Here’s a thought to ponder the next time you go stargazing: Scientists now believe that instead of an estimated 100 billion galaxies in the universe,  there are one TRILLION! (Whoops, we were just off by a modest factor of 10!) To me this is a wonderful metaphor for our ignorance. No matter how smart we are (or…

An army of ants is an awe-inspiring and efficient force of nature. While each ant is individually small, collectively they accomplish amazing things—provided they have a sufficient source of food. The same is true of today’s modern corporation—if it has a profitable source of revenue. Alas, when the food or the money dries up, both…

#5: They are cynically designed to drive traffic to the poster’s site. Therefore, they are designed for the benefit of the poster/writer—and not you. #4: They waste your time. It is estimated that it takes 25 minutes to refocus your attention on your work once you have been lured into reading an article such as…

Rule #1: Self awareness is never a finished product.

“In an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among…

For years, I have been telling people an amazing story of the healing powers of Aboriginal People of Australia that I had read about in a non-fiction book. The name of the book was lost on me but on a recent trip to Australia I learned the name was Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo…

Most of us are familiar with the famous classroom dictum: i before e except after c. It is helpful most of the time but not always. For example, do you find it weird that the word “weird” isn’t spelled wierd? If you wish to stay open to unlearning, it’s helpful to remember that every rule…

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson Question #27: What do chameleons do? They do many things but the one thing they don’t do is change color to match their background. Chameleons do change color in response to changes in light and temperature. They also change appearance when frightened or when…

“We are so good at seeing patterns that, often, we see them where they don’t exist.” –Michael Mauboussin Question #26: If you flip a coin 14 times which is more likely to occur: a) The coin will land on “heads” 14 straight times (H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H); or b) this random outcome: T-T-H-T-H-H-H-T-T-H-T-H-T-T? The answer is that the…

“Most people aren’t trained to want to face the process of re-understanding a subject they already know. One must obtain not just literacy, but deep involvement and re-understanding.” This wonderful quotation is from Charles Eames and comes compliments of Brain Pickings–a marvelously curated weekly newsletter for the insatiably curious. It reminded me of this quotation…