Victor Rozek
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As I See It: Survey Says . . .
October 29, 2007 Victor Rozek
… Read moreOne of the manifestations of human curiosity is our endless need to survey public opinion on every conceivable subject from voter preference to Viagra usage. Periodically, people are asked to identify which professions are most stressful, and I’m always surprised when bomb squad doesn’t top every list. Apparently, whether you’re a member of an exceptionally stressful profession depends entirely on who is asking and answering the questions. Yahoo recently featured links to several survey results listing the most stressful and depressing jobs. According to one survey, the top five stressors in ascending order were: medical intern, air traffic controller, miner,
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As I See It: Survey Says . . .
October 29, 2007 Victor Rozek
… Read moreOne of the manifestations of human curiosity is our endless need to survey public opinion on every conceivable subject from voter preference to Viagra usage. Periodically, people are asked to identify which professions are most stressful, and I’m always surprised when bomb squad doesn’t top every list. Apparently, whether you’re a member of an exceptionally stressful profession depends entirely on who is asking and answering the questions. Yahoo recently featured links to several survey results listing the most stressful and depressing jobs. According to one survey, the top five stressors in ascending order were: medical intern, air traffic controller, miner,
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As I See It: Great Looking Genes
October 8, 2007 Victor Rozek
… Read moreEver since we began to understand the pivotal role of biology in behavior, the nature-or-nurture debate has been raging between proponents of the “hard” and “soft” sciences. Why are some people pleasant and some not? Why are certain co-workers more helpful than others? Alternately, why do some people delight in punishing and behaving cruelly? Are such traits an outgrowth of character; or are they inherited? Is it chance, luck, parenting, the mysterious workings of a deity; or is it the output of the human operating system we call genetics. As science unravels the complexities of the genome, we’re confirming what
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As I See It: Great Looking Genes
October 8, 2007 Victor Rozek
… Read moreEver since we began to understand the pivotal role of biology in behavior, the nature-or-nurture debate has been raging between proponents of the “hard” and “soft” sciences. Why are some people pleasant and some not? Why are certain co-workers more helpful than others? Alternately, why do some people delight in punishing and behaving cruelly? Are such traits an outgrowth of character; or are they inherited? Is it chance, luck, parenting, the mysterious workings of a deity; or is it the output of the human operating system we call genetics. As science unravels the complexities of the genome, we’re confirming what
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As I See It: Great Looking Genes
October 8, 2007 Victor Rozek
… Read moreEver since we began to understand the pivotal role of biology in behavior, the nature-or-nurture debate has been raging between proponents of the “hard” and “soft” sciences. Why are some people pleasant and some not? Why are certain co-workers more helpful than others? Alternately, why do some people delight in punishing and behaving cruelly? Are such traits an outgrowth of character; or are they inherited? Is it chance, luck, parenting, the mysterious workings of a deity; or is it the output of the human operating system we call genetics. As science unravels the complexities of the genome, we’re confirming what
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As I See It: Shocking
September 24, 2007 Victor Rozek
… Read moreThis is a story about accidental discovery, inspired breakthroughs, resentful rivalry, and the execution of an elephant. It is also a story about what is arguably the prime driver of modern civilization and the life-force of computing. As with many significant achievements of western culture, it began in ancient Greece some 2,600 years ago.
The details are a bit fuzzy. It may have started with a shepherd polishing a piece of amber with a woolen cloth, or a scholar experimenting with “invisible fields of attraction.” Regardless, someone was vigorously rubbing a chunk of amber with a patch of wool and
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As I See It: Shocking
September 24, 2007 Victor Rozek
… Read moreThis is a story about accidental discovery, inspired breakthroughs, resentful rivalry, and the execution of an elephant. It is also a story about what is arguably the prime driver of modern civilization and the life-force of computing. As with many significant achievements of western culture, it began in ancient Greece some 2,600 years ago.
The details are a bit fuzzy. It may have started with a shepherd polishing a piece of amber with a woolen cloth, or a scholar experimenting with “invisible fields of attraction.” Regardless, someone was vigorously rubbing a chunk of amber with a patch of wool and
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As I See It: Shocking
September 24, 2007 Victor Rozek
… Read moreThis is a story about accidental discovery, inspired breakthroughs, resentful rivalry, and the execution of an elephant. It is also a story about what is arguably the prime driver of modern civilization and the life-force of computing. As with many significant achievements of western culture, it began in ancient Greece some 2,600 years ago.
The details are a bit fuzzy. It may have started with a shepherd polishing a piece of amber with a woolen cloth, or a scholar experimenting with “invisible fields of attraction.” Regardless, someone was vigorously rubbing a chunk of amber with a patch of wool and
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As I See It: The Dons of Dialogue
September 10, 2007 Victor Rozek
… Read moreBack in the 400s BC, two obscure Sicilian poets, Sophron and Epicharmus, wrote what scholars believe to be a series of two-performer plays. Although their work did not survive, it acquired an ancillary importance because it inspired the work of a more notable personage, Plato. He used the theatrical format to develop what would become known as the Platonic dialogues–instructional vignettes in which Socrates and one or more interlocutors expound on the finer points of philosophy.
Beyond its dramatic appeal, dialogue proved useful as a non-threatening structure for the discussion of controversial subjects. It became, perhaps, the first communication model,
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As I See It: The Dons of Dialogue
September 10, 2007 Victor Rozek
… Read moreBack in the 400s BC, two obscure Sicilian poets, Sophron and Epicharmus, wrote what scholars believe to be a series of two-performer plays. Although their work did not survive, it acquired an ancillary importance because it inspired the work of a more notable personage, Plato. He used the theatrical format to develop what would become known as the Platonic dialogues–instructional vignettes in which Socrates and one or more interlocutors expound on the finer points of philosophy.
Beyond its dramatic appeal, dialogue proved useful as a non-threatening structure for the discussion of controversial subjects. It became, perhaps, the first communication model,