A Book for Our “Post-truth”, “Pre-meta-effectiveness”, Times Launches on June 18

On Monday, June 18, the complete version of Cognitive Productivity with macOS®: 7 Principles for Getting Smarter with Knowledge will be launched.

Cognitive Productivity books can be read as pro-active responses to the “post-truth” era. More generally, however, they are meant to deal with the fact that we are still in pre-meta-effectiveness times. “Meta-effectiveness” refers to the abilities and dispositions to use knowledge to become more effective, meaning better at understanding, solving problems, building products (including new knowledge) and living according to our values. Respect for truth is a subset of meta-effectiveness. One can have respect for truth and yet not use knowledge optimally.

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Nurture Your Fondness and Admiration of Powerful Structuring Ideas

I’ve just published a new section in Principle 7, “Apply Knowledge” of Cognitive Productivity with macOS. It is called “Nurture Your Fondness and Admiration of Powerful Structuring Ideas”. The book is now 99% complete. Continue reading Nurture Your Fondness and Admiration of Powerful Structuring Ideas

Creative Off-line Problem-Solving with Cognitive Task Lists

Creative work requires considerable perseverance and productive obsession. This in turn calls for a certain kind of mind. Not everyone is mentally inclined to think deeply and extensively. Without adequate self-regulation, brain power can be wasted by unproductive “perturbance”. That is when insistent motivators hijack one’s thinking, leading to repetitive thought —emotion, rumination, worry, obsession, perseveration, etc.

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Announcing the CogSci Apps Website and Other Good Things to Come


In prior updates, I’ve hinted that I am close to publicly releasing several products from several interrelated projects on which I’ve been collaborating at CogZest, CogSci Apps Corp., and Simon Fraser University.

I’m pleased to announce the first of two new CogSci Apps websites of 2018. This one is for CogSci Apps itself. Continue reading Announcing the CogSci Apps Website and Other Good Things to Come

Surfing Tips: Using Text Expansion Utilities and Launchers to Quickly Access Project Documents

I’ve blogged about this before, but given that the Surf Strategically principle of my recently published e-book contains many tips on the subject, I thought the following would be worth repeating.
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Betroffenheit: The Show and the Emotions

“Betroffenheit” is a German emotion word. Max Wyman compared it to being gobsmacked. I might add nonplussed. But English and French words only capture part of the meaning of betroffenheit. Crystal Pite, a brilliant Canadian choreographer (Kidd Pivot productions), created an entire dance show that translates betroffenheit in several of the brain’s (verbal and non-verbal) languages.[1] Since seeing this very powerful show a couple of weeks ago, it has frequently come to my mind (a light perturbance); and I’ve discussed it with many people. I had been resisting the urge to blog about it, for lack of time. But reading Brett Terpstra’s blog post, “How’s it going?”, about the grief he is experiencing from losing his dog, Emma[2], led me to reply to his post with the following.
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Distraction-Free Information Processing: The “Surf Strategically” Principle of Cognitive Productivity with macOS

The Information Cornucopia we call the web is a source of knowledge that can make us more effective. It is also a potential drain on the brain’s most precious resource, short-term awareness (which some people call “attention”).
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2018 “Celebration of SFU Authors”

I know I am not the only SFU author who, while writing his or her book, looks forward to the annual “Celebration of SFU Authors” event.

The event is always held on the 7th floor of the SFU library, which is of course atop one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

The event is an opportunity to encourage academic dialogue and ensure that works by SFU Authors are available to the University community through the Library’s collection.

I appreciate the university’s encouragement, and the opportunity to mingle with other authors.

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