First Blog

  Of late, I’ve been lied to, cheated, and swindled. Stocks, bonds, crypto, health, and politics lead the pack. Politicians lead in all categories. For them, it’s downright institutional. Only the lies and corruption are keeping up with inflation – in some caes racing ahead. Hearing all this, day after day, make me want to spit. There are lots more spitting events. Here’s my short list. ·        The next time I hear we are in a recession (or not in one), I’m going to laugh. We are all hurting, the retired and poor the most. ·        The next time I hear these carrots or those apples are organic, when there is no verification (impossible BTW), I’m going to spit. ·        The next time I hear China is our friend, I’m going to grind my teeth. The Chinese are total snobs about everyone else – always have been. ·        The next time I hear BITCOIN is going way up, I’m going to groan. ·        The next time I hear inflation is good, I’m going to gag. ·        The next time I h

We take up the question as to what are some comprehension strategies that work well for you. First, note that comprehension is not an ah-ha moment. The ah-ha may come after mental preparation but never before. The stages of preparation are our message here today. Comprehension is more than learning a skill. We are not talking here about changing ink cartridges on your printer, but concepts like learning an accounting system, or legal and philosophical ideas. Big stuff. Comprehension is more-or-less a problem-solving event, another type of problem to be sure, but it involves all the big three components, understanding, belief, and acceptance. Mere problem-solving, on the other hand, requires only one of these. Steps I use in comprehension, though many are done simultaneously. They apply to all subjects. ·        Read the material, taking notes as needed. ·        Think about the topic over and over in your mind until you “think” you understand it. Carefully written notes are n

  Two great actor appeared on stage to discuss politics. Remarkably, both were brief. Actor A. People should not fear their government. The government should fear the people. Actor B. People should trust their government and government should trust the people. Fear vs Trust, the conflict of our day and of most days, with interludes fondly remembered in brief chapters on human progress.

 I'm often asked how I think about a new problem, like what come to mind.  A couple of thoughts come to mind when I first get a problem to solve. A. Comparison. Is this problem similar to problems I know how to solve? If yes, work to convert or transform the problem to one familiar. B. Simplify. If I simplify the problem some way, can I then solve it? If yes, then solve the simpler problem and try to work up to the actual problem. C. Eliminate. Learn how to eliminate solving ideas that will fail. Otherwise, you can get bogged down on a false trail. (Geniuses excel at this.) D. Read. If nothing rings a bell, I look at references about or related the problem and work from there. Hope for A or B. Yet, at any time reading up on materials can stimulate thinking. All in all, lots of problem solving experience is most important.