A culture is guided by its concept of happiness, and how that is located in the overall grammar of human existence - and our society is one that is focused on living a happy life. A result of that is that we often ask ourselves if we are happy - whether consciously or not. We… Continue reading The grammar of happiness: a turn towards everyday life?
Category: Contemporary patterns
A weird lesson from prozac-infused fish
Scientists report that the residual amounts of drugs, like Prozac, are affecting the fish that live in waste water in weird ways. Here is a report from ScienceAlert: To probe further, Polverino and his team ran a two-year experiment in the lab, subjecting generations of guppies (Poecilia reticulata) to targeted concentrations of fluoxetine at low… Continue reading A weird lesson from prozac-infused fish
What will the pandemic mean for the composition of our economy?
This paper from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta is an interesting signal for determining what happens to the economy post-pandemic. It shows a sharp recovery in the starting of new businesses - and when compared to the Great recession this really is evidence of resilience - but! - and this may be a marker… Continue reading What will the pandemic mean for the composition of our economy?
The long arc of uncertainty bends towards…?
The IMF has published an update of its interesting uncertainty index. Noone will be surprised to find that the Covid-19 pandemic and the presidential elections drove uncertainty up, but the real scoop in the chart is the overall slant of the curve we can construct: If the upward slope of the curve suggests that independent… Continue reading The long arc of uncertainty bends towards…?
Writing the history of this moment
At the end of the New York Times article detailing the decision by Twitter to de-platform president Trump, there is a short note that hides a real, and vexing problem: Beyond muting Mr. Trump’s biggest megaphone, Twitter’s decision could create headaches for the Trump administration when it comes to complying with the Presidential Records Act… Continue reading Writing the history of this moment
On pandemic fatigue
Sweden is currently in the midst of a public crisis of confidence in the country's leadership, especially as pertains to the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Two ministers and one Director General have been found to flout the public guidelines on the pandemic. Prime Minister Stefan Löfvén visited a shopping center before Christmas for some… Continue reading On pandemic fatigue