First Blog

 You've all heard about solving problems, how to, tip, checking, and everything else, but do you know what a problem actually is? In this post we take up 24 different problem types.  Click link below to my LinkedIn page.  What is a Problem?

Given are two answers. A. Here’s the standard answer to your question. Study hard, learn much, do problems, and then you will understand. Then study harder.  B. Here’s an alternative answer. Do what wisdom does when understanding is delayed. Example. Infinity. It is safe to say no one really understands infinity. BUT, what most of us* do is learn the rules of infinity and work within them. Over and over again. Eventually, you are accustomed to all the rules, and this becomes your understanding. Your alternative is to learn the rules of the subject you have trouble with. Learn to work with them. Review and do dozens upon dozens of problems. By and by, you will be accustomed to them; you will have facility with them, and this will convert to your understanding. I know this sounds a bit cynical, but it does work. Please note, this alternative is not a shortcut. Both take much time and work. This is how most people understand God, who like infinity, is beyond comprehension. ---------------

  Are you a Theorist? Specialist? Generalist? Something else? There are a couple of ways to figure out what you are in the general spectrum of place? A.    If you pay close attention to the operation of a system, like keeping the railroads on time or running a plant, you are an  operations  person. These people keep the heartbeat of their organization healthy and ticking. B.      If you love just one particular endeavor, such as art, law, physics, et al, you are a  specialist . From your great trial lawyer to nuclear physicist to auto mechanic are completely needed. We depend on specialists for almost everything. C.     If your priority is a working world and can live with or without theory, you may be a pragmatist. Pragmatists think of theories as tools to be used, rejected as needed. D.    If you love all things and seeing the world in total, you are a  generalist . Generalists look at the big picture, trying to see the framework of our lives in a holistic way. They try hard to u

Twelve Don’ts for Living 1.        Don’t waste time on revenge. It takes energy, but don’t forget it either. The possibility may come along. 2.        Don’t waste time on hate. It takes too much energy. 3.        Don’t cheat your employer. You are paid for the work. Do it well. 4.        Don’t fake it. Only those less intelligent than you will be fooled. At most half of them will believe. 5.        Don’t co-mingle your beliefs with your understandings. They are different. 6.        Don’t gossip. You’ll get a reputation. 7.        Don’t palaver your politics. About half will disagree, but you’ll never know who. 8.        Don’t proselytize. It makes you look bad. 9.         Don’t believe it even though you want to. Check it out. 10.    Don’t shirk responsibility to your family. You made them. You owe them. 11.    Don’t lie to your kids. They sense it and learn to lie back to you.  12.    Don’t lie to your spouse. They hear you far beyond mere words.  

What is the moral justification for slavery? A.     First, define your targets as ignorant and incapable of caring for themselves - alternately subhuman. B.      On this basis, take away their rights and "give" them what they need. C.      Your targets are now slaves to the state or plantation. D.     You have done the morally correct action. You feel good.   Does it work?  It has for millennia. 

  Want to be a billionaire? Invent a device that will assess the viability and life expectancy of the battery in a used electric vehicle. With the replacement battery costs in the $10-20K range, this will strongly affect used EV prices.

  Your Bicameral Brain by Don Allen Have you ever gone to another room to get something, but when you got there you forgot what you were after? Have you ever experienced a flash of insight, but when you went to look it up online, you couldn’t even remember the keyword? You think you forgot it completely. How can it happen so fast? You worry your memory is failing. Are you merely absent-minded? You try to be amused. But maybe you didn’t forget.   Just maybe that flash of insight, clear and present for an instant, was never given in the verbal form, but another type of intelligence you possess, that you use, and that communicates only to you. We are trained to live in a verbal world, where words matter most. Aside from emotions, we are unable to conjure up other, nonverbal, forms of intelligence we primitively, pre-verbally, possess but don’t know how to use. Alas, we live in a world of words, stewing in the alphabet, sleeping under pages of paragraphs, almost ignoring one of

What is it like to finally understand a new concept which at first seemed like a foreign language to you? Two answers are evident. A. When understanding for the first time, it seems like reaching the peak of a mountain. A triumph. B. After a bit of time, you think of why you did not understand it in the first place. “It is so easy,” you might think. This is the apparent paradox of understanding. It goes from impossible to easy in just one step.

  A Primer on Tumeric [1]   Turmeric, a plant in the ginger family and used for curry production, is native to Southeast Asia and is grown commercially in that region, primarily in India. Its rhizome (underground stem) is used as a culinary spice and traditional medicine. Turmeric — and especially its most active compound, curcumin — have many scientifically proven health benefits, such as the potential to improve heart health and prevent against Alzheimer's and cancer. It's a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. It may also help improve symptoms of depression and arthritis. Most of the highlights below are not well researched, partly because the active ingredient, curcumin, is not biostable.   1. Increases Antioxidants in Your Body --- The antioxidant effect of turmeric is one of its greatest claims to fame. Oxidative damage is one of the mechanisms responsible for aging and many diseases. Turmeric contains curcumin, a powerful antioxidant that can protect from fre

 This note is an abridged version of an article in the Epoch Times, on 2/21/22 Vitamin D , the sunshine vitamin is actually a hormone with several important jobs BY   Ashley Turner There has been a lot of discussion about  vitamin D  circulating among natural health enthusiasts recently. As a certified functional medicine practitioner, vitamin D status is something that I monitor very closely.   Vitamin D is actually a hormone, specifically a prohormone that the body converts into a steroid hormone. It’s synthesized in the skin from sun exposure and activated in the liver and kidneys. Lately, vitamin D has been a hotly discussed nutrient for its role in supporting the immune system. While vitamin D is a powerful modulator of the immune system, that’s far from its only role in human health. Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency Low levels of vitamin D increase the risk of cancer, autoimmune disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems, and osteoporosis. Being awa

  Ever since I was a kid, the Democrats would grumble when Republicans were elected, and vice-versa. Yet, we had confidence all were loyal Americans trying their best to make America a great place to live. None would say this group or that was out to remake America. That would be excessive. Such language was forbidden. Today, we see the Democrats believe all Republicans desire full-boated fascism, jack-boots, and all. The Republicans believe all Democrats want Marxism, with total government control. What we have is the creation of a nuevo Pandemic of Distrust . This is new in the past few decades. Subtracting COVID completely changes nothing. COVID merely revealed it.   In totalitarian, fascist, and even monarchical states, distrust is their common state of existence, and this is why they have relied so completely on the gun. They accept their opponents’ blood-lust and take constant measures to maintain power. At this time, the USA is none of these, but nonetheless, it has been inf

  As social people, we love to give advice. “You should do this.” “You shouldn’t do that.” “The prof’s an easy grader. Just study the worksheet.” “You should buy that car.” But do you ever know all the facts? Do you see only a simplified situation with essential facts removed? Is your friend asking for advice or asking for hope? There’s a difference.   Hope is the meta-fuel of well-being, giving comfort and peace in times of distress. Is your friend asking for the advice they want to hear? For something they’ve considered but needs confirmation? For a go-sign? We, the advice-givers, all too often venture into homespun psychology. Not good, mostly because we don’t know any. Among the biggest advice-givers are friends, parents, pastors, and teachers. For younger persons, parental advice is often rejected, but the other three are on the spot.   Because, if they give advice, they must accept some responsibility if it is accepted. The pastor hopefully limits advice to simple homilies o