Introduction

(story of failure)

the most challenging part of research happens *before you begin*, when
you don't know what questions to ask, what problems you want to solve.

Many books explain 'how to do research' when the researcher knows what their
(research) or question is in the first place. But no book teaches what to do
*before* you know what your question is.

When faced with the question of where to begin, most people look for *outside*
guidance and validation.

Self Centered Research - A Manifesto

1. a practice of research that emphasizes starting on a research journey based on

where you are *right now*, staying with *your* curiousity, biases, etc vs pursuing
topics and questions you think might please an imagined or real *external* judge.

2. an ethic involving knowing your positives and negatives and remaining centred.

3. a state of mind involving figuring out your values, ideas and assumptions in
shaping your agenda and direction of your research, leading you to find a research
problem meaningful to you *and* to the world at large.

The end goal of SCR is, just as with conventional research methods to come up with
a compelling scholarship that changes how other people think.

The first precondition of excellent scholarship is to have a research topic

question that is > passing fad or something assigned to you.

Two core propositions of the book ==

1) research can be a life changing experience if you get a few things right at
the start.
2) the most important part of research is finding your center.

Research involves not just solving problems but finding them.

Specific techniques designed to accelerate a generative process designed to

accelerate a generative process that lead you to *discover* an underlying research
problem, then (KEY) make an actual project out of it.

ways to distinguish between unproductive uncertainty, to know when you are on the
wrong path, and turn back, and productive uncertainty, when it may *feel* like you
are lost, but you need to keep going.

- how to find your first research project

- if you have ideas and questions, how to find out which of these to invest your
time in.
- if you already have a well defined project, how to refine and deepen your
research, uncovering possibilities you didn't know existed.
- if you are a veteran researcher, a philosophy of research, and strategies you can
pass on to students.

specific techniques to develop the following skills, in short supply everywhere,

how to
1. choose a research topic
2. transform the topic into a set of concrete and compelling questions
3. identify the underlying problem motivating the questions you are asking
4. deal with your preconceived biases and assumptions
5. articulate stakes involved in the problem, and prioritize competing
interests and concerns
6. approach and navigate the broader community of researchers who work on the
same topic/field as you
7. discover and map out relevant researcher communities beyond your field
8. find sources useful to your research.
8. use sources to refine research questions
10. deal with mental roadblocks and keep momentum
11. how to remain flexible and motivated as a researcher.

All exercises in the book are based on three principles

1. attentive, non judgmental self observation
2. give oneself permission to state tentative, vulnerable, things out loud
3. writing things down (KEY)

point of all this writing is to generate 'self evidence' - clues to help figure out
answers to questions a researcher must answer.
1. Why am I so concerned with this topic?
2. what is it about this subject that I think holds the key to some larger
issue?
3. Why does this primary source jump out at me?
4. Why do I keep coming back to topic X?
5. What is my problem?

(_ all this sounds like an expanded form of 'research logbook/diary')

"Self Evidence" is a valuable form of research note taking. These notes are similar
to notes experienced researchers routinely make when they investigate primary
sources, carry out interviews etc.
*Self* evidence because they unearth questions *you* find significant.

Commonly made mistakes

1. not letting yourself be vulnerable
2. not listening to yourself
3. not writing things down.

it hard to avoid impulse to be defensive, to protect yourself.

'sounding board' - a mentor, teacher, friend

prepare yourself for conversations with such people. Make talking to someone you
trust a regular habit in your research process.

Try This Now

- to kickstart habit of writing a habitual part of the research idea generation
process,
- create a record of your research thoughts, speculations, goals *before*
you have a research project.

writing these is not a "pre work" verbiage generation process, to be thrown away.
Instead writing regularly *is* part of the research process.
This
(1) creates an evolving record of your thought process.
(2) continuously externalizing your thoughts -as record and for collaborators
(3) making writing a regular habit
(4) practise with different types of writing, each supporting a different phase
of the project

Exercise 1: Write Down

1. What you want to accomplish with your current research project
2. What topics or question interest you?
3. What would "success" be for you?
4. What is the ideal research outcome?

KEY : no pressure, you are writing for yourself.

Common Mistakes: = writing for someone else, trying to sound important, rationalize
your goals.
Now, just try what you want to research.

Applying to Glimmer

what I want to accomplish ideally

- build a reservoir of personal knowledge, here logic processing algorithms
from Harrison, continuation passing shenanigans from EoPL
- learn how to build a commercial grade interpreter/compiler - specifically how
Lua and Femtolisp work
- the above two give 'edge' over CRUD devs
- also opens/sets up other projects -
(Harrison) learn how to build Interactive Theorem Provers. Build one /
add rules to Coq, for temporal logic.
(EoPL/DCPL) sets up Patt/chip level complier knowledge acquisition
embed Kamin interpreters in Java games / port them to
OCaml/Java/Kotlin/whatever
'pile of books' strategy - Hutton, Harrison, EoPL, DCPL in dev, STE,
$mathlogicbook, Orders and Lattices in Math
sets up algorithms and data structures push by providing a context for
efficient ds/algos (logic processing or interpreters/compilers)
(Harrison) software foundations push (Harrison completion sets this up)
- deepens basic FP via programming extensively in Haskell, possibly SML even.
- ability to develop in SML important to react dev. possible pattern extraction
here.

-(KEY, distinct thread) fluency in TRIZ + EDB thinking, to think of new

products, analyze existing products to build competitive alternatives etc.

- build 1st two steps worth of Bardon skills + first 32 k of focused NSJ.
together with dev + math above, should be a quantum jump from where you are now.

Part I Become a Self Centered Researcher

guides you through the process of centering your research questions / aligning them
with your internal questions.
this != your research will be philosophical. you are not writing *about* yourself
but *from* yourself.

goal == you are aware of your own motivations and values, are confident of your own
priorities, have taken stock of your assets, capabilities, limitations.

Basic Process
In Chapter 1: transform a vague and grand sounding topic (whether self or other
generated) into a series of preliminary but concrete questions.
Chapter 2: Analyze the questions from chapter 1, understand the underlying
patterns that connect some if not all of them. What appeared to be a random set of
questions will form a coherent picture, helping you identify your Research Problem
Chapter 3: take your questions + problem from step 2, convert them into a
viable research project rooted in the primary sources.