What, Why & How do we Know ?
The problem of brutal language, (from 1897). “Unmailable” – Via Language Hat, so I kinda trust its authenticity … worth reading the thread … authentic language from the time, but probably a contemporary spoof – to make the point. ‘Twas ever thus. Compare and contrast with Sam’s “Youth of Today” post.
The four cities of Florence, Sheffield, Tuscumbia and Muscle Shoals are grouped together a few miles downstream from where we are here at Huntsville / Madison on the Tennessee River in Alabama. In their “Sweet Home Alabama” Lynyrd Skynyrd pointed out that in “Muscle Shoals they have The Swampers” and here’s what they were on about … Continue reading “Muscle Shoals’ Place in Music History”
Shortly after I started blogging, I stopped to capture some references to / reviews of the few books I’d read that had made an impression before I’d started the psybertron research quest (see header). T. E. Lawrence “Seven Pillars of Wisdom” was one of those. The review I posted then has never been more than … Continue reading “More Pearls of Wisdom”
Yet more from Anecdote. A great Dilbert cartoon, about the artificiality of fitting numbers and rationality to strategic plans. Works on many levels. The “complexity” in the square root of the negative number, or simply the fact that the result is “imaginary”, and the strange recursion in the mobius strip timeline. Many a true word. … Continue reading “Those Darned Numbers Again”
The “Data Rat” from David Pope, via Anecdote. Also from the guys at Anecdote, Two linked posts on building trust and the value of silence in narrative knowledge. And, a link to Malcolm Gladwell’s blog. Not really a fan of Gladwell, in the sense that I saw a lot of over-sensationalised unoriginality in his Tipping … Continue reading “Data Needs Human Input ?”
Don’t normally do politics if I can help it. Here goes. There is a long “have your say” thread on the BBC site, of public opinions on Iran re-opening its nuclear plants. There is a preponderance of opinion attacking US & Western “hypocrisy and arrogance” in expressing opinion and raising the subject on EU and … Continue reading “Iran’s Nuclear Capability”
I mentioned earlier I had started reading Dennett’s “Freedom Evolves” and it seemed promising then. I actually think it’s his best yet. Convincing common-sense and hugely entertaining, with some great laugh-out loud gags for good measure. He’s working up to the evolution of morality and values, via the arms race and economics of mental evolution. … Continue reading “Why Waste a Perfectly Good Horse’s Head ?”
Is near the core of my agenda – life’s complicated enough – just enough that is to make it a serious error to work with an over-simplified view in any context, in any environment, in any organisation. Anecdote here has a video link to a presentation on the subject by Michael Crichton (Yes, that Michael … Continue reading “Managing Complexity”