First Blog

 

  CHICAGO, with its eruptive waves of taxation, can be likened to ancient Pompeii beneath the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, an affluent city oblivious to the rumblings of its own destruction. Pompeii’s wealthy citizens ignored the warning signs, clinging to their comforts until the volcano’s fire and ash consumed them. Likewise, Chicago’s elite seem unwilling to recognize the approach of economic catastrophe. These new tax initiatives, the city’s own fire and ash, may appear sustainable for a time, but the moment of critical eruption may come swiftly, leaving Chicago no longer a sanctuary for anyone.

A.     The look of the country changes because of the men we admire. – from the movie “Hud,” 1963. B.     Success is not an accident. --- Cristiano Ronaldo (soccer star) C.     Life moves fast; don’t forget to enjoy it. --- from the movie “Ferris Bueller's Day Off,” 1986.

Introduction. In an increasingly complex world, the ability to solve problems effectively is a cornerstone of personal and professional success. Whether tackling everyday challenges or groundbreaking innovations, problem-solving requires more than just raw intelligence or luck. It draws upon a multifaceted framework that can be distilled into four essential pillars: 1.      Techniques 2.      Knowledge 3.      States 4.      Disposition These pillars, as outlined in various cognitive and psychological models, provide a comprehensive approach to navigating obstacles. Techniques encompass the methods and tools we employ; Knowledge refers to the foundational facts and theories we draw upon; States involve our emotional and motivational conditions; and Disposition highlights our inherent traits like inventiveness and flexibility. Together, they form a robust structure that enables individuals to d...

  A.     Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. — Seneca, Roman statesman B.     Political maxim: “When the facts are not in your favor, change the facts.” C.     Failure is a part of success. Yes but… Too much failure dulls the spirit. 

 No matter how dark the journey, there is still light.

  HEAT. You may not remember, but only a few decades ago, people would frequently discuss the excessive heat generated by electricity production. "It would destroy the planet."  Not any more, as the full discussion is about doubling or tripling power production, particularly to feed AI. So, what happened to HEAT?

A.   “Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent.” --- Adam Smith B.   Failure is part of achieving success. C.   It is not a belief when you have generated the evidence. D. The Solitaire Illusion. Many a solitaire player falls for the illusion of having great skill after winning about five straight games. Know what luck is.

Introduction. We have previously discussed numerous aspects of problem-solving, usually from a general attitude of applying logic and its multifaceted venues. Yet some of the most difficult problems come from the everyday category. If you’re a CEO managing the subtleties and irregularities of your company, you have everyday problems that require vast experience carefully tuned to your operations. Many problems are quite undefinable, but imply requiring a vast superstructure of information, much of it tangential, to solve. Similarly, if you are a homemaker, managing your home, partner, and children, you have entirely similar problems, though perhaps different in scope. In this brief essay, we consider everyday problems. Since we have an alien race living among us, we can look at the problems they have.  Of course, we created these aliens. They are us but called AI. Problem-solving is one of the defining features of intelligence. Both humans and artificial intelligence (AI) systems e...

A.   Teacher's  Dilemma. Those who need help the most are the last to ask for it. B.     With respect to the law, hate is the secret sauce that converts the best efforts of mankind to the worst. C.     American social safety nets and parental support can delay the onset of serious stress for younger citizens until they near middle age, when they are often ill-equipped to handle it for the first time.

  A.   What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others. ---  Pericles, Greek statesman B.   Contradictions fuel progress. Without them, we stagnate. C.   If you’re not learning every day, you’re falling behind. D.   One great talent of geniuses is that they can reject bad ideas quickly. 

  Contradictions, far from being merely obstacles to reason, can be sources of deep intellectual and emotional pleasure. They challenge the mind to hold opposing truths in tension, sparking curiosity and creativity rather than closure. It can reveal that opposing truths are not truths at all. Even more, both can be rejected with pleasure.   In literature, paradoxes invite us to see multiple layers of meaning. We find characters equally justified in their contrary decisions, and finding ourselves in agreement with both. In philosophy, economics, and science, they reveal the limits of logic and the richness of human thought, the cause of why we have so many theories and manage our lives and professions with all floating about. In everyday life, they remind us that reality is rarely simple or one-sided. Parenting is one long journey with multiple contradictions between the protagonists. At times, we long for it to end, but when it ends, we often miss it.   My goodness, wit...