Solar panels: Our car runs on the sun

The world today is hooked on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels drive 80% of the world’s economy. And yet these energy drivers are inherently dangerous to the planet’s health and our health. So what can one do about it? Here is our story.

Book Review: The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis

I am afraid to say that I would probably not rate The Undoing Project very high. I know it details the life of a Nobel prize winner and I should not be critical of something that I know so little about, but here goes anyway.

There appears to be one huge flaw that rides throughout the volume. There seems to be no acknowledgement of the vast differences that exists among people. Tversky and Kahneman keep talking about how the “people” would evaluate, decide and react. And who are these “people”? The average person in a conglomerate of people no doubt. Though these results may apply to group of people (assuming that you have a statistically correct sample), when considering individual actions, the results can be hopelessly flawed, since they do not distinguish among people who may be neurotic, bi-polar, psychotic, schizophrenic – or just plainly very confident persons, or on the other hand very dependent individuals.

Discipline: What happened to it?

In earlier days, discipline was imposed upon us. We needed discipline to survive. Life was tough, resources were scarce. Only the disciplined survived.

Now many of us live in an affluent bubble. We are surrounded by freedom, huge privilege and endless temptations. There is far less external pressure to exercise discipline. It must now come from within, if it is to come at all.

Religion: Reflections on Jesus

The parables, sayings and teachings of Jesus are moving and penetrating, but if it were not for the way that Jesus died we would probably not be still reading these stories today. There were many wisdom teachers wandering about the Middle East in his day. Much of his sayings and teaching can be found in other sources. He was also not unique in being a wisdom teacher with a band of followers, though the manner in which he put the old stories together and presented them was obviously forceful. He was also a healer though even in this he was not unique. Many healers plied the land, for organized medical services were rare then and people had to rely on itinerant healers when they passed by.

Israel – Palestine Conflict: A way forward

It is the world’s perpetual problem and it is in the news again. 

To look at this problem, it is helpful to separate facts from opinion.

Media: Checking the critics

One must beware of one’s tendency to overestimate the accuracy of critics. They themselves do not always get it right and also need to be corrected.