Wikipedia defines Dunbar’s number (commonly cited as 150) as a “theoretical cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships. These are relationships in which an individual knows who each person is, and how each person relates to every other person.” Dunbar is director of the Institute of Cognitive […]
Tag: human nature
Crowdsourcing: Pros and Cons
The term “crowdsourcing” always reminds me of the book title, “Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds” (which has been on my reading list for years). A Wired writer coined the term in 2006 by combining “crowd” and “outsourcing.” Wikipedia (probably the best example of crowdsourcing) defines crowdsourcing as “the act of outsourcing tasks, traditionally […]
We vs. ME
I’m often struck by the contradictions inherent in the powerful messages we’re bombarded with on a daily basis. One example is the emphasis on being thin (especially for women) contrasted with the constant barrage of ads from the food industry marketing foods that will make you fat, (if they don’t kill you first). Another contradiction […]
Pit of Vipers
When Robert Altman was given a lifetime achievement award at the Oscars a year or two before he died, (aren’t such awards always a death sentence?) he said to the star-studded audience, “I’m not interested in stories, I’m interested in human nature.” This struck me as bordering on heresy since he was addressing a crowd […]