Good Entropy

Asymmetrical Information: Reihan Salam says it all

I read “Nickeled and Dimed”, and was impressed by its detailed description of life at the bottom . . . and completely unimpressed by its economic illiteracy, paternalistic snobbery about the people she worked with, disdain for her customers, bizarre fantasies about the motives of middle-class consumers, and her complete and total lack of even a vestigial sense of humour. Her dialogue with Jason Furman has not improved any of these opinions.

Gene Expression: 10 questions for Steven Pinker

FOXP2 and the Evolution of Language

This article addresses the history and the significance of the discovery of the relevance of FOXP2 in the development of speech. It is a remarkable scientific detective story that has been in the making for some time. In its earlier stages, there was serious disagreement within the scientific community about how the scientific findings should be interpreted, and this was set against a background of sensationalist reporting by the popular press.

and further on…

Human mind needs human cognition and human cognition relies on human speech. We cannot envisage humanness without the ability to think abstractly, but abstract thought requires language. This finding confirms that the molecular basis for the origin of human speech and, indeed, the human mind, is critical. Ultimately, we will find great insight from further unravelling the evolutionary roots of human speech – in contrast to Noam Chomsky’s lack of interest in this subject

Story about how the media bungles stories about religion.

USA Today

Bias is a problem. But, in my experience, apathy and ignorance cause most of these laugh-to-keep-from-crying gaffes.

I can’t help but recall the following quote:

Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.
Napoleon Bonaparte

Further elucidated at Wikipedia as Hanlon’s Razor.

ADT & the catch-and-release distraction program | 43 Folders

Mindfulness exercise: The catch-and-release distraction program

Spend one workday hour today or tomorrow self-consciously aware of each single task you’re working on at a given time (try it: I’ll bet it’s a lot harder for you than it sounds).

Treat that task with a combination of relaxation, reverence, and the quiet awareness that, at least for the time that it’s earned your attention, this is the single most important thing in the world. When you notice yourself half-assing, be aware of it, and allow your mind to gently turn back to focus.

As you stay focused on doing one valuable thing at a time, notice and mentally acknowledge all the times that you feel yourself being drawn to something else. Listen for the times that your mind pokes at you to tear ass over to email or your RSS reader, and just let the thought pass by, ungrasped. Hear the shrill ringy-dingy of your phone, but resist the urge to grab it before it goes to voice mail. Don’t dwell on distractions; just note them, and let them go.

Just one hour. You can do it.

For bonus credit, when that hour is up, jot down 2-3 interruptions you think might deserve less attention than you’ve been allowing them. Assuming you wanted to turn down the volume and recapture more mindful attention, where could you cut fat and never miss it?

Update: 10/26/2009 Frequent Multitaskers are the Worst at Multitasking

I wonder if the current generation is going to chafe when put in job situations that require their undivided attention.

No you can’t be chatting on the phone.

No you cannot have your IM client open on your desktop.

Set your phone to silent and put it away.