Found food for thought
Re–blog from the Chronicle.
Here’s just my personal experience. Many women actually seek out this adventurous boys to nurture and foster. I can’t say I have the whole picture even though I can think of many probable reasons. To be honest I’ve kind of taken advantaged of it. I never met or dated so many good looking bright women as when I gambled the most. Not to mention that I often met them in the company of dangerous men…
Re–blog from AIGA.
It’s a good article with some interesting thoughts. But I advise everyone, including Angela Riechers, that feel anxiety about how technology is changing our perception and way of living to read up on the worlds leading urban theorist Manuel Castells’ research. Most of us aren’t using technology the way Angela thinks — or even worse, do her self.
Re–blog from the Guardian.
Finally some scientific proof of what my intuition told me all along. Most people in my generation – born in the 80’s – has grown up playing video and computer games, and most of us turned out all right. As a matter of fact I think it did us good, or as the paper has it:
Video games can stimulate learning of facts and skills such as strategic thinking, creativity, cooperation and innovative thinking, which are important skills in the information society.
Re–blog from the Situationist.
There is more to Valentines Day then finding the right gift. To dress proper is of equal importance, at least if you want to please your desire…
Re–blog from the Guardian.
A very well written article by Peter Conrad on Picasso. It’s quite long but well worth the read. Whenever I read about Picasso I come to think about the French philosopher Michel Serres’ book the Parasite. The parastitic as metaphysics, as a necessity of human existence.
Re–blog from NY Times.
Randall Stross finds his idea that people prefer screen–based media over print–based media because it’s passive speculative. It’s not the first time I’ve heard that one, so in my world it’s more kind of the old, classic argument. And frankly I’ve never read one scientific paper that backs it up. So here’s a more speculative hypothesis for you.
People prefer screen–based media over print–based media because it’s more active. But how could that be? One must realize that human beings are embodied. And we have the ability to understand that others feel, think and act and why they do it. This is in large part what defines us. And of course our ability to do this increases with animation.
These are well known facts in the scientific community and it has tons of research to back it up. The Theory of Mind plays a large role in developmental psychology and theories of embodiment has been around since the 1940’s. It’s a shame that authorities like Mr. Stross isn’t aware of this.
It would make me happy and the world a better place if the type of pseudo–scientific fact like reading being more active then watching would stop flourish in the popular media. And hopefully the acknowledgment of Theory of Mind and embodiment can help the print–based media companies to come up with more productive solutions to their problems then the ones now being implemented.
You find more information about the Theory of Mind on Wikipedia and these two videos with well known American philosopher Hubert Dreyfus is a good introduction to embodiment.
Re–blog from Cognitive Daily.
Valentines Day is just around the corner. Professor of Psychology Greta Munger and writer Dave Munger latest survey try to answer the question which romantic gift most women would prefer. Hopefully this can help you in your search for that perfect gift.
