Jul 15 2008
Being forced into an unstable equilibrium can be good
I just played Cube Runner on the train. Cube Runner is an excellent, fun, free game for the iPhone.
I was doubtful before I started, but seems it is possible to play accelerometer games on the iPhone on a train.
In fact, I just got my hiscore.
This seems counterintuitive, like breaking a bone to reset it, but it forces you out of the comfortably wrong equilibrium where you try to control everything smoothly and puts you in the rough zone where you have to respond quickly.
In fact, unstable equilibria often have significantly better responsiveness than stable ones: modern fighter jets are made much more maneuverable by being aerodynamically in an unstable equilibrium.