somewhere something incredible is waiting to be known-
Carl Sagan

Thursday, April 29, 2010

AskNature.org

I just learned of the most amazing site and I hope to pass the message along to someone who could use the information. It is called AskNature.org and it is intended to get engineers and designers and people in business to consider how nature accomplishes the tasks we are still struggling to accomplish - like using nano technology, like staying dry or like purifying water. I have cut one page and pasted it here so you can get a sense of what they are doing



Biomimicry Taxonomy: Biology Organized by ChallengeWhat is The Biomimicry Taxonomy?

Information organized on AskNature uses a classification system—the Biomimicry Taxonomy—to organize how organisms meet different challenges. Strategies are potential solutions to those challenges. For example, the challenge and Biomimicry Taxonomy of an insect’s strategy might be as follows:


Insect’s challenge


Protect itself from animals that want to eat it.

Strategy Anti-reflective eyes to avoid detection in moonlight via nanoscale protrusions on the eyes' surfaces. View strategy page >
Biomimicry Taxonomy GROUP: Maintain health

SUB-GROUP: Protect from biotic factors

FUNCTION: Protect from animals

STRATEGY: Nanoscale protrusions

Getting to know the Biomimicry Taxonomy
Browse the Biomimicry Taxonomy on AskNature >
Download a one-page visual of the entire Biomimicry Taxonomy (PDF 776kB) >

Browse strategies organized with the Biomimicry Taxonomy >
How do I use it?
Understanding the Biomimicry Taxonomy provides a novel way for designers and biologists to collaborate and approach the next design challenge in a life-conducive way. The key to using the taxonomy is forming the question. Instead of asking how to make less toxic pigments, the designer can "ask" a Morpho butterfly how it modifies its color. Instead of using high pressure and temperatures to manufacture tough, lightweight building materials, an engineer can "ask" a toucan how it manages impact with its strong and light beak.

Here’s an example of how you could use the Biomimicry Taxonomy to solve your next design challenge:
CHALLENGE: You are designing a building in an area of low rainfall. You want your building to collect rainwater and store it for future use.

1. Find the verb: Move away from any predetermined ideas of what you want to design, and think more about what you want your design to do. Try to pull out single functional words in the form of verbs. The questions you might pose through the Search or Browse options might be:

How would Nature…
Capture rainwater?
Store water?
Or_. Try a different angle. Some organisms live in areas that don't experience any rain, yet they still get all of the water they need. So other questions to pose might be:

How would Nature…

Capture water?
Capture fog?
Absorb water?

Manage humidity?
Move water?
3. Turn the question around. Instead of asking how Nature stores water, you might think about how Nature protects against excess water or keeps water out:

How would Nature…

Remove water?
Stay dry?

4. Become inspired. Take some time to explore AskNature and see what inspires you. If you need more help, see our site tutorial on how to navigate the site using the Search and Browse tools.

The Internet and Pandemic Spread- Can the Internet Save Us?

OK so the pandemic is behind us. We are at peace with the viral world (sort of) for the moment (unless you are someone who is infected with a disease at this time.) This talk demonstrates how we tend to gather together when we are sick and how the internet might be exactly what we need to reduce transmission. Take a look!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

The Last Mile Problem and Behavior change

The last mile problem – science solves a problem with technology and yet they do not spend any effort on behaviour change.


Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The Problem of Evil

This is an importnat discussion on 'evil' in human behaviour and its potential remedy. A former prison warden and psychologist  named Phil Zimbardo looks at peer pressure, societal situations and systemic causes.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Susan Greefield and the Booming Buzzing Confusion

Susan Greenfield speaks about cognitive development ,cognitive mind and sensory sense of self.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Steven Pinker Talks about Violence

BrainsightMindlight


Steven Pinker – On the Myth of Violence- This controversial talk provides data for reasons we should be optimistic about the development of humanity.


Thursday, April 22, 2010

A Better Way to Teach Math

I was entranced by this video that was clearly produced by kids. It shows a way to learn and teach that are light years ahead of what is happening in some classrooms to the great sorrow of a generation or two. Take a look and see how much more fun this is than the way you learned these shapes.

Neuroscience is capturing Visual Stimuli in the Brain

Neuroscience capturing visual stimuli with the help of DARPA funding. Paul Sajda is helping science understand how the brain attends novelty.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Microscopic Oceanic Beauty

Two and a half minutes gives us a glimpse of the beauty of micro organisms in the oceans of the world. This clip by National Geographic points to research that will be published in October 2010.

Prioritization of Global Projects

This is a controversial talk. An Economist, Bjorn Lomborg, tries explain how the Copenhagen Concensus weighed world wide problems and compared them against each other. I think the true value of this is in listening to the logic and deciding what you really think the priorities are.

The Power of Stupid?

This is an ad with something to say. Innovation is the watchword of today but where does it come from?
Take a look and let me know what you think!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Brain Power

This 6 minute talk will help you to see the near future in terms of brain science. With MRI imaging, this researcher predicts that new forms of therapy will be available soon.

Innovation through Cooperation

Cooperation


In this 2005 talk, Clay Shirky shows how closed groups and companies will give way to looser networks where small contributors have big roles and fluid cooperation replaces rigid planning. Decentralized technologies like peer-to-peer, wireless networks, social software and open-source development are enabling new kinds of cooperative structures to get things done. They may augment or replace institutionalized structures which are self-limiting. Groups and institutions may be their own worst enemy especially where innovation and creativity are concerned.

Monday, April 19, 2010

The Chemistry of Perfume and Smell

This video which features Luca Turin discussing how we smell. He delves into the chemistry of smell from the perspective of a perfumer. He reduces the science to an approachable and understandable level.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Profound Lessons in Listening from a Deaf Musician


The Grammy-winning percussionist and composer Evelyn Glennie, became almost completely deaf by the age of 12. This loss of hearing brought her a profound understanding of and connection to the music she loves. Can a deaf percussionist teach us how to listen? How can a musician who has almost no hearing play with such sensitivity and compassion? Music involves much more than simply letting sound waves hit your eardrums. Evelyn Glennie challenges us to learn were music comes from. It is far more than simply translating from score to instrument to audience.


I am hoping that we can take some of her lessons and learn how to truly hear people as well.

Speed Dating for Science and Academia

Speed dating for science: perhaps this title is a bit misleading but the clip below shows something that I think has a lot of potential.


Innovation often arises out of two people from different silos realizing that they have something to offer and learn from each other. Academics are notoriously narrowly focused. The best of them is absolutely fascinated with their own field and may not find the time or the temptation to lift their vision from their journal articles or microscopes to learn how their peers' work might inform their own and how they might inform their peers’ work. This idea of "speed dating" which should perhaps more appropriately be called "speed peer informing" has all the ingredients of a winning idea. Sometimes just knowing where to ask a question can make all the difference when a road block in academic work arises. Please see below (and let me know what you think!)

Speed dating for science

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Winning the Oil End Game with Amory Lvoins

Winning the oil end game


Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute has written many books and offers one for download on the internet called “Winning the Oil Endgame”. He studied at Harvard and Oxford and is leading the world in thinking about alternative approaches to energy and transportation. With all of the problems that arise out of our use of oil which includes climate change, oil dependency, national security, economic issues and the depletion of natural resources, he declares that it can be done profitably and soon. This is a 20 minute talk and as always, I would love to hear your feedback.

The Mathematics of War

Sean Gourley is a New Zealander and a physicist who has done work with a team of colleagues on the mathematics of war. Using creative sources of data his work has much to say about the challenges the world faces in getting out of war once it has begun. Please view his presentation below.

As always, I would truly love to hear your opinion of his presentation.





Chris Jordan - Statistical Scientist and Social Artist

I am delighted to have found this video. This is the artist who created the lightbulb art that is the signal of Brainsight Mindlight (above). I had lost the reference to the artist and I am utterly thrilled to share this artist with you. He is not just an artist. He is also a social activist in terms of the unthinking behaviours we all enact.

A Brother's Love

Changes- big changes- happen when people are sufficiently motivated. Love is a force that changes the world. I was deeply touched by and profoundly grateful for the work that Jamie Heywood is doing. He started this work in an attempt to save his brother's life and that love has spilled over and is changing the world of patient care through science.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Neuroscientist Argues Science can Answer Moral Questions

Sam Harris – Neuroscientist – Science has Answers to Moral Issues


Sam Harris, a partner of Richard Dawkins, Dan Dennett and Christopher Hitches, argues that science can answer questions of good and evil, right and wrong and does not have to defer to religions. He further argues that religion is manifestly unfit to decide these issues in many cases. Harris received a degree in philosophy from Stanford and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA. He is the co-founder and CEO of Project Reason, a nonprofit devoted to spreading scientific knowledge and secular values in society.

This is controversial stuff, for sure, but I think we are strong enough to handle all of the information from a wide variety of sources to inform our decisions and beliefs.

Thomas Barnett- An American View and a Map for Peace?

Thomas Barnett – A Potential Map for Peace?


Some of this video is controversial but it is certainly a good beginning for the discussion. It also clearly shows a world view that envisions a future of war and a remediatory aftermath called PEACE. Thomas has been a senior adviser to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, Central Command and Special Operations Command of the United States.


It is time to rethink everything. Here are a few ideas that are worth considering. In frank talk that is quite transparent in its American world view, international security strategist Thomas Barnett outlines a post-Cold War solution for the foundering U.S. military proposes that the US military be divided into two forces- a devastating war machine without apologies and a peace reconstruction division.
“In his book The Pentagon's New Map: War and Peace in the Twenty-First Century, Barnett draws on a fascinating combination of economic, political and cultural factors to predict and explain the nature of modern warfare. He presents concrete, world-changing strategies for transforming the US military -- adrift in the aftermath of the Cold War and 9/11 -- into a two-tiered power capable not only of winning battles, but of promoting and preserving international peace. “




Thursday, April 15, 2010

Dan Ariel and Contol Over Decisions

Dan Ariel




Dan Ariely: BIO

“My immersive introduction to irrationality took place many years ago while I was overcoming injuries sustained in an explosion (here is a description of my experiences in the hospital). The range of treatments in the burn department, and particularly the daily “bath” made me face a variety of irrational behaviors that were immensely painful and persistent. Upon leaving the hospital, I wanted to understand how to better deliver painful and unavoidable treatments to patients so I began conducting research in this area (see picture below). After completing this initial research project, I became engrossed with the idea that we repeatedly and predictably make the wrong decisions in many aspects of our lives and that research could help change some of these patterns. A few years later, decision making and behavioral economics dramatically influenced my personal life when I found myself using all of the knowledge I’d accumulated in order to convince Sumi to marry me (a decision that was in my best interest but not necessarily in hers). After managing to convince her, I realized that if understanding decision-making could help me achieve this goal, it could help anyone in their daily life.”

Below is a video by Dan Ariel asking how much control we have over our own decisions.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Brainsight Mindlight

As I travel the internet, there are things too good to lose with the passage of time. Everywhere there is wisdom, knowledge and thngs from which to learn.