The Pleasure of Finding Things Out

This is a fantastic book.

I'm a bit of a scientist-stalker and one of my favorites is Richard Feynman. (Who doesn't like this guy?)

I'm reading along in this book and it's got loads of practical advice.

Here's an excerpt I particularly liked and wanted to share.

Link to the story here.

It really gets my attention that it actually doesn't matter all the naming conventions and idiosyncrasies about an object you could name. If you don't know anything about how it works, or why then you truly don't know the object.

For instance, pretty much everyone has that "friend" that they know really well. You know what they like and don't like and how they react to tapioca, but you never can quite remember their name. Do you know them? If you know about their family and favorite book and what they want to do this weekend or where they want to go on vacation do you know them? Or do you know the person you were just introduced to?

Learning different languages really puts things in perspective. There are so many ways to name yellow. How do you describe it?

In another Feynman book (Quantum Man by Laurence Krauss.) He challenges us to explain left and right to an alien. It's very complicated. Try to figure it out.

"The prize is the pleasure of finding the thing out." That's the short version of his answer to winning a Nobel Prize in physics. How many people do you know that after achieving something of that magnitude would blow it off so easily? How much better do you think everything could be if people were more focused on doing things because they're interested as opposed to doing them for the rewards?

I don't run to lose weight, or beat a certain speed. I run because it's fun. Some days its not fun, its frustrating. Other days its a blast and I can hardly wait for the chance. The pleasure I get from running isn't all the goal setting and achieving or medals and PRs. The pleasure is in getting out there and discovering what my body can and won't do.