Mental state is a global thing. Work and play can't be cleanly separated, and the mindset in one realm leaks into the other.

It is important to talk with yourself, and it can be difficult to switch between talking with yourself and talking with other people, not the least because motivations and capabilities can be quite idiosyncratic. Talking to people different in want and ability requires both sides to drop to the lowest common denominator of common topics and interests - hence small talk. I don't enjoy small talk, but big talk is difficult when the room is diverse. Worst is when small talk masquerades as big talk, and all you get is buzzword slinging without much the way of insight being exchanged.

Ben Cashnocha said all this better

 

The introduction section of an academic paper is where the author describes the historical sequence of inquiries which lead up to the work detailed in the paper proper. Referees, who decide if the paper will be published, do not take kindly to the omission of their own work. Given that the referees are anonymous, this forces the author to tie in their work with that of everyone else as much as they can.

I used to think of this process as a corruption, but having done more research-type work, I've come to appreciate this organization a lot more. Innovation without context is a huge waste of time for the reader.

Thought of the day:

Prosperity that resulted from manufacturing jobs happened because even as the industrial revolution made human muscle worthless, it made human brains more valuable. Everyone who lost their muscle job got a new job for doing some menial but not capital-substituteable mental task.

This is hardly something that can be taken for granted for all productivity increases though. There is no guarantee that labor will always remain valuable.

But what about Baumol's Disease? If you think Baumol's disease will dominate, what jobs should you aim for?