Michael Michalko's Blog (31)

Where are they?

If there is advanced extraterrestrial life, intelligence, and technology, why don't we see unmistakable evidence of it? What if the null hypothesis is true and that we are the only point of life in the universe? Continue

Added by Michael Michalko on December 18, 2009 at 5:31pm — 2 Comments

You and I are going to die

You and I are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been standing in our place but who will never see the light of day outnumber the atoms in the universe. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater playwrights than Shakespeare, greater scientists than Newton, greater composers than Beethoven, greater artists than Van Gogh, greater minds than Einstein. We know this because… Continue

Added by Michael Michalko on October 28, 2009 at 10:35pm — 1 Comment

The trolley problem

A trolley is running down a track out of control. If it keeps going, it will run over the five unsuspecting people hanging out on the track. You can prevent this disaster by throwing a switch, redirecting the trolley onto a siding where it will kill one person. Do you hit the switch? . Most people say that that’s OK, not great, but OK. Now suppose I change the problem slightly. You’re watching the first drama unfold from a footbridge and the only way to save the five people from certain death is… Continue

Added by Michael Michalko on July 30, 2009 at 9:40pm — 23 Comments

Toasting the new year with hot water

I recently participated in a session with a number of politicians of different parties about reform of the political process. After the session, I discussed my disappointment with the results with Father Tom, a Franciscan monk who taught political science at St. Bonaventure University. I told him how I had discussed the issue with many in the group before the session, and I knew they had many ideas, including many unusual and unique. Yet they held back and offered only the same old conservative… Continue

Added by Michael Michalko on June 16, 2009 at 10:21pm — 1 Comment

What I have learned from celebrities, politicans and other prominent people and organizations

I have learned valuable lessons from watching and listening to celebrities, politicians, prominent people and organizations in our society. Some of the things I have learned are: I have learned toleration from the intolerant Perez Hilton. I have learned silence from the talkative Rush Limbaugh. I have learned value from the scam artist Bernie Madoff. I have learned the merits of an education from Paris Hilton. I have learned unselfishness from the Reverend Al Sharpton. I have learned love from… Continue

Added by Michael Michalko on May 14, 2009 at 9:40pm — No Comments

Mind Your Own Bees Wax

Personal hygiene left much room for improvement in the old colonial days. As a result, many women and men had developed acne scars by adulthood. The women would spread bee's wax over their facial skin to smooth out their complexions. When they were speaking to each other, if a woman began to stare at another woman's face she was told, "mind your own bee's wax." Should the woman smile, the wax would crack, hence the term "crack a smile" In addition, when they sat too close to the fire, the wax w… Continue

Added by Michael Michalko on April 20, 2009 at 11:24pm — 1 Comment

You can ususally trace an odd "expression" back to a source that made sense once.

In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters carried iron cannons. Those cannons fired round iron cannon balls. It was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon. However, how to prevent them from rolling about the deck? The best storage method devised was a square-based pyramid with one ball on top, resting on four resting on nine, which rested on sixteen. Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There was only one pr… Continue

Added by Michael Michalko on April 12, 2009 at 10:33am — 3 Comments

Three stages of civilization

The 18th-century Italian philosopher Giambattista Vico argued that all civilizations pass through three stages: the age of the gods, in which divinities directly ruled humankind; the age of aristocratic heroes, in which superior individuals reigned over lesser individuals; and finally the age of ordinary humans, in which men and women govern themselves in the spirit of equality. This last phase eventually gives way to decadence and disintegration characterized by brutish manners. I was reminded… Continue

Added by Michael Michalko on March 30, 2009 at 9:29am — No Comments

Life

As a river nears the ocean it looks back at its life. The virgin snows on mountain-tops that gave birth to it. The lake down below which was its nursery. The travel through mountain passes where it met its tributaries and gained adulthood. The solitude and tranquility of the forests, the singing of the birds, the lush green valleys laden with wheat, corn and rice. The adventurous ride through cities, gladly accepting their refuse and sometimes flooding them as if in a fit of anger. Thousands of… Continue

Added by Michael Michalko on March 28, 2009 at 9:43am — No Comments

How physcists make a Stradivarius

Linear thinkers have a fundamentally mechanistic view of the world. That is, they believe that every action is followed by a predictable reaction and that the rules that determine these cause-and-effect patterns are knowable. For example, flip the light switch, and the light goes on. If the light doesn't go on, there is an uncomplicated explanation - burned-out bulb, blown fuse, wire down in a storm, or a bad switch. The antithesis of such a mechanistic world view is Stradivarius making a cello.… Continue

Added by Michael Michalko on March 25, 2009 at 4:00pm — 2 Comments

generalizations

Every generalization about creative thinking is dangerous, especially this one. Continue

Added by Michael Michalko on March 25, 2009 at 9:56am — 1 Comment

aLpHaBeT

wHy ShOuld We PrinT wItH tWO alpHaBeTs? BOtH LArGe AnD sMaLl sIgNs aRe NoT nEcEsSaRy To iNdIcAtE a SiNgle SoUnD mIChAEl Continue

Added by Michael Michalko on March 8, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Best of All Time

My book "Thinkertoys" and Roger von Oech's "A Whack on the Side of the Head" are listed in Jack Covert's new book about best books as two of the 100 best business books of all time. Quite a nice surprise. Continue

Added by Michael Michalko on February 16, 2009 at 3:20pm — 7 Comments

Choice

You may not know Richard Cohen. He is the author of Blindsided: Lifting a Life Above Illness: A Reluctant Memoir. He lives a life defined by illness. He has M.S., is legally blind, has almost no voice, and suffers chronic pain which makes sleeping difficult leaving him constantly exhausted. Two bouts of colon cancer in the past five years have left his intestines in disarray. And though he is currently cancer-free, he still lives with constant discomfort. Cohen worked as a producer for CBS unti… Continue

Added by Michael Michalko on January 7, 2009 at 11:51pm — No Comments

MISSING DOLLAR

A bank customer had $100 in his account. He then made 6 withdrawals, totaling $100. He kept a record of these withdrawals, and the balance remaining in the account as follows: WITHDRAWALS : $50, $25, $10, $8, $5, $2 = $100. BALANCE LEFT: $50, $25, $15, $7, $2, $O = $99. When he added up his columns, he assumed that he must owe $1 to the bank. Is he right? How do you explain the missing dollar? Continue

Added by Michael Michalko on December 1, 2008 at 9:09pm — 10 Comments

Ben Stein's confession

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning. I received a copy from a friend and I'm curious as what Hubbers feel about it. Commentary. My confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees.. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit… Continue

Added by Michael Michalko on November 16, 2008 at 10:06am — No Comments

Why?

The key question isn't "What fosters creativity?" But it is why in God's name isn't everyone creative? Where was the human potential lost? How was it crippled? I think therefore a good question might be not why do people create? But why do people not create or innovate? We have got to abandon that sense of amazement in the face of creativity, as if it were a miracle if anybody created anything. Continue

Added by Michael Michalko on November 12, 2008 at 9:20am — 9 Comments

A Good Life

When I was a soldier I met this elderly monk on a jungle trail. We were both bathed in sweat and exhausted so we shook hands introduced ourselves and sat down on the trunk of a tree. Though we were on opposite sides in the war, we shared my canteen of water and my rations. We talked about many things. We talked about the war, about death, about human nature, about hatred and love, about fate, but mostly we talked about life. He told me something I will never forget. I asked him how I could live… Continue

Added by Michael Michalko on October 21, 2008 at 10:47pm — No Comments

Does evil exist?

Does evil exist? The university professor challenged his students with this question. Did God create everything that exists? A student bravely replied, "Yes, he did!" "God created everything? The professor asked. "Yes sir", the student replied. The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are then God is evil". The student became quiet before such an answer. The professor was quite plea… Continue

Added by Michael Michalko on October 3, 2008 at 12:22am — 12 Comments

What does creativity taste like?

I had a fascinating telephone conversation today with a psychiatrist friend of mine who does a lot of work with the CDC. He told me about an extraordinary patient of his who has a fascinating condition called synaesthia. Only a few thousand people have it in the U.S. and it’s a condition where the five senses intermingle. Usually patients see distinct colors if they hear music or words, but it takes a variety of forms. His patient actually can tastes spoken words. The flavors are very specific….… Continue

Added by Michael Michalko on September 9, 2008 at 11:40pm — 12 Comments