Posts in Learning
Comments on Netflix's "The Social Dilemma"

I just finished watching the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma. The show is well worth a look. I consider myself pretty savvy about technology, but regardless, I learned quite a bit.

Long ago, I accepted my loss of privacy with Facebook and Google. I realized each company made money by parlaying knowledge of my interests into advertising revenue. Letting them advertise a product of interest, like a new mattress, seemed like a win-win when I was looking. I had no idea how insidious the invasion of my privacy was nor what a Faustian Bargain I had accepted.

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Breathing to Decrease Anxiety

Anxiety in the general population has been increasing for years. Add the fear, social isolation, economic impact, and disruption to our routines that go along with a global pandemic, and we have a real problem on our hands. And then there's the comfort food we're eating. Ultra-processed diet is associated with anxiety and depression. The systemic inflammation is thought to at least partially involve the microbiome.

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The Spreadsheet of Life and Death - Cautionary Tales

Cautionary Tales, by Tim Harford, is another fantastic podcast from Malcolm Gladwell’s Pushkin Studios. The episode, The Spreadsheet of Life and Death, covers the historical background of placing an economic value on human life. Although some may find the concept distasteful, these types of calculations are critical in determining how and where limited resources (such as in a National Health Service) are spent.

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Psychology and the Good Life-Laurie Santos on The Doctor's Farmacy

Mark Hyman's podcast, The Doctor's Farmacy, featured Laurie Santos, Professor of Psychology, and the Head of Silliman College at Yale University. Dr. Santos is the host of the critically acclaimed podcast, The Happiness Lab, and the faculty member who developed "Psychology and the Good Life," the most popular course in Yale's history.

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What I'm Reading: Together-The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World

Loneliness is a significant issue in the United States. Loneliness is a subjective feeling of being alone and anxious or depressed over the isolation. According to some estimates, more than one-fifth of the United States population suffers from loneliness. The seriousness of the epidemic has only risen with the global pandemic of Covid-19.

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