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Sad News About Inflation

  One fact never mentioned about inflation is this. Suppose by miracle, inflation goes to zero tomorrow and forever. The prices of goods, gas, utilities and all will remain about 12-13% higher than previously. To get back to 2020 levels we need to have huge negative inflation for a considerable period. Not likely.

The Savage Beast

Men's intelligence evolved by hunting the savage beast. Women's intelligence evolved by taming the savage beast. Both difficult. Note: Savage beast may has two different meanings.  ------------------------------------- When you identify human kind as abstract objects struggling for survival, it becomes a cooperative, peaceful, and kind species. I guess humans are not abstract.

Ukraine Bucks - The Newest Currency

 A new currency is available. Have you invested?  It is available now only in Ukraine. Called " Ukraine Bucks ," you invest in dirt paying in blood.  However, in this market you can buy sell back the dirt for units of blood.  The exchange rate is not yet known, even though traders are active every day. So far, there's an ample supply of dirt, but the blood supply is somewhat depleted. You can also buy your way into this market paying in bullets, tanks, and other hardware.  If Ukraine bucks aren't your preference, look for "Taiwan bucks" - coming soon to your local exchange. Dirt for Blood for Bullets. Or is it Blood for Dirt for Bullets?  Let's call all this blood money, or maybe dirt money. 

Some Things Will Never Be Free

  Things not free are things that require giving. For some, the price is everything. For some, the price is recurring. Experience Freedom Respect Peace Knowledge Security Happiness Excellence Consistency Independence Friendship Loyalty Love Leadership Power Fame (not the 15-minute variety)

Work at Home? Hidden Risks

 Many workers prefer working at home. They save money in several ways, from time saved to pure money. They can do the work just as well, lunch at home, and no travel.  So, what can be wrong? Let me count the ways.  The water cooler. First, you are no where near the water cooler, where office gossip from who's in and who's out is discussed - and everything so mundane but important in a working organization.  You miss day-to-day contact with co-workers. Don't misconstrue the importance of the social aspects of your job.  You lose the possibility of promotions, as your boss only sees your work and never you.  You lose learning of the possibilities of other jobs in the neighborhood. This diminishes probable  changes in your career.  Finally , and nobody talks about this because large scale work from home is so new... Gradually, over years, you slowly become detached from your company. You hardly know it's happening, but you know less about it, beyond your daily tasks. You s

Once Upon a Time

 

Hate and You

  When you live on a diet of hate, it affects you, your outlook, and your worldview. It singles out defeating the hated target at all costs. It supersedes and changes other goals, likes, loves, and desires. Even your sense of humor changes.   After a time, you are permanently changed. If the target is defeated, you become lost, as your addiction to hate is unrelenting. You find new hate. Don't hate too much. It takes too much energy. It changes you. It consumes you. Ultimately, it destroys you. 

The Price of Beauty

  Cosmetics, according to the New York Post: American women spend an average of  $115 for makeup and beauty treatments per month , or $1,380 per year. They also spend an average of $65 per month on creams, lotions, moisturizers, and anti-aging treatments. This is not new. Women have spent big on makeup since ancient times. 

What is a Solution?

  Continuing with our problem-solving theme, we now take up the question, “What is a Solution?” In it, we try to account for many types of solutions. Not just the math questions, but the whole spectrum of presentations we call solutions. From parents to politics to planning, we consider a variety of solution types. In addition, we take up the question of “How do we approach finding solution?” You will be surprised at how many vastly different paths folks take. Sometimes, people take multiple paths, and this can lead to the notion of “no solution ever.” As mentioned before, the mind works with many differing solving systems - often in mysterious ways. If only the brain was logical, but it ain't. Link to paper. or https://www.linkedin.com/posts/g-donald-allen-420b0315_discovering-just-what-a-solution-can-be-activity-6956251153730867200-mq_i?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web

Why is There War?

 Why is there so much war? Here are a few short answers, all of which you will not like. A. Evolutionary. Humans evolved from the predator class of subspecies. It is natural for us, therefore, to consider predation, i.e. war, to solve problems. Had we evolved from, say a prey species, war possibilities would be much diminished, but so would our relentless quests for power. Even the Meerkats wage wars, the cute little things - but predators. B. Deistic. If you believe in a creator, you must then consider why did God create such an aggressive creature as the human being. However, who can speak for God? C. Pragmatic. Most agree that humankind is pragmatic, and certainly you can view war as a pragmatic solution to problems. D. Algorithmic. In the language of algorithms, humankind solves problems using greedy algorithms, that is, it tends to optimize the shortest term solutions to a conflict, to kill.  How many wars were thought to last only a few week, when begun? Many.  If man had a predi

What is a Problem?

 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?