This is my first blog posting
I was thinking this morning about what I should write, and I found it to be a bit intimidating. I am very used to writing academic papers and somehow I find academic writing very easy. Maybe it is because this type of writing has more structure, maybe because I have lots of practice writing “academics.”
But, I also suspect that there are a few things that are very different about blogs, and that these unique features make the experience so different. First, blogs are very immediate. When we write academic papers it takes a few years before they are published, while blogs are “out” the moment you press the submit button. Second, when writing blogs there is a chance that someone will read the posting (which is unlikely for academic papers). Finally, blogs provide other people an opportunity to to react, post and provide feedback and criticism.
I suspect that these three features make writing a blog feel as if the “audience” is much more real (whether this is true or not), which is both exciting but also intimidating, and somewhat stressful.
I am looking forward to getting better at this …
The Upside of Irrationality, explores some positive and some negative ways that irrationality plays out in our lives.
Yesterday’s New York Times (Business section) had a piece by Peter Goodman called “Economists Say Movie Violence Might Temper the Real Thing– arguing that those most prone to violence are in movie theaters watching violent movies, during the hours where they’re most likely to engage in violent acts. Very interesting from a behavioral economist’s point of view; would love your thoughts on this.
see New York Times report
What the results of Dahl and DellaVigna show is that there is a substitution effect, where people who go to violent movies are “out” of the “violence market” for the duration of the movie.
There is also no evidence in their analysis for an increase in crime once the movie is over. But, the real question we need to ask ourselves, is HOW would watching violent movies influence people. Will it make them angry? Would it give them a model for imitation? Would it influence how they treat others in the short or long-term?
In my mind the results show that there is no short-term effect for increased violence, but the results are silent about any long-term effects — and these long-term effects might end up being the ones society should really care about.
In summary — a very interesting and provocative study and what is clear is that we need to study this issue in more detail
What luck – Google just brought me here whle I tracked down an older academic paper of yours, so now I know about the forthcoming book. Looking forward to reading it.
Dan, I am the current President of the Association of College and Research Libraries and you are my/our speaker (1000+ in audience) in Anaheim this summer. I love your work, can’t wait to read your book and am very much looking forward to following your content/book this spring. I am Dean of a community college library system (many libraries and 34k+ students) and this topic fits in to not only my staff but my users/constituents as well.
I am very much looking forward to your presentation.
I look forward to your book.I would recommend a visit to “Calculated Risk” Blogspot to see a first rate Blog.Do take a look at the Ubernerd Posts by Tanta.If you write as though you were sitting with a group of friends while imbibing your favorite Libation you will do well…
Dan writes:”. Second, when writing blogs there is a chance that someone will read the posting (which is unlikely for academic papers). ”
I think that it is simply more obvious that someone has visited your blog: there are no adsense markers in your academic papers that track whether anyone has read it or not.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see refereed papers to take on a life of their own on a blog.
Dan, just found this blog via MR, it’s great, but please, can you serve up a full RSS feed? Thanks!
Dan,
I normally delete whatever comes from Amazon.com. They are much better at knowing my taste than other email marketers, but I rarely found an interesting book these days. I wishlisted your book. Meaning, I want to know more about the topic, and decide to buy. That’s one of the roles a blog plays. So, please talk about your topic often.
And I agree with you that the blog is a great tool, but is sometimes scary one. That’s why I started my project http://paragraphr.com. A blog is best for taking a snapshot of your thought at one moment, but we need a tool for refining our thought on the same topic over a long time (could be your life time). It is an age of a fast pace, but I don’t think the virtue of deep thinking is gone.
Interview on NPR this evening was intriguing. I will buy the book!
Religion and science:
I’ve always thought I was being rational in my decision to reject creationism and rely on science to explain our origins. Is it possible that science is irrational as well?