In Praise of Disorganization

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/78/3f/b4/783fb49fe712f4ef014ba6eb3811a949--albert-einstein-a-einstein.jpg Einstein's Desk the day he died One of my favorite detective shows is Monk. It's about Monk, a private detective who suffers from many many many Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders, one of which is that he insists on having things separated into their own domains. Peas not touching corn on the plate. The extreme nature of …

Where Did It Come From? (To be fair, follow-up)

First, a video where a contestant masterfully maneuvers to … well, to see what happens, watch this memorable short segment, where the rules are detailed at the beginning. Please watch at least until the contestants start “negotiating”, no prior knowledge needed, sfw, audio required: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0qjK3TWZE8 If you watched 5ish minutes you know what the definition …

It’s not too late: let me tell you why!

https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_buettner_how_to_live_to_be_100 Following the thought-provoking discussions (thank you!!!) on Do You Invent Your Future, it seemed to most of us that a human life is just too short for long term planning. But is it? One of my favorite TED talks is How to live to be 100+. The speaker, Dan Buettner, speaks about his findings …

Are You Anxious about the Future?

I used to have access to a research librarian for a couple years, and it was a glorious boon! I would tell her about a new project I was going to embark on, what challenges I was thinking of tackling, what areas were of most interest to me, and she would come back a couple …

Are there Magical Numbers?

When discussing how many #1 priorities one can have, Wynne brought up an interesting point about the power some numbers have. She related how her father gave sermons that had no more than 3 points, and asked if there was something magical about the number 3. Not for the first time, she got me thinking …

Criteria: Where To Live

Thanks to the great input we received in response to Where to start a New Era, we’re able to publish a draft of the criteria of where’s a good place to live. You know how we can make the list better? By having more input on it, more critical eyes, more discussion. So please do …

Where to start a New Era?

We live in an interesting enclave. We don’t get good cell reception, but we also don’t get roaches in our entire section of suburbia. We’ve lived here for over 20 years, so we should know by now. And, no, we’re not blind to insects. We’ve had huge and ominously shiny black widows (fortunately, only on …

What is the first name EVER to be written in human history?

I once read a thesis that the Greek written language started with the writing of the Illiad and the Odyssey. What a marvelous way to start one’s language! Greek probably didn’t start that way, but I always remembered that tidbit fondly. It had me wondering about the potentially enchanting reasons for humans to first start …

Are you afraid not to work?

What would you say is important to get ahead in life? Health? Knowing the right people? Education? Luck? Hard work? Something else? (Non-rhetorical question alert! J Please share your thoughts). 73% of Americans say it’s very important (a 10 on a 0-10 scale!!!) to work hard to get ahead in life. It’s not uncommon for …

Can a honeymoon period continue endlessly?

We’ve been relishing our Endless Weekend now officially for over 2 years. Some people may refer to this period as “retirement”, but that word has nothing but bad connotations. For us, it’s been a glorious honeymoon period. If all had gone according to our Endless Weekend plan, we should have been writing this blog from …