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Umberto Eco's Antilibrary or How We Seek Validation

The writer Umberto Eco belongs to that small class of scholars who are encyclopedic, insightful, and nondull. He is the owner of a large personal library (containing thirty thousand books), and separates visitors into two categories: those who react with "Wow! Signore professore dottore Eco, what a library you have! How many of these books have you read?" and the others---a very small minority---who get the point that a private library is not an ego-boosting appendage but a research tool. Read books are far less valuable than unread ones. The library should contain as much of what you do not know as your financial means, mortgage rates, and the currently tight real-estate market allow you to put there. You will accumulate more knowledge and more books as you grow older, and the growing number of unread books on the shelves will look at you menacingly. Indeed, the more you know, the larger the rows of unread books. Let us call this collection of unread books an antilibrary.

We tend to treat our knowledge as personal property to be protected and defended. It is an ornament that allows us to rise in the pecking order. So this tendency to offend Eco's library sensibility by focusing on the know is a human bias that extends to our mental operations. people don't walk around with anti-résumés telling you what they have not studied or experienced (its the job of their competitors to do that), but it would be nice if they did. Just as we need to stand library logic on its head, we will work on standing knowledge itself on its head. Note that the Black Swan comes from our misunderstanding of the likelihood of surprises, those unread books, because we take what we know a little too seriously.

Let us call an antischolar---someone who focuses on the unread books, and makes an attempt not to treat his knowledge as a treasure, or even a possession, or even a self-esteem enhancement device---a skeptical empiricist.

100 Incredibly Useful and Interesting Web Sites

http://tech.msn.com/products/articlepcw.aspx?cp-documentid=10889772

AN EPOCH OF PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM

We are like a big fish that has been pulled from the water and is flopping wildly to find its way back in. In such a condition the fish never asks where the next flip or flop will bring it. It senses only that its present position is intolerable and that something else must be tried.

- Anonymous Chinese saying, quoted by Perry Link in China in Transformation, Daedalus (Spring 1993).

When Technology and ideology don't smoothly mix, the economic magna fluxes. Tectonic plates are violently thrust into each other - volcanoes erupt, earthquakes shatter the earth's crust, mountains rise, valleys fall. What has been a top-of-the-food-chain, survival-of-the-fittest species madly flips and flops its way into extinction trying to get back into a stream that is no longer there. The banks of the river move; water flows in new directions. A period of punctuated equilibrium comes into existence.

The economic surface of the earth, the distribution of income and wealth, is now being fundamentally remade. The economic losers are spewed out in a social volcano called religious fundamentalism. An economic earthquake shatters the Mexican economy. China's economy rises; Japan's economy falls. World growth slows dramatically. Real wages fall for most Americans. Europe cannot create jobs for its young. Old successful business strategies (focused on the wants of the middle class), fail. No one knows what the consumer is going to want to buy, and not buy, using electronic shopping. Chief executive officers of major corporations lose their jobs at rates never before seen. A period of economic punctuated equilibrium comes into existence.

A brand-new world with brand-new opportunities has arrived. While the economic plates cannot be pushed back to re-create the old environment, their irresistible movements can be understood , and our actions and institutions modified to allow us to thrive.

This book is an attempt to understand the movement of the economic plates that lie below the visible surface of our economic earth so that it will be possible for those who understand what is happening to them to chart a new direction that enables them to survive and thrive. Periods of punctuated equilibrium offer many new, as yet unexplored territories. They are exciting times. In normal times, when almost everything that can be explored has been explored, the topology is not so interesting.

Perhaps the best way to think of what lies ahead is to imagine that you are Columbus. There is a fortune to be made in the East Indies and you believe that you have a new, better way to get there - by sailing west rather than walking east. Like Columbus, you have a map but like his, half the territory on it is marked "terra incognita." The world to the west is to a substantial extent unknown, but a ship still has to be built to survive storms of unknown ferocity; equipped with sails that will speed it to its not so clear destination, and provisioned with the right amounts of water and food for a journey of unknown length.

What will be the dynamics of the new world into which we are about to sail?

All of the above excerpted from:

Chapter 1 - New Game, New Rules, New Strategies P 19

THE FUTURE OF CAPITALISM

How Today's Economic Forces Shape Tomorrow's World

Penguin Books

Lester C. Thurow Copyright © Lester C. Thurow, 1996 All rights Reserved.

Global Warming?

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Peroxide

This was written by Becky Ransey of Indiana "I would like to tell you of the benefits of that plain little old bottle of 3% peroxide you can get for about $1.00 at any drug store. My husband has been in the medical field for over 36 years, and most doctors don't tell you about peroxide, or they would lose thousands of dollars." 1. Take one capful (the little white cap that comes with the bottle) and hold in your mouth for 10 minutes daily, then spit it out. (I do it when I bathe) No more canker sores and your teeth will be whiter without expensive pastes. Use it instead of mouthwash. (Small print says mouth wash and gargle right on the bottle) 2. Let your toothbrushes soak in a cup of "Peroxide" to keep them free of germs. 3. Clean your counters, table tops with peroxide to kill germs and leave a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your dishcloth when you wipe, or spray it on the counters. 4. After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria. 5. I had fungus on my feet; I sprayed a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry to totally kill the fungus. 6. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to ten minutes several times a day. My husband has seen gangrene that would not heal with any medicine, but was healed by soaking in peroxide. 7. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other disinfectants will. 8. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your 50/50 mixture whenever you have a cold, or plugged sinuses. It will bubble and help to kill the bacteria. Hold for a few minutes then blow your nose into a tissue. 9. If you have a terrible toothache and cannot get to a dentist right away, put a capful of 3% peroxide into your mouth and hold it for ten minutes several times a day. The pain will lessen greatly. 10. And of course, if you like a natural look to your hair, spray the 50/50 solution on your wet hair after a shower and comb it through. You will not have the peroxide burnt blonde hair like the hair dye packages, but more natural highlights if your hair is a light brown, reddish, or dirty blonde. It also lightens gradually so it's not a drastic change. 11. Put half a bottle of peroxide in your bath to help rid boils, fungus, or other skin infections. 12. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is blood on clothing, pour directly on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary. 13. I use peroxide to clean my mirrors. There is no smearing, which is why I love it so much. I could go on and on. It is a little brown bottle no home should be without! With prices of most necessities rising, I'm glad there's a way to save money in such a simple, healthy manner.

Future Implications: Apple's complete home dominance

Posted by Don Reisinger

In a report that is guaranteed to make Apple fanboys proud and Apple haters scoff, the market research firm IDC has released a study claiming that Apple has officially become the third-largest computer vendor in the United States. continue...

Brainwashed worker-bees ensure dominance of queen

By John von Radowitz
Published: 20 July 2007

Queen honeybees rule over a "Brave New World" society where their workers are literally brainwashed to behave, scientists have learned.

The queen exerts her power by producing an aromatic chemical that inhibits negative tendencies in the young nurse drones who feed and groom her.

By preventing them from acquiring aggressive traits, she ensures her own dominance and that the hive remains a haven of order, peace and harmony.

Effectively, the pheromone chemical keeps the drones innocently enslaved to the queen. continue...

Young poets are often the best

Philip Hensher: Young poets are often the best
Published: 20 July 2007

Byron said, after the publication of the first cantos of Childe Harolde's Pilgrimage in 1812, that he woke and found himself famous. The audience for poetry is not what it was in the Regency, but Luke Kennard would still have had a little taste of that when he woke on Tuesday morning to find himself on the shortlist for the Forward poetry prize for his collection, The Harbour Beyond the Movie. The Forward is the most admired and important of British poetry prizes, and Kennard, at 26, is the youngest poet ever to have been shortlisted.  continue...

The real reason why publishers miss good books

If I spent my life fretting about the ones that got away, I would never attend to the fish in the net

Published: 20 July 2007

Publishers are everyone's favourite whipping post. We don't pay our authors enough, books are too expensive, and no one likes the ones we love most. Now, on top of it all, we are revealed to be fools. Yesterday the director of the Bath Jane Austen Festival reported that he submitted thinly disguised versions of Pride and Prejudice and two other Austen favourites to 18 UK publishers, and every single publisher turned them down. continue...

Make The Clothes, Outsource The Retailing

When brothers Shep and Ian Murray decided to expand distribution of their preppy, nautical-themed apparel, they didn't know the first thing about running a retail store. That's why they let their competitors do it for them--and have been making decent waves ever since.

continue...

The Most Expensive Celebrity Photos

In a media marketplace heavy on celebrity news, stories are interesting, but pictures reign supreme. Want proof? Just look at the price tags.
continue...

Sony Revamps Online Video Site

The clips found on user-generated video sites can be entertaining to watch, but they're just as often inane, stupid or of questionable taste or legal status. So it's no big surprise that many advertisers remain leery of associating themselves with the stuff. continue...

No Time To Think

Jack Trout, 07.16.07, 10:00 AM ET

This column could be titled, "A Tale of Three Meetings." It's a sad story about today's state of affairs. It's also a story that no one writes about, though they should. I've written about this problem before, but it is well worth repeating since I'm the only one writing about it.

The first meeting took place a while ago at Intel. I was there to discuss strategy with a conference room of middle-level executives. As the meeting began, everyone put an electronic gadget down on the table in from of them. What ensued could only be described as gadget envy as everyone began to comment on each other's gadgets. At this point, I broke in and asked them all what they did with their gadgets. Since I was without one, I felt I must be missing something.

After they all described their gadget activities, I commented that everything they mentioned, my assistant Ann did for me. My question was, "Why are you wasting your time on these unimportant activities?" Embarrassed, they admitted as such, but they pointed out the Anns were all gone at Intel, with one exception. Then-CEO Andy Grove had three such assistants. Their collective problem: They had no time to think. continue...

Under the Hood: Inside the Apple iPhone

Patrick Mannion
TechOnline

COMMACK, N.Y. — Semiconductor Insights' Allan Yogasingam waited in line for 12 hours and braved the elements get ahold of the just-released Apple iPhone. He and his intrepid co-workers kept the cameras rolling as they popped the cover and dove inside what is possibly the hottest consumer device on the planet (click icon for video: ). The teardown is a follow-up to the company's teardowns of the latest gaming systems (Opportunities abound in nex-gen gaming platforms) and provides insight into what exactly Apple is doing to make a strong entry into the cell phone market. continue...

Women in film on cockchops's site on Bore Me

80 years of female portraits in cinema

In order - Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, Gloria Swanson, Marlene Dietrich, Norma Shearer, Ruth Chatterton, Jean Harlow, Katharine Hepburn, Carole Lombard, Bette Davis, Greta Garbo, Barbara Stanwyck, Vivien Leigh, Greer Garson, Hedy Lamarr, Rita Hayworth, Gene Tierney, Olivia de Havilland, Ingrid Bergman, Joan Crawford, Ginger Rogers, Loretta Young, Deborah Kerr, Judy Garland, Anne Baxter, Lauren Bacall, Susan Hayward, Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Lana Turner, Elizabeth Taylor, Kim Novak, Audrey Hepburn, Joanne Woodward, Shirley MacLaine, Natalie Wood, Angie Dickinson, Janet Leigh, Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren, Ann-Margret, Julie Andrews, Raquel Welch, Tuesday Weld, Jane Fonda, Julie Christie, Faye Dunaway, Catherine Deneuve, Jacqueline Bisset, Candice Bergen, Isabella Rossellini, Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon, Jessica Lange, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sigourney Weaver, Kathleen Turner, Holly Hunter, Jodie Foster, Melanie Griffith, Sharon Stone, Meg Ryan, Demi Moore, Julia Roberts, Uma Thurman, Sandra Bullock, Julianne Moore, Diane Lane, Nicole Kidman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow continue...

Mum's the word: Why Oxford students are putting motherhood before career

By Lucy Tobin
Published: 19 July 2007

Oxford students Amy Butler, Chloe Mattison and Danielle Abbiss

A group of women students at Oxford are scrutinising a photo of 100 beaming freshers, wondering who will end up being famous. As an Oxford undergraduate myself, I am part of the group and I notice that, after identifying candidates for Prime Minister, next year's Pop Idol and a university professor, the girls all discount themselves from the top of any career ladder on the grounds that their maternal ambitions are stronger than their professional aims. Oxford's undergraduates are billed as among Britain's brainiest, but we female students are prioritising marriage and children over a career. continue...

Butterfly shows fast-track survival skill in evolutionary 'arms race'

By Steve Connor, Science Editor
Published: 13 July 2007

A butterfly in the South Pacific has displayed the fastest known rate of evolution in a dramatic "arms race" with a microscopic parasite that kills only males of the species.

Biologists have witnessed how the butterfly has fought back against the parasite by spreading a gene that confers resistance against a bacterium that kills male embryos.

The scientists said the rapid spread of the gene exemplified the Red Queen principle of evolution - named after the character in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass who ran faster and faster only to stay in the same place. continue...

Glyndebourne cleared to build wind turbine

By Andy McSmith
Published: 13 July 2007

Glyndebourne opera house, near Lewes in East Sussex, has won a significant battle in its campaign to establish itself as one of the country's most eco-friendly buildings, by gaining consent to build a giant wind turbine that will cut its carbon footprint by three quarters. continue...