ClockQuotes

People in distress will sometimes prefer a problem that is familiar to a solution that is not.

- Neil Postman

More like this

Tomorrow may or may not be the first of the presidential debates between Obama and McCain. I'll watch, although I find political debates really depressing, and not just because reality is a little bleak right now. I'm always frustrated at the level of the discourse. If a candidate goes where a…
There's a classic problem in physics textbooks which asks you about astrology. It's sometimes said - the problem will tell you - that the gravitational pull of the doctor delivering you is stronger than that of Jupiter, therefore it's unlikely that the planets are exerting a whole lot of influence…
The Economist is a right-of-center weekly from the UK that I like quite a lot. While I'm on the other side of the political center line, the writing is extremely clear and the arguments usually cogent. Even when I don't agree, it's thought provoking and the articles are not over long. Even so, I…
The process of enculturation doesn't just afflict middle-aged scientists, struggling to appreciate a new anomaly. It's a problem for any collection of experts, from CIA analysts to Wall Street bankers. Let's stick with Wall Street, since Goldman Sachs is in the news. The question for senators and…