People who know me well will claim that they can predict my choices. I think, feel and believe their view is valid. Nevertheless, neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene claims that ‘Free will is real. No one can predict what you are going to do’ (El Pais-2023). The explanation may be in statistics. Knowing someone well implies that you've witnessed many events, in which...
Routines-habits-standardization
The more things change, the more they stay the same
20 Dec, 2022
Recently, I noticed the phrase above. It feels counterintuitive because Change changes things, doesn't it?? The answer depends on your (macro) perspective versus your (micro) focus. Change is often in details, like different shapes and forms. Perhaps, the invention of the wheel qualifies as Change. Many people would view the Technological Revolution of 1800-2100 as...
Relationship vs Situationship
5 Oct, 2022
Recently, the Belgian newspaper De Standaard published a (Dutch language) article: Do we have a relation? No, a situation. I got curious. Apparently, a situationship is a new buzz word; it's even already mentioned on Wikipedia: "a portmanteau of situational and relationship". "Non-committal relationships are so common, it seems like a new...
Dare to be different
26 Sep, 2022
For many years, I noticed this expression (above) on the wall of an antique shop, while heading for Zandvoort, a Dutch beach town. Daring to be different is, however, against human nature. Most of us strive for (social) conformity because a group offers (dis-) advantages (eg, Greater Good magazine). As a boy attending secondary school (ages 12–16), I did not dare to...
The Energy-Matter and SpaceTime matrix
10 Aug, 2022
Following my recent blogs (ie, The matrix of macro vs micro + negative vs positive) and Dimensions: spacetime and assumed others 2), I prepared a new matrix on things that we know well: our planet Earth, the Sun, Life and water. See my latest diagram below. Finishing this blog took me lots of time. My diagram shows why scientists view Earth as a Goldilocks planet:...
Subscription services in Automotive
20 Jul, 2022
Last week, BMW announced a subscription service for heated car seatings (eg, Ars Technica, BBC, the Verge, WSJ). This development would allow for: (i) lower production cost (ie, standardization), (ii) an artificially lower manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP), and (iii) increase of post-sale "rental" revenue. This innovative idea sounds too good to be true....
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