You were born programmed to be liberal or conservative

This very interesting video from Jonathan Haidt explores the concept that most of us care about five things:

  1. Harm/Care
  2. Fairness/Reciprocity
  3. In-group/Loyalty
  4. Authority/Respect
  5. Purity/Sanctity

Most interestingly he considers why some of us only care about the first two and some of us care about all five. 

I'll end with the same quote Haidt did which was awesome:

The Perfect Way is only difficult
for those who pick and choose
Do not like, do not dislike
all will then be clear.
Make a hairbreadth difference,&
and Heaven and Earth are set apart
If you want the truth to stand clear before you,
never be for or against.
The struggle between "for" and "against"
is the mind's worst disease.

The 8th century Chinese Zen master Sent-ts’an:

Bonus stuff:

The site Haidt mentions to explore your morals is www.yourmorals.org 

The book that Haidt shows in the beginning is by the exceptionally awesome Steven Pinker, who talks about the book here

Some much longer stuff from Haidt from thesciencenetwork

Tagged Interesting Learn something TED

$350 prototype turns the world into your computer

 

Click here if the video is taking forever as TED videos do sometimes. It will open a page with the video in a new tab.


For $350, they created a device that lets you to take photographs using your fingers and turn any surface - wall, your hand - into your monitor.

Apart from the amazing resourcefulness, the ways they have thought of using their concepts are brilliant and social. It definitely makes you consider how the vast amount of information that is available online may be accessed and used in moment to moment activities.

Imagine picking up a book and seeing book reviews projected onto the book. Or imagine picking up a product in the food store and instantly getting information such as how earth-friendly it is or whether there are any saturated fats in it.

You should stop reading now and watch the video if you haven't already.

As the technology improves so will our uses for it. That works the other way around as well. Another TED presenter, Clay Shirky, said it especially well in his presentation (open in new tab):

"These tools don't get socially interesting until they get technologically boring".

One example is the way twitter is used in emergencies. As people came to expect constant text messaging capabilities they began using them to communicate things they never would have before with people they never would have before.

This means that a small group of us can act as eyes, ears and noses for all the rest of us. Where's the first aid? What shelter still has space? What part of the city is dangerous? Using Twitter we can all find out at the same time. Almost as soon as one of us knows, all of us do.

The world is changing for the better not because we want it to, but because it's just too easy not to improve things.

Have fun.

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Review: The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss

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When I first saw Tim Ferriss on TED, I immediately thought, "Here is someone doing the things I'm dreaming about."

From facing fears to learning new skills and concepts, he seemed confident but not cocky and intelligent but not elitist. As I read through his blogsand found out about his book, The http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/ I decided that this was a book I had to have.

Here is a man who has learned more than a dozen languages, earned a Guinness record for Tango dancing and traveled to more cities than I have heard of (which says something about my geography knowledge I know, but he has been everywhere). Even better, he has often accomplished these things in record time.

I will probably post several blogs on Mr. Ferriss and his advice but I wanted to get something out right after I finished the book the first time. My feelings and thoughts will most likely change as I go over each chapter and step.

You should buy and read this book if you want to do any of the following:

1. Have more time
2. Work less
3. Learn more about the world around you and act on what you learn
4. Enjoy more things while having less things
5. Accomplish that really big dream you keep telling yourself is too big

Not only has he done these things, he gives clear instructions on how he did it and how you can, including mistakes. Plus he updates his advice on his website which has loads of additional info such as 'How to Learn any Language in 3 months'.

For me, the most valuable advice has been on how to be effective rather than efficient and how to recognize which of your "important" responsiblites are just there so that you don't have to do the things that really scare the crap out of you.

Although I have only begun implementing the ideas in the book (such as checking email no more than twice a day and quitting the multitasking nightmare) the lowered tension and increased optimism has changed every second of my day.

Go and watch his talk on TED, read one of his blogs or best of all buy the book.

With that last point in mind, I have to say that Ferriss is truly modern. As the technology on our planet grows and improves, we are learning that far beyond new ways to do old things, the internet, computers and electronic data will allow us to do totally new things.

Learning, using information and experiencing the world and each other is becoming more dynamic and Ferriss is at the head of the learning curve. Enjoy.

Tagged How-to Inspirational Learn something Reviews TED