First Blog

  Recommendation : If you're planning to buy an EV in the next couple of years, be sure to plan to trade it within 4-5 years. Why? To cut costs of production, automakers may be giving in to easy methods of supplying inferior batteries ( current average price $15-20K) or electric motors. You'll never see it; you can't even test for it. There are no standards. It is Totally Hidden . Beware!!! Government incentives encourage auto makers to cheat, partly because the subsidy suggests a government approval.  You already know about battery quality when you shop for AAA, AA, C, and D cells, and you know when the price is too low, so also is the quality.  Recommendation: Never buy a used one. The term doesn't exist today, but soon we will be hearing about user "battery abuse." Note. This is why we have home inspectors, auto inspectors, building standards, UL (Underwriters Laboratories), insurance adjustors, materials standards, medical/drug standards (USP), and more.

  It’s natural to think a note on memory is about improving one’s memory, say tips or advice. All agree that having a poor memory is undesirable. But today we consider the opposite. This note is about those men and women gifted with excellent memory, or even beyond excellent. Courtrooms are transfixed by memory-gifted attorneys citing case after case in support of their clients. Students are mesmerized by faculty that communicate like walking encyclopedias of information with complete ease. World leaders invite memory-rich consultants to give historical aspects to current problems. Yet, the at-home housewife can demolish her husband in a dispute over the point of contention by recalling in minute detail what happened last time or recalling past sins and errors. The boss who remembers every mistake of every employee has an uncomfortable staff. As well, adults who vividly remember only childhood punishments may have problems with authority. So, is perfect memory a blessing? Consider.

What Makes a Problem Difficult? by G. Donald Allen Introduction . All of us solve problems daily. At home or office, from balancing the corporate books to teaching to researching theoretical physics, and even managing family affairs, successful days are those with problems well solved. Many problems are routine or even easy, but too many arrive with a measure of difficulty. So, what’s difficult? Let’s begin by indicating that “difficult,” when applied to problem-solving, is difficult to describe. We explore several possibilities, for those of you already good at problem-solving. That is, you know the general problem-solving steps (Appendix A) and have used them to succeed previously. Certainly, experience is extremely important. Lack of experience can make almost any problem difficult as we’ve learned from history – our own included. Also, and of great importance is the ability to recognize a solution if by chance you stumble upon it. Organizations of all kinds need a “fixer,”