…was quite possibly a fiction book! I think I’ve mentioned before that I read mostly non-fiction – probably 80-90% NF to 10-20% Fiction. But a recent Reddit thread on “eye-opening books that have improved the quality of your life” led me to a great fiction find. In the thread, somebody recommended Bill Bryson’s “A Short […]
Depending on where you live (and where you get your news), the Occupy Wall Street movement, may or may not be on your radar. These protests, which started in New York but have since spread to other cities around the world, are “mainly protesting against social and economic inequality, corporate greed, and the influence of […]
Just heard the news and, as with Jack Layton’s passing, the death of the co-founder of Apple was probably not a complete surprise but still pretty shocking. In fact, when I said how sad I was, Shea said “As sad as when Jack Layton died?” and I replied “More.” I went on to explain that […]
This is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Scientists have figured out a way to create (blurry, impressionistic) video of what a person is watching by scanning their brain waves! This was accomplished by the researchers watching a bunch of YouTube videos and creating a database of which parts of their brain “lit […]
Shea and I were out to Indian Head yesterday to take in a fundraiser for the local NDP candidate in this year’s Provincial Election with guest speaker, Dr. Ryan Meili (plus a pretty amazing special guest speaker too.) Here’s some random thoughts… – we heard about the fundraiser at a wedding in IH about a […]
A recent documentary features a variety of scenes from all around the world captured on a single day. Here’s the trailer: One Day on Earth – Motion Picture Trailer from One Day On Earth on Vimeo.
The idea of a connection between happiness and productivity is a discussion I’ve had with a few people at work over the past couple years – some who are in agreement with the idea, some who feel there’s no link between happiness and productivity and some who are uncertain (or haven’t given it much thought […]
The news of Jack Layton’s passing today, although not unexpected, is still sad and tragic for so many reasons. There is much grieving today from party supporters and much respect from people from across the political spectrum for a man who was truly special within the political realm. I tried to think of an appropriate […]
Redditors chime in with their favourite “blow your mind” facts – some serious, some silly. That one about there being no physical (or metaphysical) difference between the atoms in a living creature and non-living inanimate object makes sense on one level but is also sort of stunning when you think about it.
This great video makes the case that we haven’t evolved to compete with each other but to empathize with one another. I especially like how it builds the case of how our strongest connections grew from family relationships to tribes to religion-as-extended-family to nation-states-as-extended-family to the natural next step to a worldwide unity of purpose, […]