Happy Cinco de Mayo!

"Someone ought to do it, but why should I? Someone ought to do it, so why not I? Between these two sentences lie whole centuries of moral evolution." (Annie Besant)

Brandolini’s Law, also called the Bullshit Asymmetry Principle, states that “it takes a lot more energy to refute BS than to produce it”. If someone is spouting BS, don't engage! Resist the feeling of "But I need to set this right!", if only to lower your stress levels.

People who exude certainty and confidence in their opinions are seen as more believable than those who say "yes, but..". It is a major problem when those who offer simple solutions to complex problems are praised while those who know that there are no simple answers anymore are seen as wishy-washy.

You are not to blame for the world being the way it is. You are to blame if it stays that way.

Why do people think that Trump was the target? Why not the spineless journalists who were there? (Yes, I know it was probably a false flag operation, but still....)

Trump's policies are very much in line with his "Think and grow rich" philosophy. What you focus on, you get more of. Ergo, you should block out those things you don't like. This explains his idiotic ideas about climate change, job market statistics and so on. Fool! #trumpsucks #sciencerules

“Here’s the guy that inherited $200 million. If he hadn’t inherited $200 million, you know where Donald Trump would be right now? Selling watches in Manhattan." (Marco Rubio)

"If people can't control their own emotions, they will start trying to control other people's behaviours." (Robin Skynner)

1. I just delivered an event on unconscious bias. This is always fascinating, because most of us tend to think that we don't have any biases. On some other than conscious level we all have biases and prejudices that were installed by authority figures or the media at some point in our lives.

“Our world is not divided by race, color, gender or religion. Our world is divided into wise people and fools. And fools divide themselves by race, color, gender, or religion.” (Mohamad Safa)

I hope I'll never have to give an online seminar on assertiveness while one of our cats is trying to sit on my lap. I am such a pushover...

Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?

"What a wonderful thought it is, that some of the best days of our lives haven't happened yet!" (Anne Frank)

Anytime anyone starts a sentence with "It's plain to see" or "It's obvious", they probably have not really thought it through and are just rationalising their gut feelings.

Time for the Vatican to proclaim a Papal Interdict on the US. This would enforce the closure of the churches, forbid the administration of the Catholic sacraments, and prohibit the use of churchyards for burials. Was quite effective in 1208 in England.

A lovely Der Spiegel cover from 6 years ago:

Unexpected headline...

"It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinions than our own." (Marcus Aurelius)

Time for the Vatican to proclaim a Papal Interdict on the US. This would enforce the closure of the churches, forbid the administration of the Catholic sacraments, and prohibit the use of churchyards for burials. Was quite effective in 1208 in England.

Allegedly, up to 95% of our reactions are based on instincts or emotions and in a world of 8 billion people and very complex problems, those reactions are often counterproductive. So, step back, take a deep breath and allow yourself to be better than your instincts.

Trump's approach to diplomacy: "You can't make an omelette without ruthlessly crushing dozens of eggs beneath your steel boot and then publicly disemboweling the chickens that laid them as a warning to others." (with credit to Rich Burlew)

I think that like Cato with his "Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam", Democrats should have a snappy ending to all their speeches. How about "And to conclude, I think that Donald Trump and his whole cabinet should be imprisoned!" ?

"One of the real dangers of leader selection: leaders are selected for overconfidence." (Daniel Kahneman)

"Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly" (G.K. Chesterton)

Happy Easter!

"Eat that frog!" (Brian Tracy, 2012) "If you eat a live frog first thing in the morning, nothing worse will happen to you for the rest of the day!" (Mark Twain, 1875) Do the thing you don't want to do and do it first! Timeless wisdom!

What is this lovely scent of exotic spices coming from the kitchen? Oh, our spice rack fell off the wall...

Who said it better? Donald Trump or Randy Newman? "We give them money, but are they grateful? No, they're spiteful and they're hateful They don't respect us, so let's surprise them We'll drop the big one and pulverize them"

"Qui êtes vous?" "Le deluge!" "Après vous."

This was the last thread I posted on Twitter before the election. I deleted my account the next day.

Just read an interesting description of someone who was (most likely) suffering from tertiary syphilis: "Constantly making contradictory claims, mood between euphoria and apathy, emotional instability, delusions of grandeur, extreme paranoia." Sound familiar? Anyway, this was about Hitler...

Still haven't finished reading it, so can't comment on its conclusion....

"Everybody knows that the dice are loaded Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed Everybody knows the war is over Everybody knows the good guys lost Everybody knows the fight was fixed The poor stay poor, the rich get rich That's how it goes Everybody knows" (Leonard Cohen) #trump #iran #gop

Allegedly, if you have an earworm, your brain is looking for closure, basically the ending of the song. So a cure could be to find the song and listen to it in its entirety. Sucks if it is Schubert's Unfinished Symphony... 🤪

"It's the economy, stupid!" But why? How can someone's concerns about the economy outweigh things like decency, human rights and intelligence?

If you are not sure on how to behave in any given situation: "Be a mensch!" #compassion #humility #Humanity

Many people are good at taking everything personally, but they never go: "Oh, what a beautiful rainbow. Is that for me? Thank you!"

When you hear someone use simple yes/no answers to issues like death penalty or climate change, are they more likely to be conservatives? They use simplistic soundbites, as many people fall for certitude bias in that if someone shouts loudly, they must know what they are doing...

"Evil is treating people like things." - Granny Weatherwax (Terry Pratchett)

It's easy to forget that just because people agree with our opinions on certain matters does not automatically make them decent human beings. Affinity bias wants us to believe that if someone shares a viewpoint, it means that they must be smart and nice, just because we are.

“The authoritarian character worships the past. What has been, will eternally be. To wish or to work for something that has not yet been before is crime or madness. The miracle of creation is outside of his range of emotional experience.” (Erich Fromm)

I think that like Cato with his "Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam", Democrats should have a snappy ending to all their speeches. How about "And to conclude, I think that Donald Trump and his whole cabinet should be imprisoned!" ?

Just looked for a few interesting museums in Berlin, as I will be spending a few days there and I found the Déjà Vu museum. And yes, it is listed twice!

Trump is honestly one of the best manifesters in the world. His ability to deny consensus reality and create a different reality that serves him is unparalleled. Scary.

1/ A major human need is certainty. Change is happening faster and faster, so we want to follow or believe in someone who exudes certainty. Most important issues don't have easy answers, so they are fair game for a psychopath like Trump who has no problem spouting lies.

Bias isn’t a character flaw. It’s a shortcut your brain uses to survive information overload. That does not mean that we should not do our best to overcome our biases, though.