Blog 145. The Backyard Fence

In those neighborhoods where single-family houses still exist, back yards are usually fenced. So are some front yards. Why is this? What motivates us to put up fences when a once-popular western song was Don’t Fence Me In? Continue reading

Blog 142. Saving souls at Salinas

This is a story about a fantastic place that few travelers find, a place once alive with intense human efforts and then abruptly left to the grass, trees, and brush.  It’s a story of an American native society-I would call it  “civilized”—that flourished and then disappeared.  Continue reading

Blog 138. American Angst Part 6 of 7: Relieving angst in a complex system

The daily TV news sustains the angst in America,* but unlike the repetitive TV news, the situation isn’t hopeless.

The known science of complex systems indicates the route to remedy: alter the rules of interaction among the players. Continue reading

Blog 134. American Angst Part 2 of 7: Alienation of the Individual

Individuals feel angry, frustrated, isolated, abandoned by their society, offended by immigrants, and threatened by political ideologues who want to take over. The stores are big-box: you don’t buy your shoes or your shampoo with assistance from a friendly sales person. Your only safe conversation seems to be with Siri on your cell phone. Continue reading