Wishing you all A Very Happy New Year 2018 in 18 pages , a different note and narration , some
recapitualtion of old stories but would
make, hopefully a nice journey of sorts. I have not delved into any subject in
detail or specifically . However, everything is for every avid seeker of knowledge,
information and those who have an hunger to grasp facts and reality as they
present themselves and decipher them to understand life as a whole.
1] The above picture Courtesy from : The Origin of (Almost) Everything is a
visualized science book that explains the origin of (almost) everything, like
dark matter Jennifer
Daniel/Nicholas Brealey.
Wonderful book not to be missed, “Graham Lawton in his new book, The Origin
of (Almost) Everything, worked with designer Jennifer Daniel to unravel
dozens of life’s biggest mysteries. Lawton crafts the narration while
Daniel handles the infographics. Together they’re able to answer nagging
questions that have inspired centuries of scientific inquiry’The Origin
of Just About Everything, Visualized]
Above picture courtesy [ http://vunature.com/sky-landscapes-dream-imagination-books-digital-nature-art-clouds-mood-desktop-backgrounds-free/]
“In the end nothing less than the whole of everything can be the truth of anything at all”- William James
Writing and reading
are activities that go together
On doit tout faire pour écrire ce qu'on ne peut pas écrire.
Hélène Cixous
On devrait inventer le verbe éclire
2] I have the habit of writing something really ‘new’ every
year for the New Year.
Sometimes it is too long that people just acknowledge having
received it, seen it, mostly not read, because had they read it they may have
blocked me.
If time permits I would like to revisit the journey of the
past 365 days exclusively through some select books and articles that I have
read both physically and also [mostly] electronically.
3] The purpose is not to give an account of what I have
read, it is a suggestion that those who find time and inclination may do so and
benefit from reading from those sources.
There is some amount of inherent contradiction is usage of
internet where people spend hours and hours sharing sensational and scandalous
political events or celebrity gossips along with repetitive religious materials,
there is nothing wrong in any of them and I am not sitting on judgment on any
of them either but when suggested to go beyond this radar of just forwarding
and recycling the same/similar stuff, most of which feeds on to our
confirmation bias, social sermons [mostly meant for others] and all these comforts
us psychologically- so far so good, people normally say that they do not have
time to read.
This is typical of all escapists’ non-committal cautiousness
not to disturb their confirmation bias, and comfort zones.
However, if we notice it and honestly evaluate the above
activities it is a unique contraction of excessive usages and traffic but
actually underutilization of the medium of internet as most of the material is
a reloading and relocating.
But when given something new or different to read, to reason,
to rethink, to review and to replenish the intellectual perspective there is a
frequent excuse of lack of time.
This
contraction is typical of what Susan Ertz writes, "Millions long for immortality who don't know what to do on a
rainy Sunday afternoon."
4] So, I mention here some sources because in this vast
world of internet which is a highly crowded place with various things catering
to the tastes of many which prevents any single sieve/filter to narrow down and
select items of things that may be of specific interest to some irrespective of
all the tall claims of many specific and targeted search options.
5] Some of these sources offer a wide variety of worthy content
presented in wonderful communication tools of verbal expressions, marvelous
maps and beautiful data charts.
What I have come across and still what I have narrowed down
to present here is, of course, a tiny portion of vast and varied such similar
or other wonderful resources out there.
6] Unless we
ourselves, consciously start either expanding the radius of radar of our view or
accept opinions even tangentially beyond the circle of our radar then we may be
giving room to neo-homogenizing and institutionalizing control freaks who may
clandestinely mold our opinion like what most of the mass opinion molders do with
catchy statements like these, “vast and intimidating repository of
unindexed confusion. Into this creative chaos we are coming up with a dazzling
mission—“To organize the world’s information and make it universally
accessible”
They will do this with highly empowered tools of
multipronged propaganda mechanisms to ensure a social engineering to suit their
agenda of homogenization.
7] The chief among them
being described in the book “More
Damned Lies and Statistics [though mathematical models can define as well as
decipher many domains of activities].
However, there is also lot of truth in what Joel Best says in his book,
How Numbers Confuse Public Issues by Joel
Best (Author)
“Best identifies different sorts of
numbers that shape how we think about public issues: missing
numbers are relevant but
overlooked; confusing numbers bewilder when they
should inform; scary numbers play to our fears
about the present and the future; authoritative numbers demand
respect they don’t deserve; magical numbers promise
unrealistic, simple solutions to complex problems; and contentious
numbers become the focus of data duels
and statistical wars. The author's use
of pertinent, socially important examples documents the life-altering
consequences of understanding or misunderstanding statistical information. He
demystifies statistical measures by explaining in straightforward prose how
decisions are made about what to count and what not to count, what assumptions
get made, and which figures are brought to our attention.
Best identifies different sorts of numbers that shape how we think about public issues. Entertaining, enlightening, and very timely, this book offers a basis for critical thinking about the numbers we encounter and a reminder that when it comes to the news, people count—in more ways than one.”
Best identifies different sorts of numbers that shape how we think about public issues. Entertaining, enlightening, and very timely, this book offers a basis for critical thinking about the numbers we encounter and a reminder that when it comes to the news, people count—in more ways than one.”
8] There are
some sites that vye with one another for the top slot.
Even , if I
don’t act like a lumber jack editor, who chops ,sometimes strips most of the
content to make it too brief , I am forced to limit myself to a few to ensure
at least partial attention by readers of the present times who prefer ‘Memes’
‘Tweets’ ‘Sms’ etc.
Chief among them are https://www.weforum.org [ for their varied
topics in socio-economic realms and wonderful maps, charts and data analysis
which enable us to grasp the wide bandwidth of a subject in a jiffy] ;the long
reads from The guardian like https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/mainsection/the-long-read
for the in depth insight into the subjects which allow the subject to seep deep
and linger long into our mind that they get etched in our memory for long [some
samples given item 44] ;of course the ever reliable BBC especially its http://www.bbc.com/travel/story and
many more.
9] Being a bibliophile [lover of books] and also more a
lexophile [lover of words] with a crazy obsession for words, etymology and all
nuances of verbal expressions, evolving new trends and nuances in linguistics I
would be failing in my duty towards my own consciousness if I do not
acknowledge the immense work and innumerable research and advances that are
going around in many languages.
Because of my limited knowledge of only a few languages I
would also like to place on record some latest developments as well as some
irresistible but less talked about unique works in the domain of linguistic
devices and word development.
The most exhaustive multi-lingual
lexicon on google platform wherein my
wonderful and scholarly Romanian friend Lucian Velea who motivates me to
write certain things has his blog http://www.omnilexica.com/ and many works
of Steven Pinker , David Crystal [a great linguist David Crystal in his
books WORD,WORDS, WORDS and THE STORIES OF ENGLISH. Here I would like
to reproduce some bits of information like these words science, conscience and
shit all had originally common etymology. I thought for
a longtime that the Britishers were obsessed with sex that’s why they
have named their places like Essex, Sussex , Wessex, Middlesex etc but I learnt
that they refer to only Saxons occupying different directions with
varying dialects. David crystal writes, “It remains a lexicological
puzzle why some words were accepted and some rejected. Wedo not know how to
account for the linguistic ‘survival of the fittest’. Both impede and expede were
introduced during the same period as well as disabuse and disadorn,
but in each of these pairs the first item stayed in the language and the second
did not”.], John Simpson [https://johnsimpson.org/the-word-detective/
.
10] Of course one of the old but best possible palindrome in
the world written a few years ago in Sanskrit the
best palindrome in the world is in Sanskrit language in the book
raghavayadaveeyam see link you can download pdf format http://www.ibiblio.org/sadagopan/ahobilavalli/raghavayadaveeyam.pdf
[In this book if you read the sixty couplet slokas from beginning to end
you get the biography of Lord Rama and
when you read the same 60 slokas backwards you get the biography of Lord
Krishna]
Then we have the: www.Powerthesaurus.com,
and https://www.wordspy.com/
11] Many articles in https://www.weforum.org
Especially the transformation
maps wherein they briefly present the vital issues that need to be addressed.
I have shared and commented on many issues in this forum
12] Every social evolution or society has many things which
may be similar
"This study shows how the sciences and humanities,
which have not always seen eye-to-eye, can actually work together effectively
to uncover general rules that have shaped human history."
13] The following link talks about various issues
, mostly connected with education –its various dimensions and contextually
relevant perceptions about the necessity to create a world of literate masses
and I too I have made many suggestions there.
There too I have contributed some articles
and a comment here
15] The most exhaustive multi-lingual lexicon on google
platform my wonderful and scholarly
Romanian friend Lucian Velea who motivates me to write certain things has
his blog
16] The emerging complications and complexities of global
governance
17] When women seem
to know /see more colours or a huge spectrum of shades of single color men
definitely feel defeated and the textile shop owners turn richer have you
wondered why?
[interview conducted by Lucian velea for miratico]
18] The tragedy of google books
19] What happens behind the computer screens?
20] Crows can recognize you in the crowd what?
21] From Bartleby, the Scrivener a wonderful short story by Herman Melville later on made into an
excellent movie by US film makers the battle of or with CLERKS continues in
Britain
22] What Can a Historian Reveal About Positive Psychology?
23] “Humans are fragile, capable
of much on all ends of the moral spectrum”―Dr.
Brandon Ogbunu
Shared identity plays an important role
24] Can one practice to counteract
the gravitational pull of confirmation bias.
25] Margin of safety matters in many things
26] “I think consciousness comes in
different flavors,” agrees Mather. “Some may have consciousness in a way we may
not be able to imagine.”
27] Certain circumstances and crowd can push away individual
sanity even in very sane men
28] “Nudging is about how choices are presented, what we
call choice architecture. By altering what is the default option, people’s
choices will change. So it all comes down to communication,”
29] Being situated in present realities is more vital for a
leader in any realm
30] Sweet as sugar
First sentence:
What if Roald Dahl and Michael Pollan are right, that the taste of sugar on the
tongue can be a kind of intoxication? Doesn't it suggest the possibility that
sugar itself is an intoxicant, a drug? Imagine a drug that can intoxicate us,
can infuse us with energy, and can do so when taken by mouth. It doesn't have
to be injected, smoked, or snorted for us to experience its sublime and
soothing effects. Imagine that it mixes well with virtually every food and
particularly liquids, and that when given to infants it provokes a feeling of
pleasure so profound that intense that its pursuit becomes a driving force
throughout their lives.
31] Inter cultural milieu of
children
First sentence:
This is me. Italy. My name is Romeo, and I'm called "Meo." I'm eight
years old. Japan. My name is Kei, and I'm called "Kei-chan." I'm nine
years old. Uganda. My name is Daphine, and I'm called "Abwooli." I'm
seven years old. Russia. My name is Oleg, and I'm called "Olezhka."
I'm eight years old. Peru. My name is Ribaldo, and I'm called
"Pirineo." I'm eleven years old. India. My name is Ananya, and I'm
called "Anu." I'm eight years old. Iran. My name is Kian. I'm seven
years old.
32] Negotiating with Giants Paperback – February 10, 2012
Wonderful book with case studies and samples
one may read the reviews here
33] Good mixture of some simple
articles
34] A list from Bloomberg
35] Both content and language are
good in this site though sometimes opinions may be one sided
As a result of the weakness of European countries, populism had advanced in some of them. He insisted that culture goes together with a flourishing economy and military power. Yet, though Africa was advancing, Europe must be praised and safeguarded; it had succeeded in forming a single currency and preventing war among its members.
36] Undoubtedly a great source for nature and environment based articles
https://www.nature.com/
37] Though predominantly leftist in political approach, some of the articles on non political subjects and by those who do not live in cages of political ideology or obsessed with extrapolating everything according to some political ideology are good
https://www.resurgence.org/magazine/article5029-books-of-the-year.html
38] Behave: The Biology of
Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert M. Sapolsky
“Sapolsky
argues that our inborn propensity to notice difference in others and be wary of
those we don’t recognize as part of our “tribe” is the product of brain
chemistry that evolved to keep us safe from strangers. Yet this response is
highly influenced by how we are raised, the people we are exposed to, and the
things we are taught, showing how social factors impact us—even at the neural
level.
The book helps
explain power dynamics, political lying, social comparisons, and social
hierarchies, among other phenomena. By uncovering the mechanisms behind them,
Sapolsky also offers a way forward that includes treating people as
individuals, emphasizing what we have in common, and perspective taking, and
fostering equality in the pursuit of shared goals. His book is a call to all of
us to understand how our brains lead us astray and to use that knowledge to
bring out the best in ourselves”.
39] A very sad story of nature about CHAD
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/12/04/lake-chad-the-worlds-most-complex-humanitarian-disaster
40] Diamond how it drives on the delicate human vulnerabilities
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/02/have-you-ever-tried-to-sell-a-diamond/304575/
41] World’s most
beautiful road
Almost every story of http://www.bbc.com/travel/story is
unique and maintains a very level of originality and pleasant presentations
This particular link
is personally special to me because I happen to travel all the way in this most
beautiful road in the world
and articles like
The Only Person in the World Who Can Weave Sea Silk-meet This
Italian Artist
https://spoonagency.com/academy/the-power-of-real-stories/
43] Intricacies of content marketing
44] It is just not tad too much of
an affection it dad too dear
https://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/06/the-distinct-positive-impact-of-a-good-dad/276874/
45] END PAIN FOREVER -HOW A SINGLE GENE COULD BECOME A VOLUME KNOB FOR HUMAN SUFFERING
51] https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/mar/15/stranger-in-the-woods-christopher-knight-hermit-maine
52] Of course the daily dose from www.brainprickings.com
53] Excellent site for books from many languages
54] The
worldwide catalog of library resources
55] Social Engineering preferably and ultimately must
deliver a wisdom that enhances life of every species.
56] One of the previous year’s New Year message I wrote the
following to inject real sense of newness through a realization of reality. It
is very long write up with many links but then those who read it , I am sure
would come out both more exhausted and enlightened
Best wishes and regards
Balayogi
The greatest
mistakes in our relationships, overall perceptions and evaluations
are because we read three fourths, listen half, understand quarter,
think zero and are indifferent to the impact of our actions, reactions,
thoughts and words on humanity and the environment.
