Nerdy Interests

Yet another facet of Tyson … Yup, I’m a Neil de...

getting-clearer-every-day — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 16:56:17 -0500

Yet another facet of Tyson … Yup, I’m a Neil de Grasse Tyson groupie.

An astrophysicist who moonwalks better than Jacko – is there anything Neil deGrasse Tyson can’t do? Watch our modern-day Carl Sagan bust out some serious moves on the dance floor.

(↬ @swissmiss)

The work Kabat-Zinn has done re: mindfulness and chronic pain is...

getting-clearer-every-day — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 16:47:19 -0500

The work Kabat-Zinn has done re: mindfulness and chronic pain is wonderful.

beingblog:

Our Latest Radio Show + Podcast: Opening to Our Lives: Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Science of Mindfulness (» download mp3)

“It doesn’t actually take any more time to say good-bye or hug you know, your children or whatever it is in the morning when you’re on your way to work. But the mind says, ‘I don’t have any time for this.’ But actually that’s all you have time for, is this because there’s nothing else than this…So when your four year-old can’t decide which dress she wants to wear, that’s not a problem for you, unless you make it a problem for you. That’s just the way four year-olds are. And the more we can sort of learn these lessons the more we will not be in some sense running towards our death, but in a sense opening to our lives.”

Scientist and author Jon Kabat-Zinn has changed Western medicine through his work on meditation and stress. He’s clinically demonstrated the benefits of ancient traditions of mindfulness and meditation. And he’s adapted these for people who are healthy or living with chronic illness, for Olympic athletes and corporate cultures.

In this week’s On Being podcast, Jon Kabat-Zinn offers wise perspective on inhabiting the ordinary and extreme stresses of our lives. Technology may function 24/7, he points out, but our minds and bodies do not. He has practical and spiritual tools accessible to everyone — for slowing down time and “opening to our lives.”

And, for this week’s show, our host Krista Tippett recommends reading:

Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves and the World Through Mindfulness
by Jon Kabat-Zinn

There are a couple of minutes in this podcast in which we hear Jon Kabat-Zinn conduct an introductory meditative experience for employees at Google. This spiritual technology is immediately effective and at the same time an engagement for a lifetime. It is about “coming to our senses” in the fullest sense of that phrase. This book explores these ways of living in more depth.

explore-blog: The ceaselessly talented Debbie...

getting-clearer-every-day — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 09:59:22 -0500

explore-blog:

The ceaselessly talented Debbie Millman remembers pioneering astronaut Sally Ride, who passed away earlier this year, in this beautiful visual essay for The New York Times. The artwork is made of felt letters painstakingly hand-stitched on felt fabric.

I know what I want for Christmas this...

getting-clearer-every-day — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 11:14:14 -0500

I know what I want for Christmas this year!

inubunny:

SCIENCE!! action figures

The Fiction to Reality Timeline

getting-clearer-every-day — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:28:35 -0500

The Fiction to Reality Timeline

Photo

getting-clearer-every-day — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 11:00:57 -0500

Awesome question. Nice answer - I love his...

getting-clearer-every-day — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 11:01:05 -0500

Awesome question. Nice answer - I love his answer.

mywildloves:

jesslaine:

la-belle-laide:

Second grader asks Neil DeGrasse Tyson an amazing question, and the answer is mind-blowing!

Unf! Tyson is such a boss.

Its been a long time since Ive posted any science stuff (wtf is that about?). Here’s a little something I found to be great! Described in the threads before me, its worth taking a look at.

Also, it bears repeating that you must always nurture your childs curiosity about nature and The Universe. This kid had a great question and it was met by Dr. Tyson with the appropriate response. He now has a gained sense of self confidence and may ask better and better questions as he goes throughout life, as a result. Never discourage your childs curiosity. We need free thinkers. We need more scientists.

explore-blog: Would you weigh less if you jumped in an...

getting-clearer-every-day — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 11:00:50 -0500

explore-blog:

Would you weigh less if you jumped in an elevator? Gravity, the normal force, and Newton’s Second Law of Motion, explained in a lovely animation from TED.

For all of us who wanted to be astronauts at one time or...

getting-clearer-every-day — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 14:53:02 -0500

For all of us who wanted to be astronauts at one time or another!

Source: Science is Beauty tumblr (http://scienceisbeauty.tumblr.com/)

No matter how well you think you understand life...

getting-clearer-every-day — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 11:00:49 -0500

No matter how well you think you understand life ….

infinity-imagined:

Scales on the wing of a Butterfly.

Image Credit: James Tyrwhitt-Drake, University of Victoria.

"I used to think that to become free you had to practice like a samurai warrior, but now I understand..."

getting-clearer-every-day — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 12:22:57 -0500

“I used to think that to become free you had to practice like a samurai warrior, but now I understand that you have to practice like a devoted mother of a newborn child. It takes the same energy but has a completely different quality. It’s compassion and presence rather than having to defeat the enemy in battle.”

- This makes so much more sense to me than the warrior imagery!

Jack Kornfield (Tricycle Daily Dharma)

"Freestylers enter a “flow” state, which researchers described as a “complete immersion in creative..."

getting-clearer-every-day — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 11:01:03 -0500

“

Freestylers enter a “flow” state, which researchers described as a “complete immersion in creative activity, typified by focused self-motivation, positive emotional valence and loss of self-consciousness.” Their creative gate is wide open.

“It’s the absence of attention,” said [researchers]. “When the attention system is partially offline, you can just let things fly and let things come without critiquing, monitoring or judging them.” “It’s almost like you’re able to think faster. … You’re able to incorporate multiple perspectives without thinking about it.”

”

- Neuroscientists study freestyle rap to better understand how creativity works, with findings echoing the principles of this 1939 “technique for producing ideas” (via explore-blog)

dglsplsblg: The Emotional Guidance Scale

getting-clearer-every-day — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 11:00:55 -0500

dglsplsblg:

The Emotional Guidance Scale

WTF? approachingsignificance: The Distressing Worldwide Boom...

getting-clearer-every-day — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 10:00:54 -0500

WTF?

approachingsignificance:

The Distressing Worldwide Boom in Cosmetic Surgery

In modern Manhattan, the pursuit of beauty has led some women to surgically shorten their toes and secure them with metal pins to fit more easily into three-inch Jimmy Choo stiletto heels (Kristina Widmer’s foot, post-surgery).

Photo credit: (Zed Nelson / Institute)

shortformblog: Genius graphic of the day: As the New York Times...

getting-clearer-every-day — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 11:33:48 -0400

shortformblog:

Genius graphic of the day: As the New York Times shows in amazing interactive piece, “512 Paths to the White House,” Obama’s path to winning the Electoral College is much easier than that of Romney. In fact, if Obama wins Florida, Romney would have to win eight other toss-up states to topple that blow. That’s less likely than an Obama Ohio win at the moment, but … ah, why explain it?! Play with the fun, interactive, awesome graphic! (ht Jason Smedvik)

As if there was any doubt that Carlin was a genius. My...

getting-clearer-every-day — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 11:00:42 -0400

As if there was any doubt that Carlin was a genius. My girls’ schools are big into an anti-bullying campaign. Wander around at any middle school or junior high and you can see Carlin’s thesis in action.

ikenbot:

George Carlin

getting-clearer-every-day: It took me a while to work through...

getting-clearer-every-day — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 11:23:58 -0400

getting-clearer-every-day:

It took me a while to work through this. It’s really interesting - and and not a bad thing to ponder over this rainy, Nor’easter, Hurricane Sandy day.

Interesting visual

getting-clearer-every-day — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 11:00:54 -0400

Interesting visual:

I’d love to have the data and work on some additional analysis.

Sweet - on so many levels. Great use of media to add emotional...

getting-clearer-every-day — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 11:00:43 -0400

Sweet - on so many levels. Great use of media to add emotional content to the information, relevancy, thought provoking. This would make a great lead in to a Socratic Seminar on lots of topics from basic social studies in elementary school to the more detailed curriculum of early American history in middle school and high school. Also in other courses … psychology, sociology, communications, graphic design, educational technology. Love, love TED!

explore-blog:

The story of the American constitution, animated. Narrator Judy Walton makes an important point about the delegates’ decision to keep the discussion secret in order to encourage an honest debate – something that would hardly be possible in today’s tweetable culture.

Wow! staceythinx: Illustrator Florian Nicolle breaks down...

getting-clearer-every-day — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 11:00:43 -0400

Wow!

staceythinx:

Illustrator Florian Nicolle breaks down break dancing.