Graphic For #FF

I had a great chat with a colleague of mine who works for Gabelli IT this afternoon about creating a collaborative group made up of representatives of all of the different groups helping faculty.  Our focus would be to  1.  share resources  2.  create a unified message  3.  support each other.

This project would have a website that can provide a framework for developing our PLNs at Fordham, helping to break down the silos among us.

Seize the day

One of my favorite sci fi books of all time is Dune by Frank Herbert.  So many great quotes, like this one:  “Without change something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken”

today’s momentum page (free chrome extension)

As I said in my last post, this is a time of crisis and opportunity.  What’s one thing that has changed for the better in your life in these times?  It’s so easy to focus on problems, sometimes it helps to think on the positive side.

Here’s some Productivity, Positivity, and Creativity for your day.

be well

k

Bharara, Teachout, Lessig are all going to be here... and it's free and open to the public...

program here: http://calendars.fordham.edu/EventList.aspx…

register here: http://calendars.fordham.edu/EventRegistration.aspx…

Cuomo vs Bharara

Cuomo's Office Hobbled Ethics Inquiries by Moreland Commission

Visit to the MET 12/27/18

Going to the MET with a friend tomorrow, my list of things to check out...

SPECIFIC ITEMS

Bacchanal: A Faun Teased by Children by Bernini (sculpture)

Viewpoint:  “The action unfolds as you encircle the piece.”  Very cool, one of the things that I like about his sculpture of Daphne and Apollo is that as you walk around the sculpture story is brought to life, action is given form.  

I’m excited that I’m going to get a chance to see one of his works in NYC. 

Aside from Daphne and Apollo at Villa Borghese, my other favorite Bernini pieces I saw in Rome:  Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi nella Piazza Navona, St. Peter's colonade, the angels on the Ponte Sant'Angelo, Ecstasy of St Teresa in the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria

The Denial of Saint Peter by Caravaggio (painting)

I am also excited that I will be able to see one of Caravaggio’s works at the Met.  Caravaggio is best known for his technique of chiaroscuro.  I saw many of his paintings in Italy:  the works in Cappella Contarelli in the church San Luigi dei Francesi on the theme of St. Matthew, David with the Head of Goliath and Saint Jerome Writing in Villa Borghese

If there’s time, I’d like to see paintings by Velázquez, Goya (or this one) and El Greco and some works by Rodin (or the Hand of Rodin, Study for Obsession, Pygmalion and Galatea or The Hand of God)

EXHIBITS

Dutch Masterpieces

- The Disillusioned Medea - Curiosity - Young Woman with a Water Pitcher

Everything is Connected:  Art and Conspiracy

And then depending on what my guide is interested in viewing, perhaps something from one of these exhibits?

Dangerous Beauty:  Medusa in Classical Art Relative Values:  The Cost of Art in the Northern Renaissance Celebrating Tintoretto:  Portrait Paintings and Studio Drawings The Poetry of Nature:  Edo Paintings from the Fishbein-Bender Collection Children to Immortals:  Figural Representations in Chinese Art Streams and Mountains without End:  Landscape Traditions of China Epic Abstraction

Links to exhibits on the Met website with information and digital resources

Otis Was a Flame of Fire via foundersofamerica

The Third Machine Age Could Destroy Us

How Artificial Superintelligence Will Give birth To Itself

We're Losing the Ability to See Things in the Long Term.  And It's Slowly Destroying Us

Lessig, Teachout, Bharara

We the People, and the Republic We Must Reclaim Lawrence Lessig TED talk

The Bare Knuckle Fight Against Money in Politics  Zepher Teachout & Lawrence Lessig on Bill Moyers

Cuomo vs. Bharara: Battle of the Heavyweights

Cuomo's Office Hobbled Ethics Inquiries by Moreland Commission

RELATED:  Check out my flipboard on:  Wealth and Inequality 

I'm also a LL fan not only because of #creativecommons but

Lawrence Lessig on the Free Access Movement

"Harvard’s Lawrence Lessig is easily the most important voice in intellectual property today, whose work — including founding Creative Commons"

Newest YouTube user to fight a takedown is copyright guru Lawrence Lessig

"Lessig's lawsuit runs through the checklist of fair use, making a case for why his lecture falls under that distinction: he used a small proportion of the song, his lecture doesn't compete with the market for the song in any way, and the lecture is an entirely new creation. Phoenix wanted its song to entertain and make money; Lessig's lecture was educational, and neither he nor Creative Commons, the sponsor, made any profit."

10 Years of Creative Commons: An Interview with Co-Founder Lawrence Lessig

Also see

Prosecutor as Bully 

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (video, 1:44:59, CC available)

The Internet’s Own Boy review: Remembering—and honoring—Aaron Swartz

Booking Video: Aaron Swartz Jokes, Jousts With Cops After MIT Bust

Former Reddit co-owner arrested for excessive JSTOR downloads

MIT not to blame for Aaron Swartz prosecution, MIT report says

Aaron Swartz

Fermi

I’ve been meaning to post these links together for a while now, fascinating stuff!  

Where are all the aliens via Quartz

Beyond “Fermi’s Paradox” II: Questioning the Hart-Tipler Conjecture via Universe Today (Paul Patton)

Beyond “Fermi’s Paradox” I: A Lunchtime Conversation- Enrico Fermi and Extraterrestrial Intelligence via Universe Today (Paul Patton)

11 of the Weirdest Solutions to the Fermi Paradox via io9 (George Dvorsky) The 7 Least Plausible Solutions To The Fermi Paradox via io9 (George Dvorsky)

This Animated Explanation Of The Fermi Paradox Is Fantastic via io9 (George Dvorsky)

Where Are All The Aliens? This Short Video Offers Some Solutions via io9 (George Dvorsky) this is part two to the previous link

Side note...  George’s posts on io9 are awesome, if you like science, I definitely recommend you check them out!

update: The Surprisingly Obvious Way We Could Hunt for Alien Life

another update:

The Fermi Paradox

Creativity, Technology/Robots/Jobs, Futurism

Links discussed/related to a couple of conversations this week about the purpose of education and what is your purpose in life....

Creativity....

Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking and Arthur C. Clarke - God, The Universe and Everything Else (1988) [52:10]

A couple of clips from this excellent video, an hour well spent…   Big questions and Curiosity Science, Politics, and Skepticism Creativity

Is Stifling Creativity in the Classroom Preventing Future Problem Solvers?

Excerpts:                        "Dr. Mae C. Jemison, an American physician and NASA astronaut, correctly noted that the “majority of scientists say they developed their passion for science by age 11. That means that the educational experience children have in grade school profoundly impacts our nation’s ability to graduate a prepared STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] work force.”"

                 "Look at any truly stunning innovation and you’ll find creativity at play. Inspiring our students to think creatively while being trained in a specific discipline is vital for our country’s growth and development. But here is the sobering reality: according to researchers, scores on the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (the standard test used to measure creativity, akin to IQ tests for measuring intelligence) have been declining in the U.S. during the past two decades, with the most significant decline among kindergartners through sixth graders. This leads to a fundamental question: Is our education system stifling creativity in today’s children, preventing them from becoming the world’s future creative problem solvers?

  Some argue that the decline in creativity may be caused by excess media consumption, because students are spending countless hours interacting with smart phones, video games and television. Others may argue standardized testing or other root causes. However, a fundamental fact remains: most children spend the majority of their day in a highly structure, perhaps overly ridged learning environment. How are we supporting teachers and equipping classrooms in the battle to preserve the child’s inherent and natural curiosity?" MORE LINKS 18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently TED Playlist: Where do ideas come from IN THE AIR New Yorker (Gladwell)

Technology, robots, and jobs...

10 Rad Jobs of the Future Infographic

Will Technology Make Work Better for Everyone? Slate

Here Comes The Future Of Education. Are We Ready?  Mitch Joel  Robots Are Already Replacing Us Wired (I like page 11) Better Than Human: Why Robots Will — And Must — Take Our Jobs Kevin Kelly, Wired              Excerpts:               "Robots create jobs that we did not even know we wanted done."                 "When robots and automation do our most basic work, making it relatively easy for us to be fed, clothed, and sheltered, then we are free to ask, “What are humans for?” Industrialization did more than just extend the average human lifespan. It led a greater percentage of the population to decide that humans were meant to be ballerinas, full-time musicians, mathematicians, athletes, fashion designers, yoga masters, fan-fiction authors, and folks with one-of-a kind titles on their business cards. With the help of our machines, we could take up these roles; but of course, over time, the machines will do these as well. We’ll then be empowered to dream up yet more answers to the question “What should we do?” It will be many generations before a robot can answer that." (also see Kevin Kelly's TED talk:  The next 5,000 days of the web?)

  The long view... 

Have you seen Jason Silva's latest 'Shots of Awe' video?  JASON SILVA’S LATEST: TO BE HUMAN IS TO BE TRANSHUMAN

The next species of human Juan Enriquez TED Talk I'm planning to give a talk on transhumanism  (more than just Kurzweil's ideas on the singularity) next semester....