*Navigating Cognitive Dissonance in the AI Age of Digital Immortality R. Lee Townsend In the vast expanse of human experience, the passage of time and the march of aging have always been our constant companions, shaping our lives, memories, and identities. It started in the mid-19th century with the development of daguerreotype, the birth of […]
I work in the services industries, and as such am self-employed. Not having a single direct employer means that those I serve directly pay me. So it’s in everyone’s interest for me to provide the very best service possible by providing what was requested, or more, and establishing and maintaining accurate expectations. My “employer” doesn’t […]
Those who know me are aware that I frequently engage but try to apply critical thinking to all sorts of conspiracy theories. The term itself has a negative connotation, but some conspiracy theories are eventually proven as fact; just because it’s labeled a conspiracy theory doesn’t automatically negate its veracity. One can either blindly and […]
Today marks the 30th anniversary of my decision to stop drinking. I call it my rebirthday. This was accomplished not by my willpower, it was accomplished only through a bizarre series of so-called coincidences that can only be attributed to Grace. If life is a school, some lessons are hard-learned. For me this was one […]
“Confirmation bias, also called confirmatory bias or myside bias, is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one’s preexisting beliefs or hypotheses, while giving disproportionately less consideration to alternative possibilities.” (thank you, Wikipedia) It is well-trodden territory for anyone who is seriously involved in UFO studies, and […]
(original author unknown – posting for its poetic impact) I’m not sure how long it’s been. My only reference points are distant stars and planets that basically all look the same and don’t appear to be moving much from here. The radio and GPS cut out some time ago, and the manual propulsion system engines […]
Is anyone like me also sick of our increasing lack of actual unbiased factual news from our mass-media “news” outlets? And this is on both sides of the aisle. I believe it to be the match that has lit the fuse on social media; it forces people into their own echo chambers, and seems to […]
With all the hubbub lately with talk about packing the Supreme Court, it’s time we take a perspective look at the structure of our constitutional republic, and the roots of this experiment in democracy. Especially in this technological age of instant news and the attendant devolution of our so-called news outlets into editorial bias. People […]
Over the past week I posted four items on my Facebook timeline, varied in topics. I was going over them a day or two ago and noticed something. Each post was different, yet it showed something in the readership that showed a trend. I sort of backed into it by accident, but it ended up […]
Normally I adopt the proper dinner etiquette rule on Facebook to not discuss religion or politics. Sports? Fifty-fifty. I don’t post nor take a public position on anything in those realms. I do, however, occasionally post to elicit critical thinking, and for the most part, steer it toward the positive. I am amazed at the […]