blink – malcolm gladwell

from Amazon.com Review
Blink is about the first two seconds of looking–the decisive glance that knows in an instant. Gladwell, the best-selling author of The Tipping Point, campaigns for snap judgments and mind reading with a gift for translating research into splendid storytelling. Building his case with scenes from a marriage, heart attack triage, speed dating, choking on the golf course, selling cars, and military maneuvers, he persuades readers to think small and focus on the meaning of “thin slices” of behavior. The key is to rely on our “adaptive unconscious”–a 24/7 mental valet–that provides us with instant and sophisticated information to warn of danger, read a stranger, or react to a new idea.

Gladwell includes caveats about leaping to conclusions: marketers can manipulate our first impressions, high arousal moments make us “mind blind,” focusing on the wrong cue leaves us vulnerable to “the Warren Harding Effect” (i.e., voting for a handsome but hapless president). In a provocative chapter that exposes the “dark side of blink,” he illuminates the failure of rapid cognition in the tragic stakeout and murder of Amadou Diallo in the Bronx. He underlines studies about autism, facial reading and cardio uptick to urge training that enhances high-stakes decision-making. In this brilliant, cage-rattling book, one can only wish for a thicker slice of Gladwell’s ideas about what Blink Camp might look like. –Barbara Mackoff

as free as a bird

in the face of a strong on-shore breeze, the seagull forges every closer to its definite chief aim, claiming the stale chip on the near by park bench…

- unknown once said, if you love some thing, set is free, if it’s come back, it’s yours, if it doesn’t it never was…

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title . as free as a bird
location . basin reserve, bundaberg
date . 11/01/2009
flickr ref . http://www.flickr.com/photos/dalelawson/3221855015/

jiminy cricket

this is little j j jiminy cricket… he stoped by to say hello, and to give Garden Du Halyard a green thumb rating..

he was very thorough, wanting to know what sort of pesticides i use, did i have a worm farm, was i mulching… the worst (roundup), yes, yes.. and we have a water tank to help reduce out reliance on town water, for things like washing the car, and watering the plants..

in the end jiminy cricket gave us a thumbs up with 3.5 stars out of 5.. cut out the pesticides and we could have a 5..

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title . jiminy cricket
location . garden du halyard
date . 27/01/2009
flickr ref . http://www.flickr.com/photos/dalelawson/3236632844

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