The definitions of a “case” and “hospitalization” were dramatically loosened for this pandemic

NBC reported a serious uptick in U.S. Covid-19 hospitalizations in mid-November. However, when we examine the data provided we see that the “meat” of the story, beyond an unfortunate uptick in hospitalizations and deaths in El Paso, Texas, is the Covid Tracking Project’s data on increased hospitalization.

But a “hospitalization” is defined as someone in the hospital who has tested positive for Covid-19 at some point previously — not necessarily in the hospital because of the virus.

The rest of this essay will look in detail at…

Fun interview with Taylor Wade (Ambiance Matchmaking services and Date Smart podcast) about the future of love and dating. Topics include:

• Virtual reality
• Augmented reality
• Artificial intelligence
• Longevity science
• Fertility technology
• Genetic dating
• Behavior-based matching
• Self-love practices
• Plant medicine

Here’s the printed transcript of the interview.

Here’s the Spotify audio version.

The various coronavirus tests are all seriously flawed, either inherently or in how they’re being used, and this is fundamentally undermining our understanding of the pandemic

Two policy changes occurred in the beginning of the pandemic in the U.S., …

A conversation with Dr. Selen Atasoy

Selen Atasoy is a small and intense woman of Turkish descent. She speaks perfect English with a delightful Turkish accent. She is a formidable presenter and speaker and even though she is still young it seems all but assured that she will be a great influencer and scholar in her field of neuroscience for decades to come.

We met at the 2013 Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness conference in San Diego. We had a fun-filled evening at a restaurant with the developer of the well-known Integrated Information Theory, Giulio Tononi, Giulio’s partner…

“The right to swing my fist ends where the other man’s nose begins.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes

I’ve been a lifelong liberal/progressive because I care about people, I care about the environment, and I care about the future of humanity and our planet. Progressives focus on these issues more than conservatives, so it’s felt like a natural home for me for most of my life.

In recent years, however, I’ve “come out” as a libertarian because I also care about freedom and creativity, civil rights, and treating people as responsible adults rather than children.

But aren’t these political views in…

A conversation with Henk Rogers about saving the planet

Shortly after meeting Henk he invited me to his ranch on the slopes of Hualalai to check out his energy lab and chat about the things he’s working on. I’m a renewable energy lawyer so this was a pretty natural suggestion and I happily said yes to his invitation.

Henk is well-known for being “the Tetris guy,” and indeed he was integral to the original Tetris game becoming a worldwide phenomenon. …

A conversation with philosopher David Ray Griffin

Can philosophy move the world?

It was political philosophy that led, in part, to the American and French Revolutions, strongly inspired by the work of Paine, Locke, Hobbes, Spinoza, Rousseau, Descartes and other Enlightenment philosophers.

It was economic and political philosophy, from Marx and Engels primarily, that led to the communist revolutions, rightly or wrongly, in the 20th Century.

But can philosophy move the world in the right direction when it comes to spiritual growth and a shift to global environmental stewardship? David Ray Griffin thinks it can. …

A guide for beginning meditation

My therapist is a wonderful woman based in Los Angeles and a specialist in Jungian therapy. Remote therapy sessions don’t seem to detract much from what would otherwise have been a face to face experience. And the commute from Hawaii to L.A. is a bit shorter than it would be otherwise.

One of the key “homework items” that my therapist gave me early on in our sessions was to meditate more. I’ve dabbled in meditation over the years but never stayed with a regular practice. For almost six months now I’ve been meditating most days…