For Christmas, I bought my wife a subscription to Marriage Partnership. In the first issue we received, there was a good article about "couples devotional":
No amount of being religious can replace the time a couple spends in shared prayer. Research shows that couples who frequently pray together are twice as likely as those who pray less often to describe their marriages as being highly romantic. And couples who pray together are 90 percent more likely to report higher satisfaction with sex than couples who don't pray together. Because of the vulnerability it demands, prayer draws a couple closer.
If prayer is so good for marriage, why don't more couples do it? Because it's not easy and the price of that vulnerability can seem too high ... We've become convinced that the most desperate need in many marriages is not for more excitement or activity, but for depth. Try sojourning together toward communion with God. Then your aching urge to be connected - soul to soul - will be satisfied.
There was also a good quote from Trent Dilfer, quarterback of the Cleveland Browns. He said, "People are often enamored with my Super Bowl ring. But it's my wedding ring that I'm most proud of. Having a good marriage takes even more work than winning a Super Bowl."
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Periodic Table of Visualization Methods
My brother sent this page to me and it's totally cool. Well ... maybe only cool if you're into analytics and data visualization. In some situations, the right visualization can make all the difference. Enjoy.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Cool Christmas present
For Christmas, my brother bought me a ton of CO2 emissions through NativeEnergy. Specifically, NativeEnergy will use the money to build new wind power projects that reduce one ton of CO2 emissions (about a third of a car's annual emissions). What a thoughtful gift. Thanks! For Christmas, I gave some of my in-laws $10 each towards the purchase of compact flourescent lightbulbs (or some other energy efficiency project of their choice). It was one way to remember the environment (a gift to humanity) this holiday season.
The Science of Happiness
I just read an article in the January-February issue of Harvard Magazine called "The Science of Happiness". Apparently "positive psychology" is a new and fast-growing field, although some like Daniel Gilbert (author of Stumbling on Happiness) "don't think psychology needs a movement ... probably 85% of the ideas are worthless, but that's true everywhere in science." As I was reading through the article, I marked three passages that I thought were interesting:
Environs, too, affect mood. Settings that combine “prospect and refuge,” for example, seem to support a sense of well-being. “People like to be on a hill, where they can see a landscape. And they like somewhere to go where they can not be seen themselves,” Etcoff explains. “That’s a place desirable to a predator who wants to avoid becoming prey.” Other attractive features include a source of water (streams for beauty and slaking thirst), low-canopy trees (shade, protection), and animals (proof of habitability). “Humans prefer this to deserts or man-made environments,” Etcoff says. “Building windowless, nature-less, isolated offices full of cubicles ignores what people actually want. A study of patients hospitalized for gall-bladder surgery compared those whose rooms looked out on a park with those facing a brick wall. The park-view patients used less pain medication, had shorter stays, and complained less to their nurses. We ignore our nature at our own peril.”
“We evolved in a much different world, with much less choice and no sedentary people,” Etcoff continues. “We didn’t evolve for happiness, we evolved for survival and reproduction.” For this reason, we are sensitive to danger. “Pleasure and the positive-reward system is for opportunity and gain,” Etcoff explains. “And pleasure involves risk, taking a chance that can override some of your fear at that moment.”
Happiness activates the sympathetic nervous system (which stimulates the “flight or fight” response), whereas joy stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (controlling “rest and digest” functions). “We can laugh from either joy or happiness,” Vaillant said. “We weep only from grief or joy.” Happiness displaces pain, but joy embraces it: “Without the pain of farewell, there is no joy of reunion,” he asserted. “Without the pain of captivity, we don’t experience the joy of freedom.”
I've seen a couple of authors make the distinction between happiness and joy before. I've also heard authors argue that we can't appreciate what's good in our lives within having some bad stuff for contrast.
There was one other passage from Daniel Gilbert that was thought-provoking:
The reason is that humans hold fast to a number of wrong ideas about what will make them happy. Ironically, these misconceptions may be evolutionary necessities. “Imagine a species that figured out that children don’t make you happy,” says Gilbert. “We have a word for that species: extinct. There is a conspiracy between genes and culture to keep us in the dark about the real sources of happiness. If a society realized that money would not make people happy, its economy would grind to a halt.”
That last sentence is pretty interesting. If people weren't interested in making more than a bare minimum amount of money, would capitalism still be able to operate or would it fall apart?
I wonder where all this research will take us - or whether it will be a passing fad with not much to show for itself 10-20 years from now.
Environs, too, affect mood. Settings that combine “prospect and refuge,” for example, seem to support a sense of well-being. “People like to be on a hill, where they can see a landscape. And they like somewhere to go where they can not be seen themselves,” Etcoff explains. “That’s a place desirable to a predator who wants to avoid becoming prey.” Other attractive features include a source of water (streams for beauty and slaking thirst), low-canopy trees (shade, protection), and animals (proof of habitability). “Humans prefer this to deserts or man-made environments,” Etcoff says. “Building windowless, nature-less, isolated offices full of cubicles ignores what people actually want. A study of patients hospitalized for gall-bladder surgery compared those whose rooms looked out on a park with those facing a brick wall. The park-view patients used less pain medication, had shorter stays, and complained less to their nurses. We ignore our nature at our own peril.”
“We evolved in a much different world, with much less choice and no sedentary people,” Etcoff continues. “We didn’t evolve for happiness, we evolved for survival and reproduction.” For this reason, we are sensitive to danger. “Pleasure and the positive-reward system is for opportunity and gain,” Etcoff explains. “And pleasure involves risk, taking a chance that can override some of your fear at that moment.”
Happiness activates the sympathetic nervous system (which stimulates the “flight or fight” response), whereas joy stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (controlling “rest and digest” functions). “We can laugh from either joy or happiness,” Vaillant said. “We weep only from grief or joy.” Happiness displaces pain, but joy embraces it: “Without the pain of farewell, there is no joy of reunion,” he asserted. “Without the pain of captivity, we don’t experience the joy of freedom.”
I've seen a couple of authors make the distinction between happiness and joy before. I've also heard authors argue that we can't appreciate what's good in our lives within having some bad stuff for contrast.
There was one other passage from Daniel Gilbert that was thought-provoking:
The reason is that humans hold fast to a number of wrong ideas about what will make them happy. Ironically, these misconceptions may be evolutionary necessities. “Imagine a species that figured out that children don’t make you happy,” says Gilbert. “We have a word for that species: extinct. There is a conspiracy between genes and culture to keep us in the dark about the real sources of happiness. If a society realized that money would not make people happy, its economy would grind to a halt.”
That last sentence is pretty interesting. If people weren't interested in making more than a bare minimum amount of money, would capitalism still be able to operate or would it fall apart?
I wonder where all this research will take us - or whether it will be a passing fad with not much to show for itself 10-20 years from now.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
How to raise a spiritual child
I'm glad that my kids have religion in thier lives. I read this article from Parent Center on "how to raise a spiritual child". There is nothing too earth-shattering in there but it was reassuring to see that we're doing many of the things they suggest. I ultimately don't care which religion (if any) my kids select. But I do hope that they understand that there is something larger in the world than themselves and that they have an on-going dialogue with God.
GreenDimes
A friend of mine pointed me to GreenDimes.com. The $3/month subscription service helps get you off (and keep you off) of junk-mail lists - which saves paper, eliminates clutter in your home, and reduces the chances of identity theft. The company also plants a tree for you every month. I just signed up so I can't vouch for the service yet. But it seems intriguing and potentially quite valuable.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Save the polar bear
The Bush Administration is considering adding the polar bear to the endangered species list (see this article). If it does so, there may be a ripple effect on the government's stance and policies on global climate change since federal agencies would then have a regulatory obligation to protect the polar bear (whose main threat right now is habitat loss due to global warming). Given the adminstration's past stance on climate change, it would be ironic is polar bears could accomplish what scientists have not - get the adminstration to take greenhouse gas emissions seriously.
Friday, December 29, 2006
New blog functionality
Blogger just upgraded its service to include some new functionality (including the ability to "label" or categorize posts). They also "upgraded" their templates. I'm still getting used to the new template and don't really like everything about it (i.e., some of the formatting and spacing). Also, it's going to take a little while to go back and label all my prior posts. So there will be a little turmoil with the blog while I'll work through all these issues. In the meantime, I'll also try to get some new content up. So stick with me through this transition.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Climate change videos
The University of Arizona put together a seminar series on climate change this past fall. There were seven talks by different U of A professors, covering almost all important aspects of the "climate change problem." I have not had a chance to watch them myself but I hear that the talks are quite good.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
The One Sentence Challenge
One of the blogs I read issued the following challenge:
Physicist Richard Feynman once said that if all knowledge about physics was about to expire the one sentence he would tell the future is that "Everything is made of atoms." What one sentence would you tell the future about your own area, whether it's entrepreneurship, hedge funds, venture capital, or something else? Examples: An economist might say that "People respond to incentives." I had an engineering professor years ago who said all of that field could be reduced to "F=MA and you can't push on a rope." A couple of other good ones come immediately to mind: the GBN motto, "the future is uncertain, and yet we must act;" Bruce Sterling's "the future is a process, not a destination;" Yogi Berra's "prediction is very hard, especially about the future."
In my case, I'd probably say "everything happens for a reason" (see this post). Perhaps I suffer from confirmation bias, but I keep seeing more and more evidence in my life that it's true.
So, what would your one sentence be?
Physicist Richard Feynman once said that if all knowledge about physics was about to expire the one sentence he would tell the future is that "Everything is made of atoms." What one sentence would you tell the future about your own area, whether it's entrepreneurship, hedge funds, venture capital, or something else? Examples: An economist might say that "People respond to incentives." I had an engineering professor years ago who said all of that field could be reduced to "F=MA and you can't push on a rope." A couple of other good ones come immediately to mind: the GBN motto, "the future is uncertain, and yet we must act;" Bruce Sterling's "the future is a process, not a destination;" Yogi Berra's "prediction is very hard, especially about the future."
In my case, I'd probably say "everything happens for a reason" (see this post). Perhaps I suffer from confirmation bias, but I keep seeing more and more evidence in my life that it's true.
So, what would your one sentence be?
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Blue skies
There was a brief AskMarilyn in today's PARADE magazine asking "My daughter, who lives near Palm Springs, California, says her sky is bluer than my sky in Portland, Oregan. Can that be?" The answer is:
Yes: Sky color - or "sky transparency" - depends on many factors, among which is humidity. And you know that Portand is a teensy bit more humid than Palm Springs! Consider the brilliant blue sky of a cold, dry winter day compared to the whitish look of the sky on a muggy day in summer. Residents of Palm Springs enjoy a great many low-humidity, sunny days.
So, I suppose while the grass may not be greener on the other side, the sky may indeed be bluer in California compared to where you live. =)
Yes: Sky color - or "sky transparency" - depends on many factors, among which is humidity. And you know that Portand is a teensy bit more humid than Palm Springs! Consider the brilliant blue sky of a cold, dry winter day compared to the whitish look of the sky on a muggy day in summer. Residents of Palm Springs enjoy a great many low-humidity, sunny days.
So, I suppose while the grass may not be greener on the other side, the sky may indeed be bluer in California compared to where you live. =)
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Complete failure
Awhile ago, I set a goal for myself to weigh 190 pounds by Christmas (see this post). With Christmas only a couple of days ago, I can confidently say I won't achieve my goal. I won't even come close. Despite a post three months ago regarding convictions, I weigh more now than I did then. It's pathetic and the exact opposite example to set for my kids.
So, what to do? I'm going to put my money where my mouth is. It's a self-bet. If I weigh less than 195 pounds on my next birthday (in June), I'll put $1,000 into my kids' college savings account. Otherwise, I'll donate $1,000 to Heifer.org for a heifer, two goats, and a water buffalo. Basically, I'm putting $1,000 at risk. If I succeed, the money will go toward something that I care about deeply. If I fail, I forfeit the money to something I don't care about (but at least it will do some good in the world).
It's unfortunate I have to resort to tactics like this but such is life. There are consequences for all of our actions and inactions. This just extends those consequences into the physical world and makes them more tangible for me.
So, what to do? I'm going to put my money where my mouth is. It's a self-bet. If I weigh less than 195 pounds on my next birthday (in June), I'll put $1,000 into my kids' college savings account. Otherwise, I'll donate $1,000 to Heifer.org for a heifer, two goats, and a water buffalo. Basically, I'm putting $1,000 at risk. If I succeed, the money will go toward something that I care about deeply. If I fail, I forfeit the money to something I don't care about (but at least it will do some good in the world).
It's unfortunate I have to resort to tactics like this but such is life. There are consequences for all of our actions and inactions. This just extends those consequences into the physical world and makes them more tangible for me.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
My life is my message
I came across a great quote by Mahatma Gandhi the other day. When asked by a reporter “what is your message,” he responded “my life is my message.” That is a valuable perspective and one that I've tried to take to heart - see, for example, this post. I haven't gone through this "my life is my message" questionnaire but it might be a valuable exercise at some point. The questionnaire includes another interesting quote by William Ellery Channing - "may your life preach more loudly than your words.”
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Biofuel crash course
For any of you interested in learning more about biofuels, Grist just posted a special two-week series on biofuels. Looks like a good cross-section of relevant topics.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Gapminder
I'm a big data guy and Gapminder is one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time. If you have twenty minutes, definitely check out this video from the TED 2006 conference. It's a fascinating talk by Hans Rosling on human development trends over the last 40 years. The speaker (and the software) does an amazing job of bringing the data alive. I've never seen anything quite like it. I'd love to give a talk like that sometime. So cool!
Friday, November 24, 2006
Goal setting
I'm reading a new book by Michael Neill called You Can Have What You Want. Here is one interesting excerpt regarding goal setting:
I once asked one of my most financially successful clients, a multimillionaire "super salesman," whether or not he set goals. He told me that he did, and in fact always had, but not in the way that most people do. Traditional goal setting encourages us to think big and reach for the stars, but also to keep our target constant while we do whatever it takes to achieve it. My client didn't do any of that. He would sit down once or twice a year over a good meal and a nice glass of wine and ask himself, "What would be fun and exciting to make my life about over the next year?" He would then take as long as he wanted to write down his ideas until he had a list that totally inspired him. As the year unfolded, he would check in with his "goals" every now and then and adjust them up or down depending on how things were going in his life.
When he saw how horrified I looked (didn't anyone ever tell him you're not allowed to change your goals once you've written them down?), he told me something I have never forgotten: "The only real purpose of a goal is to inspire you to fall more deeply in love with your life."
There's another good quote regarding goal setting at the beginning of that section of the book. Michelangelo said, "The great danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."
I once asked one of my most financially successful clients, a multimillionaire "super salesman," whether or not he set goals. He told me that he did, and in fact always had, but not in the way that most people do. Traditional goal setting encourages us to think big and reach for the stars, but also to keep our target constant while we do whatever it takes to achieve it. My client didn't do any of that. He would sit down once or twice a year over a good meal and a nice glass of wine and ask himself, "What would be fun and exciting to make my life about over the next year?" He would then take as long as he wanted to write down his ideas until he had a list that totally inspired him. As the year unfolded, he would check in with his "goals" every now and then and adjust them up or down depending on how things were going in his life.
When he saw how horrified I looked (didn't anyone ever tell him you're not allowed to change your goals once you've written them down?), he told me something I have never forgotten: "The only real purpose of a goal is to inspire you to fall more deeply in love with your life."
There's another good quote regarding goal setting at the beginning of that section of the book. Michelangelo said, "The great danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Thankful
Seeing as it's Thanksgiving, I thought it would be fitting to see a post regarding what I am thankful for this year. There are so many blessings in my life. I am quite lucky compared to most. I have a wonderful, supportive wife; two sweet, energetic sons; a brother and a sister-in-law near-by who are great supports to me and my family; loving parents and in-laws; a new job that I'm excited about; and good friends. I also have many material comforts that I too often take for granted (warm home, plenty of food to eat, financial security, etc). I couldn't really ask for more ... well, maybe instant knowledge of everything I need to learn for work. =) This is a really good part of my life and I am very thankful for that.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Borat
I went to see the new Borat movie yesterday afternoon. I thought I'd take advantage of the brief time off before I officially start my new job. Everyone who had seen the movie described it as both (a) "extremely funny" and (b) "very offensive" and/or "very disturbing" . I can confirm that's all true. I think I found the most interesting about the movie is how willing Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) is to put himself out there and do ridiculous stuff. Sometimes I wish I was more like that. I was a bit during the talent show that I mc'd awhile ago. But not nearly to Borat's level. When I first started in marketing five years ago, my manager would always encourage us to be in "the bozo zone" when we presented. The idea was that you should push yourself way out of your comfort zone ("the bozo zone") because, to the audience, it would only appear that you were being energetic or passionate about what you were saying. Having seen this movie, perhaps I'll rename that being in "the Borat zone".
Speaking of putting yourself out there and overcoming fear, Michael Neill has a new book out called You Can Have What You Want. In a newsletter that I subscribe to, Neill suggests that people try the following experiment:
For the next week, live as if fear is completely unnecessary. Don't worry about it if you feel it - a lifetime of conditioning tends not to disappear overnight. Just notice when you are about to do something if it is coming from fear or 'not-fear', and if it's from fear, don't do it. Any time you aren't sure what to do, ask yourself what you would do if you were not afraid and do that.
Be kind to yourself along the way - the path of not-fear is not always easy, especially at first. But after you've been on it for awhile, you may find it difficult to go back to living the other kind of life.
If that's a scary thought for you, ponder these words of Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and the president of Burma who has lived under house arrest for many years:
"Fear is a habit. I am not afraid."
Between presenting at a board meeting on Friday and starting my new job officially on Monday (see post regarding how much I need to learn), I'll have plenty of opportunities to conduct this experiment over the next week or so.
Speaking of putting yourself out there and overcoming fear, Michael Neill has a new book out called You Can Have What You Want. In a newsletter that I subscribe to, Neill suggests that people try the following experiment:
For the next week, live as if fear is completely unnecessary. Don't worry about it if you feel it - a lifetime of conditioning tends not to disappear overnight. Just notice when you are about to do something if it is coming from fear or 'not-fear', and if it's from fear, don't do it. Any time you aren't sure what to do, ask yourself what you would do if you were not afraid and do that.
Be kind to yourself along the way - the path of not-fear is not always easy, especially at first. But after you've been on it for awhile, you may find it difficult to go back to living the other kind of life.
If that's a scary thought for you, ponder these words of Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and the president of Burma who has lived under house arrest for many years:
"Fear is a habit. I am not afraid."
Between presenting at a board meeting on Friday and starting my new job officially on Monday (see post regarding how much I need to learn), I'll have plenty of opportunities to conduct this experiment over the next week or so.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
How Beauty is Made
My wife pointed me to this video the other day. I've heard about how makeup and Photoshop can enhance the beauty of a model but the transformation which is possible is pretty dramatic. At the end of the video, it comments "no wonder how perception of beauty is so distorted" - and that's true. Someone should make one of these videos for Playboy too. I hear that many (if not all) of the photos in that magazine are "enhanced". Would be interesting to see a before and after.
Veterans Day
Quick funny story. Last weekend, we drove down to Fresno to visit my wife's aunt and uncle. Her uncle (GH) is recovering from two strokes. All things considered, he's doing quite well and will hopefully continue to make strong progress in his recovery. While we were visiting, GH and I decided to go to a movie. He is a big movie fan and can't get out the movies as easily anymore. We decided to see Flags of Our Fathers, the new Clint Eastwood movie about raising the flag at Iwo Jima. Given the strokes, GH needs a walker to get around. As we were coming out the movie, a woman came up to GH and said "I bet you're a veteran". Apparently every "disabled" person who goes to a WWII movie must be a veteran. Turns out that GH was in the Air Force and the woman was happy to discover that. She shook GH's hand, thanked him for his service, and commented that he must be excited that Veterans Day was coming up. Then she went on her way. I commented to GH that I hadn't known he had been in the Air Force for two years but left it at that.
After we got out of the theater, I had to run and get the car. We had forgetten the handicapped tag for the car so I had dropped off GH and then parked in the main lot. As I returned with the car, I found GH talking to a man and his family. They had actually sat directly behind us during the movie. Like the first woman, the man was thanking GH for his service to our country and shaking his hand. Then he turned to me, shook my hand, and told me how lucky I am to have GH (which I am), and went on his way. More intrigued, I asked GH if he had seen combat - to which he replied "I was a dentist in the Air Force for two years to serve out my ROTC commitment" (and it was during the Vietnam War, not WWII). I just love the conclusions that people jump to.
To be clear, we should honor our veterans (including GH). Their sacrifice is so often forgotten. We owe them a debt of gratitude that is not easily repaid. Thank you! [For those interested in videos, see also this tribute or this commercial.] We should also remember the service and sacrifice of others - both big and small. Whether it is caring for a veteran, a patient, or someone in need, the everyday service of so many people goes unnoticed and underappreciated. Thank you! We can all learn from your example.
Today is Veterans Day. Enjoy your big day, GH!
After we got out of the theater, I had to run and get the car. We had forgetten the handicapped tag for the car so I had dropped off GH and then parked in the main lot. As I returned with the car, I found GH talking to a man and his family. They had actually sat directly behind us during the movie. Like the first woman, the man was thanking GH for his service to our country and shaking his hand. Then he turned to me, shook my hand, and told me how lucky I am to have GH (which I am), and went on his way. More intrigued, I asked GH if he had seen combat - to which he replied "I was a dentist in the Air Force for two years to serve out my ROTC commitment" (and it was during the Vietnam War, not WWII). I just love the conclusions that people jump to.
To be clear, we should honor our veterans (including GH). Their sacrifice is so often forgotten. We owe them a debt of gratitude that is not easily repaid. Thank you! [For those interested in videos, see also this tribute or this commercial.] We should also remember the service and sacrifice of others - both big and small. Whether it is caring for a veteran, a patient, or someone in need, the everyday service of so many people goes unnoticed and underappreciated. Thank you! We can all learn from your example.
Today is Veterans Day. Enjoy your big day, GH!
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