus to our observations, and not get distracted or discouraged. We often need to step back, and look at things with fresh eyes, over and over again.

Proper research is the second step. I'm not talking about relying on your cousin Myrtle for advice on neurosurgery, even if she flunked out of medical school; the fact that she flunked out should be enough to tell you that she's unreliable as a resource on that subject. When we do our research, we need to look for either straight evidence, or knowledge that comes from the most legitimate and verifiable resources available. We also need to be willing to exercise due diligence here, without losing focus on just what we need to research.

Memory is the next step. We need to make sure we keep records, that we go through our memories on occasion and properly classify and organize them, and that we don't go digging out memories that are actually unrelated to what we're thinking about. We need to look at what really connects what we've learned to any particular memories that come up, and deliberately look for any other connections in our memory that might fit better.

Then, we get to intuition, and imagination. Yes, that's right, intuition and imagination are both crucial to any investigation. When we have the facts assembled, as we know them consciously, we may still have left something out that our intuition may have picked up. Intuition and imagination go hand in hand, and so we may find ourselves facing such a connection with our intuition when we imagine something. We need to make sure we pick up factual and relevant information from our intuition, and that whatever we imagine fits all the facts, as we know them at the time. We need to leave what we imagine just vague enough to account for any unknown variables that may come up in the future, but we can't afford to ignore connections where we see them... as long as those connections can be justified.

This is where logic comes in. We can imagine just about anything, even based on the facts, but if it contradicts logic, we have no solid basis for what we imagine. As a matter of fact, logic must be an inherent and fundamental part of every step of the process. If it can't be shown to make sense, we can't use it; if it does make sense, we can accept it, for the time being. One paraphrase taken from Sherlock Holmes that can be used in whittling down these logically contradictory options is, "It is impossible as I state it, and therefore I must not have enough facts."

Leading out from logic, we come to deduction. Logic is important, but it can only tell us what's possible; we're looking for what's most likely, and that's where Sherlock's version of deduction comes in. Holmes was the undisputed master of deduction in fiction, and he was based on the real-life master of deduction, Dr. Joseph Bell. Look him up. Study how he applied his methods, and use them to come to the most likely conclusion. Pretty much, nothing is absolute, but we can at least make that leap of faith a much shorter one, with a much more sure footing on the other side of the chasm.

In short, we don't need to learn from the most famous experts in a field; we do, however, need to learn legit.

Be circumspect in everything.
Make sure your references are likely to be verifiable.
Keep going over information with fresh eyes, from all different angles.

Most of all - and, I'd hate to end on a pessimistic note, but it's a useful rule of thumb, - if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. I learned this lesson, the hard way. I became acquainted with a man who passed himself off as an ethnographer and a detective, who had studied legitimate material that I would find useful. Other friends of mine, who are legitimate experts in their fields, found out the truth about this person: he was an ethnographer, who had done no ethnographic work beyond college that could be verified, his resources were extremely suspect and tied to unrelated frauds in his area, he embellished most of his unrelated claims about himself and his work - a technique best known as padding one's resume', - and he wasn't even a detective. Though the law firm he worked with lists him as such, a friend of mine, who works for the I.R.S., discovered he was really little more than a process server. His wife was involved with various real-estate scam organizations in Florida, as well. He artfully presented his claims to indicate things he wasn't willing to back up, because he knew they weren't what he wanted others to make of them. Eventually, I did find legitimate and useful material, from legitimate sources, and have studied that. I continue to study it. I learned that he, essentially, ripped off what he was teaching from these resources, and made it look like it was his own material. His material was, for the most part, publicly available. While I suppose I owe him, for inadvertently steering me in the right direction, by making me look up legitimate resources on specific subjects he off-handedly mentioned, he still used social engineering in an artful manner, and all I actually can say I learned from him was how to con people, safely and successfully.

To close this post out, I leave you all with one of these legitimate resources, available to the public. You might say it's an integral part of fraud-busting, as they cover the techniques used by con artists to attack people. They also cover using those techniques for better communication, and the difference between ethical and unethical social engineering. I believe it's useful to everyone here, to some degree or other.

social-engineer.org

Even if someone is legit, they may sometimes be mistaken, or incorrect. Trust but verify.

You, and you alone, are responsible for any and all information you choose to learn from and support, so make sure it's solid.

Peer reviews and scholarly articles are a great way to verify a person's fitness to instruct. Many instructors are members of professional associations as well. Depending on the discipline you hope to practice, there are many ways to vet candidates and select the best one for you.

Always check to make sure somebody's accreditations and titles mean what the person says they do. Also check the source of diplomas, which might have come from an online degree mill.

All good points. Every once in a while, I see someone in the community post some questionable material or resources, and I figured this might help them find some better ones. Depending on their work, they could end up getting themselves, or someone else, killed with bad information from con artists.

I like to go back to an example from Plato when the issue comes up of whose advice or education to believe:

Two doctors come to a town. All the children are sick. The first doctor says, "I can help you, but it won't be easy. This is a very bad sickness. You must take medicine. It tastes horrible, but you must keep it down. Then, when you get better, you must begin bathing and exercising regularly and eating healthier foods so that this will not happen again. I'll only charge you the cost of the medicine. And I'll need beds for the sick in a well-aired place to work."

The second doctor says, "Forget that guy. You can pay me the same amount and get better by eating candy. You don't have to change anything about your lives, and it isn't painful at all."

Which doctor are the children going to listen to?

This is why we must be careful. A solution or answer that sounds simpler, easier, and all-around more pleasant may be tempting, but if it isn't legitimate it can do great harm.

Thanks for sharing, Anyman.

@Superman: Bullshit Meters can malfunction; you must have missed a lot of stuff when you were checking things out anyway. :/

John, I have a question you are best equipped to answer. I'm traveling to Fairbanks in February, and I've been to Alaska many times, but never as a tourist. I was wondering what spots you would recommend visiting if you were a first time visitor yourself?

Alaska Land is pretty cool; think it's called "Pioneer Park" now though; that kinda sucks. One of the many things that changed after I got back; Alaska Land was a big part of childhood haha.Oh; February....scratch Alaska Land; I don't think they're open or do much in the winter.

The Carlson Center might have some cool stuff going on; they have everything from singers and dancers to cage fighting; I met Glenn Beck there once, and if I recall correctly Cirque de Solei was going to perform there but tragically I didn't get an opportunity to go see them; really wanted to, I hear they're some of the best in the world. 

Huh; there's the Ice Park; should probably still be cold enough. They got some awesome sculptures made of ice; think they do competitions between artists. And if you have kids with you they got some cool slides and rides made out of ice too. 

The Santa Claus House isn't really in Fairbanks, but it's not to far south of Fairbanks; it's in North Pole, Alaska on either Santa Claus Lane or St. Nicholas Dr.; I forget which. They should be open; it's Christmas all year round there, decorations and all. 

Movie Theater on Airport Way as well as a bunch of diners and restaurants; think there's a new arcade too but it's kind of hidden; I kinda like the one they have at the Movie Theater/Regal Goldstream Cinemas better anyway though. Though the other one does have a pool table; that's about the only reason I go there from time to time; just a dollar if I recall correctly. 

The Blu Loon is a nice bar/movie theater; they have differents singers and bands travel through there a lot like the Carlson Center. 

Stay away from South Cushman Street from around 12:00AM to 5:00AM; bad part of town. If you're in the area earlier in the evening though you'll probably run into some Occupy Wallstreet/Homeless people, and a sweet/kind drunk old native lady named Ashtar who doesn't live too far away from her favorite bar but could use a capable gentlemen to walk her home to deter anyone from trying to take advantage of her usually enebriated state. 

There's some good sight seeing spots along the chena river and some cool rock formations a fair ways away down Parks High Way (If you've gone past Skinny Dick's Half Way Inn, then you've gone too far and. Ah; but in the winter time they're probably not nearly as interesting. Still; you may just wanna go drive out for the hilarious motel with the sign of some grizzly bears shagging each other haha. 

And in February the Northern Lights will most likely be out as well in full splendor; UFOs like to come out when the Aurora Borealis does so you might see some of those too seeing as Fairbanks is also inside the mysterious "Alaska Triangle".

And have a lovely stay in our fair city! XD (No place quite like the Last Frontier).

And if you happen to be a Freemason you could see about maybe attending a socializing/Brew Lodge meeting, have a few drinks, tell old stories/hang out etc. The Lodge is located at 402 11th Avenue. Near South Cushman; they usually have Brew Lodges on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM but masons usually start showing up around six. Good time to keep an eye out for Ashtar too haha. XD

South Cushman can be cool during the day time though;lot of little stores and gift shops and some bars, a gentlemen's club, etc; it's pretty much our equivalent of Time's Square/Downtown Fairbanks. Barnes & Noble isn't too far from there either; they got a nice big area with a fireplace to read books. If you like heights and pigeons, the top floor of the Park Garage near the court house is completely abandoned; kinda eerie with cars and trucks that have just been left there gathering dust for years. The pigeons don't seem to be too scared of humans either; they'll fly and land right on the ledge. Could be a bit of a romantic spot. But there's probably gonna be drug deals going on up there at night. 

If you drive way down the Richardson Highway towards Delta a bit there's some really breathtaking scenery spots of the mountains; provided it's not too cloudy/misty that day. 

....Huh; why are you coming here in the winter lol? Tourists usually like it better here in the summer months unless you're like really into snow sports, otherwise there's not too awful much to do. Alaska's kind of a bummer in the winter.

I heard that Alaska waa formerly a Russian Territory?

Yep.

Did I just visited the same topic again? XD

@Superman: Didn't see your post before. I haven't tried visiting your oh so precious "sensitive" areas anyway; being a know it all such as yourself, I'd assume you've noticed that I don't give a crap about the "ulab" or "earth agents". You're just an old annoying fart in my mind; stopped trying to be friends with you a long time ago. You must still be seeing me in strangers if you think I have that much respect for you. Used to look up to you. Then I just "kinda liked you". These days I just feel you're a senile old fool who likes to brag about how "smart" he is. Disappointing really; you'd have to do something pretty extreme before you get my trust back. 

There's times I think you might be changing, but I've known you enough years to know that it's all just an act. You don't really care about being a rolemodel. I know I've made mistakes too, but at least I'm big enough to be able to admit when I'm wrong and reflect on the path I'm on. I've stopped waiting for you to apologize for all the heartless things you've done though; in your own mind I'm pretty sure that you can do no wrong.

I believe the best way to judge a person's character is to look at how they treat their inferiors, or more broadly those they consider to be their inferiors--and even their enemies. I hope the day never comes when I have nothing more to learn from the "least among us", or those for whom I hold the least regard.

Unprofessional behavior on one side does not excuse it on the other side. Adhering to the principle of respect is not a matter of what treatment you think somebody else deserves. Rather, it's what kind of conduct you expect out of yourself.

This isn't me preaching. It's something I've tried to learn in the past from those wiser than me. I'm sure even my teachers slip up. But mistakes are nothing more or less than the opportunity to learn.

So, maybe it would be best if we didn't derail threads.

204, has your 'return' been cleared by Urban Avenger or are you returning on your own?

This is a serious inquiry and in respect to the community, its members, and the Moderator.

-Omen

Yes it, has been cleared; 30 day probationary status. I'd rather not be called 204 anymore though. :/

....You just posted this same thing on another thread. You can see my own blunt response over there. Pretty sure you guys don't have to post things twice; it's like Jacob Two Two or something lol. If you really want me to see something so badly you can just send a PM and I'd see it. 

Didn't see your other post on here: 1. Yep; there was a time earlier in the year that I still wanted to make things right with you. I don't anymore; I don't give a shit about what your opinion is anymore, I don't want to be your friend. You haven't received any requests from me recently for such, and you never will again. 

2. You should learn how to read between the lines and then read Hitler's quote (as well as my full post explaining the reasoning behind why it lead me to feel inspired), and quit trying to make me sound like the bad guy. Anyone who actually knows me (and you don't; no matter how much you may think you do), knows that I'm not the bad guy; I'm a deep thinker though, and people have trouble keeping up with me. 

3. You never gave me any chances; you never wanted to help me learn or grow, and you were significantly rude, disrespectful, insulting, and flat-out hurtful every single time. You're more deluded than I thought if you considered your verbal abuse "giving me a fair chance". Those posts are still up too. 

4. YOU were the one who wanted to talk with my mother, and then I laughed my ass off and eagerly gave you her number and told you that you are welcome to talk with her. Then you backed down. I don't give a shit either way if you talk with my mother; she knows me better than anyone so maybe some good actually could come out of it. I think you're just afraid of finding out that your perceptions of me are wrong though; that's probably why you slithered away the first time.

And seriously supes; that was years ago; I wasn't even firefighting at that point in my life. You're denser than I thought if you think a sixteen year old is exactly the same a few years later; things happen fast. Nobody ever stays exactly the same, people are naturally dynamic and polarized. You think you know how people work, but you prove time and time again that you don't. Maybe you need some therapy; worked wonders for me.

Please calm down, we are all in the same side here. How about we drop whatever bad vibes we have against one another for a second? How about we try not to throw one argument onto another? Look every bad friendships can be 'fixed' of we could just talk about it calmly. If you guys hate the other's opinion, just comment about it in a polite way. No need to argue.