Musings
A collection of interesting
Here are some things I’ve been musing on this week…
I’m sure many of you lovely readers are familiar with Cal Newport’s idea of Deep Work. But what about Deep Laziness? This article makes a sound case for needing to consider this flip-side, especially since the universe in general seems to operate on the principles of Deep Laziness, rather than Deep Work.
https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2018/04/06/deep-laziness/
I loved this deeply impassioned article about the value of fanfic, and why — especially when young women writers do it — it shouldn’t be disparaged, and neither should the woman writing it. Amen, sister!
https://www.tor.com/2018/04/09/the-bodies-of-the-girls-who-made-me-fanfic-and-the-modern-world/
The arts (and humanities) are woefully under appreciated and underfunded, especially in education, considering how important they are for the full development of a person, and how important they will inevitably be for the future (see Dan Pink’s book “A Whole New Mind”, which I recommend below). Here is the awesome Sir Ken Robinson making the case that dance classes are as important for children as math classes.
https://ideas.ted.com/why-dance-is-just-as-important-as-math-in-school/
This is a long article, but one worth reading, about how neuroscience is disproving the commonly held myth that males and females have inherently different brains and different ways of thinking. I especially like her point that storytellers and people with autism have known this for quite some time, it’s just taken everyone else decades to catch up.
https://aeon.co/essays/why-its-so-unhelpful-to-talk-about-the-male-or-female-brain
Advice about making art from old ovens…
https://austinkleon.com/2018/04/10/who-has-time-for-that/
What I’m reading:
Fiction:
Invasive by Chuck Wendig
There are quite a number of fictional accounts of the horrors that would ensue with the release of a bioengineered bacteria or virus, but what about the release of a bioengineered insect? Wendig does a good job of spinning an absorbing yarn about just such a scenario. I spotted a couple of minor science gaffs, but on the whole he’s done his research, and he has undeniable storytelling skills. It’s an entertaining read that will make you look at ants very differently.
Non-fiction:
A Whole New Mind by Dan Pink
This book is more than ten years old, but it’s just as relevant as when it was published — which says a great deal about Pink’s ability to think deeply and express his ideas clearly. The book is about how the world is moving from the information age to the conceptual age, and that in order to adapt, many — if not most — people will have to change both their approach and their skill set, or risk being left behind by a changing world. The most disturbing thing about the book is how little people have listened to and followed Pink’s advice in the ten plus years since publication, especially considering how things have changed (and continue to change) almost exactly as Pink predicted they would. It was a book worth reading when it was first published, if anything, it’s even more important now.
Here’s a quote I’ve been thinking about: “If you can see your path laid out before you, it is not your path.” — Joseph Campbell.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy the rest of your week!
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