This TED Talk by Alain de Botton addresses an interesting issue. Secularists (atheists, secular humanists, etc.) may be missing some vital social and psychological benefits enjoyed by religious people. Entirely apart from the questions of whether various religious doctrines are valid, the social structures and aesthetic infrastructures of religions meet real needs that even nonbelievers [...]

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Best presentation I’ve seen on how brain structures and processes give rise to consciousness and the sense of self

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Stanford University, a premiere higher education institution, is offering a growing number of free courses. Currently, courses with a free, non-credit option are all in the computer science curriculum, but may soon expand to other disciplines. This is a positive development for quality higher education–a much needed experiment in a time when growing acceptance of [...]

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“Reality is so complex, we must move away from dogma, whether it’s conspiracy theories or free-market. Our analysis is reality-based.” So says James Glattfelder, member of a Swiss team that used complex systems science and advanced data analysis and modeling tools to reveal ownership and control relationships among the worlds largest (financially) corporations. The fact [...]

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Exactly like being right — Insightful talk on the bubble of rightness we are each stuck in.

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I arranged to be replacing a heating element in my glass-top cook surface when my friend Jerry–troubleshooter and fixer extraordinaire–arrived to retrieve some project management books I’m loaning him. Jerry had given me a multimeter last year. I had never removed it from the package, and had little idea what to do with it. Wife, [...]

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My advisor was sufficiently satisfied with my dissertation idea paper to form my review committee. Welcome to Drs Mark Givins and Qi Wang. I look forward to pressing on to completion!

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Maybe one of the most important videos you could watch this year — learn how web search progressively cuts you off from the world you live in.  

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Scientific American provides an example of the sort of risks and costs we tend to lose sight of while worrying about flashier, more politically marketable, yet relatively minor risks, such as losses to terrorism: It is the ultimate paradox of American health care: going to the hospital can kill you. Every year nearly two million [...]

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After reading Scientific American for many years, and having added its web content to my mind diet a few years ago, I have gained a great appreciation for the incisive commentary of much of the readership. In keeping with informal observations and research on social conventions in various modes of communication, letters to the editor [...]

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