Guest Thinkers — September 1, 2010

Earthquake near Nevado del Huila

Whether this is a coincidence or not, I thought I’d mention a report of an earthquake near the crater of Nevado del Huila in Colombia. The earthquake is reported as a magnitude 4.6 and at a depth of 20 km (although that is only a rough estimate), indicating that magma might be moving up the conduit system under the volcano – or that it might be just coincidental seismicity in a seismically active area. However, Huila had recently become active for the first time in 500 years, so this could be a sign of new activity to come.

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Neuropsych

The 5-step “military method” for falling asleep in minutes

You’ll be able to sleep through a war.

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The Well

Eastern philosophy says there is no “self.” Science agrees

“Why are you unhappy? Because 99.9 percent of everything you think, and of everything you do, is for yourself — and there isn’t one.”

a drawing of a man standing next to a painting of a woman.

The Future

To fear AI is to fear Newton and Einstein. There are no “dragons” here.

Who’s afraid of utopia? AI doubters have cold feet. History can warm them.

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The Learning Curve

Why the pursuit of happiness leads to misery — and what to do about it

Impossible standards and poor self-understanding are making us miserable.

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Hard Science

The Carrington event of 1859 disrupted telegraph lines. A “Miyake event” would be far worse

We don’t know what causes Miyake events, but these great surges of energy can help us understand the past — while posing a threat to our future.

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