In his new book Cognitive Surplus, Clay Shirky has a big idea: use all that brainpower we waste vegetating in front of the TV to do useful work. But when speaking of a “cognitive surplus” leads us to act as if cognition is a commodity, we set ourselves up for a fall.

Behavior-based parenting techniques have enjoyed a strong following for the last several years. Less well known are the long-term disadvantages of the behavioral approaches, as well as the the relationship-based alternative that predated behavioral parenting’s popularity.

The bottom line is that spin is a form of lying. Does anyone out there really care anymore?

Manipulation — the art of hoodwinking people into giving you what you want — is an age-old problem. And dealing with manipulative behavior requires something more than the well-worn perspectives of traditional psychology.

What does modern neuroscience have to say about our sense of self? Is there really any permanent, essential self to us at all?

There was more to me than being thin. There was more to me than a number on a scale. There was more to me than an eating disorder.

Taking time. That’s the secret. If you don’t take it, it will surely slip quietly and all too quickly away.