Thursday, September 29, 2011
Lego Tries Augmented Reality With “Life Of George” Game
The game marks Lego’s further attempts at capitalizing on its strong lead in children’s toys into new markets. The impetus for Life Of George is based on the success of the Lego series of video games (Lego Harry Potter, Lego Indiana Jones, Lego My Dinner With Andre) as well as its quiet but apparently popular Lego Universe, a brick-based MMO. By adding a casual game like Life of George, with it’s candy-coated graphics and clever gameplay, you grab the kids who may not want to bring their entire Lego collection to Grandma’s but still want to play with their blocks. As a parent, I find that the game is also helpful in teaching counting and hand-eye coordination as you need to find blocks as quickly as possible and then smoosh them together.
Naysayers will note that George does not offer much in the way of imaginative play and I’d agree. But, as we all know, making the thing on the Lego box is often far more exciting than making another “car” using the big green board and a bunch of bricks. There’s a reason behemoths like the 1200-piece Millennium Falcon exists: people love to build things with Lego, but they don’t always want to be structural engineers.
To be clear, Life Of George is a casual game in the vein of Cut The Rope or Angry Birds. You play it for a while, maybe forget about it, maybe dump all of the pieces into the main Lego box down the line. However, at $29 plus a free iOS download (a price I suspect will go down over time) it’s a fun way to interact with your Lego using electronics.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Video: Jeff Bezos Demos The Kindle Fire
The highlight of today’s Amazon event was when CEO Jeff Bezos finally announced the Kindle Fire about midway through. We captured it on video, and you can see for yourself how Bezos introduced the device.
He demos the unique interface, which highlights the media you’ve interacted with most recently. There is also Whispersync for movies, which lets you pick up watching a movie where you left off when you move between devices. And he even plays Fruit Ninja to show off the dual-core processor’s speed.
You can also watch our hands-on videos for both the Kindle Fire and Kindle Touch to see the devices in action some more (but the one above is the only one with Bezos). And here is more coverage of the Kindle Fire and the rest of the Kindle family.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Angry Birds Now Available In Creamy And Not-So-Deadly Moon Pie Form
And...............
Angry Birds Costumes Arrive Just In Time For Halloween
Angry Birds Movie Begins To Take Shape
SWAMPY IN WHERE’S MY WATER?
Disney’s Appmates Turn The iPad Into An Interactive Playmat
I wasn’t much for playing with toy cars as a kid — you’d have found me parked in front of a Sega Genesis, if anything — but I suspect Disney Mobile’s new line of Appmate iPad peripherals would have been just the thing to change my mind.
The Appmates and the iPad work in tandem to create a pretty novel play experience. Featuring the likenesses of characters from Cars 2, the Appmates are miniature figures with special sensors mounted on the bottom.
Those sensors (patent pending, naturally) identify each particular figure to the iPad, so it will know the difference between Tow Mater and and Lightning McQueen even if you don’t.
By gently pressing the figure down on the screen, the corresponding app essentially turns the iPad into an interactive playmat. Since the iPad can differentiate between characters, players will hear different bits of narration and dialogue depending on the figure they’re using.
The app itself takes a sandbox approach to the Cars world: players can engage in races with other characters, complete missions to pick up some virtual cash, or just tool around scenic Radiator Springs. It’s an incredibly cool concept, and one that you can believe Disney will milk in coming months.
The last time we heard from Disney Mobile was during the launch of “Where’s My Water?”, an iOS game starring a brand new character who they hoped would hit an Angry Birds level of ubiquity. The plan seems to be working so far, as Where’s My Water? has since overtaken Angry Birds in the Top Paid Apps chart. If the Appmates gain the same kind of traction, expect to see them everywhere just in time for the holidays.
Sunni Brown: Doodlers, unite!
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sunni Brown
In her book "Gamestorming," Sunni Brown shows how using art and games can empower serious problem-solving.
ABOUT THIS TALK
Studies show that sketching and doodling improve our comprehension -- and our creative thinking. So why do we still feel embarrassed when we're caught doodling in a meeting? Sunni Brown says: Doodlers, unite! She makes the case for unlocking your brain via pad and pen.
TRANSCRIPT
So I just want to tell you my story. I spend a lot of time teaching adults how to use visual language and doodling in the workplace. And naturally, I encounter a lot of resistance, because it's considered to be anti-intellectual and counter to serious learning. But I have a problem with that belief, because I know that doodling has a profound impact on the way that we can process information and the way that we can solve problems.
So I was curious about why there was a disconnect between the way our society perceives doodling and the way that the reality is. So I discovered some very interesting things. For example, there's no such thing as a flattering definition of a doodle. In the 17th century, a doodle was a simpleton or a fool -- as in Yankee Doodle. In the 18th century, it became a verb, and it meant to swindle or ridicule or to make fun of someone. In the 19th century, it was a corrupt politician. And today, we have what is perhaps our most offensive definition, at least to me, which is the following: To doodle officially means to dawdle, to dilly dally, to monkey around, to make meaningless marks, to do something of little value, substance or import, and -- my personal favorite -- to do nothing. No wonder people are averse to doodling at work. Doing nothing at work is akin to masturbating at work; it's totally inappropriate.
(Laughter)
Additionally, I've heard horror stories from people whose teachers scolded them, of course, for doodling in classrooms. And they have bosses who scold them for doodling in the boardroom. There is a powerful cultural norm against doodling in settings in which we are supposed to learn something. And unfortunately, the press tends to reinforce this norm when they're reporting on a doodling scene -- of an important person at a confirmation hearing and the like -- they typically use words like "discovered" or "caught" or "found out," as if there's some sort of criminal act being committed.
And additionally, there is a psychological aversion to doodling -- thank you, Freud. In the 1930s, Freud told us all that you could analyze people's psyches based on their doodles. This is not accurate, but it did happen to Tony Blair at the Davos Forum in 2005, when his doodles were, of course, "discovered" and he was labeled the following things. Now it turned out to be Bill Gates' doodle. (Laughter) And Bill, if you're here, nobody thinks you're megalomaniacal. But that does contribute to people not wanting to share their doodles.
And here is the real deal. Here's what I believe. I think that our culture is so intensely focused on verbal information that we're almost blinded to the value of doodling. And I'm not comfortable with that. And so because of that belief that I think needs to be burst, I'm here to send us all hurtling back to the truth. And here's the truth: doodling is an incredibly powerful tool, and it is a tool that we need to remember and to re-learn.
So here's a new definition for doodling. And I hope there's someone in here from The Oxford English Dictionary, because I want to talk to you later. Here's the real definition: Doodling is really to make spontaneous marks to help yourself think. That is why millions of people doodle. Here's another interesting truth about the doodle: People who doodle when they're exposed to verbal information retain more of that information than their non-doodling counterparts. We think doodling is something you do when you lose focus, but in reality, it is a preemptive measure to stop you from losing focus. Additionally, it has a profound effect on creative problem-solving and deep information processing.
There are four ways that learners intake information so that they can make decisions. They are visual, auditory, reading and writing and kinesthetic. Now in order for us to really chew on information and do something with it, we have to engage at least two of those modalities, or we have to engage one of those modalities coupled with an emotional experience. The incredible contribution of the doodle is that it engages all four learning modalities simultaneously with the possibility of an emotional experience. That is a pretty solid contribution for a behavior equated with doing nothing.
This is so nerdy, but this made me cry when I discovered this. So they did anthropological research into the unfolding of artistic activity in children, and they found that, across space and time, all children exhibit the same evolution in visual logic as they grow. In other words, they have a shared and growing complexity in visual language that happens in a predictable order. And I think that is incredible. I think that means doodling is native to us and we simply are denying ourselves that instinct. And finally, a lot a people aren't privy to this, but the doodle is a precursor to some of our greatest cultural assets. This is but one: this is Frank Gehry the architect's precursor to the Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi.
So here is my point: Under no circumstances should doodling be eradicated from a classroom or a boardroom or even the war room. On the contrary, doodling should be leveraged in precisely those situations where information density is very high and the need for processing that information is very high. And I will go you one further. Because doodling is so universally accessible and it is not intimidating as an art form, it can be leveraged as a portal through which we move people into higher levels of visual literacy. My friends, the doodle has never been the nemesis of intellectual thought. In reality, it is one of its greatest allies.
Thank you. (Applause)
Abraham Verghese: A doctor's touch
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Abraham Verghese
In our era of the patient-as-data-point, Abraham Verghese believes in the old-fashioned physical exam, the bedside chat, the power of informed observation.
Geoff Mulgan: A short intro to the Studio School
Project based learning is hardly a new concept!
It is a cornerstone to progressive education in many places. It is certainly relevant and engaging for many students, but there are some it does not suit so every school program needs a balance (or choices) to be able to cater for the needs of all students.
"On the beginning of a journey"...my goodness, look to other examples in the world where this has been tried and tested for decades and decades!
Are they really that far behind in the UK and USA?
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Geoff Mulgan
Geoff Mulgan is director of the Young Foundation, a center for social innovation, social enterprise and public policy that pioneers ideas in fields such as aging, education and poverty reduction.…
It is a cornerstone to progressive education in many places. It is certainly relevant and engaging for many students, but there are some it does not suit so every school program needs a balance (or choices) to be able to cater for the needs of all students.
"On the beginning of a journey"...my goodness, look to other examples in the world where this has been tried and tested for decades and decades!
Are they really that far behind in the UK and USA?
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Geoff Mulgan
Geoff Mulgan is director of the Young Foundation, a center for social innovation, social enterprise and public policy that pioneers ideas in fields such as aging, education and poverty reduction.…
"A time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted."
An analogy: You can talk about love, which certainly is fun, or you can make love, which also is good.
As Pete Seeger sang: "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."
We may swing back around, with enough new rebooting under our belts, with a need to talk about it some more.
“
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
The Sibling Effect
Time science writer, Jeffrey Kluger looks at the bonds between siblings. In The Sibling Effect: What the Bonds Among Brothers and Sisters Reveal about Us, Kluger explores the complex world of siblings in a way that is equal parts science, psychology, sociology, and memoir. Based on new and emerging research, it looks at birth order, twin studies, genetic encoding of behavioral traits, emotional disorders and their effects on-and effects from-sibling relationships.
Science Looks At The Sibling Effect
Talk of the Nation [20 min 6 sec]
September 16, 2011
Are you a first-born? A middle child? A twin? An only child? In his new book The Sibling Effect: What the Bonds Among Brothers and Sisters Reveal About Us, author Jeffrey Kluger describes current scientific research into the effects of siblings on human behavior, from birth order studies to sibling rivalries and fighting.
Time science writer, Jeffrey Kluger looks at the bonds between siblings. In The Sibling Effect: What the Bonds Among Brothers and Sisters Reveal about Us, Kluger explores the complex world of siblings in a way that is equal parts science, psychology, sociology, and memoir. Based on new and emerging research, it looks at birth order, twin studies, genetic encoding of behavioral traits, emotional disorders and their effects on-and effects from-sibling relationships.
Science Looks At The Sibling Effect
Talk of the Nation [20 min 6 sec]
September 16, 2011
Are you a first-born? A middle child? A twin? An only child? In his new book The Sibling Effect: What the Bonds Among Brothers and Sisters Reveal About Us, author Jeffrey Kluger describes current scientific research into the effects of siblings on human behavior, from birth order studies to sibling rivalries and fighting.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
獨立特派員214集{打開自閉--尋援}part1/2 & 2/2
自閉症是台灣近年來身心障礙人口中增加最快的族群，
一年成長11%，約一萬多人，
目前這樣的現象還沒能引起大家普遍的重視。
獨立特派員從2007年起持續追蹤一名自閉症兒童一登，曾經因為經常發生頭撞擊牆壁和桌椅發生許多次的意外，甚至有一年還住進了加護病房22天。他後來到日本，進入特教學校和住宿機構，今年我們去探望他，看到了一登的笑容，還有，他會開口講話了。這是多麼讓人感動的一場跨海求醫記。
不少自閉症患者在醫療界對這種疾病不夠了解時，
可能會被當成精神病，讓病人和家庭蒙受更多不幸。
日本是一個很有社會福利精神的國家，他們每五十萬人就設立一個兒童相談所，協助家有身心障礙兒童的父母尋找醫療和照護資源。今年三十多歲的雕刻家上田，是一個自閉症患者，當年也就是透過了這樣的機構重新找回彩色的人生。一登的父母看到他的作品，彷彿看到一登未來的希望。繼續跟我們一起來看這個讓人感動的故事。
獨立特派員214集{農地不休耕}
當全世界都在擔心鬧糧荒，
台灣卻有很多農田在休耕，甚至廢耕，
還有的轉了幾手變成建地蓋起豪宅！
目前稻米耕作面積只剩下 25萬公頃，不到以前的三分之一！
原因是，台灣人米吃得越來越少，只有以前的一半；還有，農業根本養不活一家人，年輕人不願意做，所以農村老化。政府現在感受到安全糧食存量的重要，正研究所謂「活化休耕」，也鼓勵復耕，六龜就有一戶人家，都八十幾歲了，還是每天下田，他們也嘗試在檳榔樹下種稻，希望能做個實驗，讓很多改種檳榔的農民也跟進，目的在自給自足。一起來看，他們堅持農地不休耕的故事。
Cracking a Hydrocarbon
Liquid paraffin (a mixture of alkanes of chain length C20 and greater) is vaporised and passed over a hot pumice stone catalyst. A gaseous product is obtained which is flammable and which will decolorise bromine water and acidified permanganate ions. The same apparatus and method can be used to dehydrate ethanol.
Google Plus
Google has launched a social networking tool called Google Plus. It is aimed at dethroning the field's crowned king - Facebook.
Niall Ferguson: The 6 killer apps of prosperity
ABOUT THIS TALK
Over the past few centuries, Western cultures have been very good at creating general prosperity for themselves. Historian Niall Ferguson asks: Why the West, and less so the rest? He suggests half a dozen big ideas from Western culture -- call them the 6 killer apps -- that promote wealth, stability and innovation. And in this new century, he says, these apps are all shareable.
What we learned from 5 million books
Have you played with Google Labs' NGram Viewer?
It's an addicting tool that lets you search for words and ideas in a database of 5 million books from across centuries. Erez Lieberman Aiden and Jean-Baptiste Michel show us how it works, and a few of the surprising things we can learn from 500 billion words.
It's an addicting tool that lets you search for words and ideas in a database of 5 million books from across centuries. Erez Lieberman Aiden and Jean-Baptiste Michel show us how it works, and a few of the surprising things we can learn from 500 billion words.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Secure and Access Your Digital Life
htthttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifp://vimeo.com/24890954
Watch, Stream and Enjoy Your Media on Demand
Effortless Photo and Video Sharing
Automatic Online Backup
Highly Secure Online Storage
Watch, Stream and Enjoy Your Media on Demand
Effortless Photo and Video Sharing
Automatic Online Backup
Highly Secure Online Storage
“One-touch hacking:” how to protect your accounts while accessing public WiFi
A Double-Click on Safe Browsing
Sunday, September 18, 2011
The Future of the Book
The Future of the Book. from IDEO on Vimeo.
Nelson, Coupland, and Alice are IDEO’s vision for the future of the books. Lovely.
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore iPad App Trailer from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.
An ex-Pixar designer has created this beautiful childrens story for the iPad. Luscious.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
MEET THE APP AND THE TEAM THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING.
When the founders of Terriblyclever Design LLC were students at Stanford University, they worked with the Associate Vice Provost of Student Affairs and Registrar, Tom Black, to create an application that would engage their campus community in a powerful new way—through their mobile devices.
They introduced their solution, iStanford, in a commercial that aired during the homecoming football game. By the end of the second half, there were already thousands of downloads. Just a few months later, iStanford had 40,000 downloads from the Apple® App Storesm, far more than the number of Stanford students. This rapid adoption demonstrated the impact iStanford had, not only on current students, but also on alumni, parents, sports fans, and the greater Stanford community.
GOING MOBILE UNLEASHES TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL.
SEE IT IN ACTION.
With 75% of the student body carrying smartphones, Northwestern University knew they needed a mobile presence. Once Blackboard helped them go mobile, their entire campus experience was transformed.
GOING MOBILE WAS THE RIGHT PRESCRIPTION.
The Medical College of Georgia (MCG) wanted to deliver a highly-integrated, technology-infused curriculum that fit their students' learning styles. Since laptops were too big for their students to carry around in a clinical setting, they knew they needed a solid mobile strategy.
MCG turned to Blackboard Mobile to create a suite of customized medical apps built using the Blackboard Mobile Software Development Kit (SDK), including an OB Wheel and Medical Abbreviations Dictionary to enable learning anytime, anywhere. With information on the go, students are able to respond faster and more effectively. And since customizing is so easy with Blackboard Mobile, MCG can continue to evolve their app suite with new functionality and has even dedicated head count specifically to app development.
FSU MOBILE MAKES HEADLINES.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Florida State was the first university in Florida to go mobile with Blackboard Mobile Central. Even before their official launch, FSU saw incredible interest in their app, FSU Mobile. Student response to the news flew through Facebook. The FSU Headlines TV issued a video showcasing the app. Excitement was so widespread among students and the community, FSU Mobile even made the evening news on local station, WCTV.
http://www.apple.com/iphone/business/profiles/university-washington/
Now with their mobile app, Northwestern Mobile, students and faculty have instant access to everything Northwestern. They use the app to find their way around campus, see what events are happening, locate books and resources, and so much more. With Blackboard Mobile, they're always connected, and always "on."
Below, students and administrators, including Harlan Wallach, Media Architect; Mort Rahimi, VP of IT; and Al Cubbage, VP of University Relations, show you just how much farther mobile has taken them.
EVEN THE IT GUYS TURN TO BLACKBOARD.
As a thought-leader in technology, Seton Hall spent more than two years trying to implement their own mobile solution before realizing that doing it on their own would limit their campus reach.
When Blackboard announced the availability of Blackboard Mobile Central, SHU jumped at the opportunity to work with the Blackboard Mobile team. The Blackboard Mobile Central native application suites for iPhone, iPod touch, BlackBerry and mobile web meant that Seton Hall could have the universal reach they were hoping for.
Today, Seton Hall's Blackboard Mobile Central app, SHUMobile, impacts the whole university community—students, faculty, staff, even alumni and parents. Now anyone with a smartphone can connect with the community, access resources, see what's going on, and experience Seton Hall in a new and engaging way.
Once Loyola Mobile went live in Fall 2010, Loyola University Chicago’s Marketing department created a splash for Loyola Mobile on the home page and the response was overwhelming; in the first semester the Loyola Mobile iPhone app was downloaded over 2,500 times, and averaged 70 to 80 downloads a week as they approached the end of the semester.
Now LUC is poised for the new release of Loyola Mobile, and it has some significant additions for users. For the first time, the Blackboard Mobile Learn app is incorporated into Blackboard Mobile Central for the iPhone and will sit on the springboard along with three other new apps. Mobile users no longer have to do two separate downloads, nor do they have to go to separate locations on their mobile device. Because Blackboard is so widely used at LUC, it is an especially nice convergence of the two applications.
In addition to Blackboard Mobile Learn, LUC also has three new icons on the springboard: Alumni, Emergency, and 8-Ride (users can call for a ride in and around campus). This increases to 12 the total number of applications for the iPhone. Loyola Mobile will be deployed on Android shortly. Because smart phone usage on campus is only going to continue to grow exponentially, Loyola University Chicago is very excited to be able to provide this expanded service, and to be on the leading edge of smart phone technology!
Preliminary Results of a Study of LectureTools and Laptop Use
University of Michigan CRLT Study of LectureTools and Laptop Use
View more presentations from LectureTools
University of Michigan Center for Research on Learning and Teaching
New Literacies for the 21st Century: Which Opportunities are Worth Seizing?
New Literacies for the 21st Century: Which Opportuntiies are Worth Seizing?
View more presentations from Douglas K. Hartman
So, how do we reach students when classes are overcrowded and students are at so many different levels? I believe technology is a tool that can help in this situation. Many have discussed new methodologies such as The Flipped Classroom where student's homework consists of viewing lectures at home so that the 'homework' becomes classwork where the teachers can facilitate a more hands-on model of instruction. Certain software companies have created Learning Management Systems that help to make this an easy transition.
I certainly do not believe that teachers are to blame. In fact, I believe teachers are the thread holding the system together. I do think that the system needs to change, though. Times have changed; however, much in our practice has not. In my opinion, teaching is evolving - and the field of education needs to catch up. Teachers are ready; they simply need the tools and the training to incorporate these new methods into their classrooms.
In closing, I pose a question: are we going to continue to prepare our students to become proficient at shading in bubbles, or are we going to prepare them to be able to use their resources, analyze information, think critically, and connect globally?
Thursday, September 15, 2011
MANU CHAO "Me Llaman Calle"
Me llaman calle
Pisando baldosa
La revoltosa y tan perdida
Me llaman calle
Calle de noche calle de dia
Me llaman calle
Hoy tan cansada
Hoy tan vacía
Como maquinita
Por la gran ciudad
Me llaman calle
Me subo a tu coche
Me llaman calle
De malegria
Calle dolida
Calle cansada
De tanto amar
Voy calle abajo
Voy calle arriba
No me rebajo
Ni por la vida
Me llaman calle
Y ese es mi orgullo
Yo se que un dia llegara
Yo se que un dia
Vendra mi suerte
Un dia me vendra a buscar
A la salida un hombre bueno
Pa to la vida y sin pagar
Mi corazon no es de alquilar
Me llaman calle
Me llaman calle
Calle sufrida
Calle tristeza
De tanto amar
Me llaman calle
Calle y mas calle
Me llaman calle
La sin futuro
Me llaman calle
La sinsalida
me llaman calle
Calle y mas calle
Las que mujeres
De la vida
Suben pa bajo
bajan pa arriba
Como maquinita
Por la gran ciudad
Me llaman calle
Me llaman calle
Calle sufrida
Calle tristeza
De tanto amar
Me llaman calle
Calle y mas calle
me llaman siempre
Y a calquier hora
me llaman guapa
Siempre a deshora
Me llaman puta
Tambien princesa
Me llaman calle
Y es mi noblessa
Me llaman calle
Calle sufrida
Calle perdida
De tanto amar
Me llaman calle
Me llaman calle
Calle sufrida
Calle tristeza
De tanto amar (x5)
They call me street
tile Walking
The unruly and so lost
They call me street
Street by night Street by day
They call me street
So tired today
So empty today
as little machine
For the big city
They call me street
I climb into your car
They call me street
In Malegria
street hurt
road weary
From time to love
I'm going down the street
I'm going up the street
I do not recess
Not for life
They call me street
And that is my pride
I know one day come
I know one day
My luck will come
One day I will come to look
A good man out
Pa to life without paying
My heart is not renting
Noir Désir - Le Vent Nous Portera
Black Desire - Wind In The Willows
Je n'ai pas peur de la route
Faudrait voir, faut qu'on y goûte
Des méandres au creux des reins
Et tout ira bien
Le vent l'emportera
Ton message à la grande ourse
Et la trajectoire de la course
A l'instantané de velours
Même s'il ne sert à rien
[Refrain] :
Le vent l'emportera
Tout disparaîtra
Le vent nous portera
La caresse et la mitraille
Cette plaie qui nous tiraille
Le palais des autres jours
D'hier et demain
Le vent les portera
Génétique en bandoulière
Des chromosomes dans l'atmosphère
Des taxis pour les galaxies
Et mon tapis volant dis?
[Refrain]
Ce parfum de nos années mortes
I'm not afraid of the road
Would see, we need to taste
Meanders in the small of the back
And all will be well
The wind will prevail
Your message to the Great Bear
And the trajectory of the race
A snapshot of velvet
Although it is useless
[Chorus]
The wind will prevail
all disappear
Wind In The Willows
Caress and scrap
This plague us feels tight
The palace of the other days
Yesterday and tomorrow
The wind will
Genetics shoulder
Chromosomes in the atmosphere
Taxis for the galaxies
And my flying carpet say?
[Chorus]
This perfume of our dead years
Je n'ai pas peur de la route
Faudrait voir, faut qu'on y goûte
Des méandres au creux des reins
Et tout ira bien
Le vent l'emportera
Ton message à la grande ourse
Et la trajectoire de la course
A l'instantané de velours
Même s'il ne sert à rien
[Refrain] :
Le vent l'emportera
Tout disparaîtra
Le vent nous portera
La caresse et la mitraille
Cette plaie qui nous tiraille
Le palais des autres jours
D'hier et demain
Le vent les portera
Génétique en bandoulière
Des chromosomes dans l'atmosphère
Des taxis pour les galaxies
Et mon tapis volant dis?
[Refrain]
Ce parfum de nos années mortes
I'm not afraid of the road
Would see, we need to taste
Meanders in the small of the back
And all will be well
The wind will prevail
Your message to the Great Bear
And the trajectory of the race
A snapshot of velvet
Although it is useless
[Chorus]
The wind will prevail
all disappear
Wind In The Willows
Caress and scrap
This plague us feels tight
The palace of the other days
Yesterday and tomorrow
The wind will
Genetics shoulder
Chromosomes in the atmosphere
Taxis for the galaxies
And my flying carpet say?
[Chorus]
This perfume of our dead years
Electrical Engineering 141
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 1
Introduction to Digital Integrated Circuits
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 2
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 3
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 4
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 5
Electrical Engineering 141 - Makeup Lecture 6
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 7
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 8
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 9
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 10
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 11
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 12
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 13
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 14
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 15
Electrical Engineering 141 - Makeup Lecture 16
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 17
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 18
Introduction to Digital Integrated Circuits
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 2
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 3
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 4
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 5
Electrical Engineering 141 - Makeup Lecture 6
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 7
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 8
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 9
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 10
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 11
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 12
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 13
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 14
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 15
Electrical Engineering 141 - Makeup Lecture 16
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 17
Electrical Engineering 141 - Lecture 18
Electrical Engineering 100
Electrical Engineering 100 - Lecture 6
Electrical Engineering 100 - Lecture 1
Electrical Engineering 100 - Lecture 2
Electrical Engineering 100 - Lecture 3
Electrical Engineering 100 - Lecture 4
Electrical Engineering 100 - Lecture 5
Electrical Engineering 100 - Lecture 1
Electrical Engineering 100 - Lecture 2
Electrical Engineering 100 - Lecture 3
Electrical Engineering 100 - Lecture 4
Electrical Engineering 100 - Lecture 5
Lecture 1A | MIT 6.001 Structure and Interpretation, 1986
Not about "computer"; not about "science", either.
How to .........................It's a method. It's a process.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Intel CEO: Era of 'ubiquitous' computing is here
A new era of “ubiquitous computing” is here, presenting huge new opportunities for Intel and developers worldwide, said Intel CEO and president Paul Otellini during the opening keynote of Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco on Tuesday morning.
Lee Cronin: Making matter come alive
Lee Cronin
With his research group, Lee Cronin is investigating the emergence of complex self-organising chemical systems -- call it inorganic biology
What I'm going to try and do in the next 15 minutes or so is tell you about an idea of how we're going to make matter come alive. Now this may seem a bit ambitious, but when you look at yourself, you look at your hands, you realize that you're alive. So this is a start. Now this quest started four billion years ago on planet Earth. There's been four billion years of organic, biological life. And as an inorganic chemist, my friends and colleagues make this distinction between the organic, living world and the inorganic, dead world. And what I'm going to try and do is plant some ideas about how we can transform inorganic, dead matter into living matter, into inorganic biology.
So before we do that, I want to kind of put biology in its place. And I'm absolutely enthralled by biology. I love to do synthetic biology. I love things that are alive. I love manipulating the infrastructure of biology. But within that infrastructure, we have to remember that the driving force of biology is really coming from evolution. And evolution, although it was established well over 100 years ago by Charles Darwin and a vast number of other people, evolution still is a little bit intangible. And when I talk about Darwinian evolution, I mean one thing and one thing only, and that is survival of the fittest. And so forget about evolution in a kind of metaphysical way. Think about evolution in terms of offspring competing, and some winning.
So bearing that in mind, as a chemist, I wanted to ask myself the question frustrated by biology: What is the minimal unit of matter that can undergo Darwinian evolution? And this seems quite a profound question. And as a chemist, we're not used to profound questions everyday. So when I thought about it, then suddenly I realized that biology gave us the answer. And in fact, the smallest unit of matter that can evolve independently is, in fact, a single cell -- a bacteria.
So this raises three really important questions: What is life? Is biology special? Biologists seem to think so. Is matter evolvable? Now if we answer those questions in reverse order, the third question -- is matter evolvable? -- if we can answer that, then we're going to know how special biology is, and maybe, just maybe, we'll have some idea of what life really is.
So here's some inorganic life. This is a dead crystal, and I'm going to do something to it, and it's going to become alive. And you can see, it's kind of pollinating, germinating, growing. This is an inorganic tube. And all these crystals here under the microscope were dead a few minutes ago, and they look alive. Of course, they're not alive. It's a chemistry experiment where I've made a crystal garden. But when I saw this, I was really fascinated, because it seemed lifelike. And as I pause for a few seconds, have a look at the screen. You can see there's architecture growing, filling the void. And this is dead. So I was positive that, if somehow we can make things mimic life, let's go one step further. Let's see if we can actually make life.
But there's a problem, because up until maybe a decade ago, we were told that life was impossible and that we were the most incredible miracle in the universe. In fact, we were the only people in the universe. Now, that's a bit boring. So as a chemist, I wanted to say, "Hold on. What is going on here? Is life that improbable?" And this is really the question. I think that perhaps the emergence of the first cells was as probable as the emergence of the stars. And in fact, let's take that one step further. Let's say that if the physics of fusion is encoded into the universe, maybe the physics of life is as well. And so the problem with chemists -- and this is a massive advantage as well -- is we like to focus on our elements. In biology, carbon takes center stage. And in a universe where carbon exists and organic biology, then we have all this wonderful diversity of life. In fact, we have such amazing lifeforms that we can manipulate. We're awfully careful in the lab to try and avoid various biohazards.
Well what about matter? If we can make matter alive, would we have a matterhazard? So think, this is a serious question. If your pen could replicate, that would be a bit of a problem. So we have to think differently if we're going to make stuff come alive. And we also have to be aware of the issues. But before we can make life, let's think for a second what life is really characterized by. And forgive the complicated diagram. This is just a collection of pathways in the cell. And the cell is obviously for us a fascinating thing. Synthetic biologists are manipulating it. Chemists are trying to study the molecules to look at disease. And you have all these pathways going on at the same time. You have regulation; information is transcribed; catalysts are made; stuff is happening. But what does a cell do? Well it divides, it competes, it survives. And I think that is where we have to start in terms of thinking about building from our ideas in life.
But what else is life characterized by? Well, I like think of it as a flame in a bottle. and so what we have here is a description of single cells replicating, metabolizing, burning through chemistries. And so we have to understand that if we're going to make artificial life or understand the origin of life, we need to power it somehow. So before we can really start to make life, we have to really think about where it came from. And Darwin himself mused in a letter to a colleague that he thought that life probably emerged in some warm little pond somewhere -- maybe not in Scotland, maybe in Africa, maybe somewhere else. But the real honest answer is, we just don't know, because there is a problem with the origin. Imagine way back four and a half billion years ago, there is a vast chemical soup of stuff. And from this stuff we came.
So when you think about the improbable nature of what I'm going to tell you in the next few minutes, just remember, we came from stuff on planet Earth. And we went through a variety of worlds. The RNA people would talk about the RNA world. We somehow got to proteins and DNA. We then got to the last ancestor. Evolution kicked in -- and that's the cool bit. And here we are. But there's a roadblock that you can't get past. You can decode the genome, you can look back, you can link us all together by a mitochondrial DNA, but we can't get further than the last ancestor, the last visible cell that we could sequence or think back in history. So we don't know how we got here.
So there are two options: intelligent design, direct and indirect -- so God, or my friend. Now talking about E.T. putting us there, or some other life, just pushes the problem further on. I'm not a politician, I'm a scientist. The other thing we need to think about is the emergence of chemical complexity. This seems most likely. So we have some kind of primordial soup. And this one happens to be a good source of all 20 amino acids. And somehow these amino acids are combined, and life begins. But life begins, what does that mean? What is life? What is this stuff of life?
So in the 1950s, Miller-Urey did their fantastic chemical Frankenstein experiment, where they did the equivalent in the chemical world. They took the basic ingredients, put them in a single jar and ignited them and put a lot of voltage through. And they had a look at what was in the soup, and they found amino acids, but nothing came out, there was no cell. So the whole area's been stuck for a while, and it got reignited in the 80s when analytical technologies and computer technologies were coming on.
In my own laboratory, the way we're trying to create inorganic life is by using many different reaction formats. So what we're trying to do is do reactions -- not in one flask, but in tens of flasks, and connect them together, as you can see with this flow system, all these pipes. We can do it microfluidically, we can do it lithographically, we can do it in a 3D printer, we can do it in droplets for colleagues. And the key thing is to have lots of complex chemistry just bubbling away. But that's probably going to end in failure, so we need to be a bit more focused.
And the answer, of course, lies with mice. This is how I remember what I need as a chemist. I say, "Well I want molecules." But I need a metabolism, I need some energy. I need some information, and I need a container. Because if I want evolution, I need containers to compete. So if you have a container, it's like getting in your car. "This is my car, and I'm going to drive around and show off my car." And I imagine you have a similar thing in cellular biology with the emergence of life. So these things together give us evolution, perhaps. And the way to test it in laboratory is to make it minimal.
So what we're going to try and do is come up with an inorganic Lego kit of molecules. And so forgive the molecules on the screen, but these are a very simple kit. There's only maybe three or four different types of building blocks present. And we can aggregate them together and make literally thousands and thousands of really big nano-molecular molecules the same size of DNA and proteins, but there's no carbon in sight. Carbon is bad. And so with this Lego kit, we have the diversity required for complex information storage without DNA. But we need to make some containers. And just a few months ago in my lab, we were able to take these very same molecules and make cells with them. And you can see on the screen a cell being made. And we're now going to put some chemistry inside and do some chemistry in this cell. And all I wanted to show you is we can set up molecules in membranes, in real cells, and then it sets up a kind of molecular Darwinism, a molecular survival of the fittest.
And this movie here shows this competition between molecules. Molecules are competing for stuff. They're all made of the same stuff, but they want their shape to win. They want their shape to persist. And that is the key. If we can somehow encourage these molecules to talk to each other and make the right shapes and compete, they will start to form cells that will replicate and compete. If we manage to do that, forget the molecular detail.
Let's zoom out to what that could mean. So we have this special theory of evolution that applies only to organic biology, to us. If we could get evolution into the material world, then I propose we should have a general theory of evolution. And that's really worth thinking about. Does evolution control the sophistication of matter in the universe? Is there some driving force through evolution that allows matter to compete? So that means we could then start to develop different platforms for exploring this evolution. So you imagine, if we're able to create a self-sustaining artificial life form, not only will this tell us about the origin of life -- that it's possible that the universe doesn't need carbon to be alive; it can use anything -- we can then take it one step further and develop new technologies, because we can then use software control for evolution to code in.
So imagine we make a little cell. We want to put it out in the environment, and we want it to be powered by the Sun. What we do is we involve it in a box with a light on. And we don't use design anymore. We find what works. We should take our inspiration from biology. Biology doesn't care about the design unless it works. So this will reorganize the way we design things. But not only just that, we will start to think about how we can start to develop a symbiotic relationship with biology. Wouldn't it be great if you could take these artificial biological cells and fuse them with biological ones to correct problems that we couldn't really deal with? The real issue in cellular biology is we are never going to understand everything, because it's a multidimensional problem put there by evolution. Evolution cannot be cut apart. You need to somehow find the fitness function. And the profound realization for me is that, if this works, the concept of the selfish gene gets kicked up a level, and we really start talking about selfish matter.
And what does that mean in a universe where we are right now the highest form of stuff? You're sitting on chairs. They're inanimate, they're not alive. But you are made of stuff, and you are using stuff, and you enslave stuff. So using evolution in biology, and in organic biology, for me is quite appealing, quite exciting. And we're really becoming very close to understanding the key steps that makes dead stuff come alive. And again, when you're thinking about how improbable this is, remember, five billion years ago, we were not here, and there was no life. So what will that tell us
about the origin of life and the meaning of life? For perhaps, for me as a chemist, I want to keep away from general terms; I want to think about specifics. So what does it mean about defining life? We really struggle to do this. And I think, if we can make inorganic biology, and we can make matter become evolvable, that will in fact define life. I purpose to you that matter that can evolve is alive, and this gives us the idea of making evolvable matter.
Thank you very much.
(Applause)
Chris Anderson: Just a quick question on timeline. You believe you're going to be successful in this project? When?
Lee Cronin: So many people think that life took millions of years to kick in. We're proposing to do it in just a few hours, once we've set up the right chemistry.
CA: And when do you think that will happen?
LC: Hopefully within the next two years.
CA: That would be a big story. (Laughter) In your own mind, what do you believe the chances are that walking around on some other planet there is non-carbon-based life walking or oozing or something?
LC: I think it's 100 percent. Because the thing is, we are so chauvinistic to biology, if you take away carbon, there's other things that can happen. So the other thing that if we were able to create life that's not based on carbon, maybe we can tell NASA what really to look for. Don't go and look for carbon, go and look for evolvable stuff.
CA: Lee Cronin, good luck. (LC: Thank you very much.)
(Applause)
Raghava KK: Shake up your story
Raghava KK
Raghava KK's paintings and drawings use cartoonish shapes and colors to examine the body, society, our world
Why you should listen to him:
Raghava KK began his career in art as a newspaper cartoonist, and the cartoonist’s bold line -- and dead-on eye for truth -- still powers his art. His work spans painting, sculpture, installation, film and performance, always linked by his challenging opinions on identity, conformity, gender, celebrity, ceremony. (He even views his lavish Indian wedding as a piece of performance art.)
His early work as a painter made a complete break with his cartoon career -- he painted watercolors on canvas using only his hands and feet. Since then, his work has grown to knit together aesthetics from both worlds, as collage and complication play against flat color and precise lines. He shows in galleries and performance spaces around the world. Among his latest work is the adorable children’s book A New Friend for Rudra -- see it in his Flickr set.
Hi everyone. I'm an artist and a dad -- second time around. Thank you. And I want to share with you my latest art project. It's a children's book for the iPad. It's a little quirky and silly. It's called "Pop-It," And it's about the things little kids do with their parents.
(Music)
So this is about potty training -- as most of you, I hope, know. You can tickle the rug. You can make the baby poop. You can do all those fun things. You can burst bubbles. You can draw, as everyone should.
But you know, I have a problem with children's books: I think they're full of propaganda. At least an Indian trying to get one of these American books in Park Slope, forget it. It's not the way I was brought up. So I said, "I'm going to counter this with my own propaganda." If you notice carefully, it's a homosexual couple bringing up a child. You don't like it? Shake it, and you have a lesbian couple. (Laughter) Shake it, and you have a heterosexual couple. You know, I don't even believe in the concept of an ideal family.
I have to tell you about my childhood. I went to this very proper Christian school taught by nuns, fathers, brothers, sisters. Basically, I was brought up to be a good Samaritan, and I am. And I'd go at the end of the day to a traditional Hindu house, which was probably the only Hindu house in a predominantly Islamic neighborhood. Basically, I celebrated every religious function. In fact, when there was a wedding in our neighborhood, all of us would paint our houses for the wedding. I remember we cried profusely when the little goats we played with in the summer became biriani. (Laughter) We all had to fast during Ramadan. It was a very beautiful time.
But I must say, I'll never forget, when I was 13 years old, this happened. Babri Masjid -- one of the most beautiful mosques in India, built by King Babur, I think, in the 16th century -- was demolished by Hindu activists. This caused major riots in my city. And for the first time, I was affected by this communal unrest. My little five year-old kid neighbor comes running in, and he says, "Rags, Rags. You know the Hindus are killing us Muslims. Be careful." I'm like, "Dude, I'm Hindu." (Laughter) He's like, "Huh!"
You know, my work is inspired by events such as this. Even in my gallery shows, I try and revisit historic events like Babri Masjid, distill only its emotional residue and image my own life. Imagine history being taught differently.
Remember that children's book where you shake and the sexuality of the parents change? I have another idea. It's a children's book about Indian independence -- very patriotic. But when you shake it, you get Pakistan's perspective. Shake it again, and you get the British perspective.
(Applause)
You have to separate fact from bias, right. Even my books on children have cute, fuzzy animals. But they're playing geopolitics. They're playing out Israel-Palestine, India-Pakistan. You know, I'm making a very important argument. And my argument [is] that the only way for us to teach creativity is by teaching children perspectives at the earliest stage. After all, children's books are manuals on parenting, so you better give them children's books that teach them perspectives. And conversely, only when you teach perspectives will a child be able to imagine and put themselves in the shoes of someone who is different from them.
I'm making an argument that art and creativity are very essential tools in empathy. You know, I can't promise my child a life without bias -- we're all biased -- but I promise to bias my child with multiple perspectives.
Thank you very much.
(Applause)
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Misha Glenny: Hire the hackers!
Misha Glenny
Journalist Misha Glenny leaves no stone unturned (and no failed state unexamined) in his excavation of criminal globalization
Yasheng Huang: Does democracy stifle economic growth?
Yasheng Huang asks us to rethink our ideas about China and other large emerging economies. Lately he’s been asking, Does democracy hinder or promote economic growth?
Why you should listen to him:
MIT and Fudan University professor Yasheng Huang is an authority on how to get ahead in emerging economies. The China and India Labs he founded at MIT's Sloan School of Management specialize in helping local startups improve their strategies. His book Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics (2008) chronicles three decades of economic reform in China and documents the critical role that private entrepreneurship played in the Communist nation’s “economic miracle.”
Huang believes that China is moving away from Marxism (public ownership) but not Leninism (ideology of state control) -- and that strong social fundamentals are the key reason for its growth. He is a vocal critic of US foreign policy in China, calling on American leaders to rethink their messages, which often do not resonate with the Chinese public, and to use technology to broaden their reach, overcome stereotypes and quash conspiracy theories.
He says: "For too long the US has not paid attention to an important force in the Chinese economy: the rise of indigenous entrepreneurs. This is in sharp contrast to the US approach in India."
"It’s rare to hear such frank talk from someone born in Beijing, a person who goes on to say that the near-empty skyscrapers in the world’s third-largest economy are “time-bombs” India shouldn’t copy."
Hindustan Times
SightSpace 3D: A SketchUp iPad Viewer with AR
Have you ever wanted to take your SketchUp models on the go? Our friends at the Boulder-based start-up, Limitless Computing, have a solution for you: their recently released SightSpace 3D app allows you to view SketchUp models on the iPad, iPhone, or iPod
The Oral History Program at the Chemical Heritage Foundation
Science is as much about scientists as it is about the experiments they perform. But the experience of science and stories of the lives of scientists are often missing from the annals of history. CHF's Oral History Program helps ensure that the history of modern science is preserved in the words, beliefs, thoughts, and actions of its current practitioners—and not just in scientific publications.
The purpose of our oral history program is to develop and maintain—in accordance with the Oral History Association's guidelines—collections of oral history interviews with women and men who hhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifave contributed to the advancement of scientific knowledge in the 20th and 21st centuries. Our program facilitates and participates in all facets of the conduct and recording of our oral histories, from choosing interviewees, creating question lists, and ensuring the proper use of recording equipment, to processing oral history transcripts and establishing relevant, standardized research materials for scholarly use.
To learn more and browse CHF's oral history collection visit http://www.chemheritage.org/oralhistory
It's Elemental! Hydrogen
Discovering Hydrogen is a DNK Global Studios production that takes you on a journey to discover the element that is hydrogen.
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