On Improvisation

Strategies to cope with change, uncertainty, technology, and mundane experiences.

A. On Richard D. James of Aphex Twin: “He drove a tank around England, claimed to live in a bank vault, spent long hours playing city-sim computer games on acid, and weaned himself down to just two hours of sleep a night so he could have more time to work. He trained himself to lucid dream so he could write songs in his sleep.”

B. How do you deal with a mis-tuned piano? Keith Jarrett’s live improvisations on the bestselling ECM album The Koln Concert recorded on 24th January 1975 provide one answer.

C. How can you use philosophy? You can better understand the fast food experience.

D. The United States has a semi-hidden reading crisis.

E. George Mason University libertarian economist Tyler Cowen is long on AI education.