Category Archives: Social Commentary

These are some basic principles I use to help sort through the various topics and suggested explanations. Using them can simplify discussions.

Briefly, the Dunning-Kruger (DK) effect is the erroneous self-assessment of skill, knowledge, or other qualities in a field that is not the person’s area of expertise. This can be laymen grappling with an unfamiliar discipline, or experts who have strayed … Continue reading →

Bielefeld Conspiracy theories strike me as an attempt to hold on to a cherished idea when there is insufficient evidence to support it. Rather than consider that the idea is wrong, a person clings to it and invents reasons to … Continue reading →

Before There Was Photoshop In 1917, two girls borrowed their father’s camera and took some photos in their back yard. When the photos were developed, they showed several fairies dancing and playing in the yard as the girls looked on. … Continue reading →

The Sphinx Until recently, the Sphinx wasn’t considered much of a mystery. There it sat, right by the Great Pyramid, a large but ordinary-looking sculpture located close to one of the most mysterious structures ever built. Sure, the Sphinx might … Continue reading →

I find it annoying when people accuse those who disagree with them of being stupid, crazy, afraid, or otherwise flawed. The assumption seems to be that no one could possibly disagree with them on rational grounds. This is arrogant bullshit.

Over the years, I’ve been told over and over again that we only use 10% of our brains – and how wonderful it would be if we could learn to use the other 90%. Sometimes the numbers vary – down … Continue reading →

“I don’t know.” Three of the hardest words to say – except maybe for: EyjafjallajökullpneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosisLlanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch Many of us – probably most of us – seem to approach admitting ignorance with the same enthusiasm we approach a root canal. It is … Continue reading →

In 1895, German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovered X-rays while playing around in his laboratory. The discovery made enormous contributions to physics and other sciences. Röntgen received the first Nobel Prize for Physics his work. It also triggered intense interest … Continue reading →

Kirlian Photograph of Fingertip Kirlian photography is a technique of acquiring photographic images through the use of high-voltage electricity. It was developed in the Soviet Union by Semyon Kirlian and his wife Valentina during the first half of the 20th … Continue reading →