Joy, happiness and the ability to choose
Joy is an experience. Happiness is a broader assessment of a life. Freedom of choice is one of its conditions, but not the only one. In the famous study by…
Interest on an Advantage
A small advantage can grow. The sociologist of science Robert Merton called cumulative advantage the “Matthew effect”: a recognized researcher gets more attention and credit than a less known colleague…
154CM, ATS-34 and CPM-154: one steel with three biographies
In price lists these three names sit side by side and are regularly passed off as one another. Their chemistry is the same: 154CM is the original American steel, ATS-34…
Errors built into thinking
The brain does not merely err from time to time. It errs in predictable ways. The 1974 paper by Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman did not begin by accusing people…
Environment Beats Character
Motivation is usually looked for inside the person and its presence explained by strength of character. It is periodically absent there without explanation, while the surrounding environment votes daily for…
First aid before help arrives
Basic first aid is a practical skill, and it is better learned on a certified in-person course. The history of medicine is full of rules that became obvious only after…