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POPSThe Downside of Optimism in comparison, extreme optimists: * Work significantly fewer hours * Hold a higher proportion of individual stocks in their portfolios * Are more likely to be day traders * Save less money * Are less likely to pay off their credit card balances on a regular basis * Are more likely to smoke “The differences between optimists and extreme optimists are remarkable and suggest that over-optimism, like overconfidence, may in fact lead to behaviors that are unwise,” Puri said.
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POPSTechnology Doesn’t Dumb Us Down. It Frees Our Minds. Paul Saffo, the futurist, says he could divide the technology world into two kinds of people: engineers and natural scientists. He says the world outlook of the engineer is by nature optimistic. Every problem can be solved if you have the right tools and enough time and you pose the correct questions. Other people, who can be just as scientific, see the natural order of the world in terms of entropy, decline and death. Those people aren’t necessarily wrong. But the engineer’s point of view puts trust in human improvement. But over the course of human history, writing, printing, computing and Googling have only made it easier to think and communicate.
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POPSTop 10 Forecasts for 2009 and Beyond 6. Professional knowledge will become obsolete almost as quickly as it’s acquired. An individual’s professional knowledge is becoming outdated at a much faster rate than ever before. 7. The race for biomedical and genetic enhancement will-in the twenty-first century-be what the space race was in the previous century. 8. Urbanization will hit 60% by 2030. 9. The Middle East will become more secular while religious influence in China will grow. 10. Access to electricity will reach 83% of the world by 2030.
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POPSMarshmallow temptations, brain scans could yield vital lessons in self-control The marshmallow test -It is a simple test, but has surprising power to predict a child's future. A 4-year-old is left sitting at a table with a marshmallow or other treat on it and given a challenge: Wait to eat it until a grown-up comes back into the room, and you'll get two. If you can't wait that long, you'll get just one. Some children can wait less than a minute, others last the full 20 minutes. The longer the child can hold back, the better the outlook in later life for everything from SAT scores to social skills to academic achievement,
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POPSTop Ten Forecasts for 2009 & Beyond Each year since 1985, the editors of THE FUTURIST have selected the most thought-provoking ideas and forecasts appearing in the magazine to go into our annual Outlook report. Over the years, Outlook has spotlighted the emergence of such epochal developments as the Internet, virtual reality, and the end of the Cold War. All of these forecasts plus dozens more were included in the report that scanned the best writing and research from THE FUTURIST magazine over the course of the previous year. The Society hopes this report, covering developments in business and economics, demography, energy, the environment, health and medicine, resources, society and values, and technology, will assist its readers in preparing for the challenges and opportunities in 2009 and beyond.
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POPSHow to be smart without being dumb This is a very interesting article about intelligence, psychology, peer pressure and decision making. Particular focus is placed on how/why smart people often do dumb things.
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POPSBaby to be born free of breast cancer after embryo screening This case of genetic intervention for the elimination of genetic diseases, is a ground breaking first that may change our world and our ethical outlook. Many more will follow. I was quite surprised to read the following: "Some critics say it is wrong to destroy embryos because there is only a chance women with the gene may develop breast cancer in adulthood. They argue that, increasingly, breast cancer can also be successfully treated. " The said "embryos" are 3 days old lumps of undifferentiated cells.
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POPSA perspective on perspective In 1988, psychologists Shelly Taylor and Jonathon Brown published an article making the somewhat disturbing claim that positive self-deception is a normal and beneficial part of most people’s everyday outlook. They suggested that average people hold cognitive biases in three key areas: a) viewing themselves in unrealistically positive terms; b) believing they have more control over their environment than they actually do; and c) holding views about the future that are more positive than the evidence can justify. The typical person, it seems, depends on these happy delusions for the self-esteem needed to function through a normal day. It’s when the fantasies start to unravel that problems arise.
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POPSObama and McCain Walk Into a Bar ... :) The second category was reported to appeal to liberals because of their “openness to ideas” and their tendency to “seek new experiences.” But then why didn’t the liberals in the Boston experiment like the nonsense humor? "Conservatives tend to be happier than liberals in general" now this is interesting. liberal outlook leads to dissatisfaction with the world as it is, and a sense that things need to change . I agree :)
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POPSEliminate poverty consciousness
I remember in one of my first economics lessons, the Teacher said: "People have needs, and wants. It is the job of Advertising to convince people their wants are needs." That was in my first year of high school, and it stuck. One of the biggest problems can be the number of things we are certain we need when we only want them. In todays world we are told we need so many useless things- more than we can ever afford. So we go into debt. A loan is a millstone. When I take stock of what I need I'm not short. Not wanting something until you can afford it can take practice and patience, but then you own it. The bank doesn't own you. There is a lot more space in the cupboard. Saving for something gives time to consider the value of the purchase. These days if you save up for computer equipment, in the time it takes to save, the price is likely to have come down a few hundred dollars. We don't need everything 5 minutes ago. Forget the words 'Everyone else can afford it.' It isn'
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POPSBUSH PARDONS OSAMA BIN LADEN Satire by David Rees - and very funny ... "William Kristol insisted the pardon made sense." And no, wingers, I don't hate GWB. But if we ignore the consequences - not only of his questionable competence, but also of his inflexibly ideological outlook, we'll find ourselves having to dig out of this hole all over again some day. We must not forget.
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POPSChina, builidng for the future... I don't know the exact figures, but i know the U.S. needs to be making these same kind of investments in it's own power grid. Maybe we can borrow the money from China to do it :)
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POPSCould We Be Near the Big Collapse? The U.S. Treasury must sell a record net $2 trillion in new debt in 2009 to fund a $1.8 trillion projected fiscal deficit, resulting from falling tax revenues, an economic stimulus package and sundry bank bailouts.
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POPS22 nations unanimously prefer Obama They don't make our decisions for us, but what does it say about how hopeless the whole world feels about the Bush/McCain outlook? Here's a chance to turn the page and end this self-defeating arrogance of unilateralism.
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POPSMOT ; Museum of Tomorrow Wang described the museum as a "mobile museum." After 134 days at the current venue, the museum will likely change location and exhibition method. However, the concept and principle will remain unchanged. "This is why we have a gigantic countdown clock ticking away on the translucent white wall of the entranceway."
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