Press Enter

This morning Kenneth Iverson and I walked into a coffee shop together. He didn't know it. He has been dead for years. I had just read the first two pages of his mathematics book.

One sentence stayed with me: Before pressing Enter, think about what the result should be.

In other words, don't use the world to think instead of you. Build a model first. Then test it.

The experiment waiting for me had nothing to do with mathematics. It was hanging in my closet. The model was simple. Beauty. Not a particular blouse. Not jeans. Not sandals. Beauty itself. The outfit became the expression of the current model.

Then I walked to my usual coffee shop. I pressed Enter.

The computer happened to consist of several baristas who have known me for years. Without consulting one another, they all started giving me thumbs-up and telling me how beautiful I looked. I laughed.

Kenneth Iverson had suggested testing a mathematical model. I had accidentally tested an aesthetic one. The important part was not whether the prediction came true. The important part was that reality answered.

The coffee shop became a compiler.

It returned the current state of my model.

The Department of Magical Causality immediately claimed another victory. It announced that beauty and HRV had been correct all along. The Department has a remarkable publication record despite never producing a controlled study. I have learned not to argue with them. They are very persuasive.

What surprised me most, however, was not the coffee shop. It was recognizing that Iverson and I had been performing the same operation in different domains. He used clocks, toasters and computers. I used a floral blouse and coffee. Both begin the same way. First, build a model. Then, instead of arguing about it, press Enter.

The world is often kinder than debate. It simply replies.