It happened again this weekend. I guess the media never heard of “Occam’s Razor,” the problem solving principle which suggests, given a number of hypotheses, the one that requires the least assumptions is most preferable. In more modern terminology, it is much like the acronym KISS or “keep it simple stupid.” Yesterday, CNN reported on the … Read more
My last post focused on the trend in movies and television to generate fear through depictions of terrorist attacks and other acts of violence. Though I briefly touched on docu-dramas and documentaries which demonstrate the better side of human nature, I regret not putting more effort into a defense of Hollywood when it uses the powerful language of … Read more
Several of the candidates running for President in 2016 have based their appeal on fear. Fear of terrorist attacks. Perceived attacks on religious freedom. Concerns who will have his/her finger on the nuclear button. I’ll let you, the reader, decide which are valid and which are fear-mongering. But that decision should be based on what … Read more
Renowned journalist Edward R. Morrow once said, “The obscure we see eventually. The obvious, it seems, takes longer.” I thought about this quote as I was watching analysis of the events in San Bernandino, California last week. The cable news stations were inundated with “experts” who were trying to explain why Syed Farook and his … Read more
If you’ve been watching news programs lately, maybe you noticed there is an increasing need for reporters to talk to “real people.” For example, to get opinions about a topic of the day, the reporter will tell us, “We asked real people what they think?” Who else would they talk to? Artificial people? Animals? … Read more