Senior Skater - Andy Huggins

If you know, you know. Face blindness, or as medical professionals call it, prosopagnosia, can be frustrating even in its mildest form. For me, it's the constant disappointment I see on people's faces when I don't register who they are. One time, I didn't identify my own comedy agent at the Laugh Factory. Another more egregious time, I didn't recognize my boyfriend of three years at the mall. (I didn't expect to see him and he was wearing a hat. He never wears hats!)I used to have a joke that, to me, everyone looks like some version of actor Tobey Maguire no matter their gender, race, or height. I would be awful picking out a suspect in a police lineup, because I'd just keep saying, "Um, he was Spiderman, I think?"The topic of face blindness isn't new. In neurologist Oliver Sacks's book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, he writes, among many things, about a case study in which someone has a much more complex, severe condition processing stimuli called visual agnosia. Sacks discusses the neurological theories behind the condition, even adding in philosophical and Freudian explanations. - Neurologist Oliver Sacks discusses what it's like to have prosopagnosia. www.youtube.com, CNN The condition is actually somewhat common. According to Neuroscience News, 1 in 50 people have mild face blindness or "developmental prosopagnosia."In her recent piece "Even mild face blindness can cause serious difficulties in daily life – new study," for The Conversation, psychologist Judith Lowes asks, "Have you ever been ignored by someone you knew when you bumped into them in the street or at an event? If so, you probably thought they were being rude. But they might have face blindness–a condition officially known as developmental prosopagnosia."Her findings were fascinating. "In a new study my colleagues and I conducted, 29 adults with face blindness revealed the daily challenges they face. Ten of the participants said they could not reliably recognise immediate family members, and 12 couldn’t recognise closest friends in out-of-context or unexpected encounters. Yet many felt it was socially difficult to admit these struggles." -People talk about their experience with face blindness. www.youtube.com, The New York Times The study concludes prosopagnosia might be a form of neurodivergence, and somewhere on the autism/ADHD spectrum. She writes that recognizing face blindness as a "form of neurodivergence isn’t just about awareness, it’s about dignity, inclusion, and making everyday life easier for thousands of people."But, for my fellow face-blind folks, there's hope and help. On the subreddit r/Prosopagnosia, an OP asks "Strategies for recognizing people?" Their more specific question is "How do y’all compensate for your face blindness?" The comments section bursts with ideas. Come from the assumption that you know everyone A few people suggest greeting people with "good to see you," instead of "nice to meet you," no matter what. I do this and while it seems strange at first, it's a way of faking it until you make it. Then if it's a short conversation, no harm, no foul. Learn to rely on vocal cues If, let's say using the last example, you need to buy more time. Listen closely to a person's voice. For me, my auditory memory is intact, so if I can just get a few seconds with vocal cues, my recognition sensors set in. Be honest and open about the condition Other Redditors recommend a more honest approach. One shares, "I’m open about it. I say something like 'I’m so sorry, I have face blindness, can you remind me how we know each other?' And people are usually really kind about it. The only time it’s been truly awkward for me was when the response was 'Ten years of friendship?!' (She’d changed her very distinctive hair.)" Look for specific traits to memorize This has truly helped me. When I'm meeting someone, especially someone I assume I'll see again, I try to find one thing on their face I can remember. A beauty mark on their cheek or a tattoo on their arm. Then, personally, I repeat it in my head: "Mike, tattoo, Mike, tattoo." Another Redditor advised to "look for scars." Same idea—find something on them that won't likely change and commit it to the space in your brain where the memory of their face would have gone. Subtly ask for more context This is a big one. Like many of us, it becomes kind of a game of fishing for information without awkwardly giving yourself away. I'll often ask, "When was the last time I saw you?" And if they say, "At our high school reunion of course," then boom—that's information! Once I have just a few pieces of the face blindness jigsaw puzzle, I can piece it together pretty quickly. (And then I often overcompensate once I realize who they are. "Oh yeah! You were wearing the cutest pink dress! How's Steve? Still living in Milwaukee?")As one commenter put it, "Bluffing and hoping for some context from the conversation's clues." Tattoo artist with a canine assistant creates colorful ink. Giphy While many in this and other threads online discuss the anxiety and embarrassment that can come as a result of this condition, it is not all that uncommon. And if we approach it from the neurodivergence standpoint, as Lowes proposes, it might make it easier to discuss and give grace to ourselves and others.

Economics can be complicated, but there's one simple truth that's undeniable—today's financial landscape looks vastly different than it used to. Not only has the economy shifted in ways that make basic living more expensive, but the way money even works has changed a lot in just one generation. Cash is out. Crypto is in (maybe, sometimes, depending on who you ask), and credit cards have become the standard form of payment for everyone. No one balances a checkbook anymore, and young people don't even know what that means. Sewing your own clothes used to be a way to save money, but now the cost of patterns and fabric have made sewing a somewhat expensive hobby, not a frugal hack. A lot of the financial wisdom previous generations held dear simply doesn't apply anymore, as evidenced by people's responses to a question, "What financial advice from our parents' generation is officially dead?" from Frugal Here were some of the most common responses:1. Get a college degree because it'll guarantee you a good job"My parents didn’t say this but plenty in their generation did: “It doesn’t matter what your degree is in, just get a degree and there will be plenty of jobs available when you graduate.”"The Millennial experience was being told we have to go to college; find something you enjoy doing and expect jobs in it; don’t worry about loans, there’s plenty of money out there. And then being yelled at and mocked when we come out with debt, dumb degrees and shitty jobs.""My parents told me to just get a college degree and not worry about finding the perfect major. For them, just having a college degree opened doors. My advice to my son will be to be very intentional in the degree he chooses. Today you need to make sure your college degree will lead to employment." A college diploma isn't the golden ticket it used to be. Photo credit: CanvaCurrent reality: With the cost of college tuition skyrocketing over the past few decades and wages not keeping up with cost of living expenses, "college will guarantee financial comfort" simply isn't true anymore. A college degree might result in a well-paying job, but it might not. Indeed reports that Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that "on average, those with four-year degrees still earn more than their trade school-educated counterparts," but with trade jobs being in high demand and some of them earning high salaries, college isn't necessarily the best path to financial success for everyone.2. Keep a stash of cash under your mattress or in a shoebox"The old classic 'shoebox under the bed' has been dead for a while, but people still do it. If you want to keep a couple hundred bucks in cash for an emergency, knock yourself out.But my mother in law has like 20k stashed in my wife's childhood room and has had it there for years and years. Absolutely kills me but she won't even consider any other options.""I had a friend who had $15k in cash stashed in her house, and then she got robbed. Of course, the thieves found the cash. Guess what homeowners' insurance doesn't reimburse you for when your house gets robbed? They paid her back $1000 of the $15k and that was it." People. used to keep money under their mattress "just in case." That's not really the best advice these days. Photo credit: Canva"Back when I was doing finance at a car dealership I had a couple come into my office, finish all the paperwork, and then set $27,000 in a plastic shopping bag on my desk. I about crapped my pants. They had been carrying this bag of money throughout the sales process. I advised them to never do that again. They just hated banks.""That 20k invested in an S&P index fund at a yearly average return of 10% would be $134,550.00 after 20 years. Left in a shoebox it’s…. 20k."Current reality: A federally-insured bank is the safest place to keep your money. The need for actual cash has become less and less relevant as credit and debit cards are accepted almost everywhere, and keeping a large amount of cash around is risky. If cash is stolen, there's nothing you can do about it. If someone steals from your bank account, there are protections in place. Plus, keeping lots of liquid cash means missing out on investment returns. im rich cash money GIF Giphy 3. Be loyal to your company—it'll pay off"'Loyalty pays off in the end' and 'Don’t change workplaces; try to stay at one place for your entire career' also 'Only change positions if it’s a vertical move. Don’t change positions if it’s a lateral move.' None of this is true any longer.""A lot of people believed this at my last job. So much so that many stayed on for 20+ years. Earlier this year, this group became known as ‘highly tenured’ and was offered a voluntary retirement package. In many individual instances (such as mine) it wasn’t exactly ‘voluntary’. Maybe loyalty meant something at one time but definitely not anymore!""'Stick it out and put in your time' at a job you hate. The implication being, of course, that if you work hard for an employer and stay the course, you’ll be better for it. Those days are over. Company loyalty doesn't pay like it used to. Giphy Current reality: Millennials and Gen Z have gained a reputation for "job hopping," whereas previous generations were rewarded by staying with the same company long-term. But even in 2014, Forbes reported that “staying employed at the same company for over two years on average is going to make you earn less over your lifetime by about 50% or more.” Current wisdom says that job hopping will help you earn more. 4. You shouldn't be living with your parents after college"I feel like the conventional wisdom about moving out on your own has changed since I was a kid. When I was growing up it was understood if you were still living at home past your early 20s/college graduation that meant you were failing at life. These days I know people in their 40s still living at home because they can't afford to move out in today's environment.""Yup. I know a few people who have adult kids living with them because they can’t afford to live on their own after college. Rentals in my state are absolutely insane, and when you combine that with college loan repayments? Forget it.""As someone who is living at home in her thirties the stigma has dropped like a rock since COVID. I was given more shit for living at home at 22 than I was at 32. My parents had a car accident this year and the doctors were over the moon there was an adult kid at home to sort everything out.""That's one practice I am grateful my immigrant parents never assimilated, and the fact I have a good relationship with them. Their was no expectation to move out until I was engaged / married. Multi-generation households make so much sense when it comes to saving money and pooled resources." Lots of adults are living at thome after college. Giphy Current reality: According to data from Sallie Mae, 64% of college grads are still living with their parents within the first two years of graduation, and 35% are still at home between three and five years post-grad. Living at home has become a financially wise and socially acceptable decision—it no longer means you're a lazy loser without the ability to support yourself. 5. Stay away from stocks (or even 401Ks)"The advice from my depression-era parents. Stay away from stocks, they will always crash and you will lose your shirt. Guaranteed.""My boomer mother: 'Putting your money in a 401k is gambling. You might as well take it to the casino or throw it away.'""My grandmother refused to try to understand why we had 401ks that were invested in stocks. 'All those Wall Street crooks do is steal your money!' She also couldn't understand why we didn't just keep all our money in a savings account in the bank, even when we explained that our bank savings account was only giving us .03% interest.""That was also the advice I got from basically all my coworkers when I first started work after college in 2009 regarding a 401k. I had enough sense and luck to ignore them and still contribute, but I did put less in than I could have. I don't think I would have been able to retire yet, but would have been much closer than I am now." Investing for the future looks a bit different now than it did a couple of generations ago. Photo credit: CanvaCurrent reality: Some people who advise against investing in the market came from the Great Depression or felt the sting of some other major downswings in the stock market during their lives. For sure, all kinds of investments are risky to varying degrees, but in the absence of pensions, if you ever want to retire, investing is pretty much the only way to do it. The stock market isn't the only way, of course, but it does have an average 10% return overall over the past century. And 401Ks aren't necessarily tied to the stock market; there are lots of safer ways to invest your retirement funds these days. One commenter wrote of our elders' financial advice that's aged like milk, "Almost all of it. Because the world their advice is based in no longer exists." That's really the crux of it. We can look to our parents and grandparents for all kinds of wisdom born of experience, but when it comes to financial advice, best to look to the experts who have a better understanding of our current economic landscape.

Being productive requires your focus, determination, and discipline to get things done and achieve your personal and professional goals. Productive people excel at finding ways to minimize distraction and effectively use the 24 hours in each day. Luckily, becoming more productive can happen in two minutes or less.A group of productive people in the subreddit r/Productivity put their brains together to respond to member erddre23, who asked: "What’s one '2-minute' habit that genuinely changed your week?"They openly shared their tips and tricks for becoming more productive (and in return, happier) in a short amount of time. These are 15 two-minute habits from productive people to consider adding to your daily routine. Happy Game Over GIF by QuickBooks Giphy "Create a not-to-do list. Stick all the things that are in your head but you're not going to do on there. Great way to focus and declutter my brain. I use it as a brain dump, when looking at my tasks. So it’s things that I consider need doing but on closer inspection can just be dropped. Basic premise is, there’s way too much to do, I over estimate how important things are, only a select few things really matter." - Serious-Put6732"Even quicker .. try BJ Foggs 'Maui Habit'. Soon as your feet hit the ground after you wake, tell yourself 'today is going to be a great day' and 'feel' it." - Different-Ad8308 - YouTube www.youtube.com "Starting with just 2 minutes on a big task makes it way less scary, and once I start, i usually keep going for hours. my procrastination usually kicks in when things feel too big to even begin." - Alternative_Owl5866"Anything you want to start, but feel like is too big of a task, break it down in the simplest, easiest form. If you haven’t built up the motivation to read that book, then just read 5 words of the book (I’m serious). focus on consistency - just do." - babatundaeeeee"Honestly, just taking 2 minutes every morning to jot down the top three things I really want to get done that day has totally changed my week." - sarthakdesigngrow Shit To Do Big Brother GIF by Big Brother After Dark Giphy "Don’t look at your phone within the first 2 mins of waking up." - Deep-Explanation1024"For me it’s washing dishes right after I eat takes way less time than I think, and my kitchen never feels like a war zone anymore." - felipemsimon0"Mine - breathing morning practice. Breathe in, breathe out. Before starting my daily routine. Technically, it's for calming down... but it's also the foundation for something bigger, like mindfulness. The practice helps me relax, set a positive tone for the day, and visualize the big picture, among other things" - EpicTale_Production Relaxing Inner Peace GIF by Naomi Sharon Giphy "Literally two minutes. I stretch my neck in three directions on each side for 20s." - SgtRevDrEsq"Journaling, nothing too complicated: just starting my morning with some pep talk (I get too lost in my head sometimes) and reminding myself of things I need to get done (e.g. drink more water, stretching every time I take a bathroom break, work on a report). To-do lists stopped working with me for years now, but these mental reminders somehow keep me on track for the day. It feels like executing a code in my brain that helps me be more conscious of my actions and makes me less inclined to live on autopilot." - Dry-Key-9510"Making my bed every morning. I know it’s cliche but it’s legit changed my life." - Jealous-Function-105 Hannah Simone Fox GIF by New Girl Giphy "I get gas on the way home instead of on the way out. NOTHING pisses me off more than urgently needing gas when I’m on a time crunch, which I often am ?." - Acrobatic-Beach-5581"Getting tomorrow ready before going to bed. I pick out which clothes to wear. I set out a place setting for breakfast. I'll put the chips and fresh fruit in my cooler, for tomorrow's lunch. Doing this makes the morning easier to breeze through." - LordBofKerry"I started doing pushups just as a means to get exercise in my downtime. I started with 10 pushups a day. Now I’m doing 75 a day. I’ve been doing this for such a long time that not doing pushups feels weird now." - ChickyBoys"Define your vision, hang it on a wall, and read it every morning for two minutes. It's way easier to prioritize and say no if you know exactly where you're going and keep reminding yourself of it." - CarpenterFlat3590

We’ve all come across people that have immediately struck us as intelligent. There are, undeniably, certain quirks or traits that immediately give off an air of knowing more than the average joe. However, there are just as many behaviors assumed to be signs of intellect, that really aren’t. Or even if they do historically denote a higher IQ, people hijack these traits in an effort to seem smarter. In an age of blatant misinformation and fake experts…iknowinghow to spot the difference seems more vital than ever. That's why the answers to this question, “What is NOT a sign of intelligence, but people think it is?” posed on Reddit, could be helpful. Or at the very least, it’ll give you a boost of vindication for not thinking that one guy at trivia night was the genius everyone else thought he was. Below are the 10 most popular themes we pulled. Having an opinion on everything“Smart people that I know refrain from giving opinions on things they don't know. Partly because they have good awareness of what they actually know…I also think that the more intelligent you are, the more you recognize the nuance in every subject, and therefore it becomes more difficult to state a flat-out, black and white opinion.”“The absolute inability of some people to simply say ‘I don’t know’ is astounding. They’ll speculate vague scenarios for an hour without even being able to explain where they believe they are getting their hunches.” See on Instagram Challenging or contradicting everything people say“I have a colleague that does this and I've started to disengage and let them dig their own hole because some of the contrarian positions she takes is just plain stupid.”“I’ve noticed a lot of people who are like this tend to also have a self-righteous attitude.”Objection Lewbert GIFfrom Objection GIFs "Telling it like it is”“In my experience people who ‘tell it like it is’ are generally on the lower side of intelligence and ‘how it is’ is a very simplified and juvenile understanding if not based on outright falsehoods.”“When people tell me they’re brutally honest I just assume they enjoy the brutality more than the honesty.”“It’s a sign they don’t have the intelligence to say anything with tact or differentiate between what should and shouldn’t be said.”Wellexcusemethen Excuse GIFfrom Wellexcusemethen GIFs Talking fast with a lot of wordsMany referred to this as gish galloping, which is a debate technique used to overwhelm an opponent by presenting an excessive number of arguments, without regard for their accuracy or strength, with a rapidity that makes it impossible for the opponent to address them in the time available. “I transcribe audio for a living. I find a lot of people who talk fast don't actually say more. There's a lot of repetition, filler words and phrases, and they very rarely have well organized thoughts/conversations so they're just harder to follow. I know some people just talk like that so I'm not mad at them, and sometimes people who talk like that are still actually geniuses and it's because their brain is moving faster than their mouth is, but usually not.”Liar Liar Jim Carrey GIFfrom Liar Liar GIFs Having confidence“I’ve seen people who are, well, not stupid, but certainly not the smartest people in the conversation, get treated like geniuses because they have the confidence and presentation side of things nailed.”“In my life, I have met some truly intelligent people…I am not one of those people, but I was given the gift of presentation. Without question, my career has been built upon appearing, sounding and looking like I am one of those people. It is honestly scary how willingly people will give you power and responsibility for essentially being a good actor.”“Just because people are able to speak confidently, it doesn't necessarily mean they have anything of substance to say.”“This misconception is 90% of politics.”Confidence GIFfrom Confidence GIFs Writing a book“Any fool can spew some crap into a word document and ‘publish’ it as a book. If you see some expert on TV and their only credential is ‘author of…’ you should be very skeptical.”“My wife is an editor, trust me, some people who write books are barely literate. I feel like she has as much a hand in writing some of these books as the author does. Especially when it needs a heavy developmental edit.”“Following some authors on social... has been eye opening.”I'M Something Of An Author Myself Writer GIFfrom I'M Something Of An Author Myself GIFs Wearing glassesHistorically, glasses have been associated with brainy activities like studying and reading, hence why so many smarty pants characters in pop culture sport a pair of specs. And interestingly enough, there was a study in 2018 that indicated there was some truth to the stereotype. However, now that all of our eyes are glued onto screens for the majority of the day, which has a collective effect on our vision, I’d wonder if those stats would still hold up. Some glasses-wearing folks in the conversation certainly had opinions on the matter. “Can confirm, I wear glasses and I’m the dumbest person I’ve met.”“I have glasses and I don’t mean to put myself down but I’m not as smart as people think I am. lol. It’s exhausting.”Scooby Doo Velma GIFfrom Scooby Doo GIFs Labelling emotions as ‘irrational’“If people ever studied neuroscience they’d learn that our emotional processing system is literally right next to our memory system, and highly connected with our decision making and memory consolidation. Emotions are in part an evolutionary design that makes us so intelligent. When the links between these are impaired our ability to make rational, logical decisions is impaired.”“I find the people who think they’re really logical and detached often tend to be highly emotional individuals who just struggle with other people’s emotions and their own emotional regulation. They are the kind of people who shut themselves down and then break out in a rage. Obviously not everyone, but it seems to be common in some people with autism and other conditions that affect the ability to emotionally regulate to see logic as disassociated from emotions.”Fuck Merde GIFfrom Fuck GIFs Being cynical“Being miserable or trying to tear down every idea or opinion that comes your way doesn't equate to being intelligent or even interesting.”“The most intelligent people I've met in life have been extremely optimistic and excited during conversations.”“I’ve always called cynicism a low form of analysis. You do need to be somewhat smarter than average to challenge existing constructs. However, true intelligence is shown by taking the next step, which is formulating alternatives. Being cynical alone is actually buying into an existing structure without imagination—it is simply recognizing that something that someone else created is bad.”“It’s fine to think of the potential negative outcomes to events, or possible negative motivations of people so you can be aware to watch out for them but if you’re realistic about actual probability, none of that will hold you back from being optimistic.”“Most of the stupidest people I've met have also been the most mean spirited and pessimistic.”Damn You Are So Cynical Neil Degrasse Tyson GIFfrom Damn You Are So Cynical GIFs Speaking with a British accentOkay, this was a funny one, but a pertinent one nonetheless. “Lol, Americans don't even differentiate between different British accents. They think a brummy accent - which to UK ears sounds like borderline brain damage - sounds smart.”“It's only a sign of a very specific kind of intelligence... namely MI6”You Sound GIFfrom You GIFs

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He ended up playing a role in some of the most beloved family and kids shows of the '90s and '00s.

A new Bank of America survey reveals that Gen Z is taking more steps to be financially responsible. With the cost of living rising, 72 percent of young adults say they have made changes to improve their financial situations. Join Spectator P.M. Podcast hosts Ellie Gardey Holmes and Lyrah Margo as they discuss what’s driving these changes in Gen Z’s spending habits and what this says about this generation’s approach to money. Tune in to hear their conversation! Read Ellie and Lyrah’s writing here and here. Listen to the Spectator P.M. Podcast on Spotify. Watch the Spectator P.M. Podcast on Rumble.