Imagine reading this text with your eyes closed. Or maybe doing an everyday activity in the same manner. Gerry Leary is a master coffee roaster – & plies his trade with his eyes closed. Except that it’s not a trick he does to impress his clients – he was born blind. And I loved how he used his hearing sense to get into his second business! Listen to this inspiration here.
The next US Secretary of Defense
Some happenings in the US of A have major repercussions around the world (very often). In a few days, Obama steps up to take oath for a second term, & will appoint some new faces into his cabinet. Chuck Hagel is an ex-Republican who has Obama’s favour to take over from Leon Panetta as the next US Defense Secretary. Andrew Sullivan explains why Hagel’s appointment matters.
Another look at Time [Article, Video]
Jesse McDougall re-examines our concept of time – if you think it too heavy reading, hear it from the philosopher Carlin here (at a show in 1978).
Copyright Reforms [Essays]
Copyright & trademarks have immense impacts on the cost of our daily life regardless of where we live in the world – medicines, entertainment, food, you name it.. You probably haven’t even heard of the Trans Pacific Partnership, a negotiation between nations this is being done in secret, & is influenced more by corporations than by countries interested in protecting their citizens. A few weeks ago, Derek Khanna (@dkhanna11), a Republican staffer, authored a paper on Copyright reform, which was retracted almost immediately after pressure, ostensibly from the entertainment industry. The Way Forward on Copyright Reform is a thoughtful essay by Khanna & expected this post to be updated as others weigh in.
Nickel in water [Video]
What happens when you drop a red hot ball of nickel in a cup of water? The video is a demonstration of what is called the Leidenfrost effect, named after its discovery in 1796 by Johann Gottlob Leidenfrost.
Camera, Trombone, Fun [Video]
Awesome! At least I think it is!
5 Statistics Problems That Will Change The Way You See The World – [Article]
You may not, like me, hate statistics – but this article shed some light into how it can be unconventionally applied in real-life situations!
The scientifics of regifting [Article]
That gift you don’t need (or didn’t want) – what should you do with it? The folks at Harvard, Stanford, and the London Business School analyzed the psychology behind regifting to determine what people really think about it, and how much the social stigma comes into play.
Beat-boxing [Video]
Human beat-box. No words to describe this guy!
Washing Drum [Video]
A 10 year old provides inspiration for an alternate use to the washing-machine: