« Another reason for an increased ability to think in the abstract using symbols and hypotheticals is that our lives in general have become more complex and require more symbolic and abstract thinking even in everyday lives. Flynn points out that even when it comes to popular culture like TV shows, nowadays they routinely feature fairly complex multiple interweaving story lines even in sit-coms, unlike the simpler and more linear ones that were the norm even as late as the 1970s. Our work and leisure activities and the technology we use today all require us to manipulate symbols and use abstract reasoning to a far greater degree than people in the past or even people now who live in different cultures.
LKM's stuff
« As journalists interviewed in the documentary repeatedly say, high level government officials leak even classified information to media all the time in order to make themselves and the government look good, so it is not leaks themselves that are the problem. The government only vigorously prosecutes any leaks that make it look bad, irrespective of whether it helps or harms the country.
«
The two men strolled into the hall to order tea from white-uniformed waiters. As they returned, Kumar said, “We are in big trouble,” and motioned for Thakur to be quiet. Back in his office, Kumar handed him a letter from the World Health Organization. It summarized the results of an inspection that WHO had done at Vimta Laboratories, an Indian company that Ranbaxy hired to administer clinical tests of its AIDS medicine. The inspection had focused on antiretroviral (ARV) drugs that Ranbaxy was selling to the South African government to save the lives of its AIDS-ravaged population.
As Thakur read, his jaw dropped. The WHO had uncovered what seemed to the two men to be astonishing fraud. The Vimta tests appeared to be fabricated. Test results from separate patients, which normally would have differed from one another, were identical, as if xeroxed.
Thakur listened intently. Kumar had not even gotten to the really bad news. On the plane back to India, his traveling companion, another Ranbaxy executive, confided that the problem was not limited to Vimta or to those ARV drugs.
“What do you mean?” asked Thakur, barely able to grasp what Kumar was saying.
« One of Indonesians’ favorite food is noodles. But there is a problem with some of the noodles. Some noodle-makers were caught putting dirty used underwear in the soup. They believe that with dirty underwear and a little bit of prayer, they could make the soup taste better and could attract more customers.
Sounds plausible. Skeptics Organize in Indonesia - CSI
« Having read The Da Vinci Code with close attention to its sales figures, I have a great belief in Dan Brown’s attractions as a writer. The belief is all the greater because I can’t quite define what those attractions are. Certainly they don’t have anything to do with his prose, which would be unreadable if it were not so riveting. From that strange anomaly, I deduce that it’s his ability to ‘tell a story’ that pulls in the customers. (I once met a man who told me that he was reading all of Jeffrey Archer’s novels for a second time because of Archer’s ability to ‘tell a story.’ I asked for more details, but the man was led away to take his meds.)
Clive James on Dan Brown: ‘I pity him deeply’
(On a related note, I enjoyed Inferno. I can get over eminent book writer Dan Brown’s quirky, yet precarious writing style if the plot, written using a quilt fashioned from African Mahogany that once belonged to erudite, although not overly handsome forty-year-old carefree college athlete Robert Langdon, is exciting and gets my eyes white, like a shark about to attack. The Lost Symbol’s plot was boring, but Inferno’s isn’t. It’s not as good as The Da Vinci Code, which keeps the tension up by not revealing the main mystery until the very end. Inferno’s mystery, on the other hand, is pretty much revealed a third through the book, after which we’re left with an enjoyable scavenger hunt. During the book’s final twenty or so percent, the plot eventually does collapse under the weight of its own complexity and becomes unbelievable and somewhat annoying. But overall, it was an almost entirely enjoyable read.)
«
You’re so sensitive. You’re so emotional. You’re defensive. You’re overreacting. Calm down. Relax. Stop freaking out! You’re crazy! I was just joking, don’t you have a sense of humor? You’re so dramatic. Just get over it already!
Sound familiar?
If you’re a woman, it probably does.
Do you ever hear any of these comments from your spouse, partner, boss, friends, colleagues, or relatives after you have expressed frustration, sadness, or anger about something they have done or said?
When someone says these things to you, it’s not an example of inconsiderate behavior. When your spouse shows up half an hour late to dinner without calling—that’s inconsiderate behavior. A remark intended to shut you down like, “Calm down, you’re overreacting,” after you just addressed someone else’s bad behavior, is emotional manipulation—pure and simple.
« Today’s International Day Against Homophobia rally in the capital city of Georgia was broken up when priests and thousands of other Georgians burst through police lines and attacked gay rights activists.
I guess they were following Jesus’ lesser-known proverb: “All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also punch them in the face: for this is the law and the prophets.” May 17, 2013 | Evening Edition
« The Mac on your desk or on the cafe table next to you has a chip with secret functions that can be unlocked only by inputting a spell from the Harry Potter series. That’s right, the SMC, or system management controller, a chip used to regulate a Mac’s current and voltage, manage its light sensor, and temporarily store FileVault keys, contains undocumented code that is invoked by entering the word “SpecialisRevelio.” Those are the same magic words used to reveal hidden charms, hexes, or properties used by wizards in the Harry Potter series written by author J. K. Rowling.
«
Many people in creative fields share, to varying degrees, a psychological phenomenon known as “impostor syndrome.” Those who experience this syndrome doubt their own competence in the face of overwhelming evidence of their skills. They have difficulty internalizing their own accomplishments.
Alexander Bruce, sole creator of the multiple award-winning, $1 million-plus grossing Antichamber, travelled to the Game Developers Conference all the way from Melbourne, Australia. Instead of enjoying congratulatory conversations with the developers he admired, he decided to sleep most of the week away in his hotel room. Alone.
“I go to something like GDC and everyone else is way more excited for me than I actually am for myself. Because I’m only seeing problems.”