27 Jul, 2023
Last Sunday's blog, Panic in Beijing and its original Bloomberg article, made me realize that there is a difference between business and politics that is easily overlooked. Unlike businessmen, politicians are not allowed to make serious errors, especially in countries like China. Despite that seeing is believing, (communist) ideology is (much) stronger than seeing....
30 Jun, 2023
Recently, I read that all birds look for cover during heavy rain, except for wood-pigeons (eg, 2014 blog, Quora, source). As a result, these pigeons may die from hypothermia. It's not only birds but also humans and plants. Hence, this Naked Scientists question: Why do animals (and humans) dislike getting wet? I once read that plants panic as they fear the impact of...
19 Jun, 2023
Last week, an online female friend (35) asked me the question above. Immediately, I recognised my new blog title. Actually, I fit her question quite well. It was also the reason why my parents were advised to put me in secondary school (ie, MAVO-4). That started my fighting spirit. Over the years, science stated that brain maturity was different for men (eg, 27) and...
9 May, 2023
Late 1990, I resigned from my job. I explained that I felt like a library, at which books were borrowed but never returned. One of the audit partners seemed to understand my position but was baffled. It's fine being a teacher, unless you stop learning. Both owners didn't make any teaching effort. Lately, I've come to realise that I'm back on that one-way street in...
8 May, 2023
I still remember the day when I noticed a strange and unfamiliar structure ahead of me: my first roundabout. I was confused and didn't know what to do. It had never appeared during my driving lessons. I followed the cars in front of me, and stayed one or two full laps on it. Finally, I dared to exit. In the roundabout of Life, I used a first exit towards Knowledge,...
2 May, 2023
When reality is different from our assumptions, beliefs, or expectations then we will get confused. A recent and excellent Aeon-Psyche article argues that Confusion is a symptom of learning. In my view, our confusion will either result in (internal) curiosity, a prerequisite for learning, or be ignored. In "2003, the psychologists Paul Rozin and Adam Cohen asked...
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