Guest Thinkers — August 4, 2011

Hallelujah, I’m a Bum! Or, Why a Hobo-Themed Wedding is a Big Mistake

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

From Amanda, I learn that a couple decided–apparently of their own free will–to have a hobo-themed wedding.

Lest you think this post comes from a place of knee-jerk anti-hobo animus, let me assure you that I love Utah Phillips and Ted Conover as much as anyone you will ever meet.

I understand this couple did research on hobos for their wedding. Yet, they somehow missed what is perhaps the predominant theme of hobo culture and lore: Rootless, disaffected, unstable, unemployed, single men who rarely bathe.

So, even setting aside the inherent classism of romanticizing poverty for your wedding, “Hobo” is the worst wedding theme in the history of matrimony.

[Photo credit: (V)oluntary (A)mputation, Creative Commons.]

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Starts With A Bang

How to make peace with the weirdness of quantum mechanics

Our classical intuition is no good in a quantum Universe. To make sense of it, we need to learn, and apply, an entirely novel set of rules.

Two colorful cells with purple nuclei, green cell edges, and radiating filament structures against a black background.

Health

When muscles work out, they help neurons to grow

The findings suggest that biochemical and physical effects of exercise could help heal nerves.

Two people viewed from behind against a blue sky, one wearing a pink top and the other an orange top, share a moment of quiet solace as the person in pink rests their head on the other's shoulder. It’s a serene scene that hints at healing and support after trauma.

Neuropsych

3 emotional intelligence tips for helping a friend in a rough patch

Listen, set boundaries, and point them where to go.

Arms burdened with a large stack of papers, folders, and rolled-up documents, a person exemplifies toxic productivity. Their black bag hangs precariously from their arm as they navigate the weight of their workload.

The Learning Curve

How to break free from your “toxic productivity” cycle

Psychotherapist Israa Nasir explains how a “value-aligned life” can help us crush our goals — without being crushed by the need to accomplish more.

A golden-brown turkey being carefully lowered into a metal pot outdoors, ready for a deep fry amidst the grassy area and wooden fence.

Starts With A Bang

What happens if you deep fry a frozen turkey?

It’s the ultimate setup for a Thanksgiving Day disaster. The physics of water and its solid, liquid, and gas phases compels us not to do it.

Up Next

Technology & Innovation

Are You as Ethical as Bernie Madoff?

Many expensive “ethics interventions” are doomed to failure because they are predicated on the faulty assumption that individuals always recognize an ethical dilemma when it is presented to them.