Our lives are composed of millions of choices, ranging from trivial to life-changing and momentous. Luckily, our brains have evolved a number of mental shortcuts, biases, and tricks that allow us to quickly negotiate this endless array of decisions… Take a sneak peek.
A wonderful book that should be read by the public and experts alike…the most complete statement currently available on the foibles manifest in everyday decision making and surely one of the most interesting books that I have had the pleasure of reading.
— Ellen Langer, author of Mindfulness
I wrote this a while back, but watching the ecstatic crowds in St. Peter’s Square has inspired me to repost it. More than a billion Catholics worldwide are celebrating the election of a new leader, Pope Francis, and they represent just a fraction of the world’s believers. People believe for many reasons, and beliefs vary… Read more
The Washington Post, my local newspaper, ran a fascinating and unusual front page story this morning. The article focused on a recent phenomenon at Alice Deal Middle School called Cups. Cups is a clapping game, in which children—mostly girls—beat out a rhythm on upturned cups, then turn them over and slam then on the table,… Read more
September 11 The main drag through Pasadena Peninsula is called Mountain Road. Also known as state highway 177, it is the only way in and out of many Magothy River communities, including ours on Cornfield Creek. It’s heavily-traveled, fast and homely, dotted with service stations and supply shops and dubious diners and karaoke bars. It’s… Read more
September 4 When you look down on Maryland’s Magothy River from a satellite, its shape resembles a dead shrub, stripped of all its foliage. All that remain are the thick, silhouetted trunk and lots of spiky, jagged branches. Cornfield Creek, where my wife and I live, is one jagged branch on that ill-fated shrub. It’s… Read more