Joe Mills

Hong Hao

Image courtesy of Hong Hao

This artwork by Hong Hao is pretty mesmerizing. When you get down to it, the artwork is stunningly simple. It is just a bunch of “things” that looked like they have been put on a large flat bed scanner. Once again, I marvel at the simplicity yet I’m drawn to the complexity of all of the “things” squished together like a real-life Tetris puzzle. Pretty cool…

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No Impact Man – Happiness vs. Consumption

I’ve posted here before about No Impact Man, so let me give him some more air space. He posted recently about the balance between happiness and consumption. He drew a crude graph basically making the point that having to completely restrict his life and the life of his family to not consume, did not make them happy. At the same time, though, over-consuming and taking advantage of all that being an American citizen offers us was also not rewarding at all. So, he was talking about the point where we can be a part of this disposable American world while also trying to live a somewhat sustainable lifestyle without feeling like not doing everything just right makes you a bad person.

Finally, there is the point on the graph which I have marked as”the goal.” This point, to me, is the Holy Grail of balance between quality of life and resource conservation. This is the place where you get to go out to a restaurant with friends once or twice a week, but you don’t waste resources in a way that doesn’t even improve your lifestyle by, say, eating out every night because you’ve fallen out of the habit of grocery shopping.

This point, “the goal,” is really just the place where you are really conscious of what you use. You don’t take things for granted. You understand that your actions have consequences for other people and the planet. It is the point between asceticism and waste, between self-denial and self-indulgence. It is the place of balance.

I think this point is well made and I think should be a goal for many of us. I’ve started to bring a reusable coffee mug with me to Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts so I don’t feel like a heel every time I throw out a coffee cup, so I can enjoy the coffee AND not waste resources. Small? Yes, but I think that is the goal.

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The Rise of the Creative Class

I’m reading a book I wish I would have read a while back called The Rise of the Creative Class. The quote I’m actually going to place here is a quote Richard Florida pulled from The Creative Mind by Margaret Boden, but I think it is great. She says that
creativity

involves not only a passionate interest but self-confidence too. A person needs a healthy self-respect to pursue novel idea, and to make mistakes, despite criticism from others. Self-doubt there may be, but it cannot always win the day. Breaking generally accepted rules, or even stretching them, takes confidence. Continuing to do so, in the face of skepticism and scorn, takes even more.

A quote like this keeps giving me juice to be a creative person and keep creating. There is something about having a blank “canvas” and having the confidence to create something. They aren’t always going to be masterpieces, but sometimes you have to put yourself out there and make mistakes in order to have your successes.

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Keeping Your Brain Young

I’m always interested in how to keep your brain young and fresh. I think some of us get so conditioned to be relaxed and resting after a long day or a long week that we forget that as we get older, we aren’t going to be as sharp as we were when we are younger. Is it hopeless? I have always thought that the best thing for our brains and our bodies is to stay active. And when I say active, I mean our brain stays active. I guess there is always time to veg out in front of the television, but I certainly don’t want to make it a habit. That is why I love seeing posts like this from PickTheBrain that continue to champion the continued use of our brain. Here is just a little snippet:

There is a long standing belief that when the brain is young, it learns quickly and by the time we’re in our twenties, it becomes ‘set in it’s ways’. It was also believed that you cannot replace brain cells that are lost. Research has shown this is no longer true. Brain cells can and do regenerate in certain areas of your brain up until your last breath is taken. I know the brain is amazing, but how does it regenerate itself?

It’s simple really – our thoughts (which are non-physical) can and do impact the physical structure of our brains. Let me repeat that: Our thoughts impact and change the physical structure of our brains.

They should be shouting this from the highest mountain…

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Lego Digital Designer

Recently, I came across the Lego Digital Designer, and I just think Lego continues to put out quality products. Yes, it is not new. And yes, this might merely be a vehicle to make Lego models that you can then buy, but the interface is so easy to use, it doesn’t have to be just that. I can see it being used for educational purposes such as 3-dimensional modeling, or it could be used within a well-structured math curriculum. The possibilities are endless…

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MTV Censored M.I.A. “Paper Planes” Video

Considering MTV decided to censor part of the new M.I.A. video for “Paper Planes”, I’ve decided to do the right thing and post it here so hopefully it gets as many views as possible. It is a shame they can show people doing everything and anything on shows like “A Shot at Love” and “The Real World” but put a few gun shots in a song, and all of sudden you are deserving of censorship.

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Stop Motion with Cut Out Paper

My students are about to start making stop motion videos, so I was particularly drawn to this music video using cut out paper. It is a technique that is not used much anymore, but I love what they have done with it here. Thanks to Drawn!

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The Story of Stuff

This is a teaser for a great presentation about The Story of Stuff. I guess it might seem rather juvenile when you start watching it but it is very well thought out and really brings together a lot of the issues that are part of this whole global warming/environmental protection debate. It’s worth the time.

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