Monthly Archives: December 2021
Cognitive Bias
I’ve received all sorts of technical training on how to drive a Mars rover, but very little on all the psychological biases that influence our decision making. There’s confirmation bias (am I only seeing information that supports the ideas I’ve already committed to in my head?), groupthink (am I going along with this only because…
On Ice Cream
Life is short. Always get the waffle cone. If you really want to know how good an ice cream store is, get vanilla. Anyone can hide behind fancy flavors and chocolate chips, but it takes an expert to make a memorable vanilla.
Follow your passion?
Anyone who has ever done a google search about careers has inevitably come across the phrase “just follow your passion” which is almost no help whatsoever. I was interested in learning about engineering topics in college, but I certainly would not consider myself passionate about beam deflection theory or bolted joint calculations. For some time,…
Landscapes
I relatively recently discovered a sub-genre of nature writing that focuses on place or landscape writing. I find that focusing on landscape strongly appeals to my own topographic inclinations and reflects the way I think about the world. Of these landscape writers, I haven’t come across any better than Robert Macfarlane. I’ve been working my…
Therefore I am
Western thought might be best summarized by the oft repeated Rene Descartes statement, “I think, therefore I am.” The focus is on the individual, and one’s own thoughts are emphasized above all else. I recently came across a much different view. In a podcast interview, aboriginal author Dr. Tyson Yunkaporta made the claim that the…
Maps as stories
Two of the most memorable books I’ve read in the last few years are atlases. Together they are part of an exciting trend I’ve noticed, the use of maps not just as a source of information, but as a storytelling medium in their own right. Obi Kaufman’s California Field Atlas is a book like no…