Helen Keller, the American author, political activist and lecturer, learned to talk despite being deaf and blind.
Here she is with her instructor and lifelong companion, Anne Sullivan. In this footage (from 1930) Sullivan shows the way how Helen Keller learned to talk.
via Smithsonian.
Kind of cool.
Life imitating Art.
Here is a version of David Bowie's Space Oddity, recorded by Commander Chris Hadfield on board the International Space Station.
Hadfield is not only an astronaut, he is a social media star who invited the world to experience space differently by sharing the photos and videos he captured during his stay on the International Space Station.
With deference to the genius of David Bowie, here's Space Oddity, recorded on Station. A last glimpse of the World. youtube.com/watch?v=KaOC9d…
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) May 12, 2013
In the clip, Hadfield floats around the space station singing the 1969 track (with modified lyrics such as, “Ground control to Major Tom, lock your Soyuz hatch and put your helmet on,”) and playing an acoustic guitar while gazing at Earth from space.
Kind of fun to watch.
Love this illustration of Thinking versus Doing.
Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.
Certainty is a 'funny' thing. Just because you know the 'right' answer doesn't mean there isn't a different answer that might seem even more correct.
Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.
Fit or Fat? Data Says … "Fatter than Ever".
It’s no secret that the US has a weight problem, but did you realize how fast the country got fat?
The U.S. has gone from a relatively thin country to a place where the norm in many areas is to be overweight or even obese.
Look How Fast It Happened. The chart starts in 1985.
via The Atlantic
This animated map is jaw-dropping (or belt-busting). Notice the how the
rate of change accelerates when it reaches the 2000s … many states
burst from around a 20% obesity level to over 30%.
It is interesting to note that Colorado remains the only state (in blue) with less than 20% obesity.
Meanwhile, Gallop recently released their
Well-Being Index of 189 metro areas. In 2012, obesity
rates in all but two areas were above 15%.
Here are the Fittest and Fattest Communities in the U.S.:
If you live in Charlottesville VA or Boulder CO, you’re probably looking good.
Tragedies often sound a clarion call that get people to band together and be their best selves.
But how long will the good behavior last? Like exercise or showers, while it is good to do … it is better to repeat.
It is time to take an honest look at ourselves … and take appropriate action.
The 3 minute video below highlights some tough issues. The hard truth is that progress starts with honesty.
Do you think this painted an accurate picture of the current United States?
It was cool that they found the bombers so fast. Yet, I have mixed feelings about what that implies about the 'surveillance society' we live in.
Sometimes things just don't seem to make sense … other times they do.
Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.
Some things are harder than others …
Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.
Front, Back or Side … What's Your Perfect Sleep Position?
Instead of a good night's sleep, it may be hurting you.
Here is an infographic from the WSJ that lays it out for you.
Related articles
It is easy to get lost in the admistrivia of day-to-day life. Here is a quick antidote for that.
International Space Station astronaut Don
Pettit lived on the station for about a year, and took many pictures while up there. The results of his innovative photographic work and passion have changed
the way we see earth from space.
Next, astrophotographer Christoph Malin took thousands of Pettit's individual photos and animated them, adding clips of Pettit giving a talk about his stay aboard
the ISS and his photography there. He also set it to music, creating a simply stunning time-lapse video.
The result is certainly worth watching. So, set aside 16
minutes of your busy day, sit back, and soak this in: “The ISS Image Frontier”.
"Making the invisible visible" – the ISS Image Frontier from Christoph Malin on Vimeo.
The video presents an interesting perspective of our planet.
Many astronauts, even from back in the Apollo days, talk
about an incredible feeling they get after a few days in space. As they gaze on
the Earth from above, they lose their feeling of borders and nationality. The
Saudi astronaut Sultan bin Salman Al-Saud, who flew on the Space Shuttle in
1985, commented on this, saying ,
“The first day or so we all pointed to our countries. The third or fourth day
we were pointing to our continents. By the fifth day, we were aware of only one
Earth.”
On a different note, the technique where they create a composite view of a visual time series is facinating. It makes the invisible visible … and has many uses in the big data space as well. Very cool!
