

104: Snakes in a cave, or why biases aren't bugs
May 18, 2025
35:27
In which we sit in the garden, roast gently in the sun, and talk about cognitive biases, Panglossian optimism, Russian roulette, snakes on planes, and why most design is... fine actually. A very one-take kind of episode. Leaf-in-coffee energy throughout.
- Confirmation bias affects individuals. But if you want to harm an entire organisation, you need validation.
- You can be right, they can be right, or (more likely) you’re both missing something and a third way exists.
- Heuristics are usually good. It’s when you step into a new context that they betray you.
- Change start with acceptance. Weirdly, that’s when things can shift.
- Almost everything on our shelves is poorly designed in some way ... and yet it’s still there.
Links, Ideas, and People Referenced
- Gary Klein – firefighter heuristic/pattern recognition story – more at https://youtu.be/QKpMLYwLRR4?si=8ie9txFbL__Q88gI
- Daniel Kahneman – cognitive biases, focusing illusion
- Nora Bateson – snake instinct, context-specific intuition
- XKCD’s "10,000" Comic – https://xkcd.com/1053/
- Taylor Pearson on Ergodicity – https://taylorpearson.me/ergodicity/
- Prisoner's Dilemma – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_dilemma
- Candide by Voltaire – Dr. Pangloss and "all for the best" satire
- Gary’s Economics (YouTube) – https://www.youtube.com/@garyseconomics
- Oliver Burkeman – stress, lateness, perspective
- 10–10–10 Rule – “Will I care in 10 minutes, 10 months, 10 years?”
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