A Beautiful Mind…

What’s Cool?

Give a dollar. Give a damn.

I recently did an unlearn presentation for a leadership summit at my previous university and was in dire need of a strong conclusion. I decided to use a video that I watched in Grand Central Station describing the difference you can make with your two hands. The video was about Mandela Day 2009. Although it was quite relevant, I wanted to leave the audience with something to look forward to – not something that had already passed.

More recently a friend sent me a link to something that would have worked just as well… or better. Gratitude Week is happening October 12-16 with the purpose of “Doing one thing today to end homelessness now.”

“Vancouver is one of the most prosperous and desirable places in the world to live. Yet we have more than 2,600 people living on our streets. We all know homelessness is something that must end, but the problem keeps growing. And while the issues of homelessness are complex and sometimes contentious, the reality is that until people have their basic needs of safe, clean affordable housing and shelter met, the larger and more difficult issues cannot be addressed”.

I really like the idea but let’s make this a challenge. Why can’t we challenge universities, colleges, high schools, elementary schools and cities across the country? This is an awesome concept that has to catch fire. Social networking has to take its toll… and fast!

NIN Fans, iPhone Fans and Everyone…

Check out this new iPhone App by Trent Rezner, Rob Sheridan and Digg’s Kevin Rose.

Blink

I have a good buddy that is constantly reading. He claims that he is not the fastest reader, however it seems as though he is always a few good reads ahead of me and he is always making unreal recommendations. I had the opportunity to pick up a book by Malcolm Gladwell called “Blink”. I’m not quite finished it but it has really caught my attention. Blink is about thinking without thinking. I know, it seems like quite the topic, however in a nutshell it is exploring unconscious thought.

You have no idea how much you judge people, all the time. I mean this in both a positive and a negative way.

One of the first case studies instantly caught my attention. For a number of years, Vic Braden was a professional tennis player and then he spent some time coaching. This guy could watch a tennis match between two people that he had never watched before and pick out each time the serving player was going to double fault.

First, understand that in a given match any one player could serve the ball more then 200 times. If they double fault 20 times this guy would accurately pick out 19 of 20 double faults right before they served the ball. He tried to determine what it was about that player’s serve that indicated to him a double fault was on the way but he just could not explain it. It’s unconscious decision making. It’s almost like having that gut instinct.

As expected, I highly recommend reading it. Also, I will keep you up to date on more interesting findings from the book.

Board of Directors – Pros vs. Cons

I am such a huge fan of Tom Peters. He has energy, passion and enthusiasm. Check out this quick clip about Board of Directors. It’s great!

Dooms Day Seed Vault

Here’s a prime time example of mass collaboration. A friend of mine told me about a vault that was built in Norway. It took scientists 7 years to collect 1.5 billion different species of seeds. The idea behind the vault was to preserve the world’s food source in case of an emergency. I watched an interesting video from 60 minutes at this site http://www.croptrust.org/main/#videos

First off, I think it’s quite scary to say the least. It seems like we have totally destroyed the planet and are preparing for absolute chaos. However, the other side of the coin presents this idea as a great one. In case of any natural disasters, or human mismanagement, we have a resource that can save our crop diversity.

Guerrilla Graffiti Artist Banksy ID’d at Last?

-Lewis Wallace

The secret identity of the guerrilla graffiti artist known as Banksy — whose work is either worth thousands of dollars or a nuisance to be quickly removed, depending on your point of view — may have been discovered at last.

Banksy is a 34-year-old man named Robin Gunningham, according to Brit paper The Mail on Sunday:

A Mail on Sunday investigation has uncovered compelling evidence suggesting that the artist is former public schoolboy Robin Gunningham. The notion that Banksy is Gunningham, 34, who was educated at the 9,240 (pound)-a-year Bristol Cathedral School, will shock the artist’s fans, fond of their hero’s “anti-establishment” stance.

But a spokeswoman for Banksy refused to comment on the alleged outing.

“We get these calls all the time,” she told the BBC. “I’ll say what I always say: I never confirm or deny these stories.”

Banksy ’s distinctive stenciling style, and the political and cultural themes he addresses, have made his work famous worldwide. Hollywood stars, including new mother of twins Angelina Jolie, have paid top dollar for his stylish street art.

From Wired.com

Echolocation in humans?

With my biology and psychology degree I took a few mammalian courses and generated a pretty good understanding of echolocation. A friend of mine sent me a video of a child who is blind. This guy is unreal. Like dolphins, he uses echolocation to navigate himself through life. Check it out.

The Lost Generation

 

I was doing some research for an unlearn presentation and I came across this very interesting video. It is titled “The Lost Generation” and it makes perfect sense. Check it out.

Isn’t that unbelievable. I love it.