Reading Time: 6 minutes There is a phenomenon that has been taking place, particularly in the US, with greater regularity over the last few decades—the behavior of “church shopping.” The congregant attends a church and listens to the pastor making moral-political statements, and they think to themselves, “This pastor is off the track here. I need to find me […]
psychology
Posted inComedy
The miracle Jesus can’t do
Reading Time: 3 minutes What do you think of when you hear the word miracle? Perhaps you think of the classic 1947 Christmas comedy written and directed by George Seaton, Miracle on 34th Street? Or if you’re a hockey fan you think about the 1980 Miracle on Ice when the US bested the USSR’s hockey team in the Winter […]
Posted inPsychology
What boxes do you belong in?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Human brains are forever trying to make patterns. We want to create models and run simulations to deflect the unimaginable horrors of chaos. We want to put everything into a manageable series of boxes. However, the social world composed of human minds trying to communicate with each other is total chaos. How many boxes do […]
Posted inGaming
Using games to defuse frustration in the Dark Ages of Twitter
Reading Time: 9 minutes Sure, it’s gallows humor. But maybe sometimes we need a good laugh when things are on fire all around us.
Posted inViolence
After UVA shooting, a difference in student and faculty response
Reading Time: 4 minutes One of the emerging stories in the aftermath of a mass shooting at the University of Virginia is the stark difference in response between faculty and students. While students have asked for time and support in dealing with the shock and horror of the event, many faculty attempted to return to the planned schedule of […]
Posted inLGBTQ News
Stochastic terrorism and the Colorado Springs Club Q shooting
Reading Time: 7 minutes Humans are highly suggestible. We yawn together. We laugh together. And when given a sense of belonging, of shared identity, we flock together. Sometimes in wonderful, constructive ways. Other times, in ways that drive us to a deepening hatred of our fellow human beings. Other times, into overt violence against them. In the US this […]
Posted inParenting & Family
When kids are defiant
Reading Time: 4 minutes As our children grow up, they push back against our authority. It’s natural, and parents ought to be tolerant, rather than treating it as an offense.
Posted inGaming
The heartbreak of nerfing
Reading Time: 8 minutes Excessive nerfing can lead to an erosion of trust in the playerbase. It hits at the heart of our sense of fairness. And perhaps more than anything else, gamers want games to be fair—or at least skewed in their favor.
Posted inRaising Freethinkers
Spare the rod—and spare me the rest
Every time a parent raises a hand to a child, the child learns that force is an acceptable substitute for reason, and that mom and dad have more confidence in force than in reason. Corporal punishment also doesn’t work. In fact, it makes things worse. The research on this is compelling. A meta-analysis of 50 […]
Posted inCulture
‘Platitude of gratitude’: Let’s stop the empty thank-yous, please
Reading Time: 4 minutes Lately I find myself irritated by a flood of messages that use some form of “thanks” as their closing. Maybe it’s someone updating me on a project, concluding their out-of-office auto-reply, or stepping away after a routine conversation or meeting. They say “thanks” and I’m left wondering: Thanks for what? A benignly lame “Thanks so […]