resource allocation...

So. In the end, all decisions come down to limited resources and the need to prioritize.  What is your priority? How many resources do you want to spend? How many resources can you afford? These days, I'm finding that the tangible resources, such as money and goods, are the easy ones. What I struggle with is wisely using the intangible resources, such as mental focus and time. 

subtle differences...

According to the fabulous Apple dictionary:

• reciprocal: given, felt, or done in return
• symbiosis: a mutually beneficial relationship between different people or groups
• trade: the action of buying or selling goods and services

Although, arguably the same relationship could be characterized as any one of the three. The connotative difference is tremendous. To me, symbiotic implies necessary; reciprocal implies obligatory; and trade implies utilitarian. 

human behavioral plasticity

Behavioral (or phenotypic) plasticity is the extent to which an organism can vary its behavior depending on its environment. It turns out that humans (not just Barbie) are remarkably plastic. Consider: 

• If a child's father is absent, it is likely the child will pursue a sexual strategy of quantity (more children with little parental investment) over quality (fewer children with lots of investment). (If partnerships are short-lived, why invest?)
• If neighborhood life expectancy is low,  parents are less likely to emphasize education when raising their children. (If life is short, why invest in the future?)
• If a woman predicts a short relationship, she is more likely to select a male partner with good genes, but no interest in parental investment. (If he's not going to be around anyhow, why not pick the sexy one?)

The creepy part is that we are generally not even aware that we are making the tradeoffs.

Genius

A scientific genius is not a person who does what no one else can do; he or she is someone who does what it takes many others to do. The genius is not a unique source of insight; he is merely an efficient source of insight. -Malcolm Gladwell, In The Air

The crazy part about it all is that when you put geniuses together the effect is multiplicative. Their efficiency and insight builds and grows. Companies (Ideo, Intellectual Ventures) have started to use this insight to come up with novel designs and ideas. 

When do you come up with your best ideas? Who could be a part of your genius group? 

tell me a story...

I am reading a fabulous book called Why? that is seeking to partially explain why people explain things. One type of commonly used explanation is the story, which, in general, has a few key actors, a cause-and-effect plot, and the actors' actions are entirely responsible for the outcome of the story. Notably, they also tend to include a moral evaluation of the events and actors. We use them all the time. 

They are deliberately simplified to be easily explainable and understandable (it'd be way too complex to explain even your trip to work if you had to describe every car). The question is: Could the missing details (other actions, causes, and/or events) affect your perspective on the outcome? How would you know?

inertia...

inertia = a tendency to do nothing or remain unchanged [Apple's handy-dandy dictionary ap]

• Disliking your job, but not getting a new one
• Whining about a family member or friend, but not confronting them
• Agonizing over your weight, but not changing your editing or exercising habits
• Wanting to do something great, but being too afraid to take the first step
• Talking about how you almost became a lawyer, but not studying for the LSAT

Today seems like a good day to get moving.

the hair puzzle...

I have naturally pin-straight hair. When I dress up, I curl it. 

My sisters-in-law have naturally curly hair. When they dress up, they straighten it. 

Odd. 

Perhaps, what is special is just what is difficult or unusual. Interesting.