New stuff I’m learning about living/dying/what matters most - Tue, Jan 19 2021

Phil Spector, one of the most influential and successful record producers in rock 'n' roll, who generated a string of hits in the early 1960s by the Crystals, the Ronettes and the Righteous Brothers defined by the lavish instrumental treatment…

Jeff Cohn He seems to have been a horrible person- and a musical genius. The pinnacle of his 'wall of sound' may have been achieved with the Beach Boys' 'Pet Sounds,' one of the greatest albums of all time..

We live and work in a complex system. Simple, traditional linear models do not work in complex systems. Campbell's Law is a real thing – people change their behavior to meet targets. These ‘corruption pressures' often have unintended…

Jeff Cohn As much as we all experience life as described here: interconnected, non-linear, complex, we hang onto mental models that suggest things are much more linear and predictable than they really are. Embracing the complexity helps one adapt and thrive..

As we look to DC this weekend, it would be good to breathe in and out a few times. And in doing so, pull a bit of the anxiety out of the civic breath. It's a good time to appreciate the likelihood that the expected storm of angry violence will pass…

Jeff Cohn If you're in need of some reassurance and respite this lovely blog post is a good place to start..

Since the Jan. 6 attempted insurrection at the U.S. Capitol we've been treated to the spectacle of people like Rep.Kevin McCarthy, Sen. Ted Cruz, and others within the Republican party invoking a spirit of 'unity' as they urge Democrats to temper…

Jeff Cohn 'As Lincoln well understood, there can be no 'unity' where our democratic traditions are under attack by an insensate, racist right-wing mob.'

Washington(CNN) Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin said Sunday that he's 'not going to lose my son at the end of 2020 and lose my country and my republic in 2021,' in a moving message that comes as he grapples with his family's loss and his role as the…

Jeff Cohn Whenever I've seen Rep. Raskin on TV I've been impressed by his thoughtful way of looking at events, making sense of them, and explaining how he feels/what needs to be done. His actions since his son's death have only strengthened my opinion of him..

Developing the COVID-19 vaccine was the first monumental milestone on a long and arduous journey to achieving the entire U.S. population's vaccination. One of the barriers to achieving this task is the absence of a reliable, scalable way to…

Jeff Cohn I'd be fine with this, especially if it facilitated all electronic medical records talking with each other/sharing information..

A year into the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, we still lack a complete understanding of who is getting sick, and where, and when. Demographic data from many states are astonishingly incomplete, and even widely collected information…

Jeff Cohn This is related to the prior article as well as to the ability to show how equitable the vaccine distribution is, or not..

Want to get The Morning by email? Here's the sign-up. Early in the pandemic, many health experts — in the U.S. and around the world — decided that the public could not be trusted to hear the truth about masks. Instead, the experts…

Jeff Cohn I am in total alignment with this perspective- the data we have shows that the vaccines are remarkably effective. Messaging that emphasizes what we DON'T know over what we DO know/the benefits may raise doubts unnecessarily..