In their book New World New Mind, Robert Ornstein and Paul Ehrlich argue forcefully that when we moved from the trees to the savannah, we were competing with animals that had already evolved to survive on the ground. As a result, we had to rapidly evolve to adapt to our new environment. Being able to notice the dramatic and immediate (a movement in a bush, a carnivore taking a particular interest in us, etc.) would have been more than an asset, it would have been necessary for survival.

Ornstein and Ehrlich argue that this evolutionary preference continues to this day. We notice the immediate and the dramatic and this preference is fueled by the tabloid media. News shows us the immediate and the dramatic and that’s because it gets ratings and it gets ratings because the immediate and dramatic is popular.

The authors argue that this preference is not a useful preference in our modern environment. Few humans today are in danger of losing their lives from an unexpected attack by another animal. As a result, the ability to notice the dramatic and immediate is more of an inhibitor when it comes to the problems facing humanity.

For example:

The growth of the human population.

The effect of this on the environment.

Water and food security

Resource depletion and pollution

nuclear proliferation

These problems are more slow and progressive than immediate and dramatic. Our understanding of these issues is more intellectual than experiential. We cannot experience human population growth in real terms in a single lifetime, environmental degradation is not immediate, water and food security is not dramatic until it is extreme.

Ornstein and Ehrlich focus on two psychological preferences to make their case. These are:

• Preference for noticing the immediate and dramatic

• Primacy and actuality (observe the first and the last and forget the middle)

Fortunately this is not the whole story.

Critics might argue that by focusing on two preferences, Ornstein and Ehrlich are not discussing our full human perceptual capacity.

Noticing the immediate and dramatic could be loosely equated to MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) preferences for noticing the sensory and emotional. While there are people in the world who have a preference for noticing the sensory and emotional (and we are very lucky to have them, as many of them are nurses or work in industries that help people with immediate needs) we also have a large population. of people who have a preference for noticing the intuitive and the logical.

Looking at poverty statistics creates a different response than looking at an individual’s struggle against poverty. When we read that there are 1 billion people living in poverty and that 29,000 children die of poverty every day, it is easy to become detached from the problem because the numbers create distance between us and the problem. When you see a mother crying as she holds her malnourished, sick and dying baby, you would have to be a sociopath not to feel something. Mother Teresa is credited (possibly incorrectly) with saying, “If I look at the crowd, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will.”

So what this means is that we have the ability to notice both the immediate/dramatic and the global and logical. As a result, we have many people who are working hard to address the same issues that Ornstein and Ehrlich are discussing.

Not everyone gets sucked into the tabloid

News shows us the immediate and the dramatic and that’s because it gets ratings and it gets ratings because the immediate and dramatic is popular. But that doesn’t mean they all get sucked into the tabloid. And not everyone has a preference for focusing on the immediate and dramatic. I think there would be some very hard-working people at the UN, nonprofits, NGOs, community and grassroots organizations who might take offense to Ornstein and Ehrlich’s position.

There are many people who work very hard to make the world a better place, and perhaps Ornstein and Ehrlich, ironically, are suffering from what they suggest is our biggest problem. The work done by a large army of NFPs, NGOs, volunteers, etc. it may not be immediate or dramatic, and as a result it seems that (and I only read the first few chapters) the authors have ignored their efforts.

underestimate the environment

Another topic that would be easy to discuss with the authors is that we are not only genetic, we are also affected by the environment. Again, I would suggest that the changes in our behavior to adapt to the environment are slow and undramatic and have therefore been overlooked or underestimated by the authors.

If we travel to ancient Greece, the most honored members of society were its wrestlers and it was considered a disgrace for a wrestler to be seen in the market or even know how to count. Travel to the modern United States and the most honest men are its entrepreneurs. It would be a shame if these men did not know how to count or how the market works. Fortunately, Jeffrey Skilling, Bernard Ebbers and Bernie Madoff did not attempt the ‘Yes, but if we were in Greece…’ defense.”

Fortunately, there are a plethora of books that show that we can, in fact, change our behaviors as the environment requires. These include:

In sociology:

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini

Thaler & Sunstein Nudge

Malcolm Gladwell’s turning point

Trade for Chip and Dan Heath

Beck and Cowan Spiral Dynamics

in economics:

The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Tim Harford’s Undercover Economist

Levitt and Dubner’s Freakonomics

In History:

The Underhand Backhand by Thomas Homer Dixon

A Brief History of Ronald Wright’s Progress

Matt Ridley’s Rational Optimist

A guess about evolution.

Ornstein and Ehrlich write that “Our human mental system fails to comprehend the modern world. Therefore, in our opinion, events will continue out of control until people realize how selectively the environment impresses the human mind and how our Understanding is determined by the biological and cultural history of humanity.

While this may be correct, there is an assumption in this premise that environmental control is preferable or even possible. This could be argued.

We could also argue that it has never been our ability to foresee the future, and yet we have already made phenomenal progress and improvements. I also understand that this is the argument ‘so far so good’ and, perhaps, with our technology, research, study, knowledge, etc. we are better equipped to do this now than in the past.

alarmist

Paul Ehrlich also wrote The Population Bomb, a modern essay by Thomas Robert Malthus on the principle of population. Both claim that we will eventually lose the battle to feed, clothe, house and occupy the growing population. Critics attack its alarmist tone, among other things. The alarmist tone might have more to do with the fact that Ehrlich was one of the first people to popularize science through the media. In the 1960s, television issues brought the same population into people’s living rooms.

Having said that… I do get a little angry when I read nonsense like: “Cities lead to epidemics of overcrowding diseases and large-scale wars. Public health measures lead to further increases in population and then by allowing people live longer, an increase in cancer and heart disease. Cities also lead to universities and the discovery of many secrets of the universe. And the discovery of the secrets of the universe leads to Hiroshima and Chernobyl.”

Are the authors seriously suggesting that we should exterminate 9/10 of the population and the remaining few go back to being cave dwellers? When I read sentences like that, I can understand why Paul Ehrlich is such a controversial figure. A fan is both the best friend and the worst enemy.

Examples of Clear and Calm Thinking

In response to Ornstein and Ehrlich’s argument, we could list examples of when the human race has solved complex problems with calm, clear thinking. For example:

• We’ve sent people into space and to the moon…and brought them back.

• We have developed immunization and have greatly reduced deaths from diseases such as the plague, measles, poliomyelitis, etc.

• We have prevented nuclear war countless times. For example: The missile crisis in Cuba and perhaps many other times that we will never find out about through the clear and serene thinking of good people.

We are still able to create a surplus of food (sadly much of it is wasted in the first world while people in the third world starve. Also, good work to NFPs and NGOs like the food bank.

In the end

I agree that as humans and our civilizations have evolved, the decision to act or not to act has had ramifications for an increasing number of people. In the Rift Valley of Africa between 1 and 2 million years ago, decisions would affect a family or tribe. At the start of the Common Era, such a decision would have implications for up to a million people (the estimated population of the city of Rome at its peak), whereas today a decision to act or not act on certain issues could threaten everyone. . civilizations, the actual existence of human beings, and perhaps even the existence of life on the planet.

I would also agree that developing our thinking is our ticket to a better world.

Where I disagree with Ornstein and Ehrlich is that they have been very selective about the human capacities they have chosen to make their case by focusing on just two psychological preferences and seemingly ignoring the ones we have that help. I would also point out all the work that is currently being done and the good people who are already working and have completed the work that you have helped.

I would suggest that authors would do well to balance their approach if they wish to broaden their appeal.

And I also applaud you for contributing to the discussion in a much more useful way than talking about “Brittany’s Shock Baby Bump Rehab Horror Love Triangle.”

The harmful traits of certain molds also have a long history. In the sixth century B.C. C., the Assyrians used the mold Claviceps purpurea to poison their enemies’ wells, an ancient form of biological warfare. In the Middle Ages, this same mold, which sometimes forms on rye, caused many people to have epileptic seizures, painful burning sensations, gangrene, and hallucinations. Now called ergotism, the disease was named Saint Anthony’s fire because many victims, hoping for a miraculous cure, made a pilgrimage to Saint Anthony’s sanctuary in France.

The most potent carcinogenic (cancer-causing) substance known is aflatoxin, a toxin produced by molds. In an Asian country, 20,000 deaths a year are attributed to aflatoxin. This lethal compound has been used in modern biological weapons.

In everyday life, however, the symptoms of exposure to common molds are more of a nuisance than a serious health threat. “Most molds, even if you can smell them, are not harmful,” says the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter. People who commonly have an adverse reaction include those with lung disorders, such as asthma; people with allergies, chemical sensitivities, or a weakened immune system; and farm workers who may be exposed to massive amounts of mold. Babies and the elderly may also be more susceptible to the effects of mold exposure.

According to the California Department of Health Services in the United States, mold can cause the following symptoms: ‘Respiratory problems, such as wheezing, shortness of breath, and shortness of breath; nasal and sinus congestion; eye irritation (burning, watery, or red eyes); dry, harsh cough; nose or throat irritation; skin rashes or irritation.’

stay healthy

Thomas Stearns Eliot received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948 for his outstanding contribution to the world of contemporary poetry. One of his pioneering works is The Wasteland. For Eliot, the moor symbolizes that area of ​​human life where men exist without guiding faith, where men have turned their backs on spiritual enlightenment, and the title points to this dilemma.

The poem, divided into five parts, is thus fragmented, lacking logical continuity and temporal sequence, and is a projection of the psychological oscillations and conflicts that raged in the human soul at the beginning of the 20th century (the situation is no different today). . Eliot felt that Western civilization had become mechanical, boring, and dehumanized. Corruption, degeneracy, and stark materialism were rampant. In this broken and fragmented world, nothing could be integrated.

Although the poem is a jagged kaleidoscopic entity, it holds together only in the all-encompassing prophetic vision of Tiresias, the bisexual blind seer of ancient Greek tragedy, and what Tiresias sees is the substance of the entire poem. Psychologically speaking, it is the conscience of humanity. As a symbol of the past that still survives in the present, old Tiresias, “with his wrinkled feminine breast”, has suffered from all that is being enacted on the ugly stage of the contemporary world.

She transcends the barrier of time and place with quick flashes embracing with her vacant gaze, now a scene in the present: the images of “the ruins of the collapsing London bridge”, a “pulsing and waiting taxi”, to personify the life of an immoral and lascivious typist of the 20th century, as well as of the past – Dante’s hell, Cleopatra’s love game, Elizabeth – and highlights in our mental image the enormity of the sin committed by the mythical king Oedipus of Thebes – the drought- and -land ravaged by sin- in his rape of his mother Jocasta, and the need to purify the sinner’s soul through suffering.

In The Wasteland, images and symbols fall broadly into two categories: images taken from the mundane aspects of urban life but raised to great intensity (the throbbing image of the taxi), and symbols of myth, nature and religion, which focus on the theme of death and rebirth. Thus, drought symbolizes spiritual dryness and rain spiritual fertility. However, certain objects can symbolize two opposing ideas depending on their functions. Thus, water is, on the one hand, a symbol of creation – of life and growth, of purification and transformation, in the form of a river or sea, and, on the other hand, it is also destructive of life and property. Similarly, fire as a destructive agent is symbolic of lust that consumes a person to a state of “living death”; but fire, as the sacred flame of the altar, is also a symbol of inspiration, illumination and spiritual exaltation. Eliot constantly plays with ambivalent images.

From post-war European society, its spiritual sterility is conveyed by the symbol of a stony, barren soil. The idea of ​​a dead end, of life reaching a dead end, is conveyed by the symbol of the “chess game”. The idea of ​​u200bu200blife as meaningless, boring and languid movement in a narrow circle is conveyed by the image “we are living in a rat alley where the dead lost their bones.” The idea is reinforced by the images of misery and vulgarity, such as the river sweating oil and tar and dragging in its current the dirty cargo of empty bottles, cigarette butts, silk scarves and other testimonies of summer parties and sexual encounters. between city nymphs and their casual lovers.

The theme of sterility, decay, and death is interwoven with the quest for life and resurrection that Eliot found in the legend of the Holy Grail and other anthropological myths, with a sprinkling of Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu religious analogies, and the The sense of liberation from this state and of freedom is conveyed by the image of a boat that glides smoothly under the expert hand, God, who balances all the setbacks that man has made in the stupid belief of his superiority and, therefore, of his own aggrandizement.

The Wasteland is Eliot’s spiritual autobiography, his search through the junk heap of modern culture for an integrating principle just as you would with Pilgrim’s Progress (From this world to that is to come, by John Bunyan). Eliot’s vision moves back and forth in a relentless movement back and forth over legend, belief, and symbol. And, at the end, the pilgrim, now apparently a solitary figure, continues walking. The grass is “singing” and a moist flavor comes, it brings rain”, a symbol of rejuvenation, of resurrection. Three claps of thunder are heard, and the voice of thunder, in Sanskrit, offers three words of advice: “Give, pity. and control” – “Shantih, Shantih, Shantih”, the peace that passes all understanding. Eliot sees the solution to the human situation in Hindu religious terms.

Eliot imposes the problem of the wasteland on us because we, whether we know it or not, are the citizens of the “unreal city” and must find our Grail: the plate used by Jesus at the Last Supper and on which one of his followers received His blood at the Crucifixion.

Now, in war, the evaluations must be made as follows: First, estimating the degree of difficulty; second, assess the scope of the operation; third, calculation of own forces; fourth, comparison of forces; and fifth, establish the chances of victory. Based on the characteristics of the terrain, the degree of difficulty is estimated. Depending on the degree of difficulty, the scope of the operation is evaluated. Depending on the scope of the operation, the calculation of own forces is carried out. Based on the calculation of own forces, comparisons with those of the enemy are evaluated. Based on the evaluations, the chances of victory can be established. – Chapter Four, Sun Tzu’s Art of War

According to Sun Zi, there are five stages that you must analyze to assess your chances of victory, and they mainly estimate the degree of difficulty; second, assess the scope of the operation; third, calculation of own forces; fourth, comparison of forces; and fifth, establish the chances of victory.

BUSINESS APP

Let’s see how to apply these five stages to the evaluation of business strategy.

degree of difficulty

The first stage is of degree of difficulty, as elaborated by Sun Tzu, you have to look at the terrain to decide. The terrain in the war would refer to the culture of the target consumer market, the political and economic forces, the laws enacted for the economy and industry. In short, it means the characteristic of the target market. And from this, you can move on to the next stage of assessment, which is to assess the scope of the operation.

Scope of operation

The scope of operation in business would mean, if you are in retail, how many stores, what location, supply and transportation network, etc. If you like manufacturing, it would be the number of factories, where the factories should be, the distribution network, etc. And from all these factors, you can look at the third area and that is the calculation of self forces.

Calculation of Own Forces

The calculation of own forces would be all about human resources. Do you have the right person for each job? Do you have the right people to run your marketing campaign, set up your supply chain and logistics network? Do you have the “right” frontline staff? It is an assessment of the quantity and quality of your human resource that determines if you can handle the scope of the operation and, in turn, serve the target market.

Strength Comparison

Next is the fourth area, which is the comparison of one’s troops with those of the enemy. This fourth area would be evaluated if you are entering a market that has at least one established rival operating in it. Often, this is when you enter a foreign market. So you have to make a comparison of who is the competent staff, what are their areas of strength and weakness and what is yours as well. Does your strength allow you to capture a good portion of the foreign market to make your business viable?

After doing all this, only then can you determine and calculate your odds of victory. Once you have calculated your odds of winning, you can decide whether or not to execute your strategy.

Few ancient writers enjoy the same level of recognition as Sun Tzu, the famous philosopher and general of ancient China. Quotations from his timeless treatise, the “Art of War,” appear in popular culture, and the entire book is frequently studied by military and business students around the world. Sun Tzu’s “Art of War” features thirteen chapters describing how to take into account all the important variables when trying to win a conflict. The principles can be applied to military problems as well as market challenges or even personal struggles.

The precise dates of Sun Tzu’s birth and death are not known, but history has proven his existence around 500 B.C. C in China. Born to Sun Ping, a senior military officer in the state of Qi, Sun Tzu grew up with an upbringing focused on military affairs. At the time, it was common for Chinese generals to write about their war philosophies, but it has been Sun Tzu’s work that has survived the centuries. What made his “Art of War” so compelling that it’s literally still in print 2,500 years after he was first tattooed on strips of bamboo?

Part of the resilience of Sun Tzu’s ideas comes from his success as a general. Ancient China was a complex chessboard of highly civilized but warring states, and Sun Tzu enjoyed a respectable career within this challenging environment. Sun Tzu was in the service of He Lu, the ruler of the state of Wu, who made him a general of the kingdom. In this role, Sun Tzu participated in numerous campaigns. His successes included the destruction of the state of Yue, the territorial expansion of Wu, and the occupation of the city of Ying.

His successful application of his strategic thinking surely checks the strength of his literary work. His “Art of War” is not limited to narrow military concepts, such as positioning soldiers in the field. Sun Tzu took into account all the forces acting on a state. War is a tool of the state, and as Sun Tzu wrote, “War is a matter of vital importance to the state; a matter of life and death, the path to survival or ruin.” But this crucial element of state power could not operate independently of diplomacy, politics, economics, geography, and philosophy. Each chapter of “Art of War” explores these and other factors in detail and teaches that the application of military force must be used in a multidisciplinary approach. Geography certainly gets a lot of emphasis because the actual land being fought for underpins military strategy, but it’s not the only consideration for a general.

Among the many wise pieces of advice one can glean from “The Art of War” is Sun Tzu’s insistence that war should not be started hastily, on optimistic assumptions, or without good intelligence. The stakes in war are too high for the state to lose, so it should only use its military tools when victory can be achieved. Sun Tzu repeatedly emphasizes the economics of warfare because of the high cost that maintaining an army in the field exacts from his society. War should not be the first tool that a state uses to obtain the desired results because it is very expensive.

In the last chapter of his book, Sun Tzu begins with a statement that rings true today, as my own country, the United States, finds itself financing a protracted war. Of Chapter 13 “Use of spies” Sun Tzu wrote:

“Now then, when an army of a hundred thousand is raised and sent out on a distant campaign, the expenses borne by the people together with the outlays from the treasury will amount to a thousand gold pieces daily. Furthermore, there will be a continuous commotion both at home and abroad, the people will be exhausted by the corvee of transport, and the agricultural work of seven hundred thousand families will be interrupted”.

Reading this, it amazes me how little some things can change even after thousands of years. War is costly, and its cost radiates through the population that supports the army. This truth dramatically reveals the wisdom that Sun Tzu offered in his writings. From “Art of War” the reader will gain a clear method for assessing almost any given situation and then planning a path to success. In his discussion of war, Sun Tzu teaches his readers to think about where they are, what they are doing, whether they can support what they are doing, whether they know what they are up against, what is the easiest method to achieve their goals, and so on. Sun Tzu continually reminds the reader (and in his lifetime, no doubt, himself) that the state should not think only of what it wants without regard to external influences. For people, this holistic way of thinking helps them overcome the blinders that emotions often place on their actions. The obstacles to victory cannot be ignored. They must be treated with care.

The world of ancient China in which Sun Tzu lived might have been simpler in the sense of less technology, but the stakes in war were no less important than they are today, and the path to finding victory or success was not easier.

As a very short work, “Art of War” can be read in an hour or two, but it will give readers something to think about for years to come. The advice of him is stuck in the head. It may not be easy to follow, but Sun Tzu’s famous statement that “every battle is won or lost before it is fought” serves as the ultimate reminder that victory comes to those who plan.

Radio frequency (RF) signal generators have been around for over 100 years. In 1901, Guglielmo Marconi made the first radio transmission using Morse code from Cornwall, England to St. John’s, Canada.

In the 1940s, Hewlett-Packard created the first mass-produced generator, the Model 200A Audio Oscillator. The first customer for this product was none other than Walt Disney, who bought eight of them to calibrate the revolutionary sound system developed specifically for the film Fantasia.

The use and development of radio leads goes back to its roots in the electronic test and measurement industry.

Most common uses of radio frequency generators

Although RF signal alternators predate modern digital technology, they are still used in a variety of technological and scientific industries in a number of different ways. RF signal producers are needed to operate, repair, and configure analog radio receivers. But it is more than that. When it comes down to it, any radio operated equipment requires this type of generator to fully test to ensure proper operation.

Some of the most common uses include test components, test systems, and receivers for WiFi, WiMAX, cellular communication, GPS, audio and video transmission, radar, satellite communication, and electronic warfare.

Those in use today can be found in the electronics industry, including aerospace/defense electronics and wireless communications. Simulation of radar signals, GPS and avionics are other common applications within the field of aerospace and defense electronics.

What is the generation of radio frequency signals?

Many times, radio frequency generation and microwave generation are used interchangeably. However, they are different because they operate on different tones.

RF and microwave generators have similar characteristics and capabilities, but differ in modulation range. RF generators typically range from a few kHz to 1 GHz, although some argue that they can reach 6 GHz. Signal generation can be observed with AM radio frequencies between 535 KHz and 1605 KHz and computer LAN speeds up to 2.5GHz.

Microwave frequencies, on the other hand, have a higher rate that typically ranges from 1 MHz to 20 GHz, with some generators reaching almost 70 GHz.

There are three types of RF signal generators: analog signal, vector signal, and logic signal. Analog generators were used before the advent of modern digital electronics.

RF conductors are one of 5 types of generators. The other types are: functional signal, arbitrary waveform, audio signal, and video signal. Each of them has its own unique use and functionality.

How radio frequency generators work

RF generators work through a closed loop of harmonics that provides a proper, accurate, and stable output necessary for a device to function properly. They produce continuous wave tones within a certain range.

These sound detection devices have become very sophisticated since their inception 100 years ago. As they have become more advanced, their uses have become more widespread. They are one of five types of generators used in a variety of industries today.