Friday, February 7. 2014
I first heard the term "wicked problem" at a lecture a few days ago. It can be applied to technical, socio-political, and psychological problems.
It seems like a useful term.
Parrish (1870-1966) was an enormously popular New Hampshire illustrator/artist whose prints and posters are readily available. For me, they are highly sentimental and corny in a charming way. He frequently decorated his landscapes with lovely nymphettes. This is River in Ascutney. That is Mount Ascutney in the background, and the CT River.
Too busy for links this morning.
My Christmas present to Mrs. BD was piano lessons from a fine teacher who comes to the house. Mrs. BD had lessons in youth and had an incredible music education later. She is music-oriented, but now can only easily play basic things - Happy Birthday and Christmas carols and Auld Lang Syne - she reads music but wants and needs to be able to play chords, jazz riffs, serious pieces, etc., especially since we replaced the old and now have my late Dad's Steinway baby grand. What a sound! It fills ye olde cabin with rich noise. I don't care about missed notes or the sound of practicing. I love to hear it all, including the "damn, damn, damn."
Barking dogs, "damns" from the pianny, drier thumping, vacuum cleaner roaring, the scullery maids dropping pots, doorbell ringing, Blue Jays squawking outside, a young 'un yelling "Where's my sneakers?" - the lovely sounds of home sweet home.
Mrs. BD "gets" music, but pretty much dislikes pop music, country music, rock - and Dylan. She's not a snob, just finds them all annoyingly juvenile, unrefined, and stupid - except for a little Motown. What she loves is opera - and anything you can dance to. She wins Charleston competitions, and that's saying a lot, because the youth these days are into vigorous retro dance.
I am musically-retarded and tone-deaf but, in my wasted youth, a little cannabis plus a history of music course helped me hear, seemed to open my ears and, for some reason, that effect has lasted despite being drug-free since college. I still have to close my eyes to listen. You can get WQXR via the internets. Good fun.
So are Bob Greenberg's Great Courses. We love them.
When I grew up, we had an upright in the kitchen for kids' lessons, and a Grand or Baby Grand for the grown-ups in the parlor. I am told that the life span of a fine piano is 40-50 years if kept away from heat, sunlight, and given proper humidity - and then it's worthless junk, useless if not pretentious decor to put pictures on, or a $20,000 factory refurbishing. Unlike fine violins, old pianos are basically garbage which you have to pay somebody to get rid of. I placed Dad's in a northern corner of the parlor which has no nearby heat source except a fireplace that we only light up about 15 times per year for a few hours, for holidays and winter parties.
I am going to coat those windows with that UV stuff to protect the wood. It's around 25 years old, so it still has a good life left in it. My Dad would bang out Mozart for an hour a day on this machine, during cocktail hour. The good old days. "Damn, damn, damn" when he missed a note. Mom would do Christmas songs and children's songs with nary a "damn."
The previous family piano was a black Chickering Grand piano. Like all pianos, it aged and was junked.
Those excellent Legacy speakers? I can play pretty good Bach on the CD player and my old Denon record player. Recorded music mostly destroyed the American family music culture which was based on home-made music. Well, that plus radio and TV all turned Americans into inert and passive blobs.
Thursday, February 6. 2014
A medical man, "C.T. Azeff," is interested in this newfangled blogging biz. He emailed me this initial offering which is partly in response to If Obamacare Doesn't Kill Small Medical Practices, Bureaucratic ICD-10 Coding Requirements Might :
OK class, take out a pen and piece of paper, I am going to tell you a bit about ICD 10.
First, don't be alarmed by the prophets of doom who say you docs will be required to use this carefully crafted taxonomy in order for the insurers to refuse to compensate you for your services. This is true. I had dinner with an oncologist friend who is in bankruptcy because even though his patient's insurance company gave prior approval for a $100,000 course of chemotherapy they maintained that did not obligate them to actually pay for the cost. He already had, and on multiple occasions.
Back to ICD 10. This document will allow you to kick back and have some laughs about the conditions you likely will not be called upon to treat. The Monty Python crew had a field day constructing this and they've arranged for the ICD 10 office to be right next door to the Department of Silly Walks. Viz:
V9733XA: Sucked into a jet engine, initial encounter
V9733XD: Sucked into jet engine subsequent encounter (Should this person be allowed on runways?)
V9733XS: Sucked into jet engine, sequelae ( this is for the litigators)
But, don't overlook,
Index to External Causes of Injury
Accident
E919.1 Bore, earth drilling or mining
Land or seabed
E919.7 Bulldozer
E909.9 Cataclysmic:
Earth surface movement or eruption
So, be grateful if you only have to deal with intangibles and won't get blood on your shoes.
I'll be back soon to discuss Scott Stossel's heroic battle with anxiety and transgressive therapists.
CTAzeff
Read this question, come up with an answer and then scroll down to the bottom for the result. This is not a trick question. It reads:
A woman, while at the funeral of her own mother, met a guy whom she did not know. She thought this guy was amazingly appealing. She believed him to be her dream guy and soul mate so much that she fell in love with him right then and there, but never asked for his number and could not find him. A few days later she killed her sister.
Question: What is her motive for killing her sister?
[Give this a little thought before you answer]
X
X
X
X
X
Answer below the fold -
Continue reading "A do-it-yourself test for sociopathy, re-posted"
A good friend left off this load of split Beech last weekend. I have to unload it, which is fine. An excellent gift. Beech is heavy as lead and as hard as nails, so hard that it destroyed saws so foresters left it alone until power saws came along.
All of the majestic old Beeches around here are dying of a bark fungus.
Wednesday, February 5. 2014
Here's the place where your editor Bird Dog spends many hours in work and study. Kids and wives wife were never really welcome in here except to search for books to read - but dogs, friends, and cigars are always welcome. No TV in here, thank you, but there is a radio and CD player.
I was experimenting with camera settings, and this was not really as sharp as I was aiming for. I was hoping to be able to capture the antique Eskimo animal carvings on the mantle, but it does give a general idea of The Inner Sanctum on a dark, snowy winter evening. A comfortable if humble study, perfect for me:
Monday, February 3. 2014
For Some, Retirement Is Out of Reach. For Others, Boring.
Readers know that I believe that being unproductive in the world is a terrible, worthless, pointless, goal, especially for people with the American spirit. Unfortunately, some people are forced into it by bad luck, illness, and age limits. Also, some people aspire to it because the advertising tells them to.
Ask any guy, and he'll tell you that a man without a job or a full-time mission feels half-emasculated. That is a least one part of why most guys who retire seek to return to work after two or three years. I see people in their 90s still working. In addition, few wives want their husbands around all the time.
What people aspire to, I believe, is a degree of financial security so they can worry about other things in life besides survival. That is a worthy goal, and makes any sort of work more enjoyable.
Feel free to disagree with that.
Saturday, February 1. 2014
Goldberg on Groundhog Day.
I think it's a religious movie.
Via Ol' Remus:
Older people do not decline mentally with age, it just takes them longer to recall facts because they have more information in their brains, scientists believe. Much like a computer struggles as the hard drive gets full up, so to do humans take longer to access information, it has been suggested.
Sarah Knapton at telegraph.co.uk
Well, pretty to think so...
Friday, January 31. 2014
Of course you recall that story: in a dangerous lose-lose scenario, you change the rules, break the rules.
This, found at American Digest, reminded Mrs. BD of Kirk's KM Test as a student at Starfleet Academy. In this case, thinking outside the box - inside the box, as it were:
I'd rather play touch in the park with my old buddies than watch football on TV while eating junk food, but I guess it's a social ritual like secular Christmas.
Well, there are the top seeds in this game. Offense vs. defense, in a cool weather match-up of laundry vs. laundry with often amusing advertisements. Given Ground Hog day, I'll go with defense.
The game will be played in MetLife Stadium (aka Giants Stadium) in East Rutherford, NJ (aka New York). The stadium is part of the Meadowlands Sports Complex, which was built on landfill on the vast New Jersey meadowlands (aka swamps and marshes), in view of Manhattan.
Everyone who has driven the NJ Turnpike has passed through those Meadowlands.
Those marshes are recent. A mere 3000 years ago those marshy lands were woodlands, and the Atlantic coast was 40 miles to the east. With the retreat of the last glacial incursion and the slow, steady sea-level rise of the post-glaciation, it became a estuary based on the route of the Hackensack River and a (no doubt lovely) White Cedar brackish swamp. The cedars were all cut down by settlers, for lumber.
Despite heavy industrial pollution (ended now), diking, ditching, impoundments, etc., these meadowlands are now mostly protected from development and are a wildlife resource despite the proliferation of Phragmites australis. You could not build Giant Stadium there, today.
There are nature tours, or you can rent canoes and kayaks to explore the 30+ square miles of these marshes.
MEADOWLANDS TOURS
Geographic history of the NJ meadowlands
More Than A Super Bowl Site: Meadowlands has Super Natural Treasures
Birds of the meadowlands
"More than 8,000 acres of wetlands across the Hudson River from New York City has been earmarked for a wildlife preserve. The New Jersey Meadowlands was long known as a dumping ground: one of the country's largest landfills — and an occasional burial spot for mobsters."
Man Posts Epic Missed Connection After Seeing Woman He Was Married To For 3 Days In 1989 On NY Subway
At first, I was interested in the story about someone who could be married for 3 days on a subway.
My cousin forwarded this to me as a "true love" and/or "true love lost" story. I'm not sure it's anything at all like either of those. Sounds like a lonely guy trying to reconnect with his past. We all do that in different ways. Not sure I'd use Craigslist, though.
Thursday, January 30. 2014
Is there any justification for that in a free country?
We debated the topic at dinner last night. At the end, I had to admit that sentiment and tradition were not adequate reasons for laws and, especially, criminalization. When I (rarely) refuse my hubbie nighttime pleasures, he has been known to mumble "I shoulda been a Mormon." I know he'd enjoy a threesome, in fantasy anyway, but that's not how I roll. I am a traditionalist.
Wednesday, January 29. 2014
 I've reflected a little bit about our post about attire, posted yesterday. It was clearly about white-collar and professional work dress, but the general point about signaling is well-taken. People signal their real, or wannabe, personae.
It's impossible not to be signaling. It's what animals do. And if we wear nothing at all, that's a strong signal too.
A friend recently showed me his new Elmer Fudd hat that he bought on a skiing trip in Jackson Hole. A red-and-black-checked thing with a black tassel on top. Canadian hat. Hilarious-looking thing, but he could pull it off. He called it a Beaver-Trapping Hat...and I'm sure it attracts female glances of various sorts. It looks sort-of like this, but black and red checks:
For professional women in the early-mid stages of their careers (ie pre-Chanel and pre-St. John), we recommend Nora Gardner's line of conservative but flexible day-to-night attire for gals who are going places in life:
Tuesday, January 28. 2014
Do the clothes make the man (or woman)? Of course not, but they do make a statement and they do make a difference.
When I used to be a slob and tended to dress down, a friend told me to check out this only-slightly outdated text: John T. Molloy's New Dress for Success.
There is also one for women: How to Dress for Success.
It's better to have three good suits or three good work dresses than to have closets full of mediocre stuff. If you have business or professional ambitions, look the part. I own only three good, conservative suits, but plenty of Brooks Brothers ties and shirts for variation. Forgot, also a summer suit. I have three sports jackets for "informal Fridays" and for church, etc. A blazer and two tweeds.
I have just three pairs of expensive dress shoes for work; brown, cordovan, and black. They ought to be good for 20-30 years at least. Somebody once told me that people always check out your footwear, and it is true. I never do that, but other people do.
If you look professional, chances are that you will be treated that way. It sounds shallow, but the way a person presents himself in public, comports himself, grooms himself, speaks, his posture, all makes a huge difference in a world in which people only have time for quick takes and generally are not very interested in you because they know enough people already. After all, how you look is your decision about how you have chosen to present yourself to others. If you look like a schlub, people will assume that that is what you are or what you aspire to. If you look too natty, or whorish, conclusions will also be drawn.
We identify ourselves, introduce ourselves, before we open our mouths. Do I appraise people on their appearance? Of course I do. Everybody does. It's termed "signaling." It's not always accurate for sure, but it's a rule of thumb for people with little time.
Sunday, January 26. 2014
We go back to Arthur C. Brooks' 2007 What Really Buys Happiness? Not income equality, but mobility and opportunity
Most of the studies he discusses avoid defining happiness, and just let people report. At issue, of course, is that as long as one is not in dire straits, happiness and contentment in life depend on non-economic factors: temperament and personality, relationships, family, hobbies and interests, etc.
There is no one "happiness." Some are most happy when taking risks, others more comfortable when they feel more secure. Material gain is not a universal goal.
 When sitting in a duck blind or deer stand, standing on a ski slope watching your grandkids, and winter hiking, it's much more pleasant to have warm toes and fingers. I have had times in duck blinds when my fingers were too cold and numb to pull a trigger, but I have a touch of Raynaud's Syndrome.
Assuming that you wear things to keep toes and hands dry, hand and foot warmers can add plenty of comfort.
This site has aluminum-coated insoles and insoles ("footbeds") with inserts for 6-hour warmers.
They also sell Grabber Hand Warmers for your gloves - or for your pocket.
Saturday, January 25. 2014
I am a fan of online dating, especially for those who are out of school. There is just no other way to interview so many available candidates efficiently, with the advantage of screening them in advance.
When people get divorced, I usually recommend that a person have a coffee with at least 25-30 candidates, at minimum, before deciding to get involved with anyone. That's because the recently-divorced are usually lonely, unhappy, sex-starved; often hurt or angry or worried about the future, and generally prone to poor judgement and poor choices. However, those things may apply to many single people.
Because of this, I found this fellow's love story interesting: How a Math Genius Hacked OkCupid to Find True Love
Do guys just want sex? That's a topic for another day. That guy wanted true love, whatever that is.
Friday, January 24. 2014
 Heading up to Killington this morning with some buddies. I am expecting plenty of powder and plenty of Long Trail.
I think I had best bring my heavy-duty winter undies. Maybe get some runs in this afternoon with my new skis, bought (brand new Volkls, in wrapper) on eBay (last year's model, for 1/3 the price).
Monday, January 20. 2014
 Antidepressants fail to help around 70% of depressed patients on the first try.
Antidepressants are now the treatment of choice for anyone with acute or chronic symptoms of "major depression," ie anxiety, disturbed sleep, hopelessness and helplessness, self-hatred, appetite loss, irrational guilty feelings, loss of sex drive, inability to concentrate, sometimes suicidal feelings, and inability to find pleasure or interest in things. In my experience, the vast majority of patients with a fair number of those symptoms feel better with antidepressants, but, in my view, medicine should never be given without psychotherapy of some sort.
Where it gets complicated is that 1. there are many kinds of depression besides major depression; 2., the personality type, and personal strengths and weaknesses can effect the way depression occurs, and whether it occurs at all, and, 3. life circumstances have a real impact on the ability to improve depression with medicine (if your business is going bust, or your child dying with cancer, no antidepressant will make you merry).
I'll try to keep it brief. The generic term "depression" runs the gamut from the heavily-inherited form that occurs in Bipolar Disorder (which is probably a brain-wiring abnormality), to the grief-like depressive reactions to life-events, especially loss, which occur in vulnerable people. In between are sad-sack people with chronic mildy depressed mood, and many people with chronic mood problems due to personality disorders or neurotic problems. My point is that there is not one "depression". The word refers to a group of symptoms, not a diagnosis.
Because depression is not a unitary phenomenon, different forms require different treatment approaches, whether psychotherapeutic or chemical, but the research says preferably both for severe depression.
It is not widely understood that the new SSRI antidepressants are not "mood elevators." They have no effect whatsoever on people without depression, which is why they are never abused.
I will have to follow-up with a Part 2 later, because this is getting too long, according to our blog rules. "Short and sweet." But some subjects are complex and nuanced, as our esteemed French Senator likes to say.
Image is Durer's Melancholia.
I asked one of my two entrepreneurial NYC pupettes what she did for fun on Saturday, since her New Year's decision has been not be be All Work And No Play (All Work is her natural tendency and pleasure, as is mine, so she decided to make one day per week a day for play to maintain a balance). She emailed me this report:
Dad:
Went to dim sum brunch at Hakkasan (one Michelin star). And got peach mimosas and macarons (not macaroons). http://hakkasan.com
We walked through Times Square and got some free chocolates at the big Godiva store.
Went to the MOMA and saw a few special exhibits, which included strange modern art that we didn't entirely understand (for example pile of trash and a man who recorded himself making faces with his belly), a Chinese film with nine screens - you lie on the floor and watch them all - you see each shot from nine angles.
Then we went to Tiffany's on Fifth Avenue to get my Christmas bracelet repaired - we hung out at the customer service lounge on the top floor while we were waiting for a specialist to help us and were served delicious cappuccinos. We wandered around the store afterwards and pretended we could afford everything.
We decided to walk to Columbus Circle along the park. On the way we stopped in a few art galleries and saw more strange art that we couldn't afford. My boyfriend almost got run over by a Central Park carriage horse who was running a little too fast, out of control, and making everyone nervous.
We went to the giant Whole Foods in Columbus Circle and bought a craft beer at the pub in the store - they have hundreds of craft beers on tap. Yum. We bought some craft beers for his roommates.
We walked around the big shopping complex there and I scouted out my business competition. We just did Christmas so no need to do any shopping, just looking.
We walked down through Hell's Kitchen and discovered a little Vietnamese place and decided to try it out - it was amazingly delicious. We got clay pot salmon and beef pho (noodle soup) and Vietnamese beer.
We walked a few more blocks but it was so cold we decided to pop into one of our favorite Korean restaurants (Danji) - they have delicious small plates. We got two orders of Kimchi (pickled veggies), beef tartare and two stiff cocktails (one with whiskey and jujubes) and one that was basically straight bourbon. We were warmed up and feeling pretty silly. We quizzed each other on Middle East country capitals and planned our next adventure to Asia. We loved our Japan adventure in Sept.
Then we ran back to my friend's apartment on 44th - being silly and laughing for no reason. I couldn't stop laughing - think it was the whiskey or maybe just joie de vivre.
Then we hung out with a few friends at his apartment for a bit - and watched a terrifying zombie show. Then we had the last of the macarons we had saved from brunch - they were incredible. Caramel, cranberry, almond. Just one more treat to celebrate our anniversary bc it was midnight at that point.
Ahh, Youth! It must not be wasted.
|
