Episode 164: Back in the Medieval Village

TOPIC: Curiosity & Creativity

This week, Dan and Merlin talk more about expertise and how it relates to the ineffable qualities of curiosity and creativity. Can curiosity be inspired or taught? Or, is it just something you either have or don't? How do we buck the implicit authority to explore the vast universe of "unnecessary things?"

Links for this episode:

• 21 Compelling Reasons Why Florida Should Be Kicked Out Of The United States | Thought Catalog
  Let me just start this by saying that I was born in Florida, lived there for a while, and have/visit many a family member there. Losing Florida will be an emotional hit for me as well. But it’s high time we just took that table saw of democracy and severed Florida off to float in the Atlantic. Here is why.
• 5by5 | Back to Work #163: Head Lice :-(
  TOPIC: LEGO and ExpertiseThis week, Dan and Merlin talk about LEGO and what becoming a Master Builder can teach us about expertise.Also: tooth fairies, binder clips, and the pedagogical warning shot.WARNING: This episode of B2W contains information about holiday-related personalities that may be of a sensitive nature. Listener discretion is advised.
• 5by5 | Mac Power Users #183: Episode V: Merlin Strikes Back
  Merlin Mann returns to Mac Power Users for his annual visit. This year we dive deep into Merlin's new obsession with home automation and talk about what makes some apps stick while others never do.Thanks to MPU listener Jigar Talati for assistance with the shownotes this week!
• Knocking on wood - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Knocking on wood, or to touch wood, refers to the apotropaic tradition in western folklore[citation needed] of literally touching, tapping, or knocking on wood, or merely stating that you are doing or intend same, in order to avoid "tempting fate" after making a favourable observation, a boast, or declaration concerning one's own death.
• Nasal irrigation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Nasal irrigation or nasal lavage or nasal douche is the personal hygiene practice in which the nasal cavity is washed to flush out excess mucus and debris from the nose and sinuses. The practice is generally well-tolerated and reported to be beneficial with only minor side effects.[1] Nasal irrigation in a wider sense can also refer to the use of saline nasal spray or nebulizers to moisten the mucous membranes.
• Consumer Updates > Is Rinsing Your Sinuses Safe?
  
• Oil pulling - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Oil pulling or oil swishing is a traditional folk remedy where oil is swished or held in the mouth. Ayurvedic literature states oil pulling is capable of improving oral and systemic health, including a benefit in conditions such as headaches, migraines, diabetes mellitus, asthma,[1] and acne, as well as whitening teeth.[2] Oil pulling is known as "Kavala" or "Gandusha" in the Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita.[1][3] Its promoters claim it works by "pulling out" "toxins", which are known as ama in Ayurvedic medicine, and thereby reducing inflammation.[4]
• Swishing With Oil for Oral Health: Not Recommended - Julie Beck - The Atlantic
  The Internet’s new quasi-health obsession is actually very old. Oil pulling—swishing oil  (coconut and sesame seem popular, preferably unrefined) around in your mouth for 10 to 20 minutes—is an oral health practice that has been done in India for years and years. It’s mentioned in the Charaka Samhita, one of the key texts of the Indian traditional medicine known as Ayurveda.
• Amazon.com: Flents Dental Disclosing Tablets (30) - Eliminate Plaque Build-up: Health & Personal Care
  
• Dan Slott Unveils "Spider-Verse," Featuring "Every Spider-Man Ever" - Comic Book Resources
  Marvel divulged the first details of what exactly that teaser was teasing with a "Next Big Thing" press call, headlined by "Amazing Spider-Man" writer Dan Slott and senior editor of the Spidey titles, Nick Lowe. The preview art released by Marvel to accompany the call provided some very strong hints about the upcoming event: The story will start November 2014, it will feature "Every Spider-Man Ever" (including Spider-Man 2099, Peter Porker the Spectacular Spider-Ham and the original Scarlet Spider, among others). It also involves Morlun, a villain created by J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr. during their 2001 "Amazing Spider-Man" run.
• Watch this: people illegally BASE jumping from the top of 1 World Trade Center | The Verge
  A group of men who BASE jumped from the top of the 1,776-foot tower at 1 World Trade Center last September turned themselves in to police on Monday. The men — three of whom parachuted from the building, while a fourth kept watch — questioned the level of security in and around the tower. Andrew Rossig, one of the men who was involved with the stunt, said "we just kind of walked in."
• Showbot
  Listener-suggested titles for this week's episodes.
• Upper respiratory tract infection - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Upper respiratory tract infections (URI or URTI) are the illnesses caused by an acute infection which involves the upper respiratory tract: nose, sinuses, pharynx or larynx. This commonly includes: tonsillitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, sinusitis, otitis media, and the common cold.
• Valeria Richards - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  She was revealed to be the second, unborn child of Reed and Sue Richards, whom Sue had seemingly miscarried years before, and who had originally been named Valerie Meghan Richards. Under the guidance of Roma, Franklin had used his powers to save the child, taking her from her native reality and sending her "someplace else" where she was raised by another Invisible Woman who had married a heroic Doctor Doom after the death of her first husband. As the FF went up against the cosmic menace of Abraxas, she was summoned by Roma and fulfilled her purpose by merging her powers with Franklin and reconstituting Galactus to stop Abraxas. In the restructuring of reality that ensued, Valeria was regressed to a fetus within Sue's womb once again, on the cusp of being born.
• Edmond Halley - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  
• Quote Details: Albert Einstein: You see, wire telegraph... - The Quotations Page
  You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat.
• Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, Latin for "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy", often referred to as simply the Principia, is a work in three books by Sir Isaac Newton, in Latin, first published 5 July 1687.
• Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism popularized the term "thought-terminating cliché". This refers to a cliché that is a commonly used phrase, or folk wisdom, sometimes used to quell cognitive dissonance. Though the clichéd phrase in and of itself may be valid in certain contexts, its application as a means of dismissing dissent or justifying fallacious logic is what makes it thought-terminating.
• Silicon's Valley's Brutal Ageism | New Republic
  "In talking to dozens of people around Silicon Valley over the past eight months—engineers, entrepreneurs, moneymen, uncomfortably inquisitive cosmetic surgeons—I got the distinct sense that it’s better to be perceived as naïve and immature than to have voted in the 1980s."

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