The Brain Continued, A Reassuring Lie, and a Keychain Carabiner
I started a new Quality Assurance project this week for a subcontractor doing work for the EPA. That's all I can say about that...But this cartoon about confirmation bias came to mind:
It is from an article published on Fast Company's website. It's a long article but worth it:
http://www.fastcompany.com/3019903/work-smart/8-subconscious-mistakes-our-brains-make-every-day-and-how-to-avoid-themWe tend to agree with what we already know, hang out with people who think like us, and support causes like us. We would rather hear a reassuring lie than an inconvenient truth.
And sometimes, just sometimes, a new lighted LED keychain brings such a smile to my face about a reassuring (?), convenient absurdity:
Enjoy. And be careful climbing out there!
As always (third post--wahoo!), I would enjoy hearing from you. . .
Word Woman (aka Scientific Steph)
If you try to use that keychain for climbing in the Italian Alps, you'll have to answer to the Carabinieri.
ReplyDelete:-). Wonder if they carry carabiners for scaling villa walls and such.
ReplyDeleteIs the warranty carabin dated?
ReplyDeleteZeke creek, steel checking.
Delete~Al Uminum~
The words "carabiner" and "Carabinieri" share a root; they both derive from "carbine", a short rifle. The climbing clip comes from "Karabinerhaken", German for "spring hook for a carbine", while the troops were carbine-carrying cavalry. "Carbine" itself may come from the French "escarrabin", gravedigger, which derives from "scarabee", scarab beetle. Maybe the soldiers carrying early carbines looked like gravediggers carrying shovels?
ReplyDeleteI've always wondered why Dumas' Three Musketeers are always pictured with swords, rather than muskets.
Jan, it is pretty interesting to go from carabiner to carbine to escarrabin to scarab beetle...or from a climbing tool to a rifle to a gravedigger to a beetle (going backwards in time). The connection between the scarab beetles that eat their way out of their parental scat and gravediggers is interesting, too...fascinating word origins!
ReplyDeleteMaybe the soldiers did look like gravediggers...I picture the Three Musketeers with chocolate bars ;-).
Maybe it's too close to Halloween for this discussion, he snickered....
ReplyDeleteMaybe, the carabinieri were a little clumsy with their carbines (Butterfingers?)
DeleteGinger sling with a pineapple heart
ReplyDeleteRicky, you got some 'splaining to do. . .
Delete