A zen perspective on how we think about the future
In her TED talk, Lisa Harouni delivers a primer on 3D printing | Video on TED.com. Lisa is co-founder of Digital Forming. Also referred to as additive manufacturing, 3D printing empowers anyone with the ability to manufacturing single or multiple products of all sizes and literally all shapes. There are production capabilities equal to the design details of a human lung that only 3D printing achieves. In the process, very thin layers of various materials follow detailed 3D designs to create seamless objects. The...
In her research on the value of urban bikes, Christine Grant cites 10 compelling reasons why biking is essential to happier communities. This is reason #3: Biking is safer than a sofa. Sedentary living doubles the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity. Combating diseases of sedentary living requires 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day—a minimum more and more people around the world are unable to meet. “Why not introduce a broad, carefully conceived invitation to people to walk and bicycle as...
The US education system is currently designed to produce a 70% chance of a ninth-grader completing high school. This figure is roughly 30% lower than what anyone would tolerate from the performance of any appliance, technology, investment or vehicle. The costs of perpetuating this design are astronomical on many levels. It is a call for significant redesign innovation. There is no reason to continue current teaching and testing practices that are intrinsic to the shortfalls of the current model. Teachers, parents...
Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson. Follow the three R’s: Respect for self, Respect for others and Responsibility for all your actions. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. Spend some time alone every day. Open...
The annual US tradition of the “State of the Union” address is an interesting exercise in narrative. Last night’s rendition was apparently the “State of the Disunion.” Whatever it is, it is one person’s story. Maybe we could give everyone the week off so there could be a week of narratives on all levels, charging rich multi-perspective dialogue and reflection rather than a few minutes of anemic counter-party rebuttal to one man’s narrative. A more intelligent Union would never take any two people’s narratives as...
This year Saudi women will enjoy a freedom taken for granted by other women around the world - the simple pleasure of shopping in a women-staffed lingerie store. Recent reforms there have elevated bra buying to a political act. One of the drivers is pressure from women and leaders who grasp the inevitable arc of women who are becoming more educated than many of their countrymen. Over the coming generation, this is likely to be the farthest-reaching transformation in Saudi society. While women are still constrained...
Why does an appendectomy in Germany cost roughly a quarter what it costs in the United States? Or an M.R.I. scan cost less than a third as much, on average, in Canada? Americans continue to spend more on health care than patients anywhere else. In 2009, we spent $7,960 per person, twice as much as France, which is known for providing very good health services. And for all that spending, we get very mixed results — some superb, some average, some inferior — compared with other advanced nations. According to The Money...
At Quest University in BC Canada, David Helfand is “institutionalizing the revolution” in higher Ed. Quest has no departments, no tenure and no classes larger than 20. It uses the block system, in which students take one course at a time for a month. Students get a grade, plus a faculty assessment of whether they are “contributing to, and benefiting from, the intellectual life of the classroom.” And students spend their last two years focused on a single question of their choosing. Students concentrate on one 3...
The EPA is now offering drinking water to Pennsylvania residents near contaminated fracking sites. Even the suggestion of this trend will provoke perennial protest that public funds should not be dedicated to fresh water. The issue is far less simple because it’s compounded by the fact that this trend means public dollars are now subsidizing, the problem, the intervention, and the leaders who are accountable for both. We would be wise to demand higher levels of systemic intelligence.
10-time author and designer with a focus on change in organizations and communities. HappinessChoice.com
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