From an interview with Jonah Lehrer, author of Imagine: How Creativity Works. Why doesn’t brainstorming work? What should we do instead? I think the failure of brainstorming is inseparable from its allure, which is that it makes us feel good about ourselves. A group of people are put together in a room and told to free-associate, …
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Myth = 100% of our energy cannot come form renewable sources
100% of Minnesota’s electricity generation needs can be met by wind and solar sources combined with improvements to the state’s electric grid system and energy efficiency policies, according to a report released today. Renewable Minnesota: Aanalysis of a 100% renewable-energy based electricity system for Minnesota Researched and written by Dr. Arjun Makhijani and Christina Mills …
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Nerdist Channel – you have to have an excessive knowledge of nerd culture
This is one of the most entertaining press conferences I’ve ever seen. “You have to have an excessive knowledge of nerd culture, a little bit of desperation, and I believe there is an element of being socially ostracized.” The Nerdist Channel Featured shows: Ain’t It Cool with Harry Knowles – the TV version …
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Kickstarter project: build a NYC park in an abandoned, underground trolley terminal
We want to transform an abandoned trolley terminal on the Lower East Side of Manhattan into the world’s first underground park, called Lowline. This space is quite large, by New York standards: 60,000 square feet, or 1.5 acres. It was built in 1903 as a trolley terminal, for streetcars traveling over the Williamsburg Bridge, and …
Tickets available for the 2012 Newport Beach Film Festival
This will be my second year attending the Newport Beach Film Festival. Last year I watched a film about sharks and listened to Aaron Sorkin speak about writing. I loved it. This year is looking to be just as good and I’m excited to see movies about the ocean, surfing, design, and drama. One things …
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Debate over oil subsidies – Senators voting to protect them received on average 4x more contributions
The debate goes much deeper than who received money, but these numbers are still important: In a 51-47 vote, 43 Senate Republicans and four Democrats filibustered to protect $24 billion in tax breaks for Big Oil. Although a majority voted for Sen. Robert Menendez’s (D-NJ) bill, it fell short of the 60 needed. The only …
Now is the easiest time since Prohibition to start a distillery
In our inaugural film, we visit the Breuckelen Distilling Company, the first gin distiller in Brooklyn since prohibition. Founder Brad Estabrooke talks about starting from nothing and the imperfect process of perfecting a craft. “It was challenging to get people to take me seriously. ‘Hey, I just got laid-off from my job and I have …
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The Happiness Advantage, Principle #7: Social Investment
Several years ago, I read about a psychology course being taught at Harvard, “Positive Psychology,” which became the most popular course at the university. The Head Teaching Fellow for the class, Shawn Achor, went on to write and publish, “The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work.” A fascinating, well-researched …
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Google Street Roo – exploring the outback one bounce at a time
One of our top requests from our users is the ability to roam the vast Australian continent. Unfortunately, the remoteness of the outback has posed a challenge for our traditional Street View cars and trikes. Today, we’re happy to announce that Google has found an innovative way to capture a special collection of images from …
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The benefits of raised bed gardening
It’s springtime and I’ll be out doing some planting today. Yesterday, at the farmers market, I picked up four seedlings: Pepper, Heirloom Tomato, Thai Basil, and Mexican Squash. Before getting started I looked up what a ‘raised bed’ was. I had been hearing a lot about them and was wondering why they’re so popular. Turns …