Monthly Archives: October 2008

Word of the Day: Rumspringa

Posted on October 29, 2008 by Strange Loops

Rumspringa, n. 1. Literally, “running around” [from Pennsylvania German]. 2. A period when adolescent Amish explore the outside world before making an informed decision to either leave the Amish community (resulting in shunning) or be baptised as a full, adult … Continue reading →

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Is It Irrational to Play the Lottery?

Posted on October 28, 2008 by Strange Loops

Short answer: yes, it is irrational. Odds of winning big are less than the ratio of ticket cost to amount won. If $1 has a 1 in 1-billion chance of netting you 500 million dollars, it’s a really bad deal. … Continue reading →

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Word of the Day: Compersion

Posted on October 26, 2008 by Strange Loops

Compersion, n. 1. The opposite of jealousy. 2. The positive feelings one gets when a lover is enjoying another relationship. The term compersion originally comes from the polyamory community, where people may have multiple intimate relationships at the same time, … Continue reading →

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Accepting Impermanence

Posted on October 26, 2008 by Strange Loops

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man.” –Heraclitus We humans are innately wired to seek out permanence. In our evolutionary past, it was useful … Continue reading →

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Word of the Day: Praxis

Posted on October 25, 2008 by Strange Loops

Praxis, n. 1. The process by which a theory or lesson is put into action. 2. The synthesis of action and theory; a dynamic process recognizing a reciprocal relationship between theory and practice. 3. Free, self-conscious, authentic activity practiced by … Continue reading →

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I Am a Strange Loop

Posted on October 24, 2008 by Strange Loops

Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter has long been one of my favorite books. That book tackles what it means to be conscious and how consciousness or meaning could arise out of unconsious and meaningless elements (i.e. physical particles bouncing … Continue reading →

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Baby Steps Toward GATTACA

Posted on October 2, 2008 by Strange Loops

The auto insurance company Allstate has announced a new program to improve driving safety in older drivers. The program, InSight, consists of some computer-based cognitive training programs that are supposed to improve visual processing. In turn, they think that will … Continue reading →

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