How to learn quickly from the dark side

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

How to Learn Quickly from the Dark Side

I have recently been hanging around some er... unsavory... places on the Internet to get a certain kind of er... information I need right now.

(No, I am not talking about porn or gambling and I am not going back to my evil ways of yesteryear, but I do know how to get along with the dark side and I do know how get the information I need.)

Since I am a reformed bad guy and now wear a white hat, imagine my jaw dropping open on reading some of the best advice on rapid-fire learning I have ever encountered from a couple of these dudes from down under. (I will not identify these people and will paraphrase and summarize their advice in my own words as I am sure they would prefer to remain anonymous.)

Tip No. 1 - Crash course on an unfamiliar business

1. Go to some online magazine sites like Forbes, Fortune, Business Week and other top business magazines. In the search field for previous articles, type in the keywords that identify the business you want to learn about.

2. When the articles come up, print out at least 10 of them all total, but a few more is better. Do not read them on the computer. Print them out. Go on up to 50 if you find some shorter ones, but that's already pushing it a bit too hard.

3. After they are printed out, sit down somewhere quiet, preferably in your favorite chair with some kind of beverage to get real comfortable, and read them with all your attention. Full focus.

This should take about an hour. After that, you will know more than 99% of the rest of the world knows about that business and often more than many of the professionals in it.

Tip No. 2 - Quick book reading

1. Read the Table of Contents

2. Read the Index. The entire Index, word for word.

3. Read the Index again, looking for what you liked or what caught your attention.

3. Read the first paragraph of the first chapter (or two paragraphs if they are short).

4. Read the last paragraph of the chapter (or two paragraphs if they are short).

5. Go through all chapters that way. The idea is that in most chapters the author will (a.) say what he is going to tell you, (b.) tell you what he wants to tell you, and (c.) say what he just told you. The middle is usually fleshed out with padding—filler material, stories, quotes, experiences, etc. Make sure the last paragraph(s) retells the first with a different slant, otherwise dig a bit deeper both ways.

You are done.

This takes about 10-15 minutes and should make you smarter over time. (You can also save a lot of money at book stores like that. The guy recommends buying a coffee or something and never doing more than five books at a time so you don't tick off the store's employees. )

Tip No. 3 - Talking with experts

You can get by on 90% knowledge with the vast majority of people, but with experts (the top 3% or so), they require a different approach. And they are usually where the money and opportunities are, so this is very useful to learn.

First you need vocabulary. (The following examples are the ones the guy gave, slightly changed.)

Medical patients don't just have problems. Patients present problems and symptoms. Clients of lawyers aren't engaged in unlawful activity. They exhibit behavior. Architects don't provide solutions. They offer visions.

And so on.

As for learning, you can get a handle on the 10% you don't know by skimming magazines at book stores 2 or more hours a week. Specialty magazines are written by experts. It takes some time, but it works.

Conclusion

These methods should not be used where real in-depth learning is needed, but they will serve you for most of the areas in life you have to deal with that are outside your field of expertise. Also, I can't think of a better introduction to a new subject you want to learn than by doing these things.

Why can't we get that kind of objectivity on the white-hat side?

Michael

[John Dailey]

MSK:

~ Worthwhile 'tips'; not really'new' though, to say the least.

~ Meproblemis: what makes all of this..."The DARK Side" of info gathering about how to read others' alleged 'info'? --- Sounds like merely 'common sense' spelled out (as such often needs to be on most subjects for those unfamiliar with said subject) in a...specifically logical...procedure.

???

LLAP

J:D

Edited April 3, 2008 by John Dailey

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

John,

Yeah.

The dark side has to be real careful. That is why they are objective. Those who are not don't stay around for very long.

When they insist on illusions, the price is a bit higher than for the rest of us.

Michael

[John Dailey]

MSK:

~ The DARK side is 'objective' only the way con-artists are: myopically-oriented 'street-smarts.' Aka: knowing that enough others are gullible in trusting what's said/presented by the DARK ones, and, how to present illusions as being not-such.

~ Most of us aren't Houdini, who made a later life out of discovering and showing how one's trust-in-others can be fooled/betrayed; unfortunately, most of us don't learn (and certainly are rarely taught how) to make a lifestyle of...being from 'Missouri' (aka "Show Me!) --- Most of us non-'cons' are too ready to buy the snake-oil item/message from a 'sincere' persona...until we get bit by the snake; unfortunately, for most not schooled about such, that may take too lethally a long time.

2Bcont

LLAP

J:D

[John Dailey]

~ I'd say that the 'LIGHT' side gullible ones are no less 'objective' than the 'DARK' ones; they're merely unschooled/ignorant of how one can be fooled by those practicing the DARK side of fooling...like TV-evangelists...or, our present Presidential-candidate politicians; then, there are the DARK side voters. Methinks such now make up our present electorate.

~ The latter care not what 'we' all lose, and merely think, er, scratch that word: merely hope that they will gain...something ('somehow') from the favor-granting power-elite they vote in, regardless themselves or the rest of us re our needs, and self-responsibilities of personal autonomy (aka 'liberty'). --- Mesuspects the 'responsibilities' part is what the latter have a prob with.

2Bcont

LLAP

J:D

[John Dailey]

~ The 'Emperor' IS coming...and our grass-roots electors have, on average, been granting (ever since B. Clinton's RE-election)...the DARK side of life more power, in their choices of law-makers. That Hillary's gotten as far as she's gotten, regardless that what all know of her behind-the-closed-doors style of law-(er, 'policy'-) making shows this.

~ Our electors (the majority, that is) no longer have the 'sense-of-life' Rand once spoke about; they've shown a non-'OBJECTIVE' sycophancy to any Hitler ready to take over, who'll give the pure-democracy mob their favors.

~ The LIGHT side, as well as the DARK side, can be 'objective'; indeed, it has to be for the DARK to parasitically use the LIGHT. That is, given their goals/purposes, and persevering determination about such; there's just not very many...any more...on the LIGHT side. --- Not 'united', anyways.

~ I empathize with Obi-Wan and Yoda...now.

LLAP

J:D

Edited April 3, 2008 by John Dailey