{
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  "date": "2005-03-04T21:38:27.000Z",
  "layout": "post",
  "title": "Hereditary Neophilia",
  "wordpress_id": 604,
  "wordpress_slug": "hereditary-neophilia",
  "wordpress_url": "http://www.decafbad.com/blog/?p=604",
  "year": "2005",
  "month": "03",
  "day": "04",
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  "slug": "hereditary-neophilia",
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  "html": "<p>Heard an excellent <a href=\"http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail424.html\">interview with Dr. Peter Whybrow on Tech Nation</a> this week, podcast by <a href=\"http://www.itconversations.com/\">ITConversations</a>.  The idea of America as a nation of restless manic wanderers who've self-selected for genes influencing such behavior just fascinates me.  </p>\n<p>  One of the zingers that hit me, paraphrased, was that while it's true a lot of people came here to escape religious persecution--the key thing is that the people who came here <em>left there</em>, which leaves the rest of the people under the same conditions who <em>stayed behind</em>.  </p>\n<p>  Depending upon your opinion of the influence genetics have on personality, this sort of decision--to leave everything or stay put--just has to have been a powerful filter.  If neophilia is carried at all by heredity, it has to have had a powerful influence on the development of people here.</p>\n<p>  I think I might just have to read <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393059944/ref%3Dnosim/rds-20/104-1525140-4583148\">American Mania</a>--seems like it would tie in a lot with what I've been thinking about lately, with regard to this country, my life, ambition, neophilia, and satiation.</p>\n<div id=\"comments\" class=\"comments archived-comments\"><h3>Archived Comments</h3>\n<ul class=\"comments\">\n<li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221084980\">\n<div class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"author\">\n<a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http://mindbin.net\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=2aa42aa76a10f8980b86dbea3d3e85e9&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\" width=\"\" height=\"\"></a>\n<a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http://mindbin.net\">Ian</a>\n</div>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#comment-221084980\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2005-03-06T15:34:56\">2005-03-06T15:34:56</time></a></p>\n</div>\n\n\n<div class=\"content\">Does neophilia apply to technolust? If so, it would explain Japan.</div>\n\n\n</li>\n<li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221084983\">\n<div class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"author\">\n<a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=bf128da1bceaabde3d14d222fce76aac&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\" width=\"\" height=\"\"></a>\n<a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"\">robin</a>\n</div>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#comment-221084983\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2005-06-01T14:56:30\">2005-06-01T14:56:30</time></a></p>\n</div>\n\n\n<div class=\"content\">Dr. Whybrow grabbed me with his accurate \"information affluence\" quote the other night when he was a featured guest on the radio show, \"Coast to Coast\".  It's true, we Americans are informationally affluent with radios, tv's, cell phones, computers, etc.\nGreat blog!  It's in my favorites, now.\nThanks!</div>\n\n\n</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n</div>\n\n\n",
  "body": "Heard an excellent [interview with Dr. Peter Whybrow on Tech Nation][tn] this week, podcast by [ITConversations][itc].  The idea of America as a nation of restless manic wanderers who've self-selected for genes influencing such behavior just fascinates me.  \r\n\r\n  One of the zingers that hit me, paraphrased, was that while it's true a lot of people came here to escape religious persecution--the key thing is that the people who came here *left there*, which leaves the rest of the people under the same conditions who *stayed behind*.  \r\n  \r\n  Depending upon your opinion of the influence genetics have on personality, this sort of decision--to leave everything or stay put--just has to have been a powerful filter.  If neophilia is carried at all by heredity, it has to have had a powerful influence on the development of people here.\r\n  \r\n  I think I might just have to read [American Mania][am]--seems like it would tie in a lot with what I've been thinking about lately, with regard to this country, my life, ambition, neophilia, and satiation.\r\n  \r\n[am]:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393059944/ref%3Dnosim/rds-20/104-1525140-4583148\r\n[itc]:http://www.itconversations.com/\r\n[tn]:http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail424.html\r\n\r\n<div id=\"comments\" class=\"comments archived-comments\">\r\n            <h3>Archived Comments</h3>\r\n            \r\n        <ul class=\"comments\">\r\n            \r\n        <li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221084980\">\r\n            <div class=\"meta\">\r\n                <div class=\"author\">\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"http://mindbin.net\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=2aa42aa76a10f8980b86dbea3d3e85e9&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\"/></a>\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"http://mindbin.net\">Ian</a>\r\n                </div>\r\n                <a href=\"#comment-221084980\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2005-03-06T15:34:56\">2005-03-06T15:34:56</time></a>\r\n            </div>\r\n            <div class=\"content\">Does neophilia apply to technolust? If so, it would explain Japan.</div>\r\n            \r\n        </li>\r\n    \r\n        <li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221084983\">\r\n            <div class=\"meta\">\r\n                <div class=\"author\">\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=bf128da1bceaabde3d14d222fce76aac&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\"/></a>\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"\">robin</a>\r\n                </div>\r\n                <a href=\"#comment-221084983\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2005-06-01T14:56:30\">2005-06-01T14:56:30</time></a>\r\n            </div>\r\n            <div class=\"content\">Dr. Whybrow grabbed me with his accurate \"information affluence\" quote the other night when he was a featured guest on the radio show, \"Coast to Coast\".  It's true, we Americans are informationally affluent with radios, tv's, cell phones, computers, etc.\r\n\r\nGreat blog!  It's in my favorites, now.\r\n\r\nThanks!</div>\r\n            \r\n        </li>\r\n    \r\n        </ul>\r\n    \r\n        </div>\r\n    ",
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