Steven Johnson: How to Write with AI | How I Write Podcast
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The Sweet Spot of Surprise
Surprise is crucial for learning, as the brain constantly makes predictions about what comes next. When reading, being bored indicates predicting the next steps, while leaning forward and engaging suggests being surprised. The challenge is to be intrigued but not completely lost. In the book 'Infernal Machine' and others, surprises come from connecting different fields or disciplines in unusual ways, such as weaving the birth of forensic science, early NYPD detectives, and anarchist bombings in New York City.
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