indulge my curiosity

I just heard radio commentary discussing the value of acknowledging your mistakes. Even more, taking note of the “mistakes” that led to good outcomes (at the time, or in hindsight).

I thought this a great idea. So many of us are so fearful of making mistakes. We forget that sometimes mistakes are the best way to learn. Sometimes mistakes lead to new experiences, joys, insights, or confidences.

I’m unsure how I’d answer the title question yet, but I’m going to think it over today. In the meantime, I’d like to ask others here to please share your thoughts on the matter.

What is your best mistake? How did your feelings about it evolve? How did you feel about mistakes then, and how do you feel about them now? Do you have any other thoughts or wisdom to share on the subject? 1 week ago

I wonder why women have developed such keen senses of smell, when men are often such smelly creatures? It seems designed to cause conflict.

I suspect this is the ultimate reason that dogs were domesticated… so that the man of the house would have someone to “blame”. 1 week ago

I’ve lost a significant number of subscribers all of a sudden. Was it something I said? If so I’d take that to mean I must be on the right track.

Ordinarily I don’t care much about those numbers, but this change has been dramatic. 1 week ago

... I’ve been second guessing myself to a very great degree. I don’t know if it qualifies as curiosity, per se… but it sure is absorbing a lot of my mental, emotional, and even physical energy.

There’s too many questions to list (and it would be too painful to try). The biggest- why is it that whenever love has poked its head into my life, I’ve found a way to hide or run from it? Of course it doesn’t seem like that at the time, but in hindsight the pattern is stark. 3 weeks ago

I wonder…

Is love really bought with gold and diamonds?

There are jewelry store commercials this time of year that seem to imply that’s the only way.

It’s depressing, really. 2 months ago

I wonder how many people still take time to be thankful on Thanksgiving?

I know that in many years past, I’ve not thought much about it, really. And that’s odd too- For me thanksgiving has always been about family… and I have a wonderful family. Few people are as blessed in that regard as I have been.

I also wonder how people celebrate the holiday? I know what the tradition says, and that’s more or less the way my family does it. Yet I live in a VERY multi-cultural area. What influences does that bring? What foods do other clans gather around?

I have a co-worker that’s only been in the USA for two months now. She’s a native of India, and lived in Britain for a few years immediately before transferring to my group. It occurred to me to ask her how or if she celebrates, but the discussion was all too brief: we were both headed out the door. I sure would have liked to learn more, and I will try to next week. 2 months ago

I love pickles. I love eating them of course, but they’re also fun to experiment with.

For example, if you combine them with jalapeno peppers, the pickles take on a little of the heat. They’re great that way.

Also, if you put a few drops of blue food coloring in with the pickles, they’ll turn a deep blue-green. Looks great on sandwiches!

(I’ve also turned white sausages blue this way… very fun) 2 months ago

I’m in the UK for a few days, and I decided to walk around a bit this evening. It’s a good way to get my bearings, and explore the neighborhood.

One side street promised “Humps for 1/2 Mile”. I walked a good way down there, and never did get humped.

Can I complain? 3 months ago

Around the world, there are many different cultures. Each has its own customs and traditions. There are many different languages, religions, cuisines too. There are different musical scales, political systems, and mythologies.

So why does it seem we all have the same clock, and the divisions on it? An hour is the same in Santa Clara as it is in Timbuktu. So too the minute and the second.

I suspect this is an artifact of the clock’s invention. Did the first clocks set the pattern for all that followed? I know that chronometers revolutionized navigation, so they were literally carried all over the world. Is that why?

If so, what was the world like before this universal definition of time took hold? Did each culture have its own sense of time? What would that be like? Were there some “slow” cultures and some “fast” cultures? Does the way a culture mark time influence its beat, or vice-versa?

I’d write more, but I’m out of time. 4 months ago

I’ve noticed something odd about my new place of employment. There seems to be an unusual number of really TALL people there.

I’m about average height, and have never really paid much attention to how tall people were… There’s usually some taller and some shorter, in about equal numbers. At this place, though, I seem to be on the short end of the stick.

Some of it may be optical illusion I suppose. The cubicle walls in this place are much shorter than at most other companies I’ve worked at. That does change the perspective somewhat. Still, I don’t think that’s the whole explanation.

It’s a mystery. 4 months ago

... a pine cone dropped out of the sky, RIGHT in front of my car.

That may not seem unusual, except that it was a clear blue sky… no trees of any kind in the vicinity.

I wonder how that happened? A bird with a funny sense of humor, perhaps? 4 months ago

I’m a radio enthusiast. I have a ham license, and lots of different kinds of radios.

I got a nice scanner recently, and I have it programmed to listen to the local police, fire, and EMS (ambulance) services.

You hear all kinds of things… Much is quite boring really- the police sure have to deal with a lot of petty and childish stuff! I have a great deal of respect for their patience now.

There’s also many things that are quite scary and chilling… Tragic and heartbreaking too. It gives you a fascinating look behind the walls of your community.

The thing is… You frequently hear the initial call, but rarely hear the resolution. I’m not entirely sure why that is… But it seems in many cases the resolution comes after the transport, or otherwise under the radar.

Mostly that’s ok… But once in a while it’s pretty tough. Tonight, there have been two gut-wrenching cases (one involving a baby). I really wonder what will happen. I hope they are ok. 5 months ago

I really wonder how much “reality” there is in reality TV. I heard a short story today on a podcast… it was fiction, but it gave a look behind the cameras that was fascinating and plausible. In it, the producers literally coax and prod the contestants until they say things that are essentially scripted. They lie and manipulate the circumstances to get whatever effects they want. They edit and alter sequences to produce contrived plot lines that have no resemblance to actual events.

They couldn’t and wouldn’t do that, would they?

The most unbelievable thing in this story is that one of the producers actually has a bit of a conscience left, and listens to it. 5 months ago

There’s big news recently that astronomers have discovered a “planet” that may be made mostly of diamond.

Some astronomers I know are miffed at this, saying that it’s not really a planet (or exoplanet), and it’s not all that unusual either. The diamond state may be typical for a spent star that is carbon-rich.

(Although having the star stripped down to JUST that is kind of interesting.)

In any case… my first thought was that Kim Kardashian must now be disappointed with her engagement ring, being just a measly 20.5 carats. 5 months ago

There was just a relatively large earthquake on the East Coast of North America. It was felt over a vast region, and has rattled a lot of nerves. Thankfully, there are few reports of damage and injury so far, and I am hopeful it remains that way.

However it works out, this kind of earthquake in this area is quite unusual. So I wonder… how long will it be before someone suggests that it’s God’s wrath? This seems to happen after nearly every natural disaster, wherever it occurs. (cue Pat Robertson!) Here in the 21st century we still look to the cosmic boogeyman whenever something like this happens.

It also occurred to me that the area affected by this earthquake corresponds quite closely to the Marcellus Shale formation that’s at the center of the “fracking” debate. How long will it be before this earthquake is blamed on that controversial practice? 5 months ago

I’ve been very curious about what’s going on at this website. Many of you know that it’s much slower, and apparently “quieter”... but there’s been very little information from the robots about why that is.

So I went looking for some data, and it wasn’t hard to find. Of course, the harder part is figuring out what it MEANS. I don’t know yet… perhaps it will make sense to somebody else?

(Just try googling “43 things server statistics”, and similar phrases… you’ll find the same things I did, and many others besides.)

Most noticeably, there is a clear trend reported on this page and others like it… the number of visitors to 43 things is dropping rapidly: faqs.org

This page shows more or less the same thing, with a better graph: wolframapha

Yet on this page, the number of users for the facebook application is climbing fast in recent weeks (although still relatively small): allfacebook.com

I’ve saved the best for last though. On this page you can look at trends over various time periods: compete.com

According to this, 43 things has gone from almost a million unique visitors in January, to less than 276,000 in June. That’s a 72% drop in 6 months.

No wonder the place feels different. 6 months ago

It’s been over five hours since the last new entry in my subscription feed.

I wonder if there’s really that little activity among my subscribees? Or is 43t seriously constipated? 6 months ago

I’m taking antibiotics now for a sinus infection… these aren’t unusual for me during hay-fever season.

I rarely ask for antibiotics, but when I do the doctors really grill me to make sure I need them. Then, the literature that comes with them also talks about the importance of completing the entire course, even after the symptoms disappear.

All this is necessary because of the growing problem of antibiotic resistant organisms. In essence, we’re seeing evolution in action. It’s a classic example, really, of how live evolves to meet the demands of a selective pressure.

It makes me wonder… how do those who do not “believe” in evolution look at things like antibiotic resistance? These highly significant changes have come about in just a few decades. Just imagine what it could do in a 1000 years… a million years… or a billion years!

On a side note… why do we talk about “belief” in things like evolution? It either exists or it doesn’t, whether or not we believe. 6 months ago

Ever notice that once you start paying attention to something, you can become over-sensitive to little nuances and changes? For example, you might hear a funny noise (or think you do), and then all of a sudden every squeak or rumble might mean a big problem?

I wonder if the recent “changes” we’ve sensed in 43T might be like that? There was buttongate, of course- that was a big change and a big problem, and it did change the way some people interact with this site.

Since then though… there’s been much talk about the various delays, and the different “feel”, and the seemingly lower level of activity and interaction, and so on.

I wonder how much of that is a real (significant) change from the norm, and how much of it might be because we’re more sensitive to perceived changes now? 6 months ago

I’ve had NO cheers to give out all day. It’s unusual. Normally they trickle in here and there… Occasionally I get a lot all at once. Today… Nothing.

That makes it difficult to interact with people too…

I don’t generally go for conspiracy theories, but it’s starting to feel like a devious plot.

;-) 6 months ago

I’m old enough to have had plenty of experience on DOS based computers. So when I was rooting around trying to get rid of stuff today, I came across some design files from an old DOS application.

My first thought is that I wished I’d somehow kept schematics from those designs. I had a few, but most seemed forever inaccessible.

Yet as I rooted around some more, I found the actual PROGRAMS too. Was it possible I might still be able to use them? So I did a little research, and tried a few experiments.

Many frustrating hours passed. Some things worked, some things didn’t. Much was guesswork and intuition, and there were a few hints on the web from others trying the same thing.

Suddenly, voila! I’m in! Gosh the interface was cumbersome and quirky, but that was state-of-the-art at the time!

Then the real issue… could I print? This program was written in the day when printers were directly connected to “LPT” ports. There was no such thing as networking, or shared printers. USB? what’s that?

I tried anyway. It crashed, hard.

So I did a little more research, and found that there was a way to print to EPS files! I could then take those and convert them to PDF files, easily enough.

So here I sit with a beautiful, complete printout of a design that I thought was lost forever. There’s a few more I’ll want to do tomorrow, but I know how to get there. 6 months ago

Amy Winehouse died today at the age of 27. Most news reports I’ve read have made some mention that a number of influential musicians have died at the age of 27. Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and others are included in this “club”.

I wonder if there’s anything to this? I don’t suspect anything mystical or supernatural of course… but is there something in the lifestyle or in their development that may lead to a morbid bell curve centered on this age?

I suspect the answer is simpler… that this is likely just a case of confirmation bias. Sure, there are many musicians that die at this age. Yet there are also many that die at OTHER ages, and this thesis conveniently ignores them.

For example, Elvis died at 42, John Lennon died at 40, Beethoven died at 57, and so on. I’ll bet if we plotted ALL the data (instead of cherry-picking), then we’d see a fairly normal longevity curve.

Any personal examples of this phenomenon? 6 months ago

I wonder about the connection between online personas, and the real people behind them. How well does one reflect the other? Are the ways people “edit” themselves online unique, or are there patterns that emerge?

In my case, there’s a big difference between online and offline selves. First and foremost, that’s because of the medium: The word-centric focus means that the word-producing part of my brain takes the forefront. The non-verbal parts of myself are filtered and diminished. In real life, the non-verbal plays a much larger role.

There’s also the PR and Marketing “departments” to consider. We all have them tucked away in our brains. They’re the parts of ourselves that are always striving to put our best foot forward, and leave a good impression with those around us. They’re active both online and off, of course… but when online they probably wield much more control.

Ever think of that twitter, Facebook, or 43T posting as a kind of “press release”? 6 months ago

I wonder why they say that? Isn’t the opposite usually true?

Speaking of opposites… They also say that “opposites attract”... Do they? Should they? 7 months ago

By nature, I’m very interested in Science, “Skepticism”, Religion, Psychology, and the interesting intersections between them. So I’ve long been familiar with Richard Dawkins’ writings and lectures in these areas. He’s generally considered quite brilliant- a deep thinker and an eloquent speaker.

Hence my surprise that he’s recently been embroiled in a scandal that paints him as an arrogant, clueless, “privileged white male”... perhaps even a bit of a misogynist?

You can read about it in a number of blogs. I recommend Phil Plait’s and Rebecca Watson’s. They will point you at others.

The really striking part for me is the way Dawkins just dug himself deeper into the muck with each successive posting. Being initially clueless is bad enough, but failing to listen and learn (repeatedly) is not the mark of an intelligent man. 7 months ago

Is 43things really a “community”? I know it feels like it sometimes. I know I and others talk about it and treat it like a community sometimes. Is it though?

I have noticed that something about this website feels a little “off” lately. It’s slower, perhaps? It seems to take a while for comments to show up in the feeds and under the goals… and that has an interesting dampening effect on the back-and-forth exchanges. There also seems to be a pall or reticence, perhaps? 7 months ago

I went to a lumber store yesterday, to get some stuff for the “farm”. While there, I suddenly heard the faint but insistent quacking of a duck. This seemed odd… birds do get into these big lumber stores, but a duck?

I followed the sound, and it really appeared to be coming from the big pile of lumber in front of me. I looked back and forth, and the sound did seem to be right there! Clearly there was no duck buried in the wood pile. Was someone playing a joke on me? Was it some strange electronic thing trying to get my attention? Alert me to a sale?

Finally…. Finally…. I realized my belt was vibrating too! It was my new cell phone! I’d selected a quacking duck ringtone for one of my friends, and they were calling.

Boy did I feel dumb. 7 months ago

I’ve just noticed that right now on 43T:

- 174 people want to “Get over her”
- 1367 people want to “Get over him”

Interesting… that’s almost an 8:1 ratio. I wonder what it means?

(Also, 154 want to “Get over myself”) 7 months ago