Fascinating. Any suggestions for how us "average Joe's" might get closer to his level of insight about anything when tackling new topics for self-driven education?

I feel like I could improve how I approach learning things in fields that are completely new to me, or where I'm far from an expert. From everything you have said and that I've read elsewhere, Gates and others at his level seem to have really honed their approach to learning and becoming able to have an informed conversation with an SME.