Maddenation
Happiness and Simple Living
Here is a nice article on living simply and the state of our happiness. It goes into a bit of the psychology of buying stuff vs. having experiences. I liked best the parts about simple living - this one couple decided to downsize to only 100 personal items. Yikes. Here’s the woman’s blog rowdykittens.com. The article (and blog) at the very least offers lots to ponder. Like right now I’m looking into the blog post on something I could use - a digital sabbatical.
David • Inspirations • 08/09/10 • 1 commentsBYU’s parody of Old Spice commercial
Not sure how much we should laugh at this one, but it’s not too bad, I think:
http://news.byu.edu/archive10-jul-librarypromo.aspx?utm_campaign=07162010
(thanks to Dave for finally getting me to come out of my cave and see those Old Spice commercials).
Patrick • Funnies • 08/06/10 • 1 commentsMy massive body
As this article points out, the body mass index, or Quetelet index, was invented over 150 years ago by a Belgian “polymath” who was interested in a statistical correlation for populations of people rather than individuals. It is equal to your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in meters. The problem is that weight, generally speaking, ought to be proportional to height cubed. So increasing a person’s dimensions in a proportional way automatically increases his/her body mass index, even if body fat remains constant.
Dad • Conspiracies • 08/04/10 • 2 commentsJack of all trades?
Just listened to the Charlie Rose interview with this guy, which was pretty neat and pretty depressing at the same time. Depressing because Myhrvold has done so much with his life it makes me feel like I’ve wasted mine.
Dad • Inventions • 06/01/10 • 1 commentsGoing through the motions
I think it was my father who I first heard use the expression “going through the motions” to describe activities that are done without much passion or effort, merely to get them out of the way. My recent temporary job with the US Census is a classic example of “going through the motions,” but I would like to use it as an example of the positive aspects of doing these otherwise lackluster activities.
First, it is worthwhile to recognize that much of what we do is going through the motions; water carrying, as it were. Most of us don’t fill our day with “peak experiences.” The problem is our expectations and our attitude. If we have a “bloom where you are planted” attitude on a minute-by-minute basis, then we are apt to have a happier existence. Happiness, after all, is not a destination but a way to travel.
Dad • Suggestions • 05/27/10 • 0 commentsCute little words
Here’s a website I found through the Defunct magazine site that Patrick became a fan of (on another website).
Dad • Suggestions • 04/16/10 • 0 commentsPrecious
I hate movies like Precious. Depressing stories about ugly people (inside and out) whose lives scream stupidity and hopelessness. Yes, I can see the artistry involved and the stark truth of their situations, but as mom asked as we discussed it, “Why do they make these movies?”
Dad • Movies • 03/11/10 • 1 commentsFollowup on Abraham’s Vision
This came up a while ago during our Bible study and last Sunday’s reading reminded me of the insight.
And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
This is verse 5 from Genesis 15 and Patrick wrote about it extensively in his book, Quotidiana. Most of us assume it was nighttime when God came to Abram (as he was then called) in a vision to speak of these cosmic truths. However, verse 12 begins, “Now when the sun was going down…” This, along with the references to birds of prey, strongly suggests that is was during the day that God spoke to Abram.
Dad • Observations • 03/02/10 • 0 commentsAre You A Religious Naturalist?
This 13.7 blog entry over at NPR has got me thinking lately. This recent entry is about God and life and nature and meaning. All these things have been on my mind quite a bit lately as I’m trying to understand my own understandings. In thinking specifically about life (the biology of) and God, I’ve felt deeply moved and utterly lost and baffled. Often, like now, at the same time. I think the genesis of my thoughts on such topics started a few years ago when I heard a talk at the Alder Planetarium by father George Coyne, SJ, an astronomer from the Vatican Observatory. His main point was that God has given us two books with which to know him/her - nature and the Bible. This idea has continued to follow, inspired, and haunt me. This blog post is just the most recent part (the movie Avatar is also connected - more on that later). I wonder what y’all think.
David • Questions • 02/01/10 • 0 commentsTempus Fugit II
Here’s the latest on the concept of time flying faster as we age. Dad’s ‘proportionality’ concept is mentioned (where a year is a much smaller fraction of your life when you’re 60, versus when you were 4). They also throw in some other ideas. It’s pretty fascinating. I wonder how accurate we are at counting a minute?
Okay, I just did it. I got 63 seconds. Not bad.
Here’s the original Tempus Fugit. Ah the glory days of Maddenation!
David • Memories • 02/01/10 • 1 comments