There was a fascinating article in Science Journal on new consciousness research. The study demonstrates that at least some decisions are made by the brain ten seconds before we are conscious of making a decision. The brain, they have found, appears to make up its mind 10 seconds before we become conscious of a decision -- an eternity at the speed of thought.Their findings challenge conventional notions of choice."We think our decisions are conscious," said neuroscientist John-Dylan Haynes at the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience in Berlin, who is pioneering this research. "But these data show that consciousness is just the tip of the iceberg. This doesn’t rule out free will, but it does make it implausible."That cannot be the whole truth, obviously. Clearly some decisions are not made this way, because some have to be made in far less than ten seconds -- turning the wheel of the car to avoid an accident, for example. We would normally say ...
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It’s A Tough Week To Be A DemocratFrom: feeds.feedburner.com
Post Date: 2008-03-07 15:37:22
So Samantha Power didn’t exactly set me on fire, and this week she managed to show some foot-in-mouth disease and cost herself her role in the campaign, and her colleague Susan Rice explained that neither Obama nor Hillary are ready for the 3am call. Sheesh.
But when I wonder why I can’t bring myself to support Hillary, there’s always this to shore me up:
Federal archivists at the Clinton Presidential Library are blocking the release of hundreds of pages of White House pape...
more The Self-Fulfilling RecessionFrom: feeds.feedburner.com
Post Date: 2008-03-07 15:37:58
Over at LA Biz Observed, Mark Lacter makes a point I’ve wondered about as well.
Never in my memory has the question of whether we’re entering a recession gotten so much attention, both in the press and on Wall Street. At this point the conventional wisdom is that a recession has either arrived or is about to. Certainly, there’s plenty of evidence pointing in that direction - tomorrow’s employment report is expected to be dismal - and yet Business Week’s Chris Far...
more Props (Jets, actually...)From: feeds.feedburner.com
Post Date: 2008-03-07 15:38:05
...to Continental Airlines. I’m in Milwaukee (don’t ask, yes it’s cold) headed to North Carolina to see Biggest Guy. A storm is hitting my connection point in Cleveland, and there was no way I’d make my connection. The very nice rep just voluntarily reticketed me on a Midwest nonstop.
If I’m going to feel free to bitch about bad service, I’ve always felt that the price is the willingness to compliment people who give good service. Today I’m ha...
more Sitting At The Airport Watching CNN...From: feeds.feedburner.com
Post Date: 2008-03-07 15:38:05
...and noting that Citi’s CEO is defending his pay package - and being amazed that when times are trying and it’s necessary to reward him (and the others of his class) for navigating the treacherous shoals; and when times are good, I guess it’s important to reward them disproportionately because the company is so successful.
So paid well when the company does badly and paid well when the company does well. Somehow I think Joseph Schumpeter is grinning somewhere in he...
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