Thinking about old wives and ideas today. I have a cold and in such a condition, I find that a decongestant and raw garlic are both helpful. What got me to the point of taking a clove of fresh garlic, peeling it and cutting into pieces, swallowing it whole with some water? Is it an old wives' tale that garlic helps fight colds? Why do old wives have tales? Do old women that are not wives have tales of their own? What are they? Do old husbands have tales? Old bachelors?
These days, we are clearly in a new situation regarding knowledge. We have access to all sorts of records, ideas, methods and sources that didn't exist just a short time ago. I often try to emphasize with my friends that searching Google can be extremely helpful, not just for finding answers to questions but for forming better questions. But there is more: when searching for cold fighting techniques, consider searching YouTube by itself. People like visuals and for many activities, seeing something done is far better than reading pages of text and trying to convert the markings into actions.
But there is still more. Just as asking an engineer about politics is likely to result in a different slant on many aspects of the subject from asking a kindergartner, hearing the voice tone and seeing expressions of attitude from a person who is on display visually could give me insights and clues that I don't get from reading a written explanation or suggestion. I am frequently reminded of the difference in tone, surroundings, lighting and other background variables between my explorations in the graduate library and in the engineering library. In both, I was interested in psychology, specifically the psychology and research results on individual decision making. But the selection of books, the sort of writing differed in the two collections.
So, whatever you are wondering or wrestling, take notes of your thoughts, your memories and ideas and impressions you get from your searches. Point your searches in different directions. Don't try too hard or attempt to cover too much too quickly. Meanwhile, time is going by and your cold may go away.
