Gathering and Discerning Information in the 21st Century
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“Each of us believes himself to live directly within the world that surrounds him, to sense its objects and events precisely, and to live in real and current time. I assert these are perceptual illusions. Sensation is an abstraction, not a replication of the real world.” Vernon Mountcastle

Quote from YouTube Video: Kavli Prize Laureate Lecture – The Restless Brain

The Home Renovation Planner

Financing and your Project:

One of the most important considerations for your home improvement is the costs associated with the financing of your project. You have several options like those mentioned above. The bottom line is do what you can comfortably afford. Make sure you have plenty of room for unexpected costs, product pricing changes and all the additional expenses you will incur that you would not have normally spent like more dining out or get away ventures while the renovation is going on.

The most common methods of financing are:

A home improvement loan

A home-equity line of credit

A home-equity loan (second mortgage)

A cash-out refinancing and the traditional method of cash.

Cash may seem to be the best but that’s not always the case. You should consut with a financial advisor to see what is in your long-term best interest. If you use cash you could lose out on the interest it could earn in other investments. You need to compare rate of return against interest from borrowing. Again be sure to consult with your banker or financial planner. Also find out what is and what isn’t tax deductible because interest payments on a home improvement loan may be tax-deductible, while you can’t write off the costs paid for in cash. Talk to your accountant or tax planner here
A home equity line of credit is a form of revolving credit in which your home serves as collateral. This allows you to tap into these funds whenever you need it. The credit line is usually set at a percent value of your home minus the balance of the mortgage.

Consult with your banker or local association (section 7 Resources) for government supported home-improvement plans like the loans the Federal Housing Administration in the USA offers. Canada has similar programs as do most countries.

Science-fact-theory-hypothesis

Definitions key to discussions:

  • Fact: A fact is a statement that is true and can be proved with evidence.
  • Hypothesis: A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon that can be tested by the scientific method. A hypothesis has not been tested.
  • Theory: Scientific theories are distinguished from hypotheses, which are empirically testable conjectures, and from scientific laws, which are descriptive accounts of how nature behaves under certain conditions. Theories have been rigorously tested and widely accepted by the scientific community who agree the theory best explains the observations or phenomenon we experience.
  • Scientific Method: The scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge.
  • Empirical Evidence: Empirical evidence is the knowledge received by means of the senses, particularly by observation and experimentation.
  • Reality: Reality is the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them.
  • Delusion: A delusion is a belief that is held with strong conviction despite superior evidence to the contrary.
  • Insanity: Insanity, craziness, or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns.