Time for a celebration and retrospective—Monster Baby reaches 1oo episodes! Welcome to the party, people—Monster Baby has reached a milestone! In honor of this, the 100th episode of Ted and Lisa’s “curious romp through the worlds of mindfulness and improvisation,” the pair takes a look back to remember and to give thanks for the good [more…]
Monster Baby #55 A Grand Experiment
Why not just try some s**t out? In Episode #55, Ted and Lisa extol the virtues of bringing a spirit of experimentation to all of life. The pair starts by catching up on Lisa’s improv exploits over in Germany (2:26) and by articulating the differences between Halloween rituals there in Deutschland versus those here stateside [more…]
Monster Baby #33: 10 Days of Insight
What sorts of intriguing insights show up on a 10-day silent retreat? Ted and Lisa find out in Monster Baby Episode #33. They start by acknowledging that Ted’s in a period of adjustment (2:23) before considering the benefits of practicing mindfulness in relationship with others (6:58). They note how sharper awareness can help us “lock [more…]
A Positive-Minded Primer on Punishment and Reinforcement–with a Buddhist Twist (Part 2 of 2)
[This is the second half of a two-part post. Part 1 can be found here.] Negative Reinforcement (R-) makes a wanted behavior more likely by taking away or reducing something the learner does not enjoy. It “eliminates an aversive,” as they say in the field. In this sense, it’s a kind of relief from unpleasantness. [more…]
The OmPhone: Technology of Meditation
I tend to resist the siren’s call of technology. Or at least I do my best to. Influenced by the writings of Neil Postman and Jerry Mander, I now see how we trumpet and embrace the benefits of new technologies without ever really taking into consideration the possible—and often certain—destructive consequences they radiate around them. [more…]
