Remembering Larry Gelbart, Jim Carroll, and Norman Borlaug
I tend to notice who has passed - from the superstars to the lesser known folks. Every so often I will write some notes about creative folks we have lost recently. Today, I will discuss Larry Gelbart,...
View ArticleLeg Warmers, Pac Man, and Paranoid Songs
Growing up in the 1980's wasn't always the easiest thing to do. Terrorism wasn't the ever-present threat (to the average person) that it is now, but we were still mired in a cold war, braced for...
View ArticleThat's DR. Blossom to you: A New Child Star Stereotype
Danica McKellar earned her B.S. in Mathematics from UCLA, has written several books promoting math for children, and has an Erdos Number of 4. Best known for The Wonder Years, she remains an actress...
View ArticleWhy is Bath and Body Works so nice to my wife?
Why is Bath and Body Works so nice to my wife? The easy returns, the heavy duty coupons.... Do they just love her, or could the answer be found in Robert Cialdini's Influence?read more
View ArticleChanneling Dr. House as I teach Critical Thinking
My wife and I are addicted to House (on DVD, so don't say anything about the current season). In trying to find a reason why I should be able to count my House-watching time as being productive, I came...
View ArticleWho will be remembered 100 years from now? Part One
Who will still be remembered in 100 years? Paris Hilton, Miley Cyrus, the Gosselins, and Megan Fox may dominate the news, but will barely be footnotes in 20 years (if not, I will change species). In...
View ArticleThe List: Who will be remembered 100 years from now?
Who will be remembered in 100 years? I offer my own take on which current legends will be immortal and whose works may fade with time.read more
View ArticleGandhi, Bill Gates, and... Hannibal Lecter?: Creativity and Emotional...
Constructs such as creativity and emotional intelligence are often considered part of Positive Psychology. They are seen, usually, as desirable and good traits. Yet there are many ways that people may...
View ArticleFight Logical Fallacies -- Eat More Halloween Candy!
How many readers have had Halloween candy taken away from them by their parents? Perhaps the candy was unwrapped or homemade. Even worse, entire bags might be confiscated. Why this nightmare? All...
View ArticleWhy does our society hate children?
There are some situations where it is necessary to take a child into the public eye. One that's on my mind right now (because we're traveling quite soon) is plane rides. I have seen the most egregious...
View Article15 Minutes of Flame
Although this post will be written as a result of the various comments from my last post, it's not a response to my last post. The comments offered some interesting thoughts and arguments that did...
View ArticleA new CD demonstrates creativity under constraints
Howard Gardner is known for many things (such as his theory of multiple intelligence), but he's done quite a bit of interesting work. In a chapter for a book I edited (with John Baer; Creativity and...
View ArticleAdvice from a Stodgy Bastard
Even though I'm at a university that values teaching over research, I still get many (many) students interested in working in my lab in some capacity (currently, my "lab" is technically a basement...
View ArticleThe American Idol Effect: Why We're Not Too Good at Judging Our Own Creativity
Yep, I'm talking about you, William Hung. read more
View ArticleThe Charlie Brown Theory of Personality
There are those who say there is nothing to be learned in the comics section of the newspaper.We don't talk about these people.To everyone else - yes, of course the comics can teach us, but did you...
View ArticleA Creativity Researcher's Thoughts on the Oscars
I've always liked Michael Giacchino, composer of Pixar movies and Lost; now, I love him. In a brief speech, he articulated nearly everything I know about how to encourage creativity: When I was nine...
View Article“There’s no stat yet that measures heart." Or any test, either.
Joe Posnaski - an outstanding on-line baseball writer, one of the very best - has an interesting column where he riffs off of a Nomar Garciaparra quote: There's no stat yet that measures heart.Just as...
View ArticleConstance McMillen vs. Itawamba Agricultural High School: Evil Creativity vs....
Creativity is not always reserved for the good, nice, and just.Imagine if next year the good folks of the Itawamba County School Board are faced with new horrors. Perhaps an interracial couple wants to...
View ArticleThe Man Who Taught Me How to Teach
My favorite professor from graduate school taught me how to be a professor. His name was William Kessen, and I had the good fortune of taking one of his very last classes. Taking his class on teaching...
View ArticleArmando Galarraga: Not Perfect, But Divine
If you aren't a baseball fan, then this column probably won't be terribly interesting. But I will tell you (at the end, after you click through) a magnificent video of Alan Moore's The Watchmen done as...
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