We usually see only the things we are looking for - so much so that we sometimes see them where they are not.
- Eric Hoffer
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We are told that talent creates its own opportunities. But it sometimes seems that intense desire creates not only its own opportunities, but its own talents.
- Eric Hoffer
Over the last 50 years, the average American has seen their private space more than triple. In the 1950s, the average American, according to Pat Murphy's excellent book _Plan C_, had 250 square feet per person. By 2005, the average American had 850 square feet of space in their home per person…
The passion to get ahead is sometimes born of the fear lest we be left behind.
- Eric Hoffer
When I decided to switch over to science blogs, I told Eric that he had to go with me. We've talked for years about doing a project together, but have always worried that a book or something would kill our extremely happy marriage, that we'd end up fighting over grammar (he's much more of a…
There's an electronic analog to this: search for a signal with a tuned resonator. But these can go into pathological self-resonance and produce output for no input. I hypothesize there are equivalent neurological pattern resonance circuits with similar problems.
Then there is this old joke:
Drunk loses his keys in a dark spot of the road. Buddy asks him why is he looking for them under the street light. "Because I can see better there".
Exercise for the reader: can you think of a current real-world example of this behavior?