The meaning of life in one word?
Well, sort of …
• Matter
• It matters
• What matters
• Mattering – you matter
Authentic – word of the year 2023
My personal word of the year is kayfabe. But …
Otherwise, in the wider, mainstream buzz: AP News, NPR, CNN, CNBC, …
So, in an info-verse awash in fake info, misinfo, disinfo, Merriam-Webster’s word for 2023 reflects erosion of the line between “real” and “fake.” And as traditional news sources are replaced by social media, presentation is everything – performative charm displaces deeper character [2].
Continue reading Authentic – word of the year 2023[M-W article below] Authentic is what brands, social media influencers, and celebrities aspire to be. … Ironically, with “authentic content creators” now recognized as the gold standard for building trust, “authenticity” has become a performance.
‘Good’ thinking is hard work – intellectual traits
I had an interesting chat last week with a member at my health club. Not just about sports. At one point, we agreed that not knowing what we don’t know is an issue. He said, “I can tell that you’re a thinker.” [2] Is that unusual?
So, this recent article (below) caught my attention.
Continue reading ‘Good’ thinking is hard work – intellectual traitsthe speed of truth – Mark Twain quotes
Pondering the challenge and pace of misinformation … some famous Mark Twain quotes from a time before social media and AI bots.
• https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/1244.Mark_Twain
“A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”
Continue reading the speed of truth – Mark Twain quotesbuilding attitudinal acceptance – personal testimonials
In today’s milieu of polarization, is there any path to acceptance of attitudes between different groups on controversial topics? And decisions and behaviors related to health? Particularly “when logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead.”
• phys.org > “Study shows testimonials can open acceptance to differing opinions on controversial topics” by University of Kansas (October 11, 2023) – Movies and larger productions have long known the influence of an engaging story on audiences.
Continue reading building attitudinal acceptance – personal testimonials
AC as necessity, not amenity – a future of life-support
Imagine Prometheus bringing ice rather than fire, to a new age.
The age of air conditioning. A complicated history. Conspiracy theories. Fading stoicism. Where would we be without AC? Something we take for granted. Yet, increasingly a Catch-22.
When I taught public school in the 90’s, there were times when I brought in my own fans for the classroom. Multiple fans. Is learning possible in sweltering school buildings not designed even for cross ventilation? No AC. Distant water fountains.
When will air conditioning be standard in cars and trucks – no longer optional?
Heat zones, longer summers, wildfire smoke, grid instability, … climate migration …
This article has historical photos and useful visuals, including a timeline chart “How air conditioning arrived in U.S. households” from 1915 to 2020.
• Washington Post > “Addicted to cool” by Philip Kennicott (Sept 21, 2023) – How the dream of air conditioning turned into the dark future of climate change
Continue reading AC as necessity, not amenity – a future of life-supportThe price of free
If something appears to be free …
… the old Earth saying, “if you are not paying for the product, you are the product.”
• Wiki:
“No such thing as a free lunch” (alternatively, “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch”, “There is no such thing as a free lunch” or other variants) is a popular adage communicating the idea that it is impossible to get something for nothing.
The acronyms TANSTAAFL, TINSTAAFL, and TNSTAAFL are also used.
The phrase was in use by the 1930s, but its first appearance is unknown.
The “free lunch” in the saying refers to the formerly common practice in American bars of offering a “free lunch” in order to entice drinking customers.
The expanding universe – cosmic dynamics
The universe is expanding. For billions of years. How fast is the expansion? Measuring this rate is a big deal in physics. Why?
Longevity and happiness? – Blue Zones
Is there a relationship between longevity and happiness?
Blue Zones? Five places around the world where people live the longest, healthiest lives.
• Today.com > “5 tips for living to 100 from a top longevity researcher” by Stephanie Thurrott (Sept 8, 2023) – Dan Buettner, who has been studying people who live the longest for 20 years, shares their secrets.
Continue reading Longevity and happiness? – Blue Zones
Robots don’t wipe butts – future of elder care?
Gerontology and Geriatrics
If we build them, will they be accepted? The Simpsons S31:E12 does not satirize issues about privacy and personal information – just butt wiping. [1] Might co-design and co-production of care robots improve acceptance? [2]
The crew
A team of international researchers, a model of robot acceptance, a small cross-sectional study across Japan, Ireland, and Finland.
The challenge
“Although care robots are being developed and improved at a rapid pace, their social acceptance has been limited.”
Continue reading Robots don’t wipe butts – future of elder care?Will androids be less tribal?
Contention arises easily from personality conflict. Sometimes such conflict is framed as that between different values. Yet, what strikes me more & more is that the problem is not unalike values, but that those values are applied only to one’s tribe. As noted in this article, “small tent” value systems – people loyal to their tribe, “and very unloyal to other tribes.”
In his latest Plaintext newsletter, Steven Levy recounts his conversation earlier this summer with legendary artificial intelligence researcher Geoffrey Hinton, “after he [Hinton] had some time to reflect on his post-Google life and mission” – in his “new career as a philosopher.”
Continue reading Will androids be less tribal?