Category Archives: Thoughts

A possible interpretation for my allegory of the swimsuit and the underwear occurred to me today while wandering about. Considering the nature of an allegory there most certainly isn’t a single moral or interpretation, nor is there an intended moral or interpretation. Nevertheless, what follows is a possible one: Don’t mistake data for understanding.

This concept occurred to me because I recently burned out (well, . . . almost); I had reached the point where I faced my work and said, . . . “I’m all dried up.” It wasn’t that I didn’t have ideas; I just didn’t have the will to work. Pervasive boredom. Enthusiasm was lost. Wilted and [...]

After a lengthy and somewhat baffling discussion in my ethnomusicology class about Albanian wedding music, I found myself dumbfounded, and seeking answers to my own questions. The dilemma I was facing was how to cope with the limiting perspective and extraordinarily useless insight that we are provided with by examining seemingly objective, quantifiable data. Sound confusing? By [...]

I’ve been having and reflecting upon moments of intensity lately. These are moments where everything seems more vivid than usual, sounds are louder and crisper, colors are more vivid, and your sense of touch and emotional being is heightened. I frequently feel like this when I go walking after a long day of working in [...]

My brother, Dan Richards, sent me a link to an article recently published by Scientific American entitled “The Secret to Raising Smart Kids,” by Carol S. Dweck. The site’s summary of the article is a pretty good indication of its content. It reads as follows:       Many people assume that superior intelligence or ability is [...]