First Blog

Introduction.  Much of life involves problem-solving of some sort. Many are routine, some take time, and others seem nearly impossible. The important fact is that we don’t solve them all, or, even worse, we offer ineffective or poor solutions. Most problem-solving books available suggest how to solve problems. In this brief essay, we discuss the barriers to solving a given problem. Here is a list of common "enemies" of problem-solving, also called the psychological, cognitive, and practical barriers that prevent us from effectively addressing and resolving them. These are drawn from psychological research and productivity insights. The List . Every problem solver should be aware of these barriers. Team leaders should monitor closely to prevent their team from falling for any of them, particularly #6 on confirmation bias and #8 about unnecessary constraints. 1.      Lack of Knowledge or Information: Without sufficient understanding or data about the...

  ODD THOUGHTS FOR FRIDAY (12/26/25), failure, rejection, love A.     ON FAILURE. At times, failure is life’s lesson that you may have knocked on the wrong door. Tough love? If not, do  consider revaluation, realignment, or reorientation.   B.     ON REJECTION. Does it motivate or defeat? Depends on you.   C.     ON LOVE. A form of faith, love believes, even against evidence. Can you love?

A.     “The human soul is a garden, ever at war with its own weeds.” --- Hieronymous Bosch, d. 1516, artist. B.     The depths of depravity have no bottom. C.     Things that nourish the soul: love, confidence, purpose, success, hope, and work.

A most interesting maxim reads, “Always fill your cup first. And allow the world to benefit from the overflow.” Yes, it’s not obvious what’s intended, but it could be recast in more pedestrian forms. 1.       Having met your own sufficiency, you can help meet that of others. 2.       Always know what you’re talking about. Then others will listen. 3.       People will always beat a path to excellence.                4.       Your ability to solve important problems will secure your job.   As a note, all of the great maxims, aphorisms, and sayings have the common property of multiple interpretations. 

PREAMBLE: It's fair; it's reasonable, but still, I don't like it.   Did you know that we already have a form of wealth tax? It is called the property tax, sometimes referred to as the school tax. This tax is based on the value of your home. Typically, you pay a low, fixed rate per thousand dollars of assessed value. The calculation is simple: multiply the tax rate by the value of your property. If you rent, you are not exempt. You pay this tax indirectly through your rent. You also pay it when you stay at a hotel or motel, and even if you live in a tent on land you own, you still pay property tax on that land. Many people object to proposed “wealth taxes,” sometimes suggested at rates as high as 5 percent of net worth. Yet policymakers often overlook the fact that a wealth tax already exists in a familiar and politically accepted form. If structured carefully, such a tax could be expanded in a way that would generate additional revenue while limiting opposition to only ...

Hate is an intense, hostile emotion that fixates on destroying, rejecting, or devaluing someone or something. It tends to narrow perspective, reducing complex people and situations to one-dimensional enemies, which makes cruelty and injustice easier to justify. Carried over time, hate often harms the person who feels it, feeding bitterness, stress, and a sense of constant inner agitation. It spreads quickly through groups and communities, turning differences into threats and fueling discrimination or violence. Because it closes the door to curiosity, empathy, and nuance, hate blocks understanding and makes healing and genuine change much harder to achieve.  Let us review just five of the most egregious aspects of hate. 1.      Dehumanization - It turns other people into objects or enemies instead of full human beings. This is also a precondition to slavery. 2.      Psychological self‑poisoning - Over time, this can contribute to anxiety, ...

A.   Before solving any problem, you must first understand it. B.   You are what you do, not what you say you will do. --- Carl Jung C.   Things that paralyze the soul: self-doubt, self-pity, regret, indulgence, hate, guilt, hopelessness. 

 

An old maxim applies here: “There are three qualities—good, fast, and cheap. You can have only two.” In your case, you want good and fast , which implies the effort will not be cheap in terms of either time, energy, or cost. Achieving this balance, therefore, requires a meaningful budget, whether financial, personal, or both. This principle applies broadly to most types of achievement. For example, cramming for an exam is “fast and cheap,” but it rarely produces “good” results.

A.     As New Year's resolutions go, it’s estimated that more will keep to their promised diet than to their promised plans for self-education. B.     Let your principles and knowing who you are provide a guiding beacon for your life’s journey.  C.     As AI gets better at understanding humans, humans must get better at understanding AI. This is something of a race, winner takes all. 

When facing an entirely new problem, the most powerful tool I rely on is pattern matching , often called analogical reasoning. While research and reading are essential first steps, they are most effective when guided by the question: 'What does this remind me of?' My approach involves three specific cognitive steps: Abstraction: I strip the problem of its specific details (surface features) to reveal its underlying structure. Instead of seeing 'a broken supply chain for widgets,' I might see 'a bottleneck in a flow network.' Association: I scan my mental library of past experiences for problems with a similar structure , even if the context is completely different. I ask, 'Where have I seen this dynamic before?' This is where cross-disciplinary thinking shines—a biological system might hold the clue to an engineering problem. Adaptation: Once I identify a match, I adapt the known solution to the new context. I don't just copy; I translate the log...