One significant difference between humans and machines is that whereas machines need not cope with the “real” world (e.g. “bugs”), humans indeed do need to cope with whatever happens. I experienced this recently when a “bug” in one of my healthcare providers’ system (of machines) caused a failure in the information I received, leading to… Continue reading 15 Minutes (of Fame or Failure)
Tag: irrational media
Political and Industrial Institutionalisation of Publicity
Even if men and women alike are not born, neither are babies born free nor do children usually grow up in free markets. All of evolution follows in the footsteps of their predecessors, their environments, and find their more or less appropriate milieus. Although there is no void, we are nonetheless more or less free… Continue reading Political and Industrial Institutionalisation of Publicity
Authority, Certifications, Trust in Social Order and Novice Internet Users
In my humble opinion, over 99.9% of Internet users are novices when it comes to evaluation of information sources. This is, for the most part, based on two things. First, my simple and straightforward observations with ordinary everyday people. Secondly (and more importantly) the obvious and glaring shortcomings of education systems worldwide, which neglected the… Continue reading Authority, Certifications, Trust in Social Order and Novice Internet Users
Generally speaking, facts are independent of belief and of knowledge and opinion (and other basic literacy skills)
Literacy is an amazingly nebulous concept. The word is commonly used in a binary either / or fashion: either you are literate or you are illiterate. Yet as anyone with even just an inkling of an education will easily assert, it is much more realistic to say that there are degrees or levels (or maybe… Continue reading Generally speaking, facts are independent of belief and of knowledge and opinion (and other basic literacy skills)
Interesting Things
What interests you? This is a question I have by mulling over (with one of my best friends) during our annual November retreat. And just today, we also introduced the notion of (grammatical) subjects and objects of attention into the mix of ideas. He is fully aware of what has been not only fully but… Continue reading Interesting Things
Mediation Between Rational Media and Real World Advertising Interests
A little over a week ago, I posted a review of a blog post which mentioned using Google to search for typing.com [1] and of course I was amused that someone (and indeed people in general) still feel an urge to continue using irrational media. [2] Curious nonetheless, I went to check out typing.com —… Continue reading Mediation Between Rational Media and Real World Advertising Interests
Is Reliability a Matter of Communal Religious Belief?
I think perhaps reliability is actually a matter of a communally shared belief. Community members may actually consider something to be reliable because other members of the community believe in (more or less) the same thing. [1] This past week a few things appeared on my radar which reminded me of how central the notion… Continue reading Is Reliability a Matter of Communal Religious Belief?
Voiding and Avoiding the Void
I have been writing about this stuff for decades, yet I have never (as far as I know) put it quite that way. Why do I put it that way now? It’s actually not me — it’s other people. Every day I see people saying they are putting this or that or whatever “out into… Continue reading Voiding and Avoiding the Void
Case Study in the Contrast Between Rational vs. Irrational Media: “I Don’t Believe in Beatles”
This week was no exception: Every week is another week in which I try to fathom why there is such widespread trust in irrational media; and every week I find it ever more difficult to fathom. And yet this week also provides a few exceptional cases (which are actually probably quite predictable, as the propaganda… Continue reading Case Study in the Contrast Between Rational vs. Irrational Media: “I Don’t Believe in Beatles”
Would You Rather Choose a Book or Pick a Card?
One may be somewhat difficult (intellectually), the other uses little or no brain power whatsoever. Yet for those who might be prone to economize on cognitive load, a few words of warning: do not be so foolish as to leave your nutrition decisions entirely up to chance. There is a big difference between biting into… Continue reading Would You Rather Choose a Book or Pick a Card?
