I was thinking about how intractable some of the problems we face are and how nice it would be if there a government office to help us with them. Then I realized there would be a form you would fill out. To be truly governmental, the form would:

1. Have vague, misordered questions.
2. Not give enough space to write an answer.
3. In the insufficient space, have lines that were too close together for normal people to use.
4. Have weird codes in a different font at the header and footer.
5. have vague, misleading and insufficient instructions about what would be done with the information on the form and would would do it.
6. Have part labelled FOR OFFICE USE ONLY filled with boxes of unknown, but vaguely threatening fields.
7. Give absolutely no assurance that the information would be kept confidential.
ProblemReport_24Jan2009

In the final episode of this series, we talk about what to read to keep informed as a practicing academic. One nice tool is an aggregator. (I use NetNewsWire).
MindFeed: Fundmentalism in astronomy: article.
Music: “Pop Science” by Devin Anderson and “I could have loved you” by Robin Stine. All music fomr PodSafeAudio.com.
Episode Twelve

This week, we talk about multitasking and time scavenging. Multitasking is trying to do two things at one time and we talking a little about how the brain works, what works, and what doesn’t. We also discuss using those odd minutes by time scavenging.
MindFeed: Type 1a supernovea in Science, the dangers of fundamentalism in astronomy.
Music: “Pop Science” by Devin Anderson and “I could have loved you” by Robin Stine. All music fomr PodSafeAudio.com.
Episode Eleven

There are lots of things around to help us get organized and stay on top of things: Palm Pilots, cell phones with infinite features, a huge number of programs for our computers. In this episode, we talk a little bit about taming all these helpers and making them actually work for us.
MindFeed: Norilsk, MiniBooNe, press release and paper and Gravity Probe B.
Music: “Again. Remember” by the Chris Mosely Trio, “Wired for Loud” by Dave Henderson and “Sweet Blossom” by Robin Stine. All music from Pod Safe Audio.
Episode Ten

How much time do you spend feeding the bad wolf? The bad wolf is that thing inside us that feeds on ill feelings. Feeding the bad wolf leads to distraction, brooding and neglect of those things that are good for us. It leads to disconnection with those large things we want to achieve. In this episode, we talk a little about how to how avoid feeding the bad wolf and how to stop if you have started.
MindFeed: Relative scales, Renaissance painting analysis (who’s who) and thresholds in epidemics.
Music: “Butt Quake” by Commander Yo and “Day Dream” by Stine. All music from Pod Safe Audio.
Episode Nine

Our lives can explode with all the things we try to stuff into them. Just in your office: books, papers, manuals, discs, computer things… That’s not including the virutal world inside your computer. The key is to deal with all of it as it comes in and make a place for it all to go.
MindFeed: LHC magnet problem, LHC Physics Survey, CERN Public Website, Katrina and Rita and Hyperlenses.
Music: ” Pequeña Serenata Noct.” by Rebaza, “Chicago Hope (theme)” by Deyo and “Baby Boomer Blues” by horseski. All music from Pod Safe Audio.
Episode Eight

Email is probably the most important tool computers and networks have brought it. The protocols for using are still evolving, so it is worth a little thought. Does email replace the post or the phone? What are the right things to send by email? Where should you store your email? This week we take up these things, as well as expanding on the email tool as a notebook or to do list.
Mindfeed: Modified Newtonian Dynamics, modeling the reversal of the Earth’s magnetic field, commercially availible quantum computer, quantum optics, NASA lack of science.
Episode Seven