Tech Entrepreneurship, Economics, Life Philosophy and much more!
Tech Entrepreneurship, Economics, Life Philosophy and much more!
Jamie Whyte’s angry and witty rant against the rhetoric, faulty reasoning and misinformation we are subjected to from all sources is fascinating, enlightening and fun. The book is a quick read and will equip you with the tools you need to become a staunch defender of truth.
You can buy it at:
http://www.amazon.com/Crimes-Against-Logic-Jamie-Whyte/dp/0071446435/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-5283451-1587818?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1174864371&sr=8-1
The New York Times had a very interesting article on morality in primates. As many primates display empathy, understand who has done them favors, display altruistic behavior and take into consideration the greater good of their group when resolving disputes, they are displaying some of the required building blocks for morality.
You can read the entire article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/20/science/20moral.html?ref=science
In a previous post (http://www.fabricegrinda.com/?p=120), I mentioned that my biggest concern with the Google / Youtube deal was not the valuation, but copyright issues. Now that Viacom has sued Google for $1 billion, those fears seem validated.
That said, traditional media companies probably don’t want to alienate their viewers too much by refusing to embrace the web so chances are that they will settle for a large dollar amount plus a licensing deal.
I wonder how much of the $1.65 billion was put in escrow to be used against copyright claims…
Es interesante lo crédulos que somos los humanos. Si leemos algo o lo vemos en un documental, es más probable que nos lo creamos. Luego está la magia de Google. Si escribes lo suficiente sobre un tema, empiezas a aparecer en los resultados de las búsquedas sobre ese tema, independientemente de cuánto sepas realmente. Muy pronto llega alguien que te toma por un experto en la materia y te pide una entrevista.
Así que me sorprendió gratamente que me confundieran con un “Experto Internacional en Felicidad” y me pidieran que respondiera a algunas preguntas. Empecé diciéndole a mi entrevistadora que se iba a llevar una gran decepción si pensaba que yo era una experta en felicidad, pero decidí seguirle el juego.
Reproduzco algunas de mis respuestas a continuación para que disfrutes de la lectura 🙂
¿Cómo definirías la felicidad?
La felicidad es un estado emocional o afectivo que se caracteriza por sentimientos de disfrute y satisfacción. Como tal, al igual que cuando estás enamorado, eres feliz o no, pero no sabes necesariamente por qué, simplemente lo eres. En consecuencia, muchas personas definen la felicidad como cosas que hacen o tienen, como hace Charlie Brown a continuación:
FELICIDAD
De Eres un buen hombre, Charlie Brown
(Clark Gesner)
La felicidad es encontrar un lápiz.
Dormir a la luz de la luna.
Decir la hora.
La felicidad es aprender a silbar.
Atarse el zapato
Por primera vez.
La felicidad es tocar el tambor
En la banda de tu propia escuela.
Y la felicidad camina de la mano.
La felicidad son dos tipos de helado.
Conocer un secreto.
Subir a un árbol.
La felicidad son cinco lápices de colores diferentes.
Atrapar una luciérnaga.
Liberándole.
Y la felicidad es estar solo de vez en cuando.
Y la felicidad vuelve a casa.
La felicidad es mañana y tarde,
También de día y de noche.
Porque la felicidad es cualquiera y cualquier cosa
Eso te encanta.
La felicidad es tener una hermana.
Compartiendo un bocadillo.
Llevarse bien.
La felicidad es cantar juntos
Cuando acabe el día,
Y la felicidad son los que cantan contigo.
La felicidad es mañana y tarde,
También de día y de noche.
Porque la felicidad es cualquiera y cualquier cosa
Eso te encanta.
Sin embargo, aunque hacer esas cosas hace feliz -a veces- a Charlie Brown, puede que no funcionen para ti.
¿Qué consideras un paso importante hacia la felicidad?
A pesar de lo que he dicho antes, hay pasos claros y deliberados que puedes dar para ser feliz.
Específicamente:
Podrías argumentar que cosas como “estar agradecido” no son fáciles de hacer, ¡pero se ha demostrado que incluso algo tan artificial como escribir cada día en un cuaderno tres cosas buenas que te hayan ocurrido hoy funciona extremadamente bien!
¿Crees que es posible que una persona esté realmente contenta la mayor parte del tiempo?
Por supuesto. Muchas personas suelen ser felices porque sí, por una combinación de su educación y sus genes. Sin embargo, aunque por defecto sólo tuvieras una felicidad media, puedes dar los 11 pasos deliberados mencionados anteriormente para ser significativamente más feliz.
Conclusión sin sentido: El artículo medio de una revista académica lo leen 7 personas, incluida la madre del autor. Quizá los verdaderos expertos deberían escribir blogs 🙂
I recently came across an interesting article on the science of happiness in Harvard Magazine recounting the emergence of “positive psychology” as a field of study, its findings and the emergence of new research areas such as the study of joy instead of happiness.
Many of the findings will be familiar to the readers of my previous posts on happiness. However, a few of the research results were surprising such as the fact that having kids tends to slightly decrease happiness.
Here are two interesting paragraphs:
“Nobel Prize-winning psychologist and behavioral economist Daniel Kahneman of Princeton (see “The Marketplace of Perceptions,” March-April 2006, page 50) asked thousands of subjects to keep diaries of episodes during a day—including feelings, activities, companions, and places—and then identified some correlates of happiness. “Commuting to work was way down there—people are in a terrible mood when they commute,” Etcoff says. “Sleep has an enormous effect. If you don’t sleep well, you feel bad. TV watching is just OK, and time spent with the kids is actually low on the mood chart.” Having intimate relations topped the list of positives, followed by socializing—testimony to how important the “need to belong” is to human satisfaction.”
“Gilbert reconsiders his grandmother’s advice on how to live happily ever after: “Find a nice girl, have children, settle down.” Research shows, he says, that the first idea works: married people are happier, healthier, live longer, are richer per capita, and have more sex than single people. But having children “has only a small effect on happiness, and it is a negative one,” he explains. “People report being least happy when their children are toddlers and adolescents, the ages when kids require the most from the parents.” As far as settling down to make a living—well, if money moves you into the middle class, buying food, warmth, and dental treatment—yes, it makes you happier. “The difference between an annual income of $5,000 and one of $50,000 is dramatic,” Gilbert says. “But going from $50,000 to $50 million will not dramatically affect happiness. It’s like eating pancakes: the first one is delicious, the second one is good, the third OK. By the fifth pancake, you’re at a point where an infinite number more pancakes will not satisfy you to any greater degree. But no one stops earning money or striving for more money after they reach $50,000.”
Reading the book, I felt like I was reading about the first two years of almost every startup I have been involved with. The names of the people and product were different, but the ethos and spirit was truly there. I suppose it’s partly that spirit that keeps me going back and starting from scratch over and over again!
The book’s self-help parts are annoying and the story would have been stronger if it focused only on Facebook, but that aside Inside Facebook, with its compelling characters and a story line on the way to fairy tale ending, is extremely fun and energizing!
The NY Times just published a great article called “Darwin’s God” discussing why people believe in God. It’s a great complement to reading the enlightening and entertaining “The God Delusion.”
While there are some scientific debates, especially on the evolutionary components of religion, it seems that our three fundament mental frameworks and cognitive tools – agent detection, causal reasoning and theory of mind – predispose us to belief.
Read the full article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/04/magazine/04evolution.t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine&pagewanted=all
I have been a fan of Warren Buffet’s letter to his shareholders for many years. It is clear, concise, honest, often funny, and provides insight into many matters outside of Berkshire Hathaway. The 2006 version is no exception to the rule.
You should also check out the full Berkshire Hathaway annual report at: www.berkshirehathaway.com
