First World Pains – Indulging in a bit of self-deprecating humor never hurt Americans’ humility. “My house has too much expensive stuff in it, so I can’t throw a big party.” “There’s too much food in my freezer for me to be able to chill my wine properly.” “The green light was too short this morning and I was forced to feel guilty for not giving money to the homeless … [Read more...] about Brain Fodder: Less Stuff, More Happiness
Brain Fodder: Bobby McFerrin Plays… the Audience!
What’s there to learn from TED this week? TED’s “Best of the Web” collection showcases speeches and performances gathered from across the web deemed worth sharing. Surely the viral hits TED collects will never be on the same caliber as the seventeen-second clip of “Surprised Kitty” or other similar hits on YouTube, but Bobby McFerrin’s performance of the pentatonic scale does … [Read more...] about Brain Fodder: Bobby McFerrin Plays… the Audience!
Brain Fodder: 1000 TED Talks, 6 Words
Everyone has a pedestal. Some, however, situate themselves on ornate ones rightfully reserved for the busts of Roman emperors. The worst offenders are the individuals who make up what social and economic theorist Richard Florida describes as the creative class, a sector of the workforce consisting of highly-educated individuals whose professions rely primarily on intellectual … [Read more...] about Brain Fodder: 1000 TED Talks, 6 Words
Holy Engineering Feasibility, Batman!
By Michelle Dee Across various modes of media, from comic books to movies, Batman has distinguished himself from other superheroes through his unique superpower: technology. He may not have laser eyes like Cyclops, but you’ll find no cooler car than the Batmobile. Even if he can’t punch nuclear missiles in the face like Superman or run at the speed of sound like the Flash, … [Read more...] about Holy Engineering Feasibility, Batman!
Cyber Sit-Ins: Grassroots to Gigabytes
Soaring out of the jungles on the southern border of Mexico, the Zapatista Air Force took flight. Almost exactly six years after the Zapatista Liberation Army (ELZN) first occupied the Chiapas in 1994 to oppose neoliberal and repressive government policies, they launched hundreds of planes over Mexican soldiers in the city of Amador Hernandez (Lane, 2003, p. 129). Throughout … [Read more...] about Cyber Sit-Ins: Grassroots to Gigabytes