at is important in life? Let's check with three groups who know about how to value a life: Insurance adjusters: Want some harsh truths about human nature? These guys will show you the dark side of evaluating lives when deciding how to pay out in wrongful death cases. Economists: Valuing things is their bread and butter. We can get some data-rich answers here. Old people: You're guessing what the rest of your life is worth. They've already finished the race.…
u Can Gain Real Super Powers No gamma radiation, spider bites or mutations necessary. A few simple tips from the blog can have you performing heroic deeds in no time -- cape not included. 1) Gain Super Creativity! Take a hot shower. Via Imagine: How Creativity Works: Why is a relaxed state of mind so important for creative insights? When our minds are at ease— when those alpha waves are rippling through the brain— we’re more likely to direct the…
ich is the machine? Computers are getting smarter and smarter. You've probably heard of the Turing test, where the object is to create a piece of software that can fool a person into thinking they're dealing with another person. Imagine IM'ing and not realizing the guy on the other side is not a guy at all. The Loebner Prize is a Turing test competition done every year to determine the software best able to fool human judges. Want to hear…
Buy A Notebook Many people have written to me saying they love all the research on bettering themselves but need that first step on how to shoehorn it in to their day-to-day life. Incorporating a lot of the blog's strategies can be as easy as buying a notebook. (No, it doesn't need to have glitter on it or say "MY SECRET DIARY" on the front.) Others might think: "I don't need to write stuff down. Reading is enough." Nope.…
all accounts, Paul Erdos was a very odd guy... If you were a friend he might show up at your house in the middle of the night wanting to do math and announce, "My brain is open." He wouldn't do laundry. If he was staying with you, you had to do it for him. If he wanted to work on a theorem at 5AM he'd bang pots and pans until you came downstairs. He is also one of the…
n you change for the better without changing what you think? Many people have read my blog for a long time, tried some of the things I've suggested and seen improvements in their lives. But some are surprised it doesn't affect their lives more. Why doesn't learning how your mind works dramatically change your behavior? The answer might be because we have the whole thing backwards. What if your mind doesn't change your behavior; what if your behavior changes your…
ere's a scientific reason to have hope Everyone says "have hope." Is that just silly pollyanna optimism? No. Actually there's a science to hope. Via Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined: In 1991, positive psychologist Charles Snyder and colleagues came up with “hope theory.” According to their theory, hope consists of agency and pathways. The person who has hope has the will and determination to achieve goals and a set of various strategies at their disposal to reach their goals. Put simply: Hope…
ue wisdom may start early in life Knowledge is easy. With the internet, information is ubiquitous and cheap. But what about wisdom? Scientists have a hard time even agreeing on its definition, but as the old saying goes, we all know it when we see it. Not much on the subject is clear and the research doesn't all line up but there's a pattern emerging that's curious and worth a look. Get the image of gray beards out of your…
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