An advice columnist in a newspaper said it’s fine to watch TV during the day if you are doing chores. (She implied that it is a good way to strengthen a family.) Bad advice. Watching TV softens your brain. My evidence: This columnist believes in the whole truth–manifestly a terrible idea. I got along fine with my folks after I realized I didn’t have to offer information they didn’t want to know. They didn’t ask. I didn’t lie. There were sizeable parts of my life I didn’t mention. The worst results came from trying to act like the happy families on TV. My kids are smarter than I am–they figured out the many advantages of ‘need to know’ policies when they were young.
At work I rushed to tell the boss when something I’d done went bad–certainly didn’t want her to hear it from someone else. Otherwise the don’t-bother-with-the-whole-truth approach worked well at the office.
An editorial today from an expert made a hash of how to be a smart bettor. People who play slot machines rarely quit when they are ahead, says me, and the multimillion dollar jackpot games are so different from daily and scratch-off games that they shouldn’t be lumped together.
converselyspeaking 