Tuesday 15 January 2008

Sailing in London


Today the city is full of wind and water patterns, slicing up the air and slashing people's faces as they struggle up the streets as though they had turned into currents to swim up against. Umbrellas swarm the streets like birds, bend and twist, not being able to withstand the forces of the wind, which seem to be playing a game of hit-and-run. The wind strikes you from around the corner, pulls on your umbrella, rearranges your hair, and blinds you with the rain as you turn your face away. It seems as though everyone was taking sailing lessons, stuck under their little umbrellas and desperately trying to navigate the gusts of wind and the geometry of the streets. Though irritating, there is something incredibly attractive in the rain's calm permanence and force, which doesn't seem to retire day or night recently.

Monday 14 January 2008

Tecktonik

I have two French boys staying in my flat for this month and one of the things I keep hearing about is Tecktonik. It's a fairly new style of dance that started last year in Paris. Just thought I'd share...



Tuesday 8 January 2008

Think Think?



BigThink is a new platform of an intellectual exchange of ideas worldwide. At first glance it seems like a YouTube, except instead of random clips and music, it's filled with interviews with experts in all kinds of scientific and humanistic areas. If this idea sprawls like intended, it may become a very interesting source of opinions and information for all curious. The discussions vary from cloning to agriculture, so you're pretty much bound to find something for yourself. Except for providing information and opinion the site actually aims to include the opinions its members hold. You're free to create new ideas to discuss, rate the ideas of others and contribute to the general feeling on how ideas stand.

Wednesday 2 January 2008

Postchristmasartum



I know it's after Christmas, but they say it's never too late for reflection...

Tuesday 1 January 2008

Have you done your homework?

MIT has opened its gates to people all over the globe with its Open Course Ware initiative! You can now access courses online and take advantage of lecture notes, readings, tests, and sometimes even watch video lectures. I've downloaded a few courses already, but haven't explored their structure. Finally we'll all be able to explore a little bit more than what's in the bookstores in areas that we've perhaps wanted to study or wish we studied in the past.

Here's a glimpse at where the users are from:


Obviously taking these courses won't get you anywhere as far as scoring credit points, achieving a degree, or networking, but by the sound of it will give you just about all of what's fleshy in the sector of intellectual self-development. MIT is the pioneer, but with more than 100 universities worldwide joining the initiative, the choice is astounding. You can download the courses straight from the Open Course Ware webpage or use iTunes with its iTunes U, which automatically directs you to podcasts from several different sources. All curious unite!



Oh yeah, Happy New Year everyone!