Random Thought #214

The natural world never ceases to amaze me. I didn't realize that there was an entire world of parasites that take over their host's body or brain to do whatever they ultimately want. Crazy creepy and cool

http://www.ted.com/talks/ed_yong_suicidal_wasps_zombie_roaches_and_other_tales_of_parasites

Random Thought #213

This is a bit of a long and drawn out talk but there is an important point that is being made here. The focus here is that seemingly opposing points of view or disciplines can actually be supplemental to each other when considered together. In this particular talk, the focus is on art vs engineering. Typically, one would assume, and it is often still taught this way, that these two disciplines are on opposite sides of the spectrum but as is shown here, they are supplemental in that when combined, they produce something that neither could produce on its own.

I've also seen this played out in conversations between science and religion. They are often seen as opposites and that you can't have both points of view as they are contradictory to one another. I've actually found that science only helps us understand concepts within religion and where there are apparent disagreements, science simply hasn't developed to a point where it can adequately explain everything but perhaps someday it will. I find this supplemental approach is much more gratifying in the long run

http://www.ted.com/talks/bran_ferren_to_create_for_the_ages_let_s_combine_art_and_engineering

Random Thought #212

So much of the major discoveries in science today only seem to take place in developed countries at institutions of higher learning. They cost so much money to test and discover and only seem to benefit that same strata. What about the rest of the world? Why can't they participate in discovery? There is likely so much untapped potential in the world but they don't have access to the tools for it. That's why I like inventions like this one that make science and discovery accessible to all.

http://www.ted.com/talks/manu_prakash_a_50_cent_microscope_that_folds_like_origami

Random Thought #211

WOW! Its been over a year since my last post. If anyone is still following this, they have likely given up on me ever updating this thing again. Well, for those who are loyal, I've not stopped coming up with random thoughts. They are safely tucked away in my email just waiting for me to spend some time putting them here in the blog. Here we go.

Kids nowadays seem so disenchanted with school and are quite frankly bored. Its not hard to understand why though. While society in general has had to keep up with the times and deal with near-instantaneous information and results, schools haven't really changed much. Schools need to get kids involved. It needs to be hands on, not wrote memorization and tests. I was never any good at music but the way this guys teaches fundamental concepts of music is much more engaging and entertaining. Take a look

http://www.ted.com/talks/clayton_cameron_a_rhythm_etic_the_math_behind_the_beats

Random Thought #210

The best number is 73. Why? 73 is the 21st prime number. It's mirror, 37, is the 12th and it's mirror, 21, is the product of multiplying 7 and 3...and in binary 73 is a palindrome, 1001001, which backwards is 1001001.

Random Thought #209

My brother-in-law pointed out to me that all of the professions that require the highest level of learning are all called practice. Think about it...medical doctor (MD) has a practice, lawyer (JD) has a practice, psychologist (PhD) has a practice. Its just interesting some of the most well educated people in the world are simply "practicing".

Random Thought #208

What do you do when looking to buy something online? Do you look at star ratings? What about reading the reviews? Do you read the good reviews as well as the bad? If you're like me, you use this information to base your decisions of what to buy. Now when was the last time you rated something or left a review? Why do we make decisions based on some of the feedback that we aren't even willing to give ourselves? Interesting isn't it?

Here are some fun examples of people making fun of this very point.

http://www.amazon.com/Hutzler-571-Banana-Slicer/dp/B0047E0EII/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395114997&sr=8-1&keywords=banana+slicer

http://www.amazon.com/BIC-Cristal-1-0mm-Black-MSLP16-Blk/dp/B004F9QBE6/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395115023&sr=8-1&keywords=gel+pen+for+her