Category: Knowledge
Column ~ “What the hell am I doing? What did I do 10 years ago when there was an awkward silence?”
From Corey Pyle
Sometimes the greatest thing about Facebook and all of the cool stuff ( I F***ing Love Science, The Mind Unleashed, etc) you can learn, as well as getting updates on my favorite teams, musicians & news, is taking a break from it all. Remember way back when we used to miss stuff like a sporting event, a new show/song, or a crazy story? Someone would have to fill us in and we’d have to use our imaginations, imagine that!
Did you hear about the new amazing scientific discovery of graphene? Or that a 14 yr old found a cure for cancer. An elephant can remember things and learn how to draw. It’s difficult sometimes to digest just how freaking groundbreaking it all is and gain perspective about what it all means. Today it’s getting harder to get “unplugged” and just let things sink in (harder for some more than others and vice versa). When I was growing up all we wanted to do was go play outside, which I rarely see today with kids. Most adults/families couldn’t wait for camping/road trips, now it seems a little more about convenience.
This is not a complaint about the Internet – it’s an absolute Godsend and we have the world at our fingertips. However, finding balance isn’t easy for us humans. I try to remind myself that we are weaving our way through a new and different age. It’s an interesting and wonderful thing to be alive right now, but I think it’s important to practice balance. Such as putting down your phone when you’re with friends, strangers or even by yourself.
I’ve started to do this multiple times before and thought “What the hell am I doing? What did I do 10 years ago when there was an awkward silence? Oh, I probably felt awkward and then the next time that happened I felt less awkward and less awkward until I eventually saw it coming and instead of feeling awkward I felt comfortable because I expected it and thought of something CREATIVE to say or do differently. PRACTICE. I feel like this has become a lost art.
Our minds were meant for more than to be used for giant data dumps. Maybe the same thing is wrong with schools — kids getting fed information simply to repeat it back. They have little time to digest and turn that knowledge to experience and wisdom. Is there too much over-stimulation and not enough social activity or downtime? Go fetch ya some inner peace and then keep it to yourself!
“To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.” – Lao Tzu
Video ~ “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch – Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
From Amazon.com
“A lot of professors give talks titled “The Last Lecture.” Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can’t help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?
When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn’t have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave–“Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”–wasn’t about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have…and you may find one day that you have less than you think”). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.
In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come. ‘We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.'” –Randy Pausch
Websites & Links: TheLastLecture.com | The Last Lecture – Buy Now
NPR: The Worm That Could Bring Down The Internet
Mark Bowden is the author of several books, including Black Hawk Down, Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World’s Greatest Outlaw and Guests of the Ayatollah.
Websites & Links: Worm: The First Digital World War | NPR.org
Video ~ Paul Stamets: Six Ways Mushrooms Can Save The World
Mycologist Paul Stamets studies the mycelium and lists 6 ways that this astonishing fungus can help save the world.
Alternative News Sources
“Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.” – George Washington Carver
Common Dreams – “We publish breaking news from a progressive perspective.”
Free Press – “we promote diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media, quality journalism and universal access to communications.”
Good.is – “the integrated media platform for people who want to live well and do good.”
Grist – “dishing out environmental news and commentary with a wry twist since 1999”
Huffington Post – “The Internet Newspaper: News Blogs Video Community.”
InfoWars.com – “Because there is a war for your mind.”
International Human Press – “an online news organization that has been publishing original articles and updated news written by industry experts.”
Life Hacker – “Tips, tricks, and downloads for getting things done.”
MoveOn.org – “brings real Americans back into the political process.”
NaturalNews.com – “a non-profit collection of public education websites covering topics that empower individuals to make positive changes in their health, environmental sensitivity, consumer choices and informed skepticism.”
The Sun – “Personal. Political. Provocative. Ad-free.”
Think Progress – “seeks to provide a forum that advances progressive ideas and policies.”
Mainstream Media Sources
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News and current events from mainstream media sources.
ABC News – “ABC News offers latest breaking news, daily headlines, exclusive interviews and broadcast video coverage.”
CBS News – “CBS News brings you the latest breaking world & national news.”
CNN – “CNN.com delivers the latest breaking news and information on the latest top stories, weather, business, entertainment, politics, and more.”
Fox News – “Get breaking news, must see videos and exclusive interviews from the number #1 name in news.”
MSNBC – “Msnbc.com is a leader in breaking news, video and original journalism. Stay current with daily news updates in health, entertainment, and more.”
NewScientist.com – “for all those men and women who are interested in scientific discovery, and in its industrial, commercial and social consequences.
NPR – “an internationally acclaimed producer and distributor of noncommercial news, talk, and entertainment programming.”
New York Times – “Find breaking news, multimedia, reviews & opinion on Washington, business, and more.”
OnlineNewspapers.com – “Listing of 10000 newspapers from around the world, searchable by country and then by publication.”
TED – “a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading.”
Time – “Breaking news and analysis from TIME.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science and entertainment news.”
Wall Street Journal – “WSJ online coverage of breaking news and current headlines from the US and around the world.”
Washington Post – “Breaking news and analysis on politics, business, world national news, entertainment more.”
Relationships & Wellness
“If you have health, you probably will be happy, and if you have health and happiness, you have all the wealth you need, even if it is not all you want.” – Elbert Hubbard
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CogniFit.com – “a revolutionary technology that lets you explore your brain, assess your cognitive skills, train the abilities that are important to you and gives you an efficient mind training… and it’s free!”
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CommonTables.com – “provides a resource for our members to celebrate those things we have in common, while respecting the traditions, beliefs and cultures that are different from our own.”
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Living to 100: Life Expectancy Calculator – “uses the most current and carefully researched medical and scientific data in order to estimate how old you will live to be. “
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MealsMatter.org – “promotes nutrient-rich food choices from all five food groups, and strives to equip family meal preparers with the tools and resources they need to make meal planning decisions that lead to better health.”
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MindBodyGreen.com – “your go-to-guide for yoga and wellness.”
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My Food-A-Pedia – “Quick access to food info. Find the calories and food groups for a food, or compare two foods. “
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NaturalNews.com – “a non-profit collection of public education websites covering topics that empower individuals to make positive changes in their health, environmental sensitivity, consumer choices and informed skepticism.”
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Personality Test – “the most widely used personality instrument in the world.”
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StillTasty: Your Ultimate Food Shelf-Life Guide – “offers shelf life information on hundreds of foods and beverages, plus tips and advice to help you eat better and save money.”
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Swole.me – “This site’s main purpose is to help you put together a diet with your desired micronutrient proportions.”
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The Nutrition Source (Harvard School of Public Health) – “provide timely information on diet and nutrition for clinicians, allied health professionals, and the public.”
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WebMD – “Better information. Better health.”
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Yoga Journal – “an interactive, in-depth, yoga community website. “
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