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Too Much Crystallized Thinking Lowers Fluid Intelligence
January 27, 2014
In a digital age—that puts a premium on facts, figures, and data—crystallized intelligence has become disproportionately valued over fluid intelligence. A wide range of new studies are finding that motor skills, hand-eye coordination, aerobic conditioning and daily physicality are important for maintaining working memory and fluid intelligence. Fluid intelligence is the capacity to think logically and solve problems in novel situations, independent of acquired knowledge. Fluid intelligence...
January 27, 2014
In a digital age—that puts a premium on facts, figures, and data—crystallized intelligence has become disproportionately valued over fluid intelligence. A wide range of new studies are finding that motor skills, hand-eye coordination, aerobic conditioning and daily physicality are important for maintaining working memory and fluid intelligence. Fluid intelligence is the capacity to think logically and solve problems in novel situations, independent of acquired knowledge. Fluid intelligence...
What’s the Evidence on Using Rational Argument to Change People’s Minds?
January 26, 2014
What’s the evidence on using rational argument to change people’s minds?. Here’s something from the proposal: Is it true that “you can’t tell anybody anything”? From pub arguments to ideology-driven party political disputes it can sometimes seem like people have their minds all made up, that there’s no point trying to persuade anybody of anything. Popular psychology books reinforce the idea that we’re emotional, irrational creatures (Dan Ariely “Predictably irrational”, David...
January 26, 2014
What’s the evidence on using rational argument to change people’s minds?. Here’s something from the proposal: Is it true that “you can’t tell anybody anything”? From pub arguments to ideology-driven party political disputes it can sometimes seem like people have their minds all made up, that there’s no point trying to persuade anybody of anything. Popular psychology books reinforce the idea that we’re emotional, irrational creatures (Dan Ariely “Predictably irrational”, David...
9th Circuit Issues a Blogger-Friendly First Amendment Opinion
January 26, 2014
This case involves defamation claims brought by Kevin Padrick of Obisidian Finance Group against Crystal Cox. Obsidian (Padrick) was the Chapter 11 Trustee for Summit Accomodators, and Cox wrote a series of posts accusing Padrick and Obsidian of fraud, corruption, money-laundering, and other improper activities. Obsidian and Padrick sued. Cox, representing herself, raised some First Amendment defenses. The district judge found that a slew of the posts were figurative and hyperbolic, but allowed the case...
January 26, 2014
This case involves defamation claims brought by Kevin Padrick of Obisidian Finance Group against Crystal Cox. Obsidian (Padrick) was the Chapter 11 Trustee for Summit Accomodators, and Cox wrote a series of posts accusing Padrick and Obsidian of fraud, corruption, money-laundering, and other improper activities. Obsidian and Padrick sued. Cox, representing herself, raised some First Amendment defenses. The district judge found that a slew of the posts were figurative and hyperbolic, but allowed the case...
Crowdfunded Online Legal Service Aims to Raise Another £120k
January 26, 2014
LawBite – www.lawbite.co.uk – the plain English online legal service for SMEs, has launched a second round of crowdfunding via the Crowdcube platform. Last May investors pumped £240,000 into LawBite in just ten days, in one of the fastest funding rounds in Crowdcube history. In total LawBite raised £450k in cash and in kind in that funding round. Since then the business has seen a surge in international interest and has agreed partnership agreements with a string of affiliates in the UK. Having...
January 26, 2014
LawBite – www.lawbite.co.uk – the plain English online legal service for SMEs, has launched a second round of crowdfunding via the Crowdcube platform. Last May investors pumped £240,000 into LawBite in just ten days, in one of the fastest funding rounds in Crowdcube history. In total LawBite raised £450k in cash and in kind in that funding round. Since then the business has seen a surge in international interest and has agreed partnership agreements with a string of affiliates in the UK. Having...
What You May Have Missed in the World of Android
January 26, 2014
Google bought Nest for $3.2 billion. I wonder what that bidding war was like. You’d have to believe that Apple and others were in on the purchase plan. And here’s why you might get a little concerned with this buyout. Will our devices spay on us? Perhaps. Google’s jumping in the spending lead of acquisitions for the past 2 years. Including Nest, Google spend $16.2 billion. Google also announced that it’s developing a bionic contact lens, which is waiting for FDA approval. Google released the...
January 26, 2014
Google bought Nest for $3.2 billion. I wonder what that bidding war was like. You’d have to believe that Apple and others were in on the purchase plan. And here’s why you might get a little concerned with this buyout. Will our devices spay on us? Perhaps. Google’s jumping in the spending lead of acquisitions for the past 2 years. Including Nest, Google spend $16.2 billion. Google also announced that it’s developing a bionic contact lens, which is waiting for FDA approval. Google released the...
January Divorce Month
January 26, 2014
From CNN: There was that distant-feeling New Year's kiss at midnight. Valentine's Day, a holiday based on setting hearts aflutter, was full of awkward pauses and glances over soufflé at the person you used to love. Come March, it's time to turn over a new leaf. In recent years, January has earned the nickname "Divorce Month" -- a less appealing title than National Pet Month (May) or National Honey Month (September), though divorce can surely be both hairy and sticky. While marital psychologists...
January 26, 2014
From CNN: There was that distant-feeling New Year's kiss at midnight. Valentine's Day, a holiday based on setting hearts aflutter, was full of awkward pauses and glances over soufflé at the person you used to love. Come March, it's time to turn over a new leaf. In recent years, January has earned the nickname "Divorce Month" -- a less appealing title than National Pet Month (May) or National Honey Month (September), though divorce can surely be both hairy and sticky. While marital psychologists...
Self-Interest in Law Schools
January 25, 2014
A few days ago, I had a post on the problem of inertia in law schools, and how inertia affects law school reform. Here is a new article on the same subject: Self-Interest and Sinecure: Why Law School can’t be “Fixed” from within by David Barnhizer. Abstract The issue of how best to do a legal education is being approached as if it were an intellectual and pedagogical question. Of course in a conceptual sense it is. But from a political and human perspective (law faculty, deans and lawyers)...
January 25, 2014
A few days ago, I had a post on the problem of inertia in law schools, and how inertia affects law school reform. Here is a new article on the same subject: Self-Interest and Sinecure: Why Law School can’t be “Fixed” from within by David Barnhizer. Abstract The issue of how best to do a legal education is being approached as if it were an intellectual and pedagogical question. Of course in a conceptual sense it is. But from a political and human perspective (law faculty, deans and lawyers)...
Have You Switched to Chrome for Your Browser of Choice Yet?
January 25, 2014
Sometimes lawyers are ahead of the techonology adoption curve. We have a higher percentage of smart phones than the general...
January 25, 2014
Sometimes lawyers are ahead of the techonology adoption curve. We have a higher percentage of smart phones than the general...
73% of Adults Use Social Networks
January 25, 2014
A couple days ago. I blogged how the next wave of a social law firm required going from the corporate use of social to a personal...
January 25, 2014
A couple days ago. I blogged how the next wave of a social law firm required going from the corporate use of social to a personal...
Robots With “Soul”
January 25, 2014
What kind of robots does an animator / jazz musician / roboticist make? Playful, reactive, curious ones. Guy Hoffman shows demo film of his family of unusual robots -- including two musical bots that like to jam with humans. (Filmed at TEDxJaffa.) Can robots and humans interact the way that human beings interact with each other? Guy Hoffman researches embodied cognition and intelligence in robots. Full bio »
January 25, 2014
What kind of robots does an animator / jazz musician / roboticist make? Playful, reactive, curious ones. Guy Hoffman shows demo film of his family of unusual robots -- including two musical bots that like to jam with humans. (Filmed at TEDxJaffa.) Can robots and humans interact the way that human beings interact with each other? Guy Hoffman researches embodied cognition and intelligence in robots. Full bio »
