Jay Arraich’s Photoshop Elements Tips
Jay Arraich’s Photoshop Tips - Sharpening
"Set the Amount slider to the maximum 500 %. Increase the Threshold slider until sharpening in unwanted areas such as skin, and shadows has disappeared. Increase the Radius setting as much as you can without obliterating needed details. This can vary quite a lot from image to image. Go back to the Amount slider, and set it for as much or as little as you like, which will most frequently be somewhere between 100 and 200 %."
29.9.02
Struggling to Use Technology
... studies on how people actually use spreadsheets. Few can use them, even after training. Most users' spreadsheets don't contain formulas. People cut and paste data and use the spreadsheet only because it creates neatly formatted tables.
Books: Breaking Open the Head
Excerpt: Welcome to Breaking Open the Head a companion website for my book, which includes a cultural history of psychedelic use, philosophical and critical perspectives on shamanism, and my personal explorations, ranging from transcedent to terrifying...
Excerpt: "Shamanism is a technology for exploring non-ordinary states of consciousness in order to accomplish specific purposes: healing, divination, and communication with the spirit realm. The characteristics of shamanism were defined by the religious historian Mircea Eliade: "special relations with 'spirits,' ecstatic capacities permitting of magical flight, ascent to the sky, descent to the underworld, mastery over fire, etc." Shamanism can also involve magical transformation of humans into animals, prophetic dreams, and interaction with the souls of the dead.
"The belief system of shamanism posits, besides the dimensions of space and time that are tangible to us, other dimensions, accessible through heightened consciousness or trance. These other dimensions, which pass through every human being, are often represented by the Axis Mundi, or World Tree, with roots reaching down into the lower domains of ghosts and spirits, and branches stretching up towards the gods.
Excerpt: "Shamanism is a technology for exploring non-ordinary states of consciousness in order to accomplish specific purposes: healing, divination, and communication with the spirit realm. The characteristics of shamanism were defined by the religious historian Mircea Eliade: "special relations with 'spirits,' ecstatic capacities permitting of magical flight, ascent to the sky, descent to the underworld, mastery over fire, etc." Shamanism can also involve magical transformation of humans into animals, prophetic dreams, and interaction with the souls of the dead.
"The belief system of shamanism posits, besides the dimensions of space and time that are tangible to us, other dimensions, accessible through heightened consciousness or trance. These other dimensions, which pass through every human being, are often represented by the Axis Mundi, or World Tree, with roots reaching down into the lower domains of ghosts and spirits, and branches stretching up towards the gods.
Interesting Atlantic Monthly Article: Imperfect Information
Imperfect Information
"Stiglitz, by contrast, made his mark by identifying the ways in which the unregulated market does not work. The free market model, in its purest form, assumes that all actors have access to perfect information. Stiglitz's most influential work has begun with the assumption that people often act on imperfect information. If you assume imperfect information, he has found, an unregulated market often will fail to produce an optimal result."
"Stiglitz, by contrast, made his mark by identifying the ways in which the unregulated market does not work. The free market model, in its purest form, assumes that all actors have access to perfect information. Stiglitz's most influential work has begun with the assumption that people often act on imperfect information. If you assume imperfect information, he has found, an unregulated market often will fail to produce an optimal result."
Why we prospered
Excerpt from The Atlantic: "As the chairman of Bill Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers, and subsequently as the chief economist of the World Bank during the East Asian financial crisis, Joseph Sitglitz was deeply involved in many of the economic-policy debates of the past ten years. What did this experience tell him? That much of what we think we know about the prosperity of the 1990s is wrong. Here is a revised history of the decade, by the winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Economics, by Joseph Stiglitz "
Metafilter | Community Weblog
"MetaFilter is a community of users that find and discuss things on the web. The topics run the gamut, and tend to run intelligent and civil. If it's your first time here, hang out, and get a feel for the place."
"MetaFilter is a community of users that find and discuss things on the web. The topics run the gamut, and tend to run intelligent and civil. If it's your first time here, hang out, and get a feel for the place."
Author: James Gleick
Useful and interesting website for James Gleick, author of Chaos: Making a New Science (Viking Penguin, 1987) and Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman (Pantheon, 1992).
26.9.02
Digital photo tips for my head
Resizing 5700 images: Nikon Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review
"The easiest way to do it NOT to go to image resize. After you load your photo, select the CROP tool. You will see under the menu a place where you can enter width,height and resolution. Set it width to 10 and height to 8 (or the other way for vertical) and around 200dpi for resolution. Then use the CROP tool by dragging it over the photo. The selection area will be in the dimensions that you want. When you get the selection area looking like the result that you want, then right click and choose crop. The photo will then be in the correct size and resolution.
The crop tool remembers the settings for the next photo that you want to resize. Make sure you are using the CROP tool and not the selection tool(square box)."
"The easiest way to do it NOT to go to image resize. After you load your photo, select the CROP tool. You will see under the menu a place where you can enter width,height and resolution. Set it width to 10 and height to 8 (or the other way for vertical) and around 200dpi for resolution. Then use the CROP tool by dragging it over the photo. The selection area will be in the dimensions that you want. When you get the selection area looking like the result that you want, then right click and choose crop. The photo will then be in the correct size and resolution.
The crop tool remembers the settings for the next photo that you want to resize. Make sure you are using the CROP tool and not the selection tool(square box)."
Dictionary.com/ethereal
e·the·re·al Pronunciation Key (-thîr-l)
adj. Characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; intangible.
Highly refined; delicate. Of the celestial spheres; heavenly. Not of this world; spiritual. Chemistry. Of or relating to ether.
[From Latin aetherius, from Greek aitherios, from aithr, upper air.]
e·the·re·al Pronunciation Key (-thîr-l)
adj. Characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; intangible.
Highly refined; delicate. Of the celestial spheres; heavenly. Not of this world; spiritual. Chemistry. Of or relating to ether.
[From Latin aetherius, from Greek aitherios, from aithr, upper air.]
Smart Mobs - The Next Social Revolution
Howard Rheingold's interesting blog for his book "Smart Mobs" ("Whole Earth Catalogue" and a bunch of other more recent stuff?).
Excerpt: Technologies of Cooperation: Forgiveness pays off as a strategy, according to modeling research reported in A forgiving strategy for the Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma, Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation vol. 3, no. 4, 2000.
"Thanks to nonzero.blogspot.com
"This paper reports results obtained with a strategy for the Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma. The paper describes a strategy that tries to incorporate a technique to forgive strategies that have defected or retaliated, in the hope of (re-)establishing cooperation. The strategy is compared to well-known strategies in the domain and results presented. The initial findings, as well as echoing past findings, provides evidence to suggest a higher degree of forgiveness can be beneficial and may result in greater rewards."
Howard Rheingold's interesting blog for his book "Smart Mobs" ("Whole Earth Catalogue" and a bunch of other more recent stuff?).
Excerpt: Technologies of Cooperation: Forgiveness pays off as a strategy, according to modeling research reported in A forgiving strategy for the Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma, Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation vol. 3, no. 4, 2000.
"Thanks to nonzero.blogspot.com
"This paper reports results obtained with a strategy for the Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma. The paper describes a strategy that tries to incorporate a technique to forgive strategies that have defected or retaliated, in the hope of (re-)establishing cooperation. The strategy is compared to well-known strategies in the domain and results presented. The initial findings, as well as echoing past findings, provides evidence to suggest a higher degree of forgiveness can be beneficial and may result in greater rewards."
David Weinberger's Weblog: About Tom Peters
Excerpt: "I got to go be in the live audience yesterday of a Tom Peters webinar where for an hour he railed, riffed on great quotes, told stories, and test-i-fied. Hell of a performance. While the rest of us are nattering among ourselves, Tom is out making converts among the heathen. Go, Tom!
Business is about passion. Leadership is about being able to say "I don't know." "Don't rebuild. Reimagine." "Don't hire someone who had a 4.0 GPA. The definition of a 4.0 student is someone who's bought the act." And he tells how the war in Afghanistan was fought much more efficiently because direct, person-to-person communication was enabled — Instant Messaging was way important among stealth soldiers on the ground — rather than mediated through the Last War hierarchy of command.
Excerpt: "I got to go be in the live audience yesterday of a Tom Peters webinar where for an hour he railed, riffed on great quotes, told stories, and test-i-fied. Hell of a performance. While the rest of us are nattering among ourselves, Tom is out making converts among the heathen. Go, Tom!
Business is about passion. Leadership is about being able to say "I don't know." "Don't rebuild. Reimagine." "Don't hire someone who had a 4.0 GPA. The definition of a 4.0 student is someone who's bought the act." And he tells how the war in Afghanistan was fought much more efficiently because direct, person-to-person communication was enabled — Instant Messaging was way important among stealth soldiers on the ground — rather than mediated through the Last War hierarchy of command.
Motorola: New chip will bring GPS to all - Tech News - CNET.com Motorola is unveiling a global positioning system chip it says is the first GPS satellite sensor small enough and hence cheap enough for practical use in consumer-electronics devices such as cell phones and notebook computers.
The Instant GPS chip will give users of such devices the ability to tap into a satellite system and pinpoint their geographic location. Measuring only 49 square millimeters, or less than half the area of a Pentium 4 processor, the chip will sell for roughly $10 in volume quantities, said Tim McCarthy, business director for GPS at Motorola's Automotive Group's Telematics Division. That should let device makers add GPS for about a quarter of the cost of current multiple chipsets, which run about $40.
"All of a sudden, starting 10 or 15 years ago, every electronics device had a clock," McCarthy said. "I see position awareness going down that same path. It's just a question of how long it takes."
The Instant GPS chip will give users of such devices the ability to tap into a satellite system and pinpoint their geographic location. Measuring only 49 square millimeters, or less than half the area of a Pentium 4 processor, the chip will sell for roughly $10 in volume quantities, said Tim McCarthy, business director for GPS at Motorola's Automotive Group's Telematics Division. That should let device makers add GPS for about a quarter of the cost of current multiple chipsets, which run about $40.
"All of a sudden, starting 10 or 15 years ago, every electronics device had a clock," McCarthy said. "I see position awareness going down that same path. It's just a question of how long it takes."
25.9.02
Science's 10 Most Beautiful Experiments
Excerpt: "Whether they are blasting apart subatomic particles in accelerators, sequencing the genome or analyzing the wobble of a distant star, the experiments that grab the world's attention often cost millions of dollars to execute and produce torrents of data to be processed over months by supercomputers. Some research groups have grown to the size of small companies. But ultimately science comes down to the individual mind grappling with something mysterious."
By George Johnson
Excerpt: "Whether they are blasting apart subatomic particles in accelerators, sequencing the genome or analyzing the wobble of a distant star, the experiments that grab the world's attention often cost millions of dollars to execute and produce torrents of data to be processed over months by supercomputers. Some research groups have grown to the size of small companies. But ultimately science comes down to the individual mind grappling with something mysterious."
By George Johnson
BT Technology Journal Conclusion
Excerpt: "We are entering a very dangerous period for the human
species, one which we might well not survive. The manner in which we proceed will determine our chances of survival, but historical evidence relating to our basic human nature suggests that we will make many poor decisions and put ourselves at much greater risk than would be necessary with better planning."
Excerpt: "We are entering a very dangerous period for the human
species, one which we might well not survive. The manner in which we proceed will determine our chances of survival, but historical evidence relating to our basic human nature suggests that we will make many poor decisions and put ourselves at much greater risk than would be necessary with better planning."
BT Technology Journal: Environmentalism and anti-science
Excerpt: "Everyone wants to look after the environment, but there is strong disagreement about what this means and how best to do so. There is also disagreement about the relative benefits, costs and risks of new developments. Whereas some see more science and technology development as the source of potential improvement, others see it as a threat to the environment and want to hold back ‘progress’, unable to distinguish between science and technology, let alone uses and abuses. The latter school is currently ahead in terms of public support. Because they distrust scientists and the big technology companies, much scientific opinion about causes and effects in our environment is discounted. Policies are often decided without the benefit of good science, or even in spite of it, with studies selected according to whether they have come up with the ‘right answer’. The result is often a degradation of the environment.
"In spite of our low understanding of the many complex interactions in our environment, we are forced to tamper with the systems on a regular basis. Dangers arise in much the same way as for a toddler, playing with a chemistry set aimed at teenagers. The potential for making a mess of environmental management is high, but we unfortunately do not have much time in which to research, understand and master control of the key interactions that govern our environment. So even with the best of intentions, the future is probably further degradation."
Excerpt: "Everyone wants to look after the environment, but there is strong disagreement about what this means and how best to do so. There is also disagreement about the relative benefits, costs and risks of new developments. Whereas some see more science and technology development as the source of potential improvement, others see it as a threat to the environment and want to hold back ‘progress’, unable to distinguish between science and technology, let alone uses and abuses. The latter school is currently ahead in terms of public support. Because they distrust scientists and the big technology companies, much scientific opinion about causes and effects in our environment is discounted. Policies are often decided without the benefit of good science, or even in spite of it, with studies selected according to whether they have come up with the ‘right answer’. The result is often a degradation of the environment.
"In spite of our low understanding of the many complex interactions in our environment, we are forced to tamper with the systems on a regular basis. Dangers arise in much the same way as for a toddler, playing with a chemistry set aimed at teenagers. The potential for making a mess of environmental management is high, but we unfortunately do not have much time in which to research, understand and master control of the key interactions that govern our environment. So even with the best of intentions, the future is probably further degradation."
BT Technology Journal: Positive feedback
Technology development includes a large measure of positive feedback. As we get faster and better computers, we have more assistance in doing science and developing new technologies, in every field. Many of the consequential new discoveries and technology developments then have an impact on progress in computer technology. The rate of technology development accelerates. Technology acceleration will continue for decades, as we are a long way from fundamental limits in most fields. In areas where we are limited by our intelligence, ultrasmart computers will eventually take over, and they themselves are liable to technology feedback. This double exponential rise in capability means that at some point, the rate of development will be so rapid it will be as if extraterrestrials had landed and given us all their technologies. We will see more development in a decade than in the previous millennium. We do not know exactly when this ‘singularity’ will occur but it will probably be in the next three decades. The 2020s might well be a golden decade for technology. The downside is that we are unlikely to be able to predict the consequences of the developments sufficiently to guard against negative effects. The ecosystem, environment, economic stability and social systems might all take a severe battering.
Technology development includes a large measure of positive feedback. As we get faster and better computers, we have more assistance in doing science and developing new technologies, in every field. Many of the consequential new discoveries and technology developments then have an impact on progress in computer technology. The rate of technology development accelerates. Technology acceleration will continue for decades, as we are a long way from fundamental limits in most fields. In areas where we are limited by our intelligence, ultrasmart computers will eventually take over, and they themselves are liable to technology feedback. This double exponential rise in capability means that at some point, the rate of development will be so rapid it will be as if extraterrestrials had landed and given us all their technologies. We will see more development in a decade than in the previous millennium. We do not know exactly when this ‘singularity’ will occur but it will probably be in the next three decades. The 2020s might well be a golden decade for technology. The downside is that we are unlikely to be able to predict the consequences of the developments sufficiently to guard against negative effects. The ecosystem, environment, economic stability and social systems might all take a severe battering.
BT Technology Journal: What's next? Graduality
Excerpt: "Technology mostly develops gradually, so gradually in fact that many people tell me that nothing much has changed over the last decade. Yet a decade ago, they were probably not using a PC, or cellphone, satellite TV, or even a fax, let alone a Palm Pilot or DVD drive. People quickly forget what things used to be like. In the same way, attitudes change gradually, yet over a few years they can change dramatically. We have seen almost an inversion of morality in just two decades in several fields. Many things that were socially unacceptable are now fashionable. Although GM and cloning are considered by most people to be undesirable, very soon they could be universally accepted and anyone criticising them will be considered an oppressor, a bigot, or backward. Even nuclear power may make a comeback and be considered environmentally friendly. But such graduality is a danger because it means that with sufficient marketing expertise and enough time, almost any new technology or social attitude change can be rolled out. Whatever reservations we may have today about any new or potential technologies, we cannot be certain that they will be rejected for long.
Excerpt: "Technology mostly develops gradually, so gradually in fact that many people tell me that nothing much has changed over the last decade. Yet a decade ago, they were probably not using a PC, or cellphone, satellite TV, or even a fax, let alone a Palm Pilot or DVD drive. People quickly forget what things used to be like. In the same way, attitudes change gradually, yet over a few years they can change dramatically. We have seen almost an inversion of morality in just two decades in several fields. Many things that were socially unacceptable are now fashionable. Although GM and cloning are considered by most people to be undesirable, very soon they could be universally accepted and anyone criticising them will be considered an oppressor, a bigot, or backward. Even nuclear power may make a comeback and be considered environmentally friendly. But such graduality is a danger because it means that with sufficient marketing expertise and enough time, almost any new technology or social attitude change can be rolled out. Whatever reservations we may have today about any new or potential technologies, we cannot be certain that they will be rejected for long.
Photos: Flow Album
Collection of everyday 'art' photographs ... what is the allure? Discussion of technique here and also here
Collection of everyday 'art' photographs ... what is the allure? Discussion of technique here and also here
The Packaging of Video on Demand
Interesting take on how its most efficient to distribute dvd's (digitsal information) by mail.
Interesting take on how its most efficient to distribute dvd's (digitsal information) by mail.
BT Technology Journal: Networked stupidity
Various articles about the possible future.
Excerpt: "One of the drawbacks of democracy is that people have an equal say regardless of their level of understanding of an issue. Most countries have circumvented this problem by using representational democracy, underlaid by armies of expert advisors. However, the growing Internet is a platform on which a more direct form of democracy can flourish. Instead of decisions being made by our representatives, they can be made by networked communities. Groups of people of like mind can link together on the Net and flex their economic muscle effectively and very quickly. While some of these communities will be acting for the greater good, many will not; neither will they all be run by elite minds. We may thus have a form of networked stupidity, with enormous potential power but little collective brain — the power of the mob on a global scale!
Another form of networked stupidity results from the network itself and the installation of some, but not enough, intelligence. This is the opposite problem to too much AI —I am not sure which presents the bigger problem. A dumb network is just that, but one that has been given some autonomy and can make decisions, but only has a small amount of information and intelligence to process it, is potentially more of a threat than an asset; and yet we are building it. With only a small array of sensors and data inputs, networks are starved of information about their environment. The knowledge that the computers connected to them possess is infinitesimally small, a tiny fraction of what humans would consider ‘common sense’. In spite of this, we entrust ever-more decision making to them. Provided that the field they have jurisdiction over is limited to their area of expertise, there is little problem — but this is almost impossible to arrange even today. Systems are increasingly interconnected, so the effects of decisions are no longer local. Totally innocent pieces of software on different systems can interact in unforeseen ways and cause problems. No-one knew how much of a problem Y2K would be because of the interconnection of systems. It was just one of an infinite family of potential problems resulting from system interaction. Another class of problem results from correlated traffic, where resonance and overloads can easily occur. The more complex our systems become, the worse the potential problems can be; but at the same time, we become more dependent on them. Until system components have enough intelligence and awareness to ‘feel there is something wrong’, figure out what is happening, and find a solution all by themselves, we must accept that system unreliability goes hand in hand with technology progress."
Various articles about the possible future.
Excerpt: "One of the drawbacks of democracy is that people have an equal say regardless of their level of understanding of an issue. Most countries have circumvented this problem by using representational democracy, underlaid by armies of expert advisors. However, the growing Internet is a platform on which a more direct form of democracy can flourish. Instead of decisions being made by our representatives, they can be made by networked communities. Groups of people of like mind can link together on the Net and flex their economic muscle effectively and very quickly. While some of these communities will be acting for the greater good, many will not; neither will they all be run by elite minds. We may thus have a form of networked stupidity, with enormous potential power but little collective brain — the power of the mob on a global scale!
Another form of networked stupidity results from the network itself and the installation of some, but not enough, intelligence. This is the opposite problem to too much AI —I am not sure which presents the bigger problem. A dumb network is just that, but one that has been given some autonomy and can make decisions, but only has a small amount of information and intelligence to process it, is potentially more of a threat than an asset; and yet we are building it. With only a small array of sensors and data inputs, networks are starved of information about their environment. The knowledge that the computers connected to them possess is infinitesimally small, a tiny fraction of what humans would consider ‘common sense’. In spite of this, we entrust ever-more decision making to them. Provided that the field they have jurisdiction over is limited to their area of expertise, there is little problem — but this is almost impossible to arrange even today. Systems are increasingly interconnected, so the effects of decisions are no longer local. Totally innocent pieces of software on different systems can interact in unforeseen ways and cause problems. No-one knew how much of a problem Y2K would be because of the interconnection of systems. It was just one of an infinite family of potential problems resulting from system interaction. Another class of problem results from correlated traffic, where resonance and overloads can easily occur. The more complex our systems become, the worse the potential problems can be; but at the same time, we become more dependent on them. Until system components have enough intelligence and awareness to ‘feel there is something wrong’, figure out what is happening, and find a solution all by themselves, we must accept that system unreliability goes hand in hand with technology progress."
22.9.02
Why I Blog
Peter (3:49 PM) : Its an underground experiements ... the RS one being more possibly public and/or related to a particular theme ... have a look and let me know what you think
Grimm (3:52 PM) : so is blog your daily diary?
Peter (3:53 PM) : more like some inbetween space - things i'd like to keep on the periphery of my concious ... i'm just experimenting
Grimm (3:54 PM) : I bask in your periphery ;-)
Peter (3:55 PM) : I think the blog would work best as push content ... you could subscribe and it would send you a summary daily or so ... too much to expect people to return everyday ... besides ... do you really care that much about what is on the periphery of my conciousness? I know it matters a bit; just not a lot
Grimm (3:57 PM) : You are one of the most wide ranging gathers of quotes, thoughts, facts, etc. I know...All day must be spent reading...Are you sure your skin maintains a healthy pallour?
Peter (3:58 PM) : Why just this am Lu said "the top of your head is the colour of a peach from all the sun"
Grimm (3:52 PM) : so is blog your daily diary?
Peter (3:53 PM) : more like some inbetween space - things i'd like to keep on the periphery of my concious ... i'm just experimenting
Grimm (3:54 PM) : I bask in your periphery ;-)
Peter (3:55 PM) : I think the blog would work best as push content ... you could subscribe and it would send you a summary daily or so ... too much to expect people to return everyday ... besides ... do you really care that much about what is on the periphery of my conciousness? I know it matters a bit; just not a lot
Grimm (3:57 PM) : You are one of the most wide ranging gathers of quotes, thoughts, facts, etc. I know...All day must be spent reading...Are you sure your skin maintains a healthy pallour?
Peter (3:58 PM) : Why just this am Lu said "the top of your head is the colour of a peach from all the sun"
Internet consultant's site
Interesting. Sample (my blog referring to his blog referring to some other blogs): "Matt Welch called my attention to something Henry Copeland wrote about the counter-intuitive power that featuring outbound links on you site has for driving traffic to your site. Quoting Henry:
Glenn Reynolds' Instapundit did more than 100,000 page views yesterday.... Instapundit illustrates a perverse law of web traffic. We all know about Metcalfe's law, which states that the usefulness of a network equals the square of its user count. Here's the Copeland corollary: site traffic multiplies in proportion to outbound links. (9/14/02 Revised to "site traffic multiplies in proportion to outbound links to other bloggers' posts"... see comments for more ideas.) Of course quality, focus, information-density and presentation are essential. But all else being equal, a site that links religiously will attract orders-of-magnitude more traffic than a site that ignores the rest of the web.
I agree (and just didn't take the time to write it up and/or find a suitable forum)!
Interesting. Sample (my blog referring to his blog referring to some other blogs): "Matt Welch called my attention to something Henry Copeland wrote about the counter-intuitive power that featuring outbound links on you site has for driving traffic to your site. Quoting Henry:
Glenn Reynolds' Instapundit did more than 100,000 page views yesterday.... Instapundit illustrates a perverse law of web traffic. We all know about Metcalfe's law, which states that the usefulness of a network equals the square of its user count. Here's the Copeland corollary: site traffic multiplies in proportion to outbound links. (9/14/02 Revised to "site traffic multiplies in proportion to outbound links to other bloggers' posts"... see comments for more ideas.) Of course quality, focus, information-density and presentation are essential. But all else being equal, a site that links religiously will attract orders-of-magnitude more traffic than a site that ignores the rest of the web.
I agree (and just didn't take the time to write it up and/or find a suitable forum)!
19.9.02
17.9.02
In Nature vs. Nurture, a Voice for Nature
Excerpt: 'Dr. Pinker sets out his view of what science can now say about human nature. This includes many of the ideas laid out by Dr. Wilson in "Sociobiology" and "On Human Nature," updated by recent work in evolutionary psychology and other fields.
Dr. Pinker argues that significant innate behavioral differences exist between individuals and between men and women. Discussing child-rearing, he says that children's characters are shaped by their genes, by their peer group and by chance experiences; parents cannot mold their children's nature, nor should they wish to, any more than they can redesign that of their spouses. Those little slates are not as blank as they may seem.
Dr. Pinker has little time for two other doctrines often allied with the Blank Slate. One is "the Ghost in the Machine," the assumption of an immaterial soul that lies beyond the reach of neuroscience, and he criticizes the religious right for thwarting research with embryonic stem cells on the ground that a soul is lurking within.
The third member of Dr. Pinker's unholy trinity is "the Noble Savage," the idea that the default state of human nature is mild, pacific and unacquisitive. Dr. Pinker believes, to the contrary, that dominance and violence are universal; that human societies are more given to an ethos of reciprocity than to communal sharing; that intelligence and character are in part inherited, meaning that "some degree of inequality will arise even in perfectly fair economic systems," and that all societies are ethnocentric and easily roused to racial hatred.
Following in part the economist Thomas Sowell, he distinguishes between a leftist utopian vision of human nature (the mind is a blank slate, man is a Noble Savage,
traditional institutions are the problem) and the tragic vision preferred by the right (man is the problem; family, creed and Adam Smith's Invisible Hand are the solutions).
"My own view is that the new sciences of human nature really do vindicate some version of the tragic vision and undermine the utopian outlook that until recently dominated
large segments of intellectual life," he writes.'
Excerpt: 'Dr. Pinker sets out his view of what science can now say about human nature. This includes many of the ideas laid out by Dr. Wilson in "Sociobiology" and "On Human Nature," updated by recent work in evolutionary psychology and other fields.
Dr. Pinker argues that significant innate behavioral differences exist between individuals and between men and women. Discussing child-rearing, he says that children's characters are shaped by their genes, by their peer group and by chance experiences; parents cannot mold their children's nature, nor should they wish to, any more than they can redesign that of their spouses. Those little slates are not as blank as they may seem.
Dr. Pinker has little time for two other doctrines often allied with the Blank Slate. One is "the Ghost in the Machine," the assumption of an immaterial soul that lies beyond the reach of neuroscience, and he criticizes the religious right for thwarting research with embryonic stem cells on the ground that a soul is lurking within.
The third member of Dr. Pinker's unholy trinity is "the Noble Savage," the idea that the default state of human nature is mild, pacific and unacquisitive. Dr. Pinker believes, to the contrary, that dominance and violence are universal; that human societies are more given to an ethos of reciprocity than to communal sharing; that intelligence and character are in part inherited, meaning that "some degree of inequality will arise even in perfectly fair economic systems," and that all societies are ethnocentric and easily roused to racial hatred.
Following in part the economist Thomas Sowell, he distinguishes between a leftist utopian vision of human nature (the mind is a blank slate, man is a Noble Savage,
traditional institutions are the problem) and the tragic vision preferred by the right (man is the problem; family, creed and Adam Smith's Invisible Hand are the solutions).
"My own view is that the new sciences of human nature really do vindicate some version of the tragic vision and undermine the utopian outlook that until recently dominated
large segments of intellectual life," he writes.'
14.9.02
Steves Digicams - Nikon Coolpix 5700 - User Review
Digital Cameras - Nikon CoolPix 5700 Digital Camera Review: Intro and Highlights
DCRP Review: Nikon Coolpix 5700
Reviews of Nikon Coolpix 5700 digital camera.
Nikon Coolpix 5700
Product info. Great camera!
Nikon Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review
Nikon Coolpix 5700 discussions. Its very useful.
Digital Cameras - Nikon CoolPix 5700 Digital Camera Review: Intro and Highlights
DCRP Review: Nikon Coolpix 5700
Reviews of Nikon Coolpix 5700 digital camera.
Nikon Coolpix 5700
Product info. Great camera!
Nikon Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review
Nikon Coolpix 5700 discussions. Its very useful.
Investment Outlook, Bill Gross, September 2002: Dow 5,000
Interesting read. Stocks down for the long term. Except for glimmer of hope "And oh, one large caveat. If the bond market continues to rally and the Fed can successfully engineer a 2% long-term TIPS rate instead of 3%, then stock markets are actually within 10% of fair valuation."
Interesting read. Stocks down for the long term. Except for glimmer of hope "And oh, one large caveat. If the bond market continues to rally and the Fed can successfully engineer a 2% long-term TIPS rate instead of 3%, then stock markets are actually within 10% of fair valuation."
Nature Conservancy: Last Great Places Exhibit
"In celebration of our 50th anniversary, 12 renowned photographers including Annie Leibovitz and William Wegman capture the rich and complex splendor of some of the "Last Great Places."
"In celebration of our 50th anniversary, 12 renowned photographers including Annie Leibovitz and William Wegman capture the rich and complex splendor of some of the "Last Great Places."
The Digital Journalist Home Page
Requires a bit of effort to penetrate but great photos and artciles. Seems to get refered to a lot as a source of where on-line is heading.
How does the digital camera change the nature of photography?
Views on impact of digital photography
Requires a bit of effort to penetrate but great photos and artciles. Seems to get refered to a lot as a source of where on-line is heading.
How does the digital camera change the nature of photography?
Views on impact of digital photography
Interview with Mark Andreessen
Short interview with founder of Netscape, WebMD (have I got that right?) and Loudcloud - commenting on the dynamics of the technology industry: "The cycles are endemic. It’s like a Shakespearean tragedy."
Short interview with founder of Netscape, WebMD (have I got that right?) and Loudcloud - commenting on the dynamics of the technology industry: "The cycles are endemic. It’s like a Shakespearean tragedy."
5.9.02
Dictionary.com: Peripatetic
per·i·pa·tet·ic
adj. Walking about or from place to place; traveling on foot.
Peripatetic Of or relating to the philosophy or teaching methods of Aristotle, who conducted discussions while walking about in the Lyceum of ancient Athens.
n. One who walks from place to place; an itinerant.
Peripatetic A follower of the philosophy of Aristotle; an Aristotelian.
per·i·pa·tet·ic
adj. Walking about or from place to place; traveling on foot.
Peripatetic Of or relating to the philosophy or teaching methods of Aristotle, who conducted discussions while walking about in the Lyceum of ancient Athens.
n. One who walks from place to place; an itinerant.
Peripatetic A follower of the philosophy of Aristotle; an Aristotelian.
The Atlantic | September 2002 | A Web-only Primer on Public-key Encryption
Public-key encryption, as noted in the profile of cryptographer Bruce Schneier, is complicated in detail but simple in outline. The article below is an outline of the principles of the most common variant of public-key cryptography, which is known as RSA, after the initials of its three inventors; a mathematically detailed explanation of RSA by the programmer Brian Raiter, understandable to anyone willing to spend a little time with paper and pencil, is available.
Public-key encryption, as noted in the profile of cryptographer Bruce Schneier, is complicated in detail but simple in outline. The article below is an outline of the principles of the most common variant of public-key cryptography, which is known as RSA, after the initials of its three inventors; a mathematically detailed explanation of RSA by the programmer Brian Raiter, understandable to anyone willing to spend a little time with paper and pencil, is available.
Debbie Ford :: What is Spiritual Divorce?
Ha! Excerpt: "A Spiritual Divorce is one in which we use our divorce to improve our lives and our experience becomes one of gain rather than loss. A Spiritual Divorce brings us back into the presence of our highest self and heals the split between our ego and our soul. When we use our divorces to heal our wounds, to learn, grow and develop ourselves into more loving, conscious human beings, we have truly had a spiritual experience and a liberation of our souls. Rather than staying stuck in the pain of our broken hearts, a Spiritual Divorce calls us to reconnect to the highest aspects of our being. It is here in the presence of our highest self that we can reclaim our power, our joy, and the limitless freedom to create the life of our dreams."
Ha! Excerpt: "A Spiritual Divorce is one in which we use our divorce to improve our lives and our experience becomes one of gain rather than loss. A Spiritual Divorce brings us back into the presence of our highest self and heals the split between our ego and our soul. When we use our divorces to heal our wounds, to learn, grow and develop ourselves into more loving, conscious human beings, we have truly had a spiritual experience and a liberation of our souls. Rather than staying stuck in the pain of our broken hearts, a Spiritual Divorce calls us to reconnect to the highest aspects of our being. It is here in the presence of our highest self that we can reclaim our power, our joy, and the limitless freedom to create the life of our dreams."
Lucinda Williams
Esquire Excerpt: "There's this whole myth that surrounds the idea of songwriting—you know, you're sitting on the edge of your bed, drinking Jack Daniel's, depressed as shit, and you're writing. That's never worked for me.
The perfect man? A poet on a motorcycle. You know, the kind who lives on the edge, the free spirit. But he's also gotta have the soul of a poet and a brilliant mind. So, you know, good luck."
The perfect man? A poet on a motorcycle. You know, the kind who lives on the edge, the free spirit. But he's also gotta have the soul of a poet and a brilliant mind. So, you know, good luck."
Cycling the Manali to Leh Highway
The trip I almost went on ... Excerpt: "In August and September of 2001, the four of us cycled the Manali-Leh Highway, Ladakh, in the Himalayan mountains of northern India. We met quite a few cyclists on our trip, yet found information helpful in planning the trip to be hard to find, or even inaccurate. This website aims to "fill the gap" on information on this most wonderful of journeys, and hopefully provide a bit of entertainment at the same time."
The trip I almost went on ... Excerpt: "In August and September of 2001, the four of us cycled the Manali-Leh Highway, Ladakh, in the Himalayan mountains of northern India. We met quite a few cyclists on our trip, yet found information helpful in planning the trip to be hard to find, or even inaccurate. This website aims to "fill the gap" on information on this most wonderful of journeys, and hopefully provide a bit of entertainment at the same time."
Wikipedia
Excerpt: "Welcome to Wikipedia , a collaborative project to produce a complete encyclopedia from scratch. We started in January 2001 and already have 41047 articles. We want to make over 100,000 complete articles, so let's get to work! Anyone, including you, can edit any article right now, without even having to log in. You can copyedit, expand an article, write a little or write a lot. See the Wikipedia FAQ for more background information about the project, and the help page for information on how to use and contribute to Wikipedia."
Trends
A scrap book-like page of thoughts on themes and trends in management development. Included on my Inside Peter's Head page. But not, for reasons of professional impression, on RiverSystems main page.
A scrap book-like page of thoughts on themes and trends in management development. Included on my Inside Peter's Head page. But not, for reasons of professional impression, on RiverSystems main page.
Kuhn is Many Guises
Science and Consensus: "'Joi Ito posted a very interesting review of a book entitled Science in Action by Bruno Latour. The focus of the book (or at least of Joi's take on it) is that scientific "facts" are really a form of what some people have called consensus reality. (I point to the wikipedia definition for convenience, but I think that the term may have been coined by psychologist Charles Tart.) That is, facts are not really facts at all, but rather postulates that have become generally accepted through a process of social consensus-building. Many is the "fact" that never achieves that status because no one pays attention to the postulate or observation in question and so no consensus is built."
Integrated Web
How Web services are changing the Internet: "Last week, .. Amazon followed in Google's footsteps by releasing a set of "Web services." Web services were supposed to be the next big thing: They'd let you check your mail with your toaster, wash your car using your cell phone, and so forth. Now we're finally seeing Web services, and it's starting to look like they really will change the Internet. But despite all the hype, you probably still don't know what a Web service is. It's a fairly simple piece of technology. In essence, a Web service is just a special type of Web page, but instead of being formatted prettily for the human eye, the page is formatted for a computer to read. The technology makes it easy for some Web site developers (like Amazon's) to produce such a page and for other developers (like me) to retrieve the information therein. Suddenly any Web site (including yours) can display up-to-the-minute information ..."
Definitions: schadenfreude
schadenfreude: "A malicious satisfaction obtained from the misfortunes of others. Schadenfreude comes from the German, from Schaden, "damage" + Freude, "joy."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
