#777: Derek Sivers, Philosopher-Entrepreneur — The Greatest Year of His Life

Derek Sivers has demonstrated significant personal growth through deliberate changes in his mindset about various aspects of life including coffee, programming languages, and pet ownership. He has shifted from strong dislike to genuine appreciation in several areas.

Derek has deliberately changed his mind on several topics, including coffee, programming languages, and rats, going from strong dislike to genuine appreciation.

Derek initially disliked coffee but eventually came to enjoy the distinct Emirati style of coffee, overcoming his long-held aversion.

Derek Sivers had never liked coffee despite encouragement to try supposedly excellent brews. While in the United Arab Emirates, he was invited to try their coffee as part of their custom, and to his surprise, he enjoyed the Emirati coffee, marking a change in his taste. He learned that only a few places, like Batil in Dubai, make real Emirati coffee. Derek reached out to his host to learn more about the coffee, showing a newfound interest and appreciation for it. At 55, Derek had hated coffee his whole life until he encountered the distinct Emirati style which he now enjoys.

Derek spent years resisting the Python programming language, viewing it as too similar to his preferred Ruby, but eventually recognized Python's elegance and beauty, demonstrating his willingness to challenge his own biases.

Originally fluent in Ruby, Derek shunned Python for years due to its similarities with Ruby and his prejudice against it. Upon finally exploring Python, he was amazed by its beauty, overhauling a 20-year-old opinion and embracing its use in his work.

Derek initially saw rats as pests to be eliminated but changed his perspective after his son proposed getting pet rats, leading Derek to discover their affectionate and trainable nature, and now he cherishes his pet rats.

Derek used to live in a basement with a rat problem, and he hated the pests. When his son asked for a pet rat, Derek was initially dismissive but eventually learned about their trainability and affectionate nature. He now loves the pet rats he has with his son and delights in their presence, displaying personal growth and a shift in perspective.

Derek embraces opportunities to challenge his own assumptions and preconceptions, viewing it as a path to personal growth and a fuller life.

Derek deliberately sought out experiences and perspectives that were outside his comfort zone, such as traveling to Dubai despite initial strong aversion, in order to expand his worldview.

Derek actively seeks out experiences that force him to question his beliefs. For example, his visit to Dubai, despite an initial aversion, helped him appreciate the cultural melting pot of the city and alter any misconceptions he had.

Derek sees value in trying unconv ...

Derek Sivers has a keen interest in thinkers who push the boundaries of conventional wisdom and challenge standard perspectives, targeting innovators like Rich Hickey and economists such as Tyler Cowen.

Derek is fascinated by thinkers who challenge conventional wisdom and offer lateral, creative perspectives, such as programmer Rich Hickey and economist Tyler Cowen.

Derek's admiration for the work of Rich Hickey, the creator of the Clojure programming language, shines through in his reference to a talk by Hickey titled "Simplicity Matters" or "Simple vs Easy," available on YouTube. Hickey makes a distinction between what is "simple" and what is "easy," with the former being standalone and not intertwined with other things, and the latter being within reach or skill set. Hickey posits that aiming for simplicity, although more demanding, ultimately yields systems that are more maintainable and adaptable compared to the false convenience that leads to complexity.

Tyler Cowen's analysis on income inequality and its propensity to foster high-quality dining experiences intrigued Derek. Cowen suggests that regions with significant income disparities create an ideal market for top-tier restaurants, where wealthy patrons can afford lavish meals while a workforce with lower income demands makes such ventures practicable. Derek considers this insight a "brilliant connection," indicative of his appreciation for unorthodox ways of understanding economic and social circumstances.

Rich Hickey's distinction between "simple" and "easy" in software design has influenced Derek's thinking about simplicity and complexity in life.

Derek shows how Hickey’s perspective has broadened his understanding of simplicity and complexity beyond software, contemplating how choices like marriage, having children, or adopting technology might complicate life. He concludes that foundational knowledge can help maintain simplicity in life, bypassing frequently complex high-level frameworks.

Tyler Cowen's analysis of how the dynamics of income inequality can foster great restaurants has provided Derek with a novel lens for understanding economic and social phenomena.

Derek's engagement with Cowen’s unconventional economics extends to considering the global implications of how societal structures shape cultural offerings, such as culinary arts.

Derek seeks to emulate the thought processes of thinkers he admires, even when he doesn't fully agree with their conclusions.

Derek holds musicians like Brian Eno and John Cage in high regard for their transformative thinking, inspiring his website, musicthoughts.com, while acknowledging that he doesn’t necessarily concur with their final artistic products. These artists provoke thought as Eno’s recording studio provocations and Cage's experimental compositions challenge fundamental preconceptions of music and artistic creation.

Derek is drawn to figures like Brian Eno and John Cage, who questioned core assumptions about art and music, as a way to ...

Derek Sivers is committed to transforming the translation process for his works to ensure quality and nuance are preserved, even if it means defying industry norms and developing unique approaches.

Derek is dissatisfied with the standard translation process, where the incentives often lead to merely "good enough" results rather than exceptional translations that capture the nuance and intent of the original work

Derek detects a misalignment of incentives in the translation industry that prioritize efficiency and cost over the artistry of translation. His observation is that the standard translation process commonly settles for results that are just "good enough" to satisfy market demands but fail to fully capture the essence of the original writing. He indicates that the incentive for translators and publishers is often geared toward adequacy for the purpose of compensation rather than striving for exceptionalism.

Derek recognizes that as an author who has carefully crafted his writing, he has a different set of priorities for translation quality than publishers or translators who are primarily focused on getting the work to market efficiently

Sivers points out the contrast in priorities between authors and the publishing industry. As a meticulous writer, he values translations that reflect the diligent effort he puts into his work. His intention is not merely to access markets but to convey his message accurately and effectively, a goal that often diverges from the industry's focus on time and cost efficiency.

Derek is exploring ideas like a crowdsourced, iterative translation model where readers can vote on the best sentence-level translations, providing financial incentives for continued improvement

In his quest for accurate translations, Derek introduces an innovative translation model that leverages crowdsourcing. His vision is a database where each sentence from his writing starts with a computer-generated translation. Human translators are then invited to enhance these sentences in a competitive, iterative process, where they are financially rewarded for each winning revision, as voted by readers. This approach aims to gradually elevate the translation quality through community engagement and translator motivation.

Derek is committed to ensuring his works are translated with the same level of care and attention he put into writing them, even if it means developing innovative approaches to the translation process

Sivers illustrates his dedication to high-quality ...