interiors

#1 Like many of the commenters here, I have been working out, primarily aerobically, for over 30 years, so feel get a certain amount of 'feel good' emotions from reading this, but almost immediately wanted to say, yes, but strength training helps with the quality of life and maintaining function. Sincerely, I have a strong bias against the world of strength training, being so gender-lopsided, too much inhabited by traditional men, but my aerobic work, when I am not including strength training into my routine, includes activities that require power and strength, the cross country ski machine and the rowing machine, respectively. In the end, we likely get some benefits more from aerobic activity, and some aspects better from strength training, but in the end, both matter if one wants to maintain long-term well-being. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/12/well/move/is-aerobic-exercise-the-key-to-successful-aging.html?comments#permid=29715193 #2 Why do so many people have ...

Article: https://www.treehugger.com/economics/tech-replacing-liberal-arts.html #1 The death of the humanities and the social sciences in our current social environment is partially overblown but also disheartening. The idea that education is for making money in a career is a decrepit, poor attitude. Greater to have the ability to learn what one loves, what one enjoys, and what will help the world. I have had different majors and interests, covering computers, social sciences, finance, and medicine, and have worked in technology for over 25 years. That said, although I enjoy my work and sometimes code on my own time, it is much more rewarding to visit museums and the arts, take long walks and workout, and spend time with friends. My feeling is, and I think this is supported by the US's level of conservatism and inequality, that the focus on earnings is a result of Republican politics driving people down to the lowest common denominator. Yes, technology can help the world but...

#1 On the flip side, I was recently hired by a major medical center, and as part of orientation, I sat with a group of 10 or so 20-somethings. I am 58. Without leadership, when others can't decide, I usually step in, comfortable with the risk of failure, and in this case, it worked out well. By the end of the two days, I was thanked for being their leader through the various activities, but I commented, and I think they understood, I am more of a democratic leader, accepting input while directing our efforts. I was also thanked for my kindness, which seemed odd, but they explained that many older people deride them. I was quite surprised but realized later I had decided in my youth not to be one of 'those', cranky older sticks-in-the-mud, those that see the difference in youth as a flaw. I hope never to mistake those changes as bad, only recognizing that it is simply a different time, the same as when I was their age. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/13/well/mind/age-agi...

#1 I've always scored highly on tests of empathy, and think of myself as a compassionate person, but I am also very rational. I have a tendency to distrust most appeals for money, knowing that many charities are not of the highest quality and that play on people's emotions with maudlin appeals. For my spouse and I, our interests in giving are tempered as suggested. We've chosen a handful of charities to which we give regularly, and then a smaller number to which we give annually, or as needed. The last being those that deal with catastrophes and crises. My criteria for charities is, one, that they deal with issues we deem important, and two, that they are highly-rated by Charity Navigator. The latter helps filter out charities that over-advertise, spend too much on administration, or are not transparent and auditable. That said, we are not significant donors. My spouse works as a researcher of high net worth individuals, those likely to give in the millions, not in the ...

This article deals with a very narrow kind of insomnia, but insomnia has different causes, only one of which is likely related to creativity: A mixture of habit and need for sleep Excessive work and demands Life stresses Mental health issues Inclination, i.e., night owls Like many of us, I've had a variety of sleep styles over the years. In high school, I went to bed late, was chronically late to school, and would sleep into the afternoon on weekends. In my late twenties, driven to complete college while working a job that required hours from 4 AM, I often only slept 3 hours a night, but having to wake up that early eventually stuck my body clock to an early riser. B-school made the same kinds of demand, although now I was an early riser who often stayed up until 3 AM to finish projects. By then, I learned to just go with my needs, to go to bed when I felt like it, and to not force myself to do something I was incapable of, and rather than struggle to simply work until th...

Aspects of education tie to political outlook and sentiment as well. I read of a recent study that showed students choosing a vocational program, as opposed to an academic, became relatively more conscientiousness. It has long been known that education correlates with openness, and considering that openness is one of the better personality predictors for liberalness. As well, the converse predicts conservatism, as does conscientiousness predict a conservative lean. One can see that the concrete agenda pushed by conservatives can tilt the playing field of the populace. Yes, there is a little bit of o correlation-causation circularity, but one can examine the value of curiosity, of openness, and see that much can be gained from exploring the unknown, and even the frivolous. Learning the practical is not likely to yield greater human growth, but more likely to lead us down the road to a kind of intellectual and economic serfdom, where knowledge only matters if it makes money. There are va...

I was describing the gist of this article to my spouse, reading out to her a specific passage, then tried to summarize by saying "Would you still read writers that are no longer politically correct?". In truth, some of these authors' ideas a far from what we mean by, or is used as in insult as, politically correct. But then I realized the aptness of the term politically correct, regarding the appropriateness of modern belief. That said, in many ways, we hardly realize the people behind the words. I certainly did not realize the vapidness of Ayn Rand when I was reading her novels as a teen. I thoroughly enjoyed V.S. Naipuls Literary Occasions. unaware of him as a person. A more recent irritating author is David Foster Wallace, his Infinite Jest wonderfully written, line after unending line. I will finish it, but I have put it down once before when I found out more about him. Then again, how many of us would turn our noses up at people if we knew of their pasts or their...

#1 The ability to work remotely has both enhanced and deprived us of our personal time. In many ways, the pleasure of working from home can be wonderful, as does the ability to leave early to attend to children and then finishing up afterward remotely. Even working from home while sick can be nice if one's concern is to avoid making others sick or to hasten recovery for other types of illnesses. That said, there does come a time when one really needs to turn off work completely if one needs to recover. I've had a few of those instances, where I grew progressively worse unless I just went to sleep and took a few days. Even then, there are many people that feel obligated to keep working, tied to their cell phones and some sense of duty. In the worst case, I am reminded of a person at a financial institution, and that person's father, a board member, had passed away. They were still taking calls during his wake, and this as not someone callous and uncaring. It was obvious...