Patterns

If I was alive 3000 years ago, I probably would have been a prophet. This is not to suggest that I have any special connection with the divine. It is merely to say that I am unusually good at recognizing patterns. This just happens to be something I am good at by virtue of having a natural capacity which I have developed and refined over the years. And it isn't flagrant immodesty, to say this, as there are lots of things that I am not good at.

We all have special talents where, for what ever reason, we do something better than most other people. Other people can remember names, make small talk at a social gathering, do mental math, spell correctly or say things in a way that doesn't ruffle feathers. These talents were not bestowed on me.  But, the ability to recognize patterns was bestowed on me. And it can be very useful. It can help you organize your thinking, find the essence of things, speculate on causes, and predict the future these are all things that I do all the time.

I don't mean to imply that I am always right. I am not. I have made some colossal mistakes. For example, I did not think the personal computer would catch on. But mistakes are a part of the process.  You recognize a pattern; attempt to verify it over time; and weather you got it right or wrong try to figure out why.

Being a professor, I do this all the time. And students who have enjoyed my predictions about the future, or the way I organize ideas in the present, often ask if there is some way they can keep hearing about this after they leave school. Until now, I really haven't made any effort in this direction. But, having gotten bitten by the writing bug again, just recently, I thought I would give it a shot. And that is what this blog is going to be about.