Medical Ethics: Terri Schiavo - A Tragedy Compounded

"The story of Terri Schiavo should be disturbing to all of us. How can it be that medicine, ethics, law, and family could work so poorly together in meeting the needs of this woman who was left in a persistent vegetative state after having a cardiac arrest? Ms. Schiavo had been sustained by artificial hydration and nutrition through a feeding tube for 15 years, and her husband, Michael Schiavo, was locked in a very public legal struggle with her parents and siblings about whether such treatment should be continued or stopped. Distortion by interest groups, media hyperbole, and manipulative use of videotape characterized this case and demonstrate what can happen when a patient becomes more a precedent-setting symbol than a unique human being."

Change your Mind Change your Brain: The Inner Conditions...

Even if You Can’t Buy It, Happiness Is Big Business - NYTimes.com

"In this dopamine-laden city, where the pursuit of well-being is something of a high art, a motley array of scientists, philosophers, doctors, psychologists, navel-gazing Googlers and Tibetan Buddhists addressed the latest findings on the science of human happiness — or eudaemonia, the classical Greek term for human flourishing.

Planned before the current crises, the first American “Happiness and Its Causes” conference was equal parts Aristotle and Oprah. It brought together heavy hitters like Paul Ekman, the psychologist known for deciphering facial “microexpressions” that reveal feelings, and Robert Sapolsky, the Stanford biologist. They considered topics like “Compassion and the Pursuit of Happiness” and “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers.”

The conference is the latest manifestation of the booming happiness industry, subject of a growing number of books, scholarly research papers and academic courses. The concept began in Sydney in 2006 and has since expanded, its profile raised by the participation of the Dalai Lama in Sydney in 2007."

Social Media Measurement > poplabs

Social Media Measurement

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: poplabs ruger)

BRAINMETA.COM - NEUROSCIENCE, CONSCIOUSNESS, BRAIN, MIND, MIND-BRAIN, NEUROINFORMATICS, NEURAL NETWORKS, BRAIN ATLASES

"The world is our creation, it is a thing created by mind, it is a mental construct. This is what BrainMeta seeks to communicate to others, so that they may open their eyes to this fact, so that they may go on to create something more than what is, and to instill the world with new and greater meaning. Too many today do not appreciate the essentially 'constructive nature' of reality. It is all a mental construct. We are deceived by the fact that we are humans with human consciousness.... we rarely venture outside the realms of our human consciousness, and thus we see the world with human eyes. Naturally, the vast majority of people are blind to this because humans are predisposed and 'programmed' to construct the world in human terms.

Do you know who or what you are? Think about it. There are many illusions in life. The arguably tragic thing is that so many people of the past have lived their entire lives in illusion. They believed in their mental constructs, and took them to be the truth of things. They were confined within their human consciousness, and never looked beyond. They never saw the true potential of consciousness, nor realized the constructive nature of reality. They never realized that their 'truths' were simply mental constructs, including their own sense of self-identity"

That was the week that was...Week ending November 7, 2008 - RecruitingBlogs.com

"A round-up from the recruiting industry’s group blogs, portals and individual archives..."

Intelligent Recruiting: A 60-minute Digest | BROWN BAG RECRUITER

"This session combines the three 20-minute sessions originally delivered as lunchtime webinar “snacks.” This solid one-hour training includes all the of the topics shared in those sessions..."

The Wobblies [I.W.W.] -- One Big Union

Reward and Decision Making: Opportunities and Future Directions | Neuron

Reward is a psychological concept linked to the hedonic properties of stimulation—the liking, wanting, and approach to stimuli. Reward is fundamental to the organization of behavior, and its neurobiological analysis involves processes as distinct as emotional expression, the organization of behavior sequences, selection of appropriate responses, and decision making. This area of research, illustrated in the articles of this special issue, encompasses a broad range of complex behavioral issues, as well as a spectrum of brain systems. Frequent topics are the amygdala, striatal-cortical interactions, and dopaminergic and cholinergic signaling. Other brain systems, such as those regulating arousal and attention, are almost certainly involved in reward and decision making and are understudied in this context. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) recognizes this area of research as an essential component of its activities directed toward understanding the etiology and pathophysiology of mood disorders and other mental and behavioral disorders. Research support for this area emanates from several major NIMH basic research program areas, including molecular, genetic, systems, cognitive, and clinical neuroscience, as well as behavioral science.

Tocqueville’s Cultural Institutionalism: Reconciling Collective Culture and Methodological Individualism | HEINZ-DIETER MEYER

With a few notable exceptions, Alexis de Tocqueville’s contributions to the formation of the sociological canon have been ignored. Most sociologists are likely to recognize him as a key source for current work on social capital and the civil society. But, in this paper I argue that Tocqueville’s importance for sociology extends far beyond those uses. Tocqueville is the author of a sophisticated and powerful theory of culture that solves the key problem of reconciling culture with the claims of methodological individualism. He does so by shunning the disciplinary boundaries that have sprung up after him, integrating political, historical, institutional and psychological building blocks of culture in a subtle yet powerful analytical framework. He thus avoids many of the pitfalls that plague other theories of culture, which makes his contribution to the sociological canon equal to that of many other canon-forming writers.

The Heart-Brain Connection: The Neuroscience of Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning

Intelligent Recruiting Webinar Snacks: Recruiting Online in Bite-sized Chunks | BROWN BAG RECRUITER

"In this series of three 20-minute lunchtime webinars we provide some powerful lessons for recruiters to apply immediately in their day-to-day activities. Special emphasis is laid on using no-cost/low-cost resources and solutions that showcase proven internet recruiting strategies with new and emerging tools and techniques."

How to Fail: 25 Secrets Learned through Failure | Unstructured Thoughts by Taylor Davidson

"I started to write about the keys of success for entrepreneurs and startups, but as I wrote I realized that while I’ve seen companies fail, projects flounder and ideas die, I’ve had little first-hand experience with success. My ideas on the keys to success remain just that: ideas.

But I’ve learned a lot through failure. Close observation and unfortunate first-hand personal experiences have taught me many lessons about why companies fail.

Let’s be clear: this is intended to be an assessment of the 25 most important lessons I have learned through failure, not a comprehensive analysis of all the reasons entrepreneurs and startups fail (and trust me, this is the shortened version: I’ve learned more than 25)."

VERDI YAHOODA | Time, love and art

"The Photo Booth series started in 1974.

Every month systematically, between April 1974 and April 1990, one set of pictures was taken in the ‘classic’ Photo Booth. (format: a vertical strip of four pictures).
Subsequently the time lapse changed to every three months.

The series changed in 2006 when the ‘classic’ Booth was replaced by its digital equivalent (format: square)."

"Fragments of images are interwoven, and like memories - the more one tries to examine them, the more they elude us."

The Consumer Paradox: Scientists Find that Low Self-Esteem and Materialism Goes Hand in Hand | The Daily Galaxy: News from Planet Earth & Beyond

"In the book “Happiness: Lessons From a New Science”, Richard Layard exposes a paradox at the heart of our lives. Most of us want more income so we can consume more. Yet as societies become richer, they do not become happier. In fact, the First World has more depression, more alcoholism and more crime than fifty years ago. This paradox is true of Britain, the United States, continental Europe and Japan."

Brain Power Video - CBSNews.com

Watch CBS Videos Online

Coopetition In The New Economy: Collaboration Among Competitors

"WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? Innovation and value are more and more commonly generated in networks. In fact, management guru Peter Drucker and other experts have suggested that the collaborative dynamic of networks, partnerships, and joint ventures is a main organizing principle in the New Economy. Social capital (networks, shared norms, and trust), as fostered in collaboration and alliances, may be as important as physical capital (plant, equipment, and technology), and human capital (intellect, character, education, and training) in driving innovation and growth."

About.com - Why "Blink" Matters: The Power of First Impressions

"Professional speakers and trainers have long asserted that people make up their minds about people they meet for the first time within two minutes. Others assert that these first impressions about people take only thirty seconds to make. As it turns out, both may be underestimates. According to Malcolm Gladwell, in Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking (compare prices), the decisions may occur much faster - think instantaneously or in two seconds. His findings have serious implications for organizations.

According to Gladwell’s research, we think without thinking, we thin-slice whenever we “meet a new person or have to make sense of something quickly or encounter a novel situation.” He says, “Snap judgments are, first of all, enormously quick: they rely on the thinnest slices of experience … they are also unconscious.”"

Mind Uploading Home Page

"The Mind Uploading home page is dedicated to the putative future process of copying one's mind from the natural substrate of the brain into an artificial one, manufactured by humans. This technology will radically alter society in many ways, as science fiction authors have begun to illustrate. Through this server, explore the science behind the science fiction!"

The Mind-Body Problem

"An Exercise in Integration: An interdisciplinary discussion of the Mind-Body Problem with special application to issues surrounding Artificial Intelligence.

Abstract

There has been wide ranging debate on the topic of the mind and its connection with the brain and the body. The participants in this discourse fall into one of two categories. They believe that humanity is composed of basically two types of substance, the dualist, or they believe that humanity is composed of one basic substance, the monists. While evidence exists to support some of the claims of both parties there are extremists in each position that clearly miss the truth.

I believe the theory postulated by John Cooper (1989) called functional holism is the best and most Biblical framework within which to handle the data concerning this issue. Cooper (1989) states there are two basic types of components that make up human beings, yet while alive the human person is such an indivisible unity that mind and body mutually influence one another constantly and intimately. The superiority of this position over other theories such as Cartesian dualism, Hebraic monism, and materialism lies in the fact that functional holism best accounts for all the evidence available, not just some of it. Functional holism can explain the medical data that shows that the mind and brain are inseparable in living human beings, and yet provides a framework wherein the Biblical teachings of soul, afterlife, the intermediate state, and the resurrection do not need to be compromised.

From this theoretical framework I will then integrate scientific and Biblical data, as well as, critiquing the Artificial Intelligence (AI) movement, and its requisite materialist presuppositional underpinnings. I will conclude that since AI's presuppositions are found wanting, then its stated goals of creating machines that are truly intelligent and of making computer copies, or uploads, of individuals are unattainable."

Limits to Human Potential > Assumption that the observer or change agent does not change

"There is an implicit assumption that the psycho-social environment can be observed and acted upon without there being any associated change in the observer or in the change agent. The academic assumes the ability to take up some neutral stance, often at a higher level of abstraction, from which effective observation can take place without either changing the observed social processes or being changed by them. Organizations and institutions act in the belief that they can intervene in social processes without there being any negative consequences and without their being changed by the action. In both cases there is an assumption of independence from social processes, although both are forms of social activity.

Such change agents tend not to be aware of their own role as social entities . They have no built-in self-reflexive capacity. No academic discipline provides for serious examination of its own social role (e.g. the sociology of: sociology, political science, chemistry, economics, etc.). And no institution can build in a self-critical capacity which cannot be ignored or restrained to guarantee the continued functioning of that institution.

Associated with this is the assumption that (new) content can always be treated formalistically without the necessity for exposure to (new) learning experience. This is particularly the case with values. It is assumed that all those who make reference to "peace" , "quality of life" , "justice" , "freedom", etc. have been exposed to positive experiences with which such terms can be associated - and that such experiences are equivalent to those experienced by those with whom they are communicating. There is thus a widespread assumption of common understanding of values which obviates any need for shared experience or any self-change in order to acquire that understanding. This assumption justifies the absence of macro-social experiments to determine whether particular social policies and value mixes are viable and in conformity with the verbal formulations and claims."

Who Knows Who You Know: Leverage and Focus | Fast Company

"Crossing the Action Threshold...

Many people will respond if you ask them for a favor. But it’s far better if they proactively market you and seek out clients for you. It takes a certain degree of trust and relationship strength for them to act proactively -- that’s when you have leverage. If your relationships aren’t above that 'action threshold', they’re not really serving you at full capacity. To achieve this goal, you first and most obviously need a high credibility level in what you're selling. Assuming you have that, you can also motivate that proactive behavior in others by being proactive yourself in your service to them. A finder's fee is another way to motivate more people to look out for your interests."

Book Review: Game Theory: A Nontechnical Introduction | Managing Leadership | Managing Leadership

"This is pretty intimidating stuff, game theory. All you have to do us use the expression and people start becoming concerned about competing with you. Mention that it was employed to help analyze and develop options for various Cold War scenarios and you are approaching expert status. Finally, toss something into the mix like “this is a classic prisoner’s dilemma situation” and the game is over - people will start quietly folding their hands; you’ve won.

And you can accomplish all of this without even showing your cards; that is, without actually understanding game theory at all, much less what it really is. And guess what: That is precisely what most of the people you hear talking about it are doing. In some cases, though, as so often happens, they simply interpret it to be illustrating a theme they wish to promote, themselves."

The Great Seduction: Confessions of an Internet iconoclast > Andrew Keene

"This ideal of self-authored Internet content is known as the Web 2.0 revolution. Websites such as YouTube and MySpace and technologies such as blogs and wikis are supposedly democratizing our culture by allowing anyone to author their own online content. My own apostasy has been to argue that this revolution in self-authored content is bad. Rather than the flowering of democracy, I fear that Web 2.0 is resulting in cultural chaos, economic catastrophe and moral decay.

Now, of course, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with either self-expression or self-authoring technology, either on or off the Internet. The problem, though, is when Web 2.0 technology is idealized as a way of undermining conventional talent and of replacing the wisdom of traditional experts with the innocence of online amateurs. And that’s exactly how Silicon Valley’s dreamers – who, perhaps not uncoincidentally, own the highly profitable companies that sell the tools to enable this explosion of self-expression – have framed the Web 2.0 revolution."

That was the week that was...Week ending October 31, 2008 - RecruitingBlogs.com

"A round-up from the recruiting industry’s group blogs, portals and individual archives..."

Tutorial Tuesday: How to Provide Good Customer Service - RecruitingBlogs.com

How to Provide Good Customer Service PLUS a Geoff Peterson digest...check it out

A Guide to Business Development 2.0 - ReadWriteWeb

"At least once each day I get a call from someone trying to sell me outsourced development services. It's difficult to not be frustrated with these calls and it is increasingly hard to be polite, because they come so frequently. Yet, more than frustrated, I am just puzzled. Does this tactic still work? Who in this day and age would give business based on a cold call? These companies could definitely use a dose of business development 2.0.

Because of these calls, for a while I have been thinking about the impact of the modern age on business development. In the good old days, it all boiled down to the salesmen with the big rolodexes who could close the deal. But clearly, the rules have changed. How does business development work this days? What makes sense and what does not? In this post we take a look."

Why Asking About the ROI on Social Media is the Wrong Question | Des Walsh

"One of the many knowledgeable and articulate people I was privileged to meet and learn from recently at BlogWorld & New Media Expo is Jason Falls, director of social media for Louisville, Kentucky based brand-building agency Doe-Anderson.

Jason’s blog Social Media Explorer is a regular fund of information and fresh perspectives, as exemplified in his post last week on determining the return on investment (ROI) for social."

Experience - A Critical Business Driver « WeirdGuy

"Whether you own a business, run a business, or manage a part of a business, what is the purpose you are going to operate within for a very, very long period of time? After you identify that purpose, then stick with it. Someday you will have more experience within that area of focus than any other person in the world. And that will be your ultimate business driver. Find your purpose, stay patient, and gain experience. That’s how to generate extraordinary results."

Comparison between Old and New Assumptions

"The aim of this paper is to contrast our old traditional theoretical assumptions with the new concepts that have been developed throughout this century. We have identified 14 comparisons.

We have written this paper as a document to be 'browsed'. We have the list of subject areas, then a table for quick comparisons and finally a full page describing the differences. By using the 'bookmark' facility we have set it up so that you can click from the list or table direct to the appropriate full-page comparison."

Documentary [1972] Future Shock with Orson Wells

Cognitive Relativism [Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]

Cognitive relativism asserts the relativity of truth. Because of the close connections between the concept of truth and concepts such as knowledge, rationality, and justification, cognitive relativism is often taken to encompass, or imply, the relativity of these other notions also. Thus, epistemological relativism, which asserts the relativity of knowledge, may be understood as a version of cognitive relativism, or at least as entailed by it."

Social Media Today - 8 Tips for Selling Social Marketing to CFOs

"Marketers are usually challenged to justify word of mouth social media marketing programs to the finance department. With economic challenges ahead, your job doesn’t get easier.

Gear-bevel As someone who’s focuses on both creative and measurement, and as Interim CFO at Bazaarvoice, I started thinking more about the question of what marketers need to sell CFOs on the social marketing opportunity. Ultimately everything comes down to the bottom line – drive revenue, margin or costs down – but every marketing strategy has a different familiarity, timeline to ROI, or measurements that have to tie back to the P&L. So the approach to start, grow and sustain social marketing through the eyes of the finance department will differ from doing business as usual. And the justification needs to span beyond the numbers to get the entire management team to understand the ‘ecosystem’ effect of how customers make purchase decisions in a networked world."