2023 Nov/Dec; Trust Me, I’m an Engineer
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On the Origin of Specie
While the function of money is obvious, it’s origins are anything but. The known use of money dates back millions of years. Various currencies have evolved over this time, from electrum coins in Turkey to paper in China and Cocoa in Central America. But how did these agreements of currency come about? Experts state that…
The Higgs boson: Gotcha!
Beyond Einstein’s theory of relativity, the time for breakthroughs in quantum physics is not over by a long shot. After five decades, billions of dollars and millions of man-hours, British physicist Peter Higgs has good reason for celebration. Along with four other scientists, he made a discovery that puts the finishing flourish on the “Standard Model”, the…
A European mega-merger? Nein, danke
The Economist reports on a European mega-merger gone wrong between Britain’s BAE Systems and EADS, the Franco-German owner of Airbus. More than a bitter blow to the two companies, their proposed blooper of a €38 billion merger also dismantles hopes for the emergence of a more integrated European defence and aerospace industry. Although the intended merger would…
Daniel Goldstein: The Battle between your Present and Future Self
Behavioral economist Daniel Goldstein studies how we make decisions about our financial selves — both now and in the future. In this TED-Talk, Goldstein highlights the fact that every decision we make on a daily basis either bodes positively or negatively for our future selves. (Can I skip flossing just this one time?) This, he…
How to see past your own perspective and find truth
The more we read and watch online, the harder it becomes to tell the difference between what’s real and what’s fake. It’s as if we know more but understand less, says philosopher Michael Patrick Lynch. In this talk, he dares us to take active steps to burst our filter bubbles (our own perspective) and participate…
IS SUCCESS A BIG LIMITATION?
I was giving a commencement speech a number of years ago at a university where several students were getting their degrees of varying levels, and I could tell my first comment took the parents as well as many of the graduates completely by surprise. I said, “I don’t want you to try to live a…