I have long quipped that, “humans are so good at seeing patterns that we find them where none exist.” But it wasn’t until sometime in graduate school that I learned the technical term for it: “apophenia.” (A visual apophenia is a pareidolia.) I still share this one with my students at some appropriate juncture almost…
Continue ReadingI wear only four different pairs of shoes: muffy house slippers for around the house (except when, being an absent-minded professor, I forget to change before going out), New Balance running shoes that I try to put a few miles on each day, Birkenstocks for the summer, and for everything else, my cowboy boots. Now…
Continue ReadingMaybe the most difficult issue faced by social scientists is the perception that, somehow, what we do is not “science.” Although, in fairness, it doesn’t seem as widespread or blatant now as when I first got into the game; it is almost unthinkable now that a business, agency, or organization would implement a new policy…
Continue ReadingI have finally begun the process of moving my main homestead on the cyber-frontier from my long time (and long neglected) digs at outopia.org to this easier to find place, kjpayne.com — outfitted with brand new Web 2.0 technology and capable of supporting all the bells and whistles. I have had plans for this move…
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