Intuition and Change

intuition

A skydiver jumps from a plane and marvels at the patchwork of fields and forests below. From 10,000 feet above the earth’s surface, the jumper sees how the roads connect and where the rivers and creeks drain. Subtle changes in shading outline the … [Continue reading]

Discover the Leading Edge of the Present

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On the continuum of life, there are those who are stuck in the past. They live looking through a rear-view mirror, smiling at their successes and fretting about what might have been. Others plant themselves firmly in the mediocre present where … [Continue reading]

Chess: The Game with a Trillion Combinations

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At the beginning of a chess game, White has twenty possible moves and Black has twenty ways to respond – for a total of 400 possible positions after the opening turns. After two moves for each player there are close to two hundred thousand … [Continue reading]

A World Without Horses

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Imagine a world where strawberries are as big as apples and peas as large as beets. In this imaginary world, mosquitoes, flies and roaches have been exterminated, while horses are nearly extinct. Only a few high breed horses are kept by the rich … [Continue reading]

Why We Can’t Predict the Future

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The joy of a Caribbean vacation. The white sand, the aqua water, relaxing with loved ones by the pool. Such were the things I looked forward to several years ago when we booked a holiday along the Mexican Caribbean coast. We were scheduled to … [Continue reading]

Burning Ships

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 In 1519, Hernan Cortés landed with a fleet of 12 ships near present day Veracruz, Mexico.  The flotilla held 500 Spaniards, 300 natives, a dozen horses and a few cannons. Cortés’ aim was to conquer the Aztec Empire and take possession of its … [Continue reading]