While I wait patiently for a day I hope is coming soon…I thought it was about time to change the theme I’m running on this site. So hello Motion, goodbye Dusk. Dusk has served me well over the last 4ish years and it’s a testament to the design that it’s lasted so long. But things must change, and I felt like something that felt a bit more fresh.
So here we are in Motion. Posted something at Simantic recently but not writing much on here. Not much time these days but perhaps more importantly, not much interest. Writing a good blog takes time and effort and I don’t like to do things half heartedly.
I continue to tweet though and that is a nice compromise for now.
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Everything depends on values, not data, since data requires interpretation, or at the very least, some sort of value assessment of potential actions arising from data analysis.
data + values = opinion.
The more an opinion is informed by data, the better ‘informed’ the opinion. But still, in decision making, values usually trump data (see my tweet about voters being swayed by stories not facts).
A decision regarding action, based on data, requires an analysis of potential risks and opportunities arising from a particular course of action.
Analysis of risks and opportunities are inherently future orientated, this is where values again become supreme.
data = objective
values = subjective
opinion = subject x objective
I have a theory that humans are inherently insecure because we have become reliant on solving problems via modifying ourselves through the use of tools and clothing. A human being without tools or clothing is therefore at a natural disadvantage and would naturally feel insecure.
I have a theory regarding the ‘mid-life’ crisis, and all its variants. My theory goes that we effectively stop developing ourselves after entering the workforce, and one day wake up feeling that we’re no ‘better’ than we were n years ago.
All of school is about learning, improving, building on previous learning to go to the next level. Similarly, when we were at school, many of us were involved in sports or music, involving practice (training), then performance (games, recitals etc.
After graduating, many of us stop the self improvement process (i.e. practice) across all areas of our life. Juggling work, relationships, family and other comittments, we don’t find the time for practicing the things we like. Overtime, we find that our skills are not actually improving, because we’re no longer trying to improve ourselves. For example, we play sport for ‘fitness’, not to get better at it, partly because we no longer have time for game, and practice.
What I’m saying is that, in the game of life, we need to give ourselves more time for practice.
Sometimes I inadvertently create cool words with typos. Two of my favourites:
sustainabile – I consider this something like ‘green washing’.
climate chance – a new phrase to focus on the opportunities climate change presents. And no, I don’t mean increased agricultural production. But rather, incentives for massive investment in clean-tech and energy/transport efficiency in all countries (which are all continually developing).
I picked up some anti-malaria tablets today that I’ll have to take daily while in any rural areas of Indonesia. The pharmacist warned me that I should avoid excessive sunlight when taking them, as it causes you to burn easier and can increase the risk of skin cancer.
I’m already so white that the radiant light from anything higher than an 80w light globe results in singing of the epidermis, so I did consider just taking my chances with coils and nets.
However, since both malaria and skin cancer are potentially fatal, I decided to purchase the tablets, placing more value on preventing short term disease than long term disease. Even though the chance of the longer term disease is probably higher, it is a long way off, thus, health now is worth more than health later. This is a common human trait in much decision making.
But don’t worry, there will be plenty of slipping, slopping, slapping and shading.
