Matthew

Simulacra and Simulations

August 3, 2010
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As an undergraduate, I helped run a psychology lab for a professor where we did cognitive experiments on Psychology 101 students. My major was Cognitive Science and I spent most of my free time reading anything I could get my hand on the subject. I would read an author’s paper in a journal and flip to their references and then read those papers and flip to those references until I found what seemed to be primary sources – though largely unattributed – it was the philosophers, of course. Carl Jung was among those whose contribution to the field of cognitive science was conveniently buried under tons of footnotes and references.

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Row Your Boat

July 26, 2010
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There were always those people that amazed me with their clarity of vision for their own futures. I’ve often wondered about those with such a clear vision. They always seemed to know exactly what they wanted – they always had a plan on how to achieve it. I have a sort of admiration for those that have their act together enough to have a vision and a plan to get there. I’m a little jealous.

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Rethinking Inheritance

June 26, 2010
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Something has always troubled me about Darwin’s theory and even modern revisions of his work – there is still no explanation for instinct. Ethologists call instincts innate releasing mechanisms or IRM, which in layman’s terms means “we’ll use big fancy words because we just don’t know.” The most common definition is, “The mechanism by which an organism responds to a key stimulus (KS) with a fixed action pattern (FAP).” Of course, this explains nothing. This is one of the limitations of Darwin’s theory – it always has been. An earlier theory of inheritance was posed by the French zoologist, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829). From Understanding Evolution:

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You Have Colorectal Cancer

March 20, 2010
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This has been a rough week. After CT scans, PET scans, colonoscopies, and biopsies a close family member was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer. Three days later surgeons removed an entire large intestine and have already scheduled chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

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Photos From India

February 22, 2010

gypsy boys in Tar desert, Rajastan, India

http://www.nautis.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/1067628_13570824.jpg

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India: A Land of Contradiction

January 7, 2010
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I came to India to see how people here live – day to day. How important is commerce, religion, family? What I’ve found is that India is not that different from Europe or the United States. Their concerns are the same as ours. Religion here ranges from the superficial to the profound; commerce is the engine that drives the country; and family is very important. I wasn’t sure what to expect and perhaps expecting something different was a little silly in hindsight. I tend to focus on commonality rather than differences but here are some differences:

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India Itenerary Maybe

December 21, 2009
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I’ve been given great advice from several friends that know India very well. Most question my sanity of even wanting to go. One friend said, “Why not a nice vacation in Australia instead?” I’m still waiting on my visa stamp before leaving and may have to make a last minute change to my itinerary if it does not arrive in time for my flight. I need to get a malaria shot and also some other preventative medication for my trip. There is a whole universe of parasites, bacteria, and viruses that my immune system has never encountered that it’s going to be a blitzkrieg on the system. I could spend the whole time with a fever and sick in bed but I really hope not. I wonder if they sell Purell in Delhi?

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Unspoken Business Rules

December 17, 2009
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I was going to write about some recent consulting experiences, but remembered that I’ve already written about this. I think these rules may be timeless. Like viruses that have been on the earth since the beginning of time, these rules (and many others) have infected business since the industrial revolution. Here is a roundup of the 5 unspoken business rules:

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