My knowledge is divided into four groups, if view on this one plane:

The stuff I know that I know. These are my areas of competence, the places where I know I shine. Unix. Autism. Mind-fu. Some limited form of mentoring.

The stuff I know that I don't know. These are my weaknesses. Social messages. Figuring out what makes people tick.

The stuff I don't know I know. These are times I surprise myself. This could be stuff that I've forgotten, or things that I have an innate knack for.

The stuff I don't know I don't know. This is where fear comes from. It's black, and any manner of things can hide in here.

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It'd be simple if that's all there is. It's never simple. Even thought I'm facing a void, I can parameterize it. I can know some things about the stuff I don't know I don't know.

For one thing, it's not in the first area, the stuff I know that I know. I'm sure of that, 100%. It might be in the stuff 'near' those domains, but the chances vary with how much I know the areas.

For another thing, even though I don't know the stuff in the "I don't know I don't know" area, I can make guesses as to the chances. How likely would some unfortunate happenstance be? If it were to occur, how would I get out? What would be the likely chance of success?

The numbers I pluck out of whole cloth are just that - stupid wild-assed guesses, or swag for short. But they are better than shrugging my shoulders and saying, I don't know. Often, they're close, too.

I guess that's another example of stuff I don't know that I know.