Feynman Algorithm

Somehow, I'll take that "I have an unusual toolkit" theory over the "he's just super-smart" theory, especially since the later theory isn't really a theory but a "throwing-up of the hands" - and also, Feynman might know Feynman a little better someone else (though that's never certain either).<p>One thing I noticed in the Feynman book I read was that he seemed good at being willing to going for an outcome without engaging in the usual activity people think of as leading to the outcome - his safe-cracking involved a lot of social engineering rather than insight into the safe's mechanism. He got the safe open without "cracking" it.

I once had this taped to the wall of my cube when I worked for a small internet company. One of the C-level employees saw it and loved it.<p>In company meetings when we would be talking about a genuinely hard problem, this exec would say "well what I think we need to do is write this problem on the white board, think real hard, and come up with a solution". Silence + confused looks. This happened multiple times.<p>He ended up being fired within 3 months.

I think a huge reason Feynman seems so brilliant is because he didn't learn physics or math in a traditional way. He explored. He had passion for it.<p>Not unlike the manner in which many successful hackers learn.<p>Nothing kills your interest in a subject like taking it as a class and getting grades.

I really like the variation offered by IraCooper on that page,<p><pre><code> 1. Write down the problem 2. Become convinced it's very important, then think about it 3. Write down the answer </code></pre> My own problem solving attempts are often thwarted by me working for 20 minutes and then getting discouraged and convincing myself that what I'm working on isn't really that important. After which I, of course, waste the next hour watching hour tv or something.<p>If I've heard anything about Feinman it's that he was always deeply interested in everything he did, and his accomplishments reflect it.

I think that many such great thinkers have, due to circumstances and early on, have developed<p>(1) a unique, uninhibited way of looking at problems, i.e. not different from what's generally prescribed to entrepreneurs: Consider <i>every</i> possible lead, even if people say it's stupid/has been done, etc. Einstein, famously had difficulty at school as a kid, so he actually thought about many concepts that we take for granted or find silly ("what would happen if I shine a flashlight while riding a bike").<p>(2) power to concentrate on a problem. When asked how he came up with his solutions Newton said that he thought on the problem until the solution came to him. This sounds simple but embedding yourself in a problem like that is beyond most people's focusing skills (I can't go by 10 minutes without checking HN, for example).

I can't help but feel like this page does a huge disservice to what he was all about. He wasn't some mystical super brilliant genius. He was a guy who had some particular skills in thinking about problems and communicating them effectively. I have enormous respect for him.<p>Maybe I'm being too sensitive, but it seems like WAY too many things on that page miss the point completely.

How to Solve It, by G. Polya<p><a href="http://www.math.utah.edu/~pa/math/polya.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.math.utah.edu/~pa/math/polya.html</a>

I think I remember reading Feynman saying that you should always have 15 or 20 problems that you have percolating in the back of your mind at any given time. Then, any time you learn a new trick or technique, apply it to all of those problems. Sometimes the new technique will work really well on one of those problems and you'll look really smart, but all you did was apply a technique from one person to one of your old problems.<p>I can't find the reference now...

The story that best illustrates Feynman for me is in Surely You're Joking Mr F (I think - it might be the sequel). On a trip to Japan he insists on going to an area where there is 'nothing to see' rather than the standard tour, and of course discovers a unique and unspoiled part of the country. But even if he hadn't, he would have considered it a win - in another of his stories, he talks about going to bars and waiting for something interesting to happen, knowing that much of the time nothing of note would occur. That drive to keep experiencing something new, and the understanding that the drive would often lead to nothing, is inspirational to me, and I think is what led Feyman to so many interesting things in so many fields.

Reminds me of another classic Feynman/Gell-Mann quote, from <i>Surely You're Joking</i>:<p><i>Telegdi also sent us a letter, which wasn't exactly scathing, but nevertheless showed he was convinced that our theory was wrong. At the end he wrote, "The F-G (Feynman-Gell-Mann) theory of beta decay is no F-G."</i>

This works, sometimes. The other one that works even better is when explain the problem to your dog.

Here is what I would prefer to do:<p><pre><code> 1. Write down the problem. 2. Think real hard. 3. Program the solution. 4. Understand changes caused by the solution. 5. Iterate.</code></pre>

This must be later version — while a kid he skipped steps 1 and 3 (I am reffering to "He fixes radios by thinking" in <i>Surely You're Joking</i>).

For people not familiar with Feynman, here is a recent review of one of his story books:<p><a href="http://goo.gl/5QLaG" rel="nofollow">http://goo.gl/5QLaG</a>