SweepIQ is basically a Perplexity-style tool, but free — thanks to Amazon affiliate links — and with a stronger focus on topic exploration.
Nice touches: follow-up questions, structured themes, and an “explain like I’m five” option (would love a slider for that).
Rough edges with saving and sources, but overall a solid entry point for learning any topic.
vouaobrasil · 5h ago
I'd rather not learn more, faster, and I think the attitude of wanting to do so is unhealthy, as well as is the attitude of optimizing productivity.
I think it's better to learn for the love of it, and keep the automation of learning to a minimum. I understand the desire to make learning faster in the short term, but I can't help thinking that in the long-term it leads to imbuing learning with an atmosphere of necessity and the stripping of beauty from the holistic experience of learning as wonderful discovery. No thanks.
lgas · 4h ago
Learning more faster and learning for the love of it are not mutually exclusive. Also there are different contexts in which I want to learn, and in some of them, speed matters, in some it doesn't. I don't think it makes sense to make blanket statements like this even about your own learning, much less about others.
vouaobrasil · 4h ago
I think when speed matters in learning, it's time to modify one's life so that it no longer matters. I understand necessity, but that's just the constraint of a suboptimal condition. I think it makes total sense, and we need more absolute stances rather than acting like optimizing machines.
aminsadeghi · 3h ago
Pracically, most of the time, IMO, where learning speed matters, is when you're competing against someting, could be an individual, or a startup, etc, which doesn't seem to be the optimal condition one would like to be in.
Jarwain · 3h ago
First counterexample that comes to mind, you're traveling to a country for one reason or another, and it'd be helpful to learn or know more of the language. The faster you learn, the more helpful it'll be.
Another example, your friend's band's guitarist got sick and you've got a week to learn a full set's worth of music
Generally I find some urgency to be a nice motivator
jeisc · 4h ago
I queried Trump and it only covered his first term...
Nice touches: follow-up questions, structured themes, and an “explain like I’m five” option (would love a slider for that).
Rough edges with saving and sources, but overall a solid entry point for learning any topic.
I think it's better to learn for the love of it, and keep the automation of learning to a minimum. I understand the desire to make learning faster in the short term, but I can't help thinking that in the long-term it leads to imbuing learning with an atmosphere of necessity and the stripping of beauty from the holistic experience of learning as wonderful discovery. No thanks.
Another example, your friend's band's guitarist got sick and you've got a week to learn a full set's worth of music
Generally I find some urgency to be a nice motivator