I treasure this TED talk by Steven Johnson not just for the image of London's oldest coffee house but also for the explanation of the central role of the coffee house in the creative process and the fascinating story of how the coffee house gave us GPS via Sputnik and nuclear submarines. Not only did this talk call up images of James Burke and Connections, it managed to explain much more clearly than the New York Times why I like Coffitivity so much.
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I've seen music used in therapeutic settings before, but this is the first time I've seen poetry used the same way. Here's an additional report.
Music Is Good for you at any Age
The Motley Fool takes a look at smart pills. Report contains a shocking estimate that 50% of medication is " prescribed, dispensed, or sold inappropriately" and gives a amazing hint of the amount of data a smart pill could capture.
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Pills to Remind You to Take Your Pills
Teenagers in Rio De Janeiro are teaming up with the United Nations and a nonprofit to document local health dangers. But it's not your usual mapping project: The teens hacked kites (which are popular toys in Rio's favelas) into aerial cameras. Using the digitally enhanced kits, the teenagers take impromptu aerial surveys of different neighborhoods. The kitecam pictures are then examined for signs of garbage piles, overgrown vegetation, physically dangerous public spaces, and other safety hazards. Using the aerial surveys, the kids then set out on foot to take geotagged camera phone pictures of the hazards.
Fast Company reports on the way kids in Rio de Janeiro have hacked kites into tools for aerial observation of health hazards. They're cooperating with UNICEF.