Tools, Resources, and Insight to Amplify your Knowledge and Elevate Your Consciousness |
Newsletter - September
22nd, 2014 - Volume 1, Issue 18 |
TSW Posts from the Past Week |
Links worth Investigating |
Did the Vedic Philosophy Influence the Concept of Free Energy and Quantum Mechanics? Tesla, Bohr, Heisenberg and Schrödinger regularly read Vedic texts. How to Apply Lateral Thinking to Your Creative Work. Why? Because sometimes, the most elegant solution presents itself when you approach the problem sideways, rather than answering it head-on. Scientists agree: Coffee Naps are better than coffee or naps alone. (I've known this to be true for 30 years...). Meditation Can 'Debias' the Mind in Only 15 Minutes 12 Facts About Microwave Ovens That Should Forever Terminate Their Use. There are no atoms, molecules or cells of any organic system able to withstand such a violent, destructive power for any
extended period of time, not even in the low energy range of milliwatts. The Daily Routines of Famous Creative People. It turns out great minds don't think alike. Discover how some of the world's most original artists, writers and
musicians structured their day, based on 'Daily Rituals' by Mason Currey. Very nice interactive infographic. A Wealthy Capitalist on Why Money Doesn't Trickle Down. Nick Hanauer, venture capitalist and self-described "plutocrat," says a healthy economy and an effective democracy depend on a thriving middle class of
workers. By 2025, half the kids born in the U.S. will be diagnosed with autism, according to Dr. Stephanie Seneff, Senior Research Scientist at the MIT Computer
Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. She, like many others says autism isn't just genetic - it is almost surely due to environmental factors. Just a couple of those factors are Monsanto's RoundUp (glyphosate) and heavy exposure to a cocktail of heavy metals, including aluminum. The inaugural celebration of the 20 most talented young photographers on Flickr. Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder (Incerto) - by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Taleb is the author of the well known business best-seller the Black Swan - the idea that we live in a world of extreme randomness and that our ability to predict highly unlikely
events is very low and when they happen (because of our tendency to make predictions based on extrapolating linear trends) - the appearance of a black swan as an example - we are ill prepared to deal with them. Anti-Fragile picks up on this theme and explains that in Mr. Taleb's view, there are three states that any idea, person, institution, political ideology, business model (anything
really) inhabits: (1) Fragile - if a negative event happens, the entity breaks or gets worse; (2) Robust - the entity doesn't get worse or better, but stays the same; and Antifragile - the entity actually gets better or strengthens when an adverse events occurs. It's a good model and you'll find yourself analyzing everything you encounter to determine where it falls in one of the three buckets (including yourself!). It's also a frustrating book because what Taleb recommends to achieve Antifragililty, is not necessarily very appealing. It's an ideology along Libertarian lines - that since there is massive randomness, everything
will get better the less you mess with it (the smaller the government the better) and allow it to succeed and fail on its own. Now, there is a lot to be said for failure making you stronger (I in fact cover it in my book), but the idea of letting things fail taken to its extreme (die, or be injured due to lack of oversight, limited regulation, etc) misses the underlying truth of interconnectedness among all of
us. I was amused at some of Taleb's examples of robust people and institutions. In one case, he describes two brothers - a London cabby and his brother, a finance manager at a bank (both are in their fifties). Taleb describes how the cabby is antifragile because he has no salary and must try hard to get new rides every day in order to make his income and he cannot be fired from his job. The finance manger on the other hand can be laid off at a moment's notice, and at age
fifty, would have a hard time getting another job and therefore is fragile. Both brother's total yearly earnings are almost identical and so the cabbie wins by a mile. At the surface level, this appears to be true - anyone who has ridden in London cabs is certainly impressed by the capability and intelligence of the drivers - they all have to pass rigorous memorization tests of local routes. But of course their whole system is enabled and protected by the government: the
government is the one that sets the standards and tests that cabby's have to pass; limits how many licenses are given so that there is not too much competition; and then provides all citizens with an array of social services including healthcare, pensions, and guaranteed vacation time. So in that system, yes those cabbies can enjoy very nice lives. They are antifragile because of the system that is enabled and created by the tax payers of London to whom they are all connected.
But they of course may quickly become fragile when Google and others get driverless cars deployed everywhere and the first occupation to be eliminated will be cab drivers! That said, lot of what Taleb points out makes sense and developing the ability to accept, absorb, and learn from your mistakes to be even better when bad things happen, is something we could all benefit from achieving. West Indian Girl - West Indian Girl - the
Los Angeles based group specializes in "Dream pop, neo-psychedelia, and space rock". No, seriously. Don't let that deter you, they are really interesting.
Music Happens Between the Notes - Yo-Yo Ma interview on the
On Being podcast. Not only is he the world's greatest cellist, he's also a beautiful human being (and a systems thinker who practices unity consciousness...).
- Kris Delmhorst - Blood
Test - singer-songwriter Kris Delmhorst was raised in Brooklyn and trained as a classical cellist. Her early work landed her in jazz bands and she then translated both those experiences into her current singing and writing style. She writes great lyrics and has a wonderful voice.
"To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time." - Leonard Bernstein "I never allow myself to have an opinion on anything that I don't know the other side's argument better than they do." - Charlie Munger (Warren Buffet's business partner) "The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." - George Bernard Shaw "Information is having a library of books on shipbuilding. Knowledge applies that to building a ship. Access to the information - to the books - is a
prerequisite for the knowledge, but not a guarantee of it. Once you've built your ship, wisdom is what allows you to sail it without sinking, to protect it from the storm that creeps up from the horizon in the dead of the night, to point it just so that the wind breathes life into its sails. Moral wisdom helps you tell the difference between the right direction and the wrong direction in steering the ship." - Maria Popova "In the last analysis, what we are communicates far more
eloquently than anything we say or do." - Stephen R. Covey You don't comb the mirror, you comb your own hair and the mirror changes. - David Icke
Question to Ponder for the Week |
What's been under your nose all along that you need to "re-discover"? Someone, a "thing" around
the house, a book read long ago, a movie forgotten, pictures or home movies yearning to be seen again. 1989. From my "cowboy" days working at Texas Instruments in Dallas, Texas. I spotted this real cowboy while on a visit to Fort Worth one afternoon. A man just enjoying a break from the cattle - cigarette, musical instrument, and big belt buckle. All a cowboy ever needs... Have a great week, Stay Positive, and Let Your Thoughts Manifest all your Desires.
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