Posts tagged "Wired"
Joss Whedon on Genre Filmmaking, Objectification and Sympathy for the Devil
Film / Interviews / Religion

Joss Whedon on Genre Filmmaking, Objectification and Sympathy for the Devil

by David Zahl on May 14, 2012 • No Comments

Joss “Mr. Avengers” Whedon was interviewed in Wired last week, and as you might expect, made some thought-provoking observations on ‘genre’ filmmaking, the creative process and self-justification as it relates to drama:

Whedon: For me, I love genre because you can talk about things more intimately and specifically than you can in a family drama or a cop show without being didactic. You can absolutely get to the heart of something very weird and very personal because you have that remove…

I guess the thing that I want to say about fandom is that it’s the closest thing…

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Another Week Ends: Louis CK, Sam Spade, Prevailing Grace, Heavy Metal, Axl Rose, Viennese Creativity, Cabin in the Woods, and yes, more Damsels in Distress
America / Film / Grace in Practice / Humor / Identity / Law / Music / Science / Theology / TV / Week In Review

Another Week Ends: Louis CK, Sam Spade, Prevailing Grace, Heavy Metal, Axl Rose, Viennese Creativity, Cabin in the Woods, and yes, more Damsels in Distress

by David Zahl on Apr 13, 2012 • 4 Comments

1. “The Filthy Moralist: How Louis C.K. Became America’s Unlikely Conscience” in The Atlantic is remarkable, especially in its conclusion. As always when it comes to Louis, there’s a high depravity quotient, so don’t say we didn’t warn you. But also as always when it comes to Louis, the darkness is not neutral or meaningless (or merely shocking). In fact, it might even be worth the discomfort in this case to get to the final couple of paragraphs, which truly capture what Louis is about, whether he wants to be or not. It strikes me as especially pertinent as we…

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The Myth of Brainstorming and the Fruit of Passive (Non-)Management
Art / Business / Psychology / Relationships / Social Science

The Myth of Brainstorming and the Fruit of Passive (Non-)Management

by David Zahl on Jan 31, 2012 • 1 Comment

Why do we find it easy to be creative in some situations and not others? What sorts of atmospheres shut down our imagination? And what sorts stimulate it? A pair of fascinating articles from pop science/human limitation guru Jonah Lehrer  appeared this past week seeking to answer these questions, a short one in Wired and a longer one in The New Yorker. Presumably in anticipation of his forthcoming book on how creativity works. Lehrer relays a number of important findings on the subject, not the least of which is the debunking of brainstorming as a viable method of generating good…

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You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory (Esp a False One)
Identity / Law / Psychology / Social Science / TV

You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory (Esp a False One)

by David Zahl on Oct 20, 2011 • No Comments

Another worthy addendum to our series on self-justification, and the role that memory plays, from Jonah Lehrer in Wired, “How Friends Ruin Memory: The Social Conformity Effect.” Where Tavris and Aronson chalk false memories primarily up to internal factors – the reducing of cognitive dissonance and reinforcing of our pre-existing self-image – Lehrer highlights a few recent experiments that suggest that we revise our memories to appease social pressures. I see no reason why we can’t embrace both as motivators. That is, while the internal stuff may ultimately provide the foothold, clearly the Law takes external forms as well, from…

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Steve Jobs, Positively 4th Street and the Upside of Anger
Grace in Practice / Law / Music / Psychology / Social Science

Steve Jobs, Positively 4th Street and the Upside of Anger

by David Zahl on Aug 31, 2011 • 3 Comments

Apple cultivates such a serene image, it’s hard to believe that the underlying corporate culture, at least if reports about Steve Jobs’ management techniques are to be believed, is one of confrontation, brutal criticism and threat. Then again, perfectionism tends to produce such fruit. Sort of the opposite of Pixar, which is ironic, since Jobs help found that studio as well. Not that either company has suffered creatively (Cars 2 notwithstanding).

Over at Wired, Jonah Lehrer uses Jobs’ announcement last week as an opportunity to report on a few recent discoveries on the relationship between creativity and anger. Discoveries which frankly…

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Horrible Bosses Actually Will Kill You
Death / Everyday / Social Science

Horrible Bosses Actually Will Kill You

by David Zahl on Aug 9, 2011 • 2 Comments

Another fascinating little report from Jonah Lehrer, this time in Wired, about the relationship between mortality and stress in the workplace. The researchers talk about the correlation between “control” and stress, namely, that those with more control over their work, while shouldering additional responsibility, ultimately experience less negative stress and therefore live longer. (Oddly enough, “control” is being used here as a corollary to freedom – the freedom from being controlled – rather than its opposite, which is how we normally talk about it). As Lehrer so wisely points out, being told what to do, constantly and by someone who…

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Don’t Let Free Will Slow Your Roll
Psychology / Science

Don’t Let Free Will Slow Your Roll

by David Zahl on Jun 1, 2011 • No Comments

Via Wired, a new study on the relationship between belief in free will and basic motor skills finds that, apparently, “disbelieving free will makes brain less free.” Illustrating the key difference a title/interpretation can make, Lifehacker reports on the same article saying, “believing in free will gives you more power to take action.” Hmmm…. It also appears to make a person slower on the draw. I suppose the real question is whether that split second of deliberation actually makes any difference in the eventual action taken. Not to mention, of course, the content of the passage in question, e.g. whether…

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