Occasional Musings
Lessons from Sherlock Holmes series in Scientific American
A very nice series of blog entries are available from Scientific American blog pages. Its is based on one of my favorite literary character – Sherlock Holmes. Each entry in the series begins with “Lessons From Sherlock Holmes” as part of the title, which I think is most appropriate. Here is a sample entry blog..
“Lessons from sherlock holmes: perspective is everything, details alone are nothing
Details are important, often crucial. But focus exclusively on the details, without taking a step back, and you run the risk of getting lost in minutiae – and more likely than not, of missing any actual importance the details might contain. In other words, don’t forget the old proverb, “Don’t miss the forest for the trees.” It’s a cliché for a reason. Holmes reminds us repeatedly to avoid the rooky mistake, and even shows us how we might best be able to do so. In following his advice, we are likely to see a marked improvement in the quality of our own decisions and thought process.
“…
Previous titles from the series:
Don’t Just See, Observe: What Sherlock Holmes Can Teach Us About Mindful Decisions
Lessons from Sherlock Holmes: Paying Attention to What Isn’t There
Lessons from Sherlock Holmes: Cultivate What You Know to Optimize How You Decide
Lessons from Sherlock Holmes: Perspective Is Everything, Details Alone Are Nothing
Lessons from Sherlock Holmes: Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Imagination
Lessons from Sherlock Holmes: Confidence Is good; Overconfidence, Not So Much
Lessons from Sherlock Holmes: The Situation Is in the Mindset of the Observer
Lessons from Sherlock Holmes: The Power of Public Opinion
Lessons from Sherlock Holmes: Don’t Tangle Two Lines of Thought
Lessons from Sherlock Holmes: Breadth of Knowledge Is Essential
Lessons from Sherlock Holmes: Don’t Decide Before You Decide
Lessons from Sherlock Holmes: Trust in The Facts, Not Your Version of Them
Lessons from Sherlock Holmes: Don’t Judge a Man by His Face
Lessons from Sherlock Holmes: The Importance of Perspective-Taking
Lessons from Sherlock Holmes: From Perspective-Taking to Empathy
Lessons from Sherlock Holmes: Why Most of Us Wouldn’t Be Able to Tell That Watson Fought in Afghanistan
Lessons from Sherlock Holmes: Preconceptions and the Blunting of Imagination
[TED] Is there is a mathematical law governing cities, corporations? by Geoffrey West
Physicist Geoffrey West has found that simple, mathematical laws govern the properties of cities — that wealth, crime rate, walking speed and many other aspects of a city can be deduced from a single number: the city’s population. In this mind-bending talk from TEDGlobal he shows how it works and how similar laws hold for organisms and corporations. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2011, July 2011, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Duration: 17:33.)
Also, check out the Q&A related to this here: [Q&A with G. West]
A while ago this topic was covered at more length at Edge.org. Check out their coverage here: [Coverage @edge.org]
[TED] Origins of pleasure, by Paul Bloom
Why do we like an original painting better than a forgery? Psychologist Paul Bloom argues that human beings are essentialists — that our beliefs about the history of an object change how we experience it, not simply as an illusion, but as a deep feature of what pleasure (and pain) is. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2011, July 2011, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Duration: 16:17.)
Also,check out his Q&A related to this topic here: [Q&A with Paul Bloom]
Patent trolling: current state of patent system
An interesting piece of story from NPR about current state of affairs in the patent world – patent trolling. Something from the article that brings out the essence of the issue in the buzz created by various tech companies suing one another.
“…All the big tech companies have started amassing troves of software patents — not to build anything, but to defend themselves. If a company’s patent horde is big enough, it can essentially say to the world, “If you try to sue me with your patents, I’ll sue you with mine.”
It’s mutually assured destruction. But instead of arsenals of nuclear weapons, it’s arsenals of patents….”
More of the article here: [The Link]
Audio podcast from thisamericanlife.org: [Audio Podcast]
How to paint with light
An excellent tutorial from Phototuts+ about how to use various light sources to paint a landscape with light in photography. The article gives tips about various light sources to use (flash, gels, torch…etc) and also about color temperatures.
More info here: [The Link]
My own attempt at light painting using a flashlight/torch, candle and a laser pointer.