Tag: brain


  • Maybe because I am a bookworm, but this is a tweet storm that I decided to make a blog post to better organize my thoughts. Investigation of truth The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman. Jeffrey Robbins (Editor). This provided confirmation bias on my love of tinkering on…

  • Tinkering

    Another Rands In Repose gem. Tinkering is a deceptively high-value activity. You don’t usually allocate much time to tinkering because the obvious value of tinkering is low. You don’t start tinkering with a goal in mind; you start with pure curiosity. I’ve heard about this thing, but I’ve never used it. How does this thing…

  • When we are happier, our brains work better. Part of this could be viewing stresses as opportunities. If the above video does not load, then try The happy secret to better work.

  • I heard about “eight hugs a day” months ago. I have brought it up in conversation a dozen times since. Glad the video is finally out. Where does morality come from — physically, in the brain? In this talk neuroeconomist Paul Zak shows why he believes oxytocin (he calls it “the moral molecule”) is responsible…

  • Watching The Brain. In talking about Tiger Woods’ putt, they guess that he really has consciously removed all anxiety by entering “The Zone”. (Must be old.) The physical manifestation of this is supposed to be his lack of blinking. Now that Tiger is not doing so well, does this mean he is blinking a lot…

  • I recently completed my first resolution for the year 2009: Read 12,000 pages. pp Check the Reading page for the master list. Titles in bold are the ones I recommend. (They also are probably the ones I quote the most.) Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space – Carl Sagan – 368…

  • Cannot believe I have yet to read NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children! It looks to have all the things I love: scientific studies debunking common assumptions, policy, school programs, etc. At least it is already on the wishlist. Also, I follow NutureShock on Twitter. A list of articles on the topic. The first part on…

  • In the Q&A, Stuart Brown, co-author of Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, rejects the idea play is a rehersal for adulthood. Stopping an animal from playing doesn’t prevent the animal from being a successful predator. REM sleep provides the rehearsal needed for learning. Play is the next…

  • My parents taught me as a child lying is harder than telling the truth. I am way too lazy to bother with anything other than using a tangent to change the subject. Simplicity also helps keep track of my life. I like understanding what is happening and why. Skills involved in deception also teach problem-solving,…