“The Efficiency Paradox” by Edward Tenner

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  • Gaining efficiency in one place often means boosting consumption elsewhere
  • Maximal efficiency eliminates serendipity, even if it is desirable
  • If people believe something to be true, the consequences of the belief will be real
  • We lose something when shifting from using tools to managing tools
  • Software agreements protect companies better than hardware usage instructions
  • Self-delusion does wonders for innovation
  • It took 5 years for Britannica to go from peak sales to stop printing
  • “Computers don’t do what you want them to do, they do what you tell them to do.”
  • “Everything is miscellaneous”
  • Fake news is more like an invasive species, forcing out real news
  • Campbell’s law
  • Efficiency amplifies specific practices or minor advantages
  • We mistake speed for efficiency and ignore quality
  • Books are a “place” as much as they are content
  • Using GPS prevents our brain from mapping a route
  • “Local shortcuts” lose value when everyone is using them
  • A reminder that the more we use automation, the more we lose the manual skills
  • A limited “decision tree” can greatly speed up responses and related accuracy
  • ~30% of medical deaths are related to delayed diagnosis
  • Slow internet connections force us to more closely consider returned data

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