First Blog

  Doubt is the beginning of knowledge . It suggests that you will not accept anything without substantiation. Doubt forms the cornerstone of all sciences. The genius who thinks of the great idea begins with doubt on their journey to prove it, to use it to predict, and to harness it in leading the way to further discoveries. Self-doubt is as essential as self-confidence.   Doubt is the enemy of the demagogue. It says, “You can’t pass this one off on me with just a few words.”   Doubt is a form of uncertainty  - but a constructive form. .  Self-doubt is as essential as self-confidence.   Doubt is the main tool of the detective who seeks to solve the crime.   Doubt is the constant worry of parents about whether they are doing the best for their children.   Doubt, or more precisely, reasonable doubt, is the cornerstone of establishing verdicts within the corpus of the Law.   Teachers use doubt to measure whether their students are understanding the lesson and pose questions con

 Comparing the Tesla and the home oven seems like comparing apples and oranges. Yet, apples and oranges can be compared, say by averages of weight, density, texture, and more.  For the Tesla and the oven we can compare electrical power consumed. Here's the result - and note there's a whole lot of averaging here because of the varieties of models of each.  A. One hour of your home electric oven at 400F (204C) consumes about 3000 watts of power.  B. One hour of driving your Tesla at 60 mph (96 km/h) consumes about 300 watts of power.  That's right. Your oven consumes 10 times the power of your Tesla. 

  How do you determine whether is a Website is legitimate? First, if you are an expert, you will know. But how will you know? Experts will do the same as you must try to do. If you do not notice outright errors, you look for validity, inconsistencies, incoherencies, and incompatibilities, internal to the website, and comparatively to similar websites. This usually requires a deep knowledge of the subject and a lot of work. An amateur is probably unequipped to detect this. It may help to read reviews of the website if any can be found. You might think AI could do this. However, AI machine learning makes determinations on plurality, not upon understanding. Thus, if there is a lot of similar false information, compared with correct information, AI will normally report the plurality of reports as its response. Of course, you can forget bias, which is always present with AI. Few can resolve this without both knowledge and consensus.   ChatGPT: As an AI language model, I don't

Beauty is not easy. Consider Countless hours taking care of the skin, with Creams, rubs, cleansing, moisturizers. The right diet with vegetables, fruit, and protein. Careful hair care. Plenty of sleep and exercise. Taste with clothing. Total expertise with makeup. Intelligence helps a lot.   For the young, beauty is mostly natural. For the next thirty years, it is hard work and very expensive.   For the men folk: This is not unlike the athlete who performs analogously, but less rigorously, at a different “sport.”

  Think agriculture. In the last few centuries, it has helped the world far more than all the TVs, computers, and other electronic advances.  Over the centuries, agriculture has not only provided food, fiber, and other basic necessities of life but has also contributed immensely to economic development, population growth, and social stability. Agriculture remains the cornerstone of human survival and development. One of the greatest foresight of our (ancient) politicians was the creation of land grant universities, a result of Morrill Land-Grant Acts, which were passed by the United States Congress in 1862 and 1890, and their resulting colleges of agriculture , science, and engineering. Their work is now feeding the world.   Also, the family farm helps us maintain knowledge about the frailty of the human condition, as these folks live in a world of uncertainty, depending on the weather far more than us city slickers. We all live with uncertainties of many kinds, but with extra mone

  Although I am a mathematician, I still study philosophy . Here are a few lessons I’ve learned about that study. Philosophy is very much different than mathematics in that often the language is imprecise. Below are a few lessons I've learned trying to understand this strange world. These remarks apply to general philosophy, not the philosophies of mathematics and science, which are quite different. Philosophy often is deeply involved with vague subject matter such as “truth” and “love.” Yet these are very important topics to understand. There are quick answers and highly complex ones. Your understanding is often connected with your belief systems as well as critical thinking. It is difficult to be unbiased. (In a twist, one could argue the being unbiased is itself a form of bias.) Every contributor often discusses only small variations to the body of knowledge. Even the meaning of some philosophers changes with time as the meanings of words change and the culture drifts in other d

Fate is life's free delivery service. You never know when it will arrive, nor what menu it item will be. You can lock the door, hide in the bedroom, or run out the back, but that delivery will be made.  

  Are You Happy? Well, we won’t answer the question for you, personally, but the latest results are from Gallup for the entire world. The US has dropped below the top twenty for the first time, and now is at #23. The drop was substantially due to younger Americans, under the age of 30.  Among Americans, the happiest demographic is Men, aged 60+, and by quite a bit in the rating system used. You can look up this survey yourself at https://news.gallup.com/poll/612125/happiest-country-earth.aspx

Every day, we are all bombarded with information, especially on news channels.  One group claims it's false; another calls it the truth. How can we know when to accept it or alternatively how can we know it's false? There are several factors which influence acceptance of fake or false information. Here are the big four.  Some just don’t have the knowledge to discern fact/truth from fiction/fact/false*. Some fake information is cleverly disguised and simply appears to be correct. Some fake information is accepted because the person wants to believe it. Some fake information is accepted because there is no other information to the contrary. However, the acceptance of  information  of any kind become a kind of  truth , and this is a well studied topic. In the link below is an essay on “The Truth About Truth.” This shows simply that what is your point of view, different types of information are generally accepted, fake or not.   https://www.linkedin.com/posts/g-donald-allen-420b03

  Compliments Usually a polite expression of praise or admiration, the compliment is common everywhere. But what do they really mean? The usual answers include improving communication, motivation, encouragement, showing appreciation, relationships, and self-esteem. Some compliments are spontaneous, given out of amazement, novelty, or surprise. Many are pure praise for something, from appearance to achievement. These are the good kind. Others can be more devious. They can be offered to disarm caution to obtain any of many factors or favors. They can be used to falsely gain loyalty or friendship. They can also be used to disguise nervousness. Compliments seem to be expressions that most people enjoy receiving. Yet, except for the uninitiated, they may invoke or evoke caution, perhaps even suspicion, leading to reject the compliment altogether. For the next compliment you receive, consider the sender’s goal, motivation, flattery, or honesty. Honesty is better.

 RECIPE Dad’s Easy Homemade Pizza Ingredients: • Slices of bread • Spaghetti sauce • Shredded cheese • Spices and herbs • Toppings Steps: 1. Spoon sauce (I used Prego) on the bread and spread it around. 2. Add your herbs and spices. (I use ground pepper, garlic, herbs, and Italian herbs) 3. Sprinkle on the cheese (I used mozzarella, but any kind will do.) 4. Add your toppings (I used meatballs and a little onion. Even sliced hot dogs – for boys) 5. Place on a baking sheet and put in the oven for about 8-10 minutes at 400F.  Watch carefully until it's just right.  Sprinkle on some grated parmesan. It tastes as good as any pizza - maybe except your favorite.  Enjoy.

  Glory here can be as simple as just maintaining your self-identity, your spirit to live and love, or your strength to carry on. Glory can imply you have survived intact. Glory can mean you have sustained your faith, beliefs, or commitments. Glory is a wonderfully vague term that can imply so many different things, each meaningful to one but not the other.