The Recline and Fall of Western Civilization - Slate.com
Ding! Instantly the jerk in 11C reclines his seat all the way back. The guy in 12C, his book shoved into his face, reclines as well. 13C goes next. And soon the reclining has cascaded like rows of dominos to the back of the plane, where the poor bastards in the last row see their personal space reduced to about a cubic foot.
I never recline my airplane seat, maybe slightly on long intercontinental flights.
(Source: Slate)
Happy Valentine’s Day!
A Manifesto for Atheists — Ten Virtues for the Modern Age
Resilience. Keeping going even when things are looking dark; accepting that reversals are normal; remembering that human nature is, in the end, tough. Not frightening others with your fears.
Empathy. The capacity to connect imaginatively with the sufferings and unique experiences of another person. The courage to become someone else and look back at yourself with honesty.
Patience. We lose our temper because we believe that things should be perfect. We’ve grown so good in some areas (putting men on the moon etc.), we’re ever less able to deal with things that still insist on going wrong; like traffic, government, other people… We should grow calmer and more forgiving by getting more realistic about how things actually tend to go.
Sacrifice. We’re hardwired to seek our own advantage but also have a miraculous ability, very occasionally, to forego our own satisfactions in the name of someone or something else. We won’t ever manage to raise a family, love someone else or save the planet if we don’t keep up with the art of sacrifice.
Politeness. Politeness has a bad name. We often assume it’s about being ‘fake’ (which is meant to be bad) as opposed to ‘really ourselves’ (which is meant to be good). However, given what we’re really like deep down, we should spare others too much exposure to our deeper selves. We need to learn manners, which aren’t evil - they are the necessary internal rules of civilisation. Politeness is very linked to tolerance, the capacity to live alongside people whom one will never agree with, but at the same time, can’t avoid.
Humour. Seeing the funny sides of situations and of oneself doesn’t sound very serious, but it is integral to wisdom, because it’s a sign that one is able to put a benevolent finger on the gap between what we want to happen and what life can actually provide; what we dream of being and what we actually are, what we hope other people will be like and what they are actually like. Like anger, humour springs from disappointment, but it’s disappointment optimally channelled. It’s one of the best things we can do with our sadness.
Self-awareness. To know oneself is to try not to blame others for one’s troubles and moods; to have a sense of what’s going on inside oneself, and what actually belongs to the world.
Forgiveness. Forgiveness means a long memory of all the times when we wouldn’t have got through life without someone cutting us some slack. It’s recognising that living with others isn’t possible without excusing errors.
Hope. The way the world is now is only a pale shadow of what it could one day be. We’re still only at the beginning of history. As you get older, despair becomes far easier, almost reflex (whereas in adolescence, it was still cool and adventurous). Pessimism isn’t necessarily deep, nor optimism shallow.
Confidence. The greatest projects and schemes die for no grander reasons than that we don’t dare. Confidence isn’t arrogance, it’s based on a constant awareness of how short life is and how little we ultimately lose from risking everything.
Alain de Botton releases Ten Virtues for the Modern Age.
Via explore-blog.
On the heels of a 15-year-old girl’s brave and brilliant choice to come out to her parents via cake, a new study shows people who come out are happier and healthier
PHD Comics: How Your Conference Presentation Goes
I haven’t experienced this myself, but I certainly have witnessed various parts of these mishaps plaguing presenters.
High levels of accuracy/effectiveness are sometimes not good enough.
Work Hours of Various Professions
By Wendy MacNaughton, at NYT, via Explore Blog.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry offers one of history’s greatest definitions of love.
Blue Sky #sellit #makemefamous
Susanne took this photo, and we posted it on Facebook and I posted it on the kids’ blog a few days ago. The photo really captures Avi’s personality and attitude. He saw his big brother playing with a boogie board, and he wanted to do it himself, by himself. He’s 18 months old but has no fear. Whatever he sees his brother do, he assumes he can too. His posture and stride fully convey his intention and determination—“I’m going to walk in there and get on the board. No one’s stopping me.” I originally posted on Facebook:
I was worried for a second, but he looks like he knows what he’s doing! Hang ten!
Because he always looks so chipper!
But was this in the Gangnam district of Seoul?
The original “Gangnam Style” – two middle-aged Korean gentlemen walk down the street in 1904 traditional dress. Their hats, known as ekate, are made out of horsehair.
Office ceiling (at Ketchum - UCB)
