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Factfulness Explains Mental Health Stigma
Last week I finished reading a book on critical thinking called Factfulness by Hans Rosling with Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Ronnlund. This wonderful book talks about 10 cognitive biases that lead us to make wrong inferences about the world, and how the world is in...
Follow the Science for the Opioid Crisis
The catchphrase that caught fire over the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic is “follow the science”. The phrase simply means that private decisions and public policy should be evidence-based. Basing actions on available evidence increases our chances of having a...
Artificial Intelligence Must Be Ethical
I was reading the AP news feed and came across this article about how a man was sent to prison because of Artificial Intelligence, AI. An AI, developed by a software company using a secret algorithm, led prosecutors to believe the man, Michael Williams, committed...
Psychological Reactance Explains Why Drug Laws Fail
One of the things governments do is pass laws that prohibit behaviors that are widespread. In the U.S. we have seen prohibitions on alcohol and drug use, for example. The thinking is that by outlawing an activity, we will discourage people from engaging in it. Makes...
We Need More Mental Health Counselors
Each year the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or BLS projects the need for people in specific occupations. On the most recent list is substance abuse and mental health counselors. According to the BLS in 2019 there were nearly 320,000 counselors in the U.S out of a...
You Really Have to Want to Recycle
I like to recycle. As someone who hates to waste things, the idea of reusing materials is appealing. Recycling is good for the environment and the recycling industry has created jobs, so it is good for the economy too. But recycling can be challenging. You really have...
To Centralize or Decentralize Computing
When I first started using computers, the mainframe was the only game in town. Computing was centralized at my university with everyone, faculty, students, and administration sharing the same machine. It would often get bogged down with too many requests, meaning...
Harm Reduction Is a Way to Combat Drug Use
The opioid crisis of the 2010s that has seen a sharp increase in overdose deaths has underscored the need for new approaches. Harm reduction services designed to reduce the negative effects of drug use rather than eliminating the use itself has grown in popularity. A...
Additive Manufacturing Is a Disruptive Technology
When I was in school the teachers took us on a field trip of the local newspaper plant. What I remember is how they assembled the moveable type to print the pages. The typesetter used a mechanical machine to put the individual letters in a frame, so many letters and...
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