Yottabytes! That's a lotta bytes.

A recent report by the University of California has calculated that American households collectively consumed 3.6 zettabytes of information in 2008. A zettabyte is one billion trillion bytes. yottabytes can't be too far away. Read more here: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/the-american-diet-34-gigabytes-a-day/?src=tp

Inside the Apple Lab

Fascinating look at the design of a Mac, from the man who designed it. There is an elegance and simplicity that belies the intelligence and drive behind the design. This link shows a clip from Gary Hustwit's 2009 documentary about contemporary industrial design, Objectified.
http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/11/07/inside-apples-industrial-design-lab/

Colleges See Rise In Mental Health Issues

College can be tough enough when all is going well, but for a student having clinical depression, anxiety or eating disorders, it can seem insurmountable. Whether mental health problems are more prevalent now than in the past , is not clear. But there are more resources to be had today and students should feel encouraged to seek help rather than suffer in silence. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113835383&sc=nl&cc=hh-20091019

NBC Sued Over Font License

Remember - fonts are not free. They are considered intellectual property.

NBC Sued Over Font License: "Font Bureau Inc., Boston,is suing NBC Universal Inc. for $2 million, ..."

How Private Equity Firms Affect all of Us

Private equity firms touch our lives everyday. They buy undervalued companies, mostly with borrowed money.They then extract money from the company through various means (fees, dividends, selling off parts etc.) When the company goes bankrupt or outright fails, these companies have still made their millions. All of us should watch this remarkable investigative story to understand how much our lives are affected by the artificial financial schemes run by a few.
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/business/2009-private-equity/index.html

Maureen Nails It

Maureen Dowd, one of the better Op-Ed Columnist at the Times, has dared to say what many of us have been thinking. It's a safe bet to say that much of the anti-Obama sentiment from the deep white South is due to outright racism. I thought the country had moved farther away from such ignorance, but perhaps I overestimated our maturity. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/opinion/13dowd.html?_r=1&em

Great Photography Series

Corbis has put together a beautiful site featuring great photographs and the stories behind them. Storied -Notable Voices on Celebrated Photography. Plan to spend some time...... http://pro.corbisimages.com:5050/Creative/storied/default.aspx?cid=0809:C2:04:03:01:03:05:17:01:07&/#/home

Why Photographers Hate Creative Commons

Why Photographers Hate Creative Commons
In Web 2.0 it is all too easy to loose track (and ownership) of your images. Please be sure you really understand what Creative Commons really is before using it.

Drugs That May Slow Aging

Some remarkable new advances in medicine. How great would it be to have the health effects of a low calorie diet, but not have to starve! http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/science/18aging.html?_r=1&em

The Stress Loop

The brain is an amazing thing. But its very plasticity can be source of problems if not understood. University research has documented ways we create a "stress loop" that is harmful to our well being. Understanding your stress response can help you change it. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/science/18angier.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=brain%20is%20a%20&st=cse

Last Gasp Of Angry White Voters

I hope this is the last gasp. This column by Krugman shows the dangers of ill informed voters -"voters who can be swayed by appeals to cultural and racial fear". The angry white right is a danger to us all. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/opinion/07krugman.html?_r=1&em

Stats Any One?

Not the most popular course of study but increasingly lucrative. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/technology/06stats.html?_r=1&hp

HWB- A True Commentary on the Persistence of Racism

We may never know exactly what transpired at Professor Gates home last Wednesday - could Gates have handled it a little differently? Should the police have thought a little more before acting against a perceived resistance? We may never know, but what is clear that there are still too many people who are forever suspicious of those who are not like them. Professor Fish accurately portrays this tension which unfortunately still exits today. http://fish.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/24/henry-louis-gates-deja-vu-all-over-again/?em

The Happiest Man in the World

The more activity in the left prefrontal area of our brain, well, the happier you will be. Interesting conclusions and a path to happiness worth trying. This opinion piece looks at Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, the Tibetan lama who has been dubbed “the happiest man in the world". http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/sitting-quietly-doing-something/

An OS Cloud - with Chrome

Is it time to move the Operating System to the "cloud", that ubiquitous cyberspace ether? I am not sure if I want all my data in the cloud - and certainly graphic and video editing would have to be done locally. But, it's an interesting vision that Google has- http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/12/weekinreview/12helft.html?scp=1&sq=reaching%20for%20the%20cloud&st=cse

The "IMP" Within

Interesting look at the "imp" within . Those embarrassing perverse impulses that are the bane of all us. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/07/health/07mind.html?_r=1&em

Why Our Medical Care Costs So Much

This excellent article (NewYorker 6/22) written by best selling author and surgeon, Atul Gawande, details, with hard facts, the reason why our health care costs are so exorbitant and why they are devouring our national budget. Free markets need some controls or they run wild . Greed will often trump doing the right thing. Read this well written and absorbing article to understand how things have gone so wrong... http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_gawande

So Long Kodachrome!

To think that in the early days of Life and Look, Kodachrome 25 was the preferred film! Digital cameras today hardly go below ISO 100.... When you see the challenges of processing, you can see why its demise was hastened. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/technology/companies/23kodak.html?scp=5&sq=kodak&st=cse

Understanding the AIG Debacle

This excellent Planet Money Podcast helps you to understand the series of events that allowed the regulators to allow this financial mess. They were "asleep at the wheel". Easy to understand (entertaining, even if the subject matter isn't) and engrossing. http://bit.ly/kXNRg

Unbelievable New Technology !

MIT is working on some amazing new technology - it allows us to intelligently connect with all the information swirling around us. An amazing demonstration at TED http://www.ted.com/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html

Reinventing Our Educational Process

It is time to draw students out of the narrow silos of specialization. Specific knowledge is good, expertise is needed, but without a broad education, we only become technicians. Please listen to the President of Bennington challenges us to become truly cross-disciplinary! http://www.ted.com/talks/liz_coleman_s_call_to_reinvent_liberal_arts_education.html

Logos Follow Cultural Trends

Very interesting look at how logo development corresponds to the cultural "zeitgeist". http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/weekinreview/31marsh.html?ref=weekinreview

God and Neurobiology

Fantastic series on NPR ( part 2 was today). The concept of God is truly "within". It's so exciting to think of how much more there is to uncover re: the brain and how it works. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104240746

You Are What You Eat!

David Kessler's new book, "The End Of Overeating" is a must read. The whole national paradigm could shift if we watch what we ingest. Listen to his interview on Fresh Air: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104068820

Community Without Cars

What a great idea - create a community where people walk and ride bikes. Healthier, quieter, safer. Hope this idea catches on. I'd live there. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/science/earth/12suburb.html?em

If you care about journalism today.....

Please take the time to listen to this excellent interview on Media Matters with Bob McChesney. If you care about, and understand the importance of, journalism today - this is a must listen to.

http://will.illinois.edu/mediamatters/show/april-12-2009/

Red Meat Results

It may be wise to choose to eat less cow and more fish. See the latest findings here http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/health/28brod.html?em

Incredibly Cool (and green) Photograph

See how they did the very clever green magazine cover for the NY Times Magazine on 4/19/09 - click on the multimedia to the right of the cover.
http://www.nytimes.com/indexes/2009/04/19/magazine/

Graduating in 2009?

Never let a down market get you down. Things aren't as bad as they look. Some interesting words of encouragement from the NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/jobs/12career.html?8dpc

Time For Electric Cars

Listen to this wonderful presentation (on TED) by Shai Agassi on a bold plan to have the world leave fossil fuel behind. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/shai_agassi_on_electric_cars.html We can do it!

Virus Powered Battery

What a creative approach to solving our energy challenges. Imagine your lithium batteries powered by a genetically engineered virus.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102647672

Mall Surfing

Seems to be just the kind of can do attitude needed in this recession!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/business/05mall.html?hp

Degree in Twitter

Now here is a class I hope we don't offer soon http://www.businessinsider.com/uk-school-offers-degree-in-social-networking-2009-3

Musical Rights or Musical Wrongs

Being a former musician, I understand protecting copyrighted music. But it's unclear whether kids fooling around should be labeled pirates. Perhaps YouTube (Google) should just pay Warner something and leave the YouTube videographers alone. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/23/business/media/23warner.html?hpw

Twitterverse - trivial?

Very funny, though a bit harsh. Twitter has some redeeming characteristics.... http://current.com/items/89891774/supernews_twouble_with_twitters.htm

The Infrastructure Project of the Century

This makes so much sense - I hope it happens . The car that would make the world a better place. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/16/sunday/main4869332.shtml

Tweeting,texting,googling

Seems that all this cyber communicating is challenging our legal system. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/us/18juries.html?hp

So sad....absurd book ban

This is what happens when phobic bureaucrats get to write our laws http://www.city-journal.org/2009/eon0212wo.html

New Republican Platform?

Ah, Mr. Steele - gotta love it  http://blow.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/12/steele-talking/

The Great Disruption

Perhaps Thomas Freidman has it right - this moment in time might be a turning point for us all http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/opinion/08friedman.html?em

The Banks - What's REALLY Going On

This is the best (and clearest) explanation I've heard re: the banking mess we are in. I urge you to follow this link and listen to Bad Bank (part of This American Life series)
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1285

Clean Coal?

Learn about the benefits of clean coal from the Coen Brothers!

http://action.thisisreality.org/page/invite/cleancoalclean

Everything's Amazing

Thank you Louis CK! We all need some perspective and a laugh! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoGYx35ypus

Wealth Un-Distribution

Interesting how wealth concentrates at the top and exploits at the bottom.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wABI2dwbQMQ

Joy of Garbage?

Think your College has some strange courses? Check these out. http://laughlines.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/dude-wheres-my-diploma/

Eat Right = Save Planet

Mark Bittman discusses how eating right can save the planet. Alright, perhaps not be the answer to ALL our problems, but eating with a little intelligence can go a long way towards shifting our mass agricultural paradigm. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99268166&sc=nl&cc=es-20090222

Great Uncle Sam Video

From funnyordie.com , a great parody/commentary using the Wrestler as a vehicle to describe our country's greatest fight. See below (end of posts) or http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/

An Onion Laugh

The cure for the annoyingly cheerful! http://www.theonion.com/content/video/fda_approves_depressant_drug_for?utm_source=a-section

Food Still the Best Nutrient

Following a balanced diet is still the best road to good health. New, rigorous studies show "extra vitamins, at least in pill form, (do not) help prevent chronic disease or prolong life."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/health/17well.html?em

As goes CA, goes US

This is so important - this is what can happen when an ideological minority affects the political process. And it doesn't matter if it's left or right - extreme views are not healthy for a democracy.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/apocalypse-now/

We've Lost Our Edge

Americas educational prowess has been steadily eclipsed since the 1970's. The anti-education, anti-intellectual views that have prevailed in politics, have done incredible damage to our global standing. Nicholas Kristoff is correct that we need to change our priorities. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/opinion/15kristof.html?em

Wisdom

What a great talk - and how important wisdom is in living your life. Should be required listening.
TED is the best. http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_our_loss_of_wisdom.html

Annie at work

Great video clip of Annie Leibovitz at work. Watch it! http://www.profoto-usa.com/news/press/pro8-leibovitz.asp?utm_source=imaginginfo&utm_medium=banner&utm_term=pro-8&utm_content=annie&utm_campaign=300x250-annie-pro-8

Save the Librarians

Let's not loose our libraries (or librarians) http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/books/16libr.html?em