Jason M. Hanley :: Custom Software Developer

Something to think about from Tim Ferris’ blog:

“While many are wringing their hands, I recall the 1970s when we were suffering from an oil shock causing long lines at gas stations, rationing, and 55 MPH speed limits on Federal highways, a recession, very little venture capital ($50 million per year into VC firms), and, what President Jimmy Carter (wearing a sweater while addressing the Nation on TV because he had turned down the heat in the White House) called a “malaise”.

It was during those times that two kids without any real college education, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, started companies that did pretty well.”

Also of note: Google grew substantially during the 2001-2003 recession.

Every New Year’s people make resolutions to change.  Few resolutions last.

In fact, research has shown that even if someone knows 100% for sure that their actions are endangering their life, only 10% would actually change their behaviour.

Yes, you read that correctly — in the face of death, 90% of people will choose to die, rather than change their long-term habits.

Just about everyone in Western society knows that eating too much fat, salt, and sugar will kill them.  They know that smoking and heavy drinking will kill them.  This doesn’t seem to matter.

As a result, 80% or more of the health care budget is spent on diseases that are completely preventable.  Have a look at the top five causes of death for developed countries:

1. Heart disease
2. Stroke
3. Respiratory infection
4. Lung cancer
5. Car accident

All of these are primarily behavioural.  Meanwhile, they are draining critical resources from our health care system that could be focused on emergencies and other unavoidable issues.

So next time you’re complaining about the wait time at the emergency room, think about that greasy cheeseburger you wolfed down earlier, and the person that will be waiting in your spot once they’ve admitted you with blocked arteries.

This phenomenon applies to much more than health.  It applies to technology, politics, and day to day life.  See the original article from 2005 here: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/94/open_change-or-die.html

Dan Roam, aka. “the napkin guy” has a great recent post about proactive thinking about the big picture, instead of having simple knee-jerk reactions.  Why do all of the “solutions” to the various economic problems seem like band-aid approaches doomed to fail?

“Wait a minute folks. What happens if we take just a couple minutes and look at the bigger picture? I’ll bet a better set of solutions will appear.” … “It seems to me there is a lot more that makes sense when the pieces are looked at in concert rather than alone. All the sudden potential solutions that have a long-term impact emerge.”

See the full article at: http://digitalroam.typepad.com/digital_roam/2008/12/fixing-the-usa-or-tilting-at-windmills.html

Ontario is consider a ban on “electronic communication devices” for anyone driving a vehicle. As much as I appreciate the convenience of being able to make a quick call to a friend, numerous studies have shown that the risk of driving while talking on a cellphone is close to that of drinking and driving.

Car accidents are the #1 non-medical cause of death in developed nations, so it only makes sense to try to make driving safer. Based on the statistics, and what I’ve seen on the road, I’d have to support a ban like this.

Reported various places, including a detailed article in the Globe and Mail.

The election is over. Here are the results:

$300 million was spent to bring us “democracy”, but nobody is happy with the results. Because of our antiquated electoral system:

• The Bloc received 20 more seats than they deserved
• The NDP received 18 less seats than they deserved
• The Conservatives received 28 more seats than they deserved
• The Greens received no seats at all — 21 less than they deserved
• People had to resort to strategic voting instead of voting for what they actually believed in
• More people didn’t vote at all than the combined sum of Liberal and Conservative votes

If the Left had united, as the Right did in 2003, they would have formed a majority government. Unless reformed, our electoral system will eventually devolve into something even worse — a dysfunctional two-party system like the United States.

Before the next federal election, we need to adopt a proportional, progressive system, like most modern nations already have.

Want to find out more? Check out http://www.fairvote.ca/