Algorithms To Live By Summary – How to Live Better?

Author: Brian Christian, Tom Griffiths

Synopsis
Algorithms To Live By (2016) is the distillation of the author’s quest to better understand the nature of human problems and solutions by drawing from the treasure trove of mathematical algorithms. The book provides simple, practical, and actionable insights, helping readers to make better decisions on everything from dating to buying a home — with examples from Google, Amazon, and Netflix. 
algorithms to live by summary
Source: amazon.com

Detailed Summary of Algorithms To Live

Algorithms To Live By Summary – computers, smartphones, and apps are changing our lives and, at the same time, being an integral part of it. However, we rarely think about how these technologies work, where they came from, and how they impact our everyday life. You won’t find many code samples here, but there are tons of interesting real-life examples.

But what is an algorithm? How does it work? How does it differ from ordinary computation? This book will answer these questions and describe the remarkable progress in machine learning that has taken place over the last few decades, enabling computers to beat humans at tasks where no computer could rival them just a decade ago.

This is a great book about thinking and living by the rules of logic. I enjoyed it because it’s a book that can be read many times without boredom, because there is some new knowledge or because it makes you think again of something you learned in the past.

The author teaches us that our brains always use algorithms to approximate incomplete information or focus on just the essential facts at hand and thus allow us to decide without being paralyzed. It is also a book about how some people are more likely to use these algorithms than others.

In addition, it is a book about detecting biases in ourselves and others, how to make good decisions, how to think about the future, problem-solving, and how we make errors in thinking. He teaches us how to survive the information overload of modern times. I believe this book teaches you how to see through certain types of people what they want.

Algorithms To Live By Summary Key Points

Being indecisive stops you from making a lot of decisions. This way, you require the algorithm to solve your common decision-making problems. Here are the book’s main key points that are considered the recipe (a series of steps) to resolve the particular issues. Moreover, it will also explain how our brain works all the time to solve problems and focus on things without being paralyzed.

You might also like to read Mindsight Book Summary.

Use the sorting Algorithms to Clean your Home

Most people have heard of these sorting algorithms, but they’re often misnamed, and many don’t understand how or why they work. Sorting algorithms are used to take a large collection of items and put them into a particular order, such as alphabetical, numerical, or numerical by price. Before we get started, let’s talk about how sorting algorithms work.

Home organization is the first step to a clean, welcoming, and relaxed home. If you’ve been living in your house for a while, or if you’re just getting started on a cleaning spree, you might find yourself trying (and failing) to organize messy areas.

Instead of giving up, try using one of these three sorting algorithms to tidy your house. The great thing about these algorithms is that they can be done by hand, which is great for people who are frequently short on time.

Let’s start with bubble sort because it’s the simplest. To use bubble sort, you have to have already added everything you need to sort into groups. Then, group the items into pairs (for example, socks) and place them into two piles.

Check whether the first item in each pair is bigger than the second by swapping them if necessary. Repeat until you’ve gone through all the items and the pairs are sorted.

Getting your home tidy is one of the most satisfying parts of settling down, whether you’re just starting with your first flat or moving house. Even better, it doesn’t have to be a chore. Instead, clever sorting can transform the most stressful jobs into quick and easy wins.

Use To-do Lists to Save Time

Do you like to-do lists? So do I. But the typical to-do list is a pain to manage. It’s tedious and time-consuming to sort, prioritize, and remember what you need to do. I’ve tried many apps with fancy features, but none were as good as my old pen and paper. We have already seen that there are clever ways to optimize your to-do list.

Now we will dig deeper into the math behind this. Let’s look at an algorithm often called the Earliest Due Date algorithm. It is an algorithm used in project management. Your task is to note down everything you have to do on a sheet of paper. You then place the sheet before you, close your eyes, and throw a dart at it. The first task you land on is your highest priority because it has the earliest due date.

Create a large sheet with all of your tasks on it. Starting with the first task, give it a due date one day before it must be completed. Repeat this step for all tasks on your list.

If any tasks fall on the same day, give them priorities based on their order from left to right on the list (i.e., what is leftmost has the highest priority). Choose by priority which tasks must be completed first, and mark them done. Move on to the next set of tasks that fall into the same day and repeat steps 3 and 4 until no more tasks are left.

Try mechanism Design and Game theory to Make your Decisions

Game theory and mechanism design are two ways to influence your decisions. Game theory deals with rational people making decisions based on other peoples’ choices. The seller’s goal is to get you to buy from them, which is pretty easy if you don’t have many other options, and the seller can charge whatever they want.

Most people would look for the best deal. Thanks to our friends in tech, the internet has made it ridiculously easy for people to offer whatever it is that you want to buy. When we go online, we have 500 options of shoes or 4 different kinds of cilantro!

The buyer’s problem is that they have a ton of choices and no good way to evaluate what they should get. Regardless of how you’re buying something, it’s likely that it’s a one-shot decision. We can’t try everything out before we buy it. In these cases, we use game theory.

Game Theory is a method for making decisions by analyzing how other people’s decisions affect yours. If you are going on a first date or trying to find a new job, the game theory might be how you decide what restaurant or job offer to choose.

Mechanism design is designing systems, rules, or incentives to influence people’s behavior. It uses mathematical models and economic theory to optimize decisions – from the stock market to voting and energy consumption. The aim is to influence you in a way that benefits everyone.

Algorithms To Live By Quotes

“Ignorance as a deliberate choice can be used to reinforce prejudice and discrimination.” Ian Leslie

“What makes us so adaptable? In one word, culture – our ability to learn from others, to copy, imitate, share and improve.” Ian Leslie

Algorithms To Live By Review

Algorithm To Live By guides us that algorithms are not just used in computers, but it helps us sort out our lives. We should learn, see and apply these algorithms daily because these are among the best and most meaningful life hacks. A must-read.

To Whom I Would Recommend Algorithms To Live By Summary?

  • Anyone who doesn’t like to clean his room.
  • A manager has a problem with managing.
  • Anyone who is a lover of Monopoly.

Link: https://amzn.to/3OEbiq0