This blog post explores how companies use market interest rates and social discount rates to reflect the value of future generations when evaluating public works.   Business investment and the role of the discount rate When a company invests in a project, it evaluates the feasibility of the project by comparing the costs it will incur in the present with the benefits it will receive in the...

In this blog post, we explore why we should be more cautious about the accelerated warming and ecosystem destruction that Antarctic development can cause.   If you look at a globe, you’ll see Antarctica painted white. You’ve probably seen it on TV before, with white glaciers floating by and families of emperor penguins strolling leisurely around them. Antarctica is located at 90...

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at how the leaning Tower of Pisa overcame its structural flaws, and how it’s a testament to modern building techniques.   The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a structure located in the western Italian province of Tuscany, an annex of the Pisa Cathedral and a world-famous tourist attraction made even more famous by the anecdote that Galileo Galilei...

In this blog post, we’ll explore how invisible nanotechnology can revolutionize our daily lives while also posing a threat to the environment and our health.   There’s a lot of interest in nanotechnology these days. It may not seem like a big deal, but the mere mention of the word “nano” often increases the price of a product. For example, a washing machine with a “silver nano...

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at how earnings forecasts affect stock prices and the relationship between interest rates and stock prices. It may seem a little complicated at first, but once you get the gist of it, it’s not hard to understand.   Forecasts and expectations drive stock prices A company’s earnings forecasts are always volatile. Even for the most...

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the neuroscience behind how memories are determined and why they vary.   They say that humans are forgetful animals. Some memories are so deeply embedded in someone’s brain that they never fade, while others fade away after just a few hours. This is something we can easily see in our daily lives. For example, you may have memorized...

Memories shape our identity and influence our life choices. Explore how past experiences play a role in the present and future.   We live our lives mortgaged to our memories. Our memories have shaped our personalities, relationships, lifestyles, habits, language, and other essential elements of our lives. Memory is not just a repository of information; it is a key component of our identity...

In this blog post, we consider the choices we have to make in an era where technology is outpacing humans. Consider how to set ethical standards.   Technology may have scientific, social, or other benefits in and of itself, but it will not have an ethical consensus within it, which means that humans will need to develop an ethical consensus around it. The word “science” in our common usage...

In this blog post, we’ll explore how technology and society influence and harmonize with each other through the lens of technological determinism and social constructionism.   “People don’t know what they want until you show them what they want. When Apple developed the iPhone and iPad, they didn’t do market research. Did Bell do market research when he invented the...

This blog post examines how technology is reshaping our bodies, minds, and notions of free will, and philosophically questions what makes us human.   Recently, the smartphone application market has seen a proliferation of chat-related applications. From conversations with close acquaintances to random chats with strangers, applications that mediate communication between people in various...