Matt Ridley

The Rational Optimist - Matt Ridley Most people assume the world is going to hell in a handbasket and that they are the only ones who will do well. There is something about human nature that makes us pessimistic of others and optimistic about yourself. Matt Ridley in The Rational Optimist explains how in nearly every way the world is becoming more a more prosperous. I was given a new perspective on the world, I had never looked at the world through an optimist's eyes until now. All around us is positive improvements, but we only focus on the negative. As long as you consider facts and past data before considering the state of the world, then you can have an optimistic outlook and look into the future rather than be a pessimist and look into the mistakes of the past. It was very appropriate to read this before the Data Visualization Quest. Throughout this book, there were thousands of facts, each more interesting than the last. He would relate things to wealth that you would never think of. For example, he related how many minutes of work it took for an hour of light. Today (on the average wage in the U.K.) you would have to work ½ a second for an hour of light, in 1800, that turns into 6 hours of labor for just one hour of light. Some argue that there was extreme…

reading the book Genome by Matt Ridley, I started to hone in on some of the key topics and main ideas to take away from this novel. It was a very interesting read that introduced new ideas to me. Many of the ideas in the book applied directly to our Biology class. Some topics that were covered in lecture can be directly applied to the book. Matt Ridley talks about many important things in his novel; however, I feel as if the chapters of life, species, and environment are the most relatable to…

a younger age. The problem is that without these genes connections cannot be made between neurons. This establishes the idea that it is not just our genes (nature) needed but also the idea that our environment is needed as our genes respond to it. Essentially stating that the fruit flies memory (and ours) is stored by nature via the influence of nurture. Which conforms Matt Ridley’s theory that “genes are not the puppet masters that controls nurture but nurture is the puppet master that…

The novel Genome written by Matt Ridley demonstrates many genetic disease and disorders as the novel progresses. Ridley, illustrates Asthma on page 66-67 and in Chapter 5, which is named Chromosome 5. Asthma, although not specially related one chromosome, has traces to many chromosomes throughout the body. Asthma affects more than 26 million Americans throughout the country, 18.9 million of them being adults and 7.1 million of them being children (1). Also, asthma causes around 3,500 death a…

The article, “why should males exist?” by Matt Ridley discuss how many people argue whether males needs to exist or not and was published by U.S. News & World Report. Matt Ridley is an author primarily known for his piece titled, “Why should males exist?” As one may assume, the majority of the article delves into the help and hindrance of men. From Ridley’s perspective, males are useless as he further supports his claim “quote”. Key principles as stated in the article include man’s drive to…

Lewis vs Ridley In “Human Nature,” Matt Ridley argues that our entire purpose in life as human beings is reproduction. In From Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis argues that we should strive for closeness with God over all else. I agree with Mr. Lewis. Though the Bible gives us the instruction to “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28), there is more to life than sex. This can be proven through the use of Lewis’ Mere Christianity and from my own experience as a Christian and as a human being. Lewis…

The US Theatrical Version (1982, 116 minutes), known as the first form or Domestic Cut. This form was discharged on Betamax and VHS in 1983. This adaptation stayed unreleased on DVD for a long time. This adaptation (with the global cut) was re-discharged as a feature of the 5-plate Ultimate Edition in 2007, exhibited in same video and sound exchange as the 2006 remastered Director 's Cut. The 1982 American dramatic adaptation discharged by the studio incorporated the "upbeat closure" however…

Apple’s not so Cold War Now and then comes an exceptional commercial that you will never forget, not only because of the production but its strategies. Since they can define your view on a brand for years to come. That sensation is the one I had when I watched “1984” ad from Apple. Before the “.com” boom of the 1990s, the front line for tech companies was personal computers. Indeed, the biggest player at the time was “big blue”, IBM. However, competitors are coming along the way such as Apple.…

Analysis of Image as Text Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane was a smashing success at the box office and is hailed as one of the greatest movies of all time. Though it did not win best picture, it has shown to be one of the strongest movies both in content and visual quality. In contrast, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner did not rise to fame until after it was on cable. However, there is a strong link between the two films. Citizen Kane utilizes camera angles to symbolize power and weakness. The power…

The movie Black Hawk Down takes place on October 3rd and 4th of 1993. This film displays a life threatening mission that the U.S. Army Rangers try to overcome. The mission is called to capture two Somalian war lords. Once the mission starts disaster is brought upon from the beginning of the battle to the end. Within the movie, Black Hawk Down, you follow the character of Sgt. Eversman, who leads The Ranger unit Chalk Four into the first crash cite of the Black Hawk Chopper. Although most of…