1 Comment

Genetic Differences or Societal Influences: A personal story by Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Hat tip to Upworthy.com for posting a video from 2009 that highlights a story by Neil DeGrasse Tyson that was in response to a question about genetic differences in women possibly accounting for why so few women enter scientific fields. His story about his journey to becoming a scientist illustrates his final point, which is that BEFORE scientists — and the rest of us — talk about genetic differences, we have to come up with a system where there’s equal opportunity.

The Upworthy video doesn’t play. Here’s a YouTube link that should start just before his comments, which begin in answer to a question at 1:01:48.

1 Comment

Daily Writing Prompts and the Habit of Starting

Comment

Daily Writing Prompts and the Habit of Starting

Apparently we have 2 systems for thinking in our heads. One is effortless, unconscious and very fast. It uses rules of thumb, prejudices, habit, and fuzzy approximation to get us through with a minimum of effort. It’s right about 70% of the time, and it believes that “done is beautiful.”

Comment

The Election Crazy Show

Comment

The Election Crazy Show

"Yes, I am a terrible person refusing interplanetary refugees, but then I am not a candidate pretending that you should give me the power to combat global warming with a nuclear winter.  I am not a candidate to run anything, not even my own life."

Comment

The Slow Boat to Publication

The Slow Boat to Publication

It took me 19 years to go from the idea of Unpronounceable to the manuscript to finding a publisher to the book in print.