Confessions of a Techie

How to navigate the tech maze and maintain sanity.

Ran Zilca is the CEO of Signal Patterns, developers of assessment and positive psychology applications. See full bio

November 20, 2009

Still Not Happy?

The quest for true happiness is perceived by many to ultimate goal of human existence. When asked what they wish for themselves, most people say that they would like to be happy. Everything else they wish for themselves is just means to an end. While happiness has always been a topic of interest and aspiration, its study, understanding, and the means to accomplish it recently has become a focal point of Western civilization. Read More

August 5, 2009

Finally - Over The Counter Psychotherapy!

The over-the-counter shelf of your psychologist finally has some good evidence-based stuff. Read More

June 26, 2009

Immerse Yourself in the Gratitude Stream

Learning about others' good fortune cultivates an optimistic attitude and makes people feel more positively about the future. Read More

May 22, 2009

Sleepwalking on the Job

We all act mindlessly a good deal of the time, running on auto-pilot, and not fully present in our situations. Read More

April 21, 2009

On Mr. Roboto’s Couch – Will Machines Become Our Counselors? Part II

Software that makes you feel better? Read More

April 15, 2009

On Mr. Roboto’s Couch – Will Machines Become Our Counselors? Part I

It’s a machine suggesting to us what we should buy (Amazon), what we should listen to (Pandora, last.fm), and who we should marry (eHarmony, Match.com). So – is it possible to design a machine to provide life advice and perhaps even therapy? Well – it already is happening. Read More

March 31, 2009

What’s in the Water of Eugene, Oregon?

Whoever cracks the Eugene mystery will be a very rich person. And if it's something in the water, I want to drink some of it too. Read More

March 19, 2009

How I Lost My Wallet and Maintained My Innocence

A story about technology-enabled kindness. It starts in Brooklyn, continues in Manhattan, and reaches its happy ending in the south Bronx. Read More

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