What We Can Learn From Old Animals - NYTimes.com

What We Can Learn From Old Animals - NYTimes.com:

"I would never have guessed the trauma she experienced,” said Ms. Leshko, a vegan. “She had a very peaceful day. She was bathing herself and lying in the grass and basking in the sunlight. That really tripped me up, to see this creature that had suffered so much in her life finding a moment of happiness."

Here is a video from her website:

Elderly Animals: Photographs by Isa Leshko from Mark & Angela Walley on Vimeo.

Alberto Cairo: There are no scraps of men - YouTube

Alberto Cairo: There are no scraps of men - YouTube:

"Alberto Cairo's clinics in Afghanistan used to close down during active fighting. Now, they stay open. At TEDxRC2 (the RC stands for Red Cross/Red Crescent), Cairo tells the powerful story of why -- and how he found humanity and dignity in the midst of war."

Massive 1,100+ year old Maya site discovered in Georgia's mountains - National Architecture & Design | Examiner.com

Massive 1,100+ year old Maya site discovered in Georgia's mountains - National Architecture & Design | Examiner.com:

" Archaeological zone 9UN367 at Track Rock Gap, near Georgia’s highest mountain, Brasstown Bald, is a half mile (800 m) square and rises 700 feet (213 m) in elevation up a steep mountainside. Visible are at least 154 stone masonry walls for agricultural terraces, plus evidence of a sophisticated irrigation system and ruins of several other stone structures. Much more may be hidden underground. It is possibly the site of the fabled city of Yupaha, which Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto failed to find in 1540, and certainly one of the most important archaeological discoveries in recent times."

Watch "TEDxSF - Louie Schwartzberg - Gratitude" Video at TEDxTalks

Watch "TEDxSF - Louie Schwartzberg - Gratitude" Video at TEDxTalks:

Even if you choose to ignore the message, watch for the pictures/video a the start. Wow.

"Louie Schwartzberg is an award-winning cinematographer, director, and producer whose notable career spans more than three decades providing breathtaking imagery for feature films, television shows, documentaries and commercials. As a visual artist, Louie has created some of the most iconic and memorable film moments of our time. He is an innovator in the world of time-lapse, nature, aerial and "slice-of-life" photography - the only cinematographer in the world who has literally been shooting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week continuously for more than 30 years."

Khan Academy Blends Its YouTube Approach With Classrooms - NYTimes.com

Khan Academy Blends Its YouTube Approach With Classrooms - NYTimes.com:

"This semester, at least 36 schools nationwide are trying out Mr. Khan’s experiment: splitting up the work of teaching between man and machine, and combining teacher-led lessons with computer-based lectures and exercises.

As schools try to sort out confusing claims about the benefits of using technology in the classroom, and companies ponder the profits from big education contracts, Khan Academy may seem like just another product vying for attention.

But what makes Mr. Khan’s venture stand out is that the lessons and software tools are entirely free — available to anyone with access to a reasonably fast Internet connection."

Kathryn Schulz: Don't regret regret | Video on TED.com

Kathryn Schulz: Don't regret regret | Video on TED.com:

"We're taught to try to live life without regret. But why? Using her own tattoo as an example, Kathryn Schulz makes a powerful and moving case for embracing our regrets."

Email in the enterprise: entering its twilight at 40?

Email in the enterprise: entering its twilight at 40?:

"While it’s certainly premature to declare email — which turned 40 years old in 2011 — “dead” as a technology, it’s fair to acknowledge that a new generation of communication tools is gaining traction as a more effective means of communication for the enterprise.

Email is without a doubt the most tried and true technology for both enterprise and personal communication, but it’s not without its shortcomings."

NFL: The All-22 Football Footage the League Won't Show You - WSJ.com

NFL: The All-22 Football Footage the League Won't Show You - WSJ.com:

"For decades, NFL TV broadcasts have relied most heavily on one view: the shot from a sideline camera that follows the progress of the ball. Anyone who wants to analyze the game, however, prefers to see the pulled-back camera angle known as the "All 22."

While this shot makes the players look like stick figures, it allows students of the game to see things that are invisible to TV watchers: like what routes the receivers ran, how the defense aligned itself and who made blocks past the line of scrimmage.

By distributing this footage only to NFL teams, and rationing it out carefully to its TV partners and on its web site, the NFL has created a paradox. The most-watched sport in the U.S. is also arguably the least understood. "I don't think you can get a full understanding without watching the entirety of the game," says former head coach Bill Parcells."

Space Junk: NASA Can't Predict Re-Entry With Certainty - ABC News

Space Junk: NASA Can't Predict Re-Entry With Certainty - ABC News:

"...according to Nicholas Johnson, NASA's chief orbital debris scientist, any one person's chances of getting hit by debris are tiny -- something like 1 in 21 trillion. The chances that of the 7 billion people on Earth, one of them, somewhere, could be hit are more like 1 in 3,200."

well assuming uniformly distributed people. LOL..

SF Giant's GM Brian Sabean

ForaTv's Channel - YouTube:

"All of the sudden, we're not the national pastime," says Brian Sabean, general manager of the San Francisco Giants. Sabean attributes the fall of baseball to a lack of scholarships for young players. With star athletes pursuing more lucrative deals in other sports, viewers follow them to the NFL and NBA, causing baseball ratings to plummet."

ForaTv's Channel - YouTube

ForaTv's Channel - YouTube:

"Elevation Partners managing director Roger McNamee predicts HTML5 will be a huge disruptive force for both web publishers and online advertisers. "HTML5 allows you to treat a web page as a brand new canvas, with no rules, no limits"

Hulu - American Experience: Robert E. Lee - Watch the full episode now.

Hulu - American Experience: Robert E. Lee - Watch the full episode now.: "The American Experience: Robert E. Lee"

Crows are really smart!

Fascinating

For Yankees’ Teixeira, Would-Be Hits Are Swallowed by a Shift - NYTimes.com

For Yankees’ Teixeira, Would-Be Hits Are Swallowed by a Shift - NYTimes.com:

"Long said the team’s research had shown that Teixeira was losing 15 to 20 points off his average because of would-be hits that were swallowed up by the shift, making it a primary reason for Teixeira’s declining average"

‪Aaron Burr's Challenge to Jefferson's America‬‏ - YouTube

Looks like a good book.

‪Aaron Burr's Challenge to Jefferson's America‬‏ - YouTube: "David O. Stewart takes a fascinating look at the young United States through the unlikely story of Aaron Burr, one of the most vilified and puzzling figures in our history"

The Body Odd - Crying shame: Tears don't make you feel any better, study shows

The Body Odd - Crying shame: Tears don't make you feel any better, study shows:

"Scientists ended up with 1,004 crying episodes to analyze: Their results showed that the average boo-hoo lasted eight minutes and took place in the living room, usually alone or with one other person present. Conflict, loss, or seeing others suffer were the most common triggers for tears.

For the majority of cases -- 61 percent of them -- sobbers reported no change in mood compared to how they felt before moisture streamed down their cheeks. Thirty percent experienced a better mood afterward and nine percent felt worse."

Larger Brains May Have Evolved Due to Sports, Not Smarts | Playbook

Larger Brains May Have Evolved Due to Sports, Not Smarts | Playbook:

"Endurance exercise has been shown to boost the levels of chemical messengers that promote growth and reorganization in the brain. It’s therefore possible that animals with an increased penchant for endurance exercise may have beefed-up brains. Though a definite cause-and-effect relationship has not been proven, researchers have shown that within a species, the animals with the bigger brains are the ones that run longer than the rest."

It goes on to say that the data were too noisy to show that it applied within humans, but I will go with yes ;) lol

Biking in Olean

YES it is a short short season due to 6 months of winter, and cold falls and springs, but for a few months, it is nice.

YouTube - ‪TEDtalksDirector's Channel‬‏

YouTube - ‪TEDtalksDirector's Channel‬‏: "Diving under the Antarctic ice to get close to the much-feared leopard seal, photographer Paul Nicklen found an extraordinary new friend. Share his hilarious, passionate stories of the polar wonderlands, illustrated by glorious images of the animals who live on and under the ice"

Pictures We Love: Best of June

Pictures We Love: Best of June--

Some amazing pictures from the National Geographic.

:) :) Smile!!! :) :)

Temple Grandin: The world needs all kinds of minds | Video on TED.com

Temple Grandin: The world needs all kinds of minds | Video on TED.com

Very interesting.

Stay in school!

NY Times:

"The evidence is overwhelming that college is a better investment for most graduates than in the past. A new study even shows that a bachelor’s degree pays off for jobs that don’t require one: secretaries, plumbers and cashiers. And, beyond money, education seems to make people happier and healthier. ....

The most unfortunate part of the case against college is that it encourages children, parents and schools to aim low. For those families on the fence — often deciding whether a student will be the first to attend — the skepticism becomes one more reason to stop at high school. Only about 33 percent of young adults get a four-year degree today, while another 10 percent receive a two-year degree."

City Life Could Change Your Brain for the Worse | Wired Science | Wired.com

City Life Could Change Your Brain for the Worse | Wired Science | Wired.com:

"Meyer-Lindenberg’s findings, published June 23 in Nature, are a neurological investigation into the underpinnings of a disturbing social trend: As a rule, city life seems to generate mental illness.

Compared to their rural counterparts, city dwellers have higher levels of anxiety and mood disorders. The schizophrenia risk of people raised in cities is almost double. Literature on the effect is so thorough that researchers say it’s not just correlation, as might be expected if anxious people preferred to live in cities. Neither is it a result of heredity. It’s a cause-and-effect relationship between environment and mind."

That last sentence is a brave one.

The Sun Is the Best Optometrist - NYTimes.com

The Sun Is the Best Optometrist - NYTimes.com:

"...the rapid increase in nearsightedness appears to be due to a characteristic of modern life: more and more time spent indoors under artificial lights.

Our genes were originally selected to succeed in a very different world from the one we live in today. Humans’ brains and eyes originated long ago, when we spent most of our waking hours in the sun. The process of development takes advantage of such reliable features of the environment, which then may become necessary for normal growth.

Researchers suspect that bright outdoor light helps children’s developing eyes maintain the correct distance between the lens and the retina — which keeps vision in focus. Dim indoor lighting doesn’t seem to provide the same kind of feedback. As a result, when children spend too many hours inside, their eyes fail to grow correctly and the distance between the lens and retina becomes too long, causing far-away objects to look blurry"

Champion of Character - Michael Jasper | WBBJTV West Tennessee's News Channel | Sports

Champion of Character - Michael Jasper | WBBJTV West Tennessee's News Channel | Sports:

"Questions were raised about his weight, speed and that he couldn't make it in the NFL. Just more motivation for Michael.

'Every time I read an article talk about how big I am I lose 10 pounds, Jasper said. 'Every time they say I'm slow I add 10 tenths to my 40-time. I love Naysayers they make me better.

From 440 pounds to 375, hes in the best shape of his life and ready to begin a new chapter in his story. And prove he can make it."

JAMA Study: Tai Chi Benefits Health of Heart Failure Patients - ABC News

JAMA Study: Tai Chi Benefits Health of Heart Failure Patients - ABC News:

"At the end of the study -- published in today's Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals -- the Tai Chi practitioners felt better, were more confident about their ability to perform everyday tasks and led far more active lifestyles than a similar group who attended twice-weekly health education classes.

Virtually every time I am in NYC I run by the group of people the article talks about. Interesting stuff!

Will Smith: motivational speaker. I had no idea. But very good!

Where Do Bad Moods Come From? | Wired Science | Wired.com

Where Do Bad Moods Come From? | Wired Science | Wired.com:

"The standard theory of bad moods is rooted in a psychological quirk known as ego depletion. Pioneered by Roy Baumeister and Mark Muraven in the 1990s, the basic idea behind ego depletion is that self-control and willpower are limited cognitive resources. As a result, when we overexert ourselves in one domain – say, when we’re on a strict diet, or focused on a difficult task for hours at work – we have fewer resources left over to exert self-control in other domains. This helps explain why, after a long day at the office, we’re more likely to indulge in a pint of ice cream, or eat one too many slices of pizza. A tired brain, preoccupied with its problems, is going to struggle to resist what it wants, even when what it wants isn’t what we need.

A bad mood is no different. When we push our mind too hard, asking it to refrain from carbs and cigarettes, we struggle to avoid the negative thoughts and emotions that lead to sour moods

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

YouTube - Tony Robbins: Why we do what we do, and how we can do it better

YouTube - Tony Robbins: Why we do what we do, and how we can do it better: "Tony Robbins discusses the 'invisible forces' that motivate everyone's actions




- Sent using Google Toolbar"

YouTube - The Fountainhead - Howard Roark Speech (Ayn Rand)

Anxiously awaiting the release of the Atlas Shrugged Movie, but in the mean time it is probably worth watching this. I have never seen the Fountainhead movie. Here is an clip:


YouTube - The Fountainhead - Howard Roark Speech (Ayn Rand): "From The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, Gary Cooper as Howard Roark delivers the memorable courtroom speech in self-defense for dynamiting Courtland."

YouTube - Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

YouTube - Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005: "Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005


- Sent using Google Toolbar"

BBC - Earth News - Chernobyl birds are small brained

BBC - Earth News - Chernobyl birds are small brained:

"Birds living around the site of the Chernobyl nuclear accident have 5% smaller brains, an effect directly linked to lingering background radiation."

Bird brained even for birds.

Simoleon Sense » Blog Archive » Why loneliness is hazardous to your health

Simoleon Sense » Blog Archive » Why loneliness is hazardous to your health:

"..scores of studies have found that people who lack social support are more prone to a variety of ailments. An analysis of 148 of these studies, published in the July 2010 issue of PLoS Medicine, suggests that social isolation increases the risk of death about as much as smoking cigarettes and more than either physical inactivity or obesity…loneliness is a health risk on its own, apart from conditions such as depression or stress that are common fellow travelers. More specifically, it seems to be the subjective experience of loneliness that’s important for people’s well-being rather than any objective measure of social connectivity (the number of close contacts someone has, for example)."

Interesting article via Simoleon Sense

Rare and Unusual Photos and Images From the Burns Archive - Newsweek

Rare and Unusual Photos and Images From the Burns Archive - Newsweek: "-"

Group IQ - The Boston Globe

Group IQ - The Boston Globe:

"The new work is part of a growing body of research that focuses on understanding collective behavior and intelligence — an increasingly relevant topic of research in an age where everything from scientific progress to entrepreneurial success hinges on collaboration. Embedded in a century’s worth of Broadway shows, the interactions of online communities, or the path a ball travels between soccer players, researchers are finding hints about how individual people contribute to make a group creative and successful."

Fascinating stuff!

BBC News - Is there a genius in all of us?

BBC News - Is there a genius in all of us?:

"Carol Dweck from Stanford University in the US, has demonstrated that students who understand intelligence is malleable rather than fixed are much more intellectually ambitious and successful.

The same dynamic applies to talent.... would be folly to suggest that anyone can literally do or become anything. But the new science tells us that it's equally foolish to think that mediocrity is built into most of us, or that any of us can know our true limits before we've applied enormous resources and invested vast amounts of time.

Our abilities are not set in genetic stone. They are soft and sculptable, far into adulthood. With humility, with hope, and with extraordinary determination, greatness is something to which any kid - of any age - can aspire."

The Unexpected Return of 'Duck and Cover' - Glenn Harlan Reynolds - National - The Atlantic

The Unexpected Return of 'Duck and Cover' - Glenn Harlan Reynolds - National - The Atlantic:

"A terrorist bomb is likely to be relatively small -- possibly only a fraction of the Hiroshima bomb's explosive power -- and likely exploded at ground level. This means that the area totally destroyed by the explosion is likely to be much smaller than the area exposed to lesser damage or to fallout radiation (this nuclear weapons effects calculator from the Federation of Atomic Scientists will let you see the effect of different sized bombs burst at different heights). Because of this, Homeland Security people in the Obama Administration have been encouraging a duck-and-cover approach, followed by advice to 'shelter in place' against fallout rather than trying to evacuate the area."

HT to Chris Mackowski

Our Brains Are Shrinking. Are We Getting Dumber? : NPR

Our Brains Are Shrinking. Are We Getting Dumber? : NPR:

"...not all researchers are so pessimistic. Brian Hare, an anthropologist at the Duke University Institute for Brain Sciences, thinks the decrease in brain size is actually an evolutionary advantage.....

Hare says when a population selects against aggression, they can be considered to be domesticated. And for a variety of domesticated animals like apes, dogs or turkeys, you can see certain physical characteristics emerge. Among these traits are a lighter and more slender skeleton, a flattened forehead — and decreased brain size."

mmm...or we can specialize more...or we don't need to remember as much since the advent of writing...???

Nancy Folbre: Tree-conomics - NYTimes.com

Nancy Folbre: Tree-conomics - NYTimes.com:

"The difference between private and public benefits explains why some local communities regulate tree management. But more profoundly, it drives a hardwood wedge between individual and social outcomes, with disturbing implications. Deforestation is contributing to global warming.

Why are rational economic actors having such a hard time responding to this problem? Partly because it can’t be reduced to individual choices. It requires coordinated actions that involve collective conflict, coalition-building and strategic maneuver.

The urge to sidestep such difficulties helps explain efforts to find market-based solution..."

To Beat Back Poverty, Pay the Poor - NYTimes.com

To Beat Back Poverty, Pay the Poor - NYTimes.com:

"The program, called Bolsa Familia (Family Grant) in Brazil, goes by different names in different places. In Mexico, where it first began on a national scale and has been equally successful at reducing poverty, it is Oportunidades. The generic term for the program is conditional cash transfers. The idea is to give regular payments to poor families, in the form of cash or electronic transfers into their bank accounts, if they meet certain requirements. The requirements vary, but many countries employ those used by Mexico: families must keep their children in school and go for regular medical checkups, and mom must attend workshops on subjects like nutrition or disease prevention. The payments almost always go to women, as they are the most likely to spend the money on their families. The elegant idea behind conditional cash transfers is to combat poverty today while breaking the cycle of poverty for tomorrow."

Steps to New Year's Resolution Success - WSJ.com

Steps to New Year's Resolution Success - WSJ.com:

"Dr. Shiv recommends a carrot-and-stick approach to a resolution: Focus most of the time on the emotional rewards you will reap for changing your behavior. If you want to lose weight, visualize yourself feeling the benefits, thinking, 'If I work hard, I will look so good, and feel so good,' he says. As a stick to help you get started on your new habits, evoke the emotional consequences of failing to change. 'Visualize yourself feeling fat, and think, 'If I don't work out, I will look like a heavy thing,' ' and be less satisfied with yourself and your social life. Over time, your resolution 'is going to get tagged with those emotions,' which will kick in automatically even when the cognitive parts of your brain are worn out, he says."