Internal Time: The Science of Chronotypes, Social Jet Lag, and Why You're So Tired. By Maria Popova Debunking the social stigma around late risers, or what Einstein has to do with teens’ risk for smoking. “Six hours’ sleep for a man, seven for a woman, and eight for a fool,” Napoleon famously prescribed. (He would have scoffed at Einstein, then, who was known to require ten hours of sleep for optimal performance.) This perceived superiority of those who can get by on less sleep isn’t just something Napoleon shared with dictators like Hitler and Stalin, it’s an enduring attitude woven into our social norms and expectations, from proverbs about early birds to the basic scheduling structure of education and the workplace. The distribution of midsleep in Central Europe. This myth that early risers are good people and that late risers are lazy has its reasons and merits in rural societies but becomes questionable in a modern 24/7 society. The scissors of sleep. Chronotypes vary with age: [T]he less stress smokers have, the easier it is for them to quit.
(Thanks, Jalees.) The Bayeux Tapestry Animated. We had to do it. We had to bring back a wonderful little animation of The Bayeux Tapestry -- you know, the famous embroidery that offers a pictorial interpretation of the Norman Conquest of England (1066) and the events leading up to this pivotal moment in medieval history. Currently residing in France, the tapestry measures 20 inches by 230 feet, and you can now see an animated version of the story it narrates. The clip above starts roughly halfway through the historical narrative, with the appearance of Halley's Comet, and it concludes with the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The video created by David Newton began as a student project at Goldsmiths College. P.S. Don't miss the many courses in the History section of our big collection of Free Online Courses. Systematic Wonder: A Definition of Science That Accounts for Whimsy.
15 Years of Cutting-Edge Thinking on Understanding the Mind. By Maria Popova What mirror neurons have to do with Abu Ghraib, the science of religion, and how happiness flourishes. For the past 15 years, literary-agent-turned-crusader-of-human-progress John Brockman has been a remarkable curator of curiosity, long before either “curator” or “curiosity” was a frivolously tossed around buzzword. His Edge.org has become an epicenter of bleeding-edge insight across science, technology and beyond, hosting conversations with some of our era’s greatest thinkers (and, once a year, asking them some big questions.) Last month marked the release of The Mind, the first volume in The Best of Edge Series, presenting eighteen provocative, landmark pieces — essays, interviews, transcribed talks — from the Edge archive. The anthology reads like a who’s who of Brain Pickings favorites across psychology, evolutionary biology, social science, technology and more.
Here’s a small sampling of the treasure chest between The Mind’s covers: Iconic neuroscientist V. Graphic Artifacts from Down Under. Graphic Artifacts from Down Under Michael Fitzjames was born in Melbourne in 1948 and studied at the Tasmania School of Art. Since 1980, he has exhibited his graphic work and paintings in Melbourne, Sydney, and Berlin. He has also worked for newspapers part time: in London 1979–80, and with the Fairfax Media Group in Sydney since then (including and ). He's illustrated and designed numerous books and posters. I asked Michael to describe his methods and influences: From rough pencil drafts I refine an image that will "take a silhouette" or be capable of working in a positive-negative way and be bold on the page.
I then tend to make a fairly finished outline drawing over the roughs...I erase anything extraneous and ultimately have my finished shapes that can be realised in black and white. Tracing onto smooth watercolour paper on a lightbox and then draw an ink line around the areas to be black. Architecture Without Architects: What Ancient Structures Reveal About Collaborative Design. By Maria Popova From Rome’s theater districts to China’s underground cities, or what pleasure has to do with utility.
The mythology of the sole genius underpins most contemporary creative disciplines, but it is particularly pronounced in architecture, where the image of the visionary diva-architect endures as the gold standard of the discipline’s success. In 1964, Moravian-born American writer, architect, designer, collector, educator, designer, and social historian Bernard Rudofsky examined a whole other side of architecture in Architecture Without Architects: A Short Introduction to Non-Pedigreed Architecture — a fascinating lens on “primitive” and communal architecture, exploring both its functional value and its artistic richness, with a focus on indigenous tribal structures and ancient dwellings.
I believe that sensory pleasure should take precedence over intellectual pleasure in art and architecture.” ~ Bernard Rudofsky Underground city near Tungkwan (China) Marrakech (Morocco) Incognito: David Eagleman Unravels the Secret Lives of the Brain. By Maria Popova What seeing rainbows has to do with artificial intelligence and the biology of infidelity. Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by neuroscientist David Eagleman is one of my favorite books of the past few years. So, as a proper neuro-nut, it’s no surprise I was thrilled for this week’s release of his latest gem, Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain — a fascinating, dynamic, faceted look under the hood of the conscious mind to reveal the complex machinery of our subconscious.
The three-pound organ in your skull — with its pink consistency of Jell-o — is an alien kind of computational material. Sample some of Eagleman’s fascinating areas of study with this excellent talk from TEDxAlamo: Equal parts entertaining and illuminating, the case studies, examples and insights in Incognito are more than mere talking points to impressed at the next dinner party, poised instead to radically shift your understanding of the world, other people, and your own mind. Share on Tumblr. Chart Wars: The Steering Power of Data Visualization. CREATURES - the card game. by Tyler Panian. CREATURES: The Card Game will be available for purchase directly from us at www.creaturescardgame.com, along with shirts and magnets, but only after we have finished sending all of our Kickstarter rewards out (check back sometime late December 2011). Look for CREATURES also on www.amazon.com, www.boardgamegeek.com and other distribution outlets in the future! Our backers voted for their favorite T-shirt design--here it is!
: But we'll be offering two additional designs if we hit $40k and $45k! Thank you all so much for putting us over our goal in less than 72 hours! If/when we hit the $6000 goal, there will be an extra special bonus reward added to EVERY backer level $5 and above-- a special, limited edition animal to be added to your deck available only to kickstarter backers! CREATURES is a creative, strategic card game that blends friendly competition with a good laugh! The illustrated portions of each card align to create an image of the new creature with a zany new fun fact.
Photo Gallery -- Happiness Hot Spots. Designing Minds: Uncovered Video Profiles of Prominent Designers. Multimedia Spotlight: Animating Vocal Improvisation. By Maria Popova How a laptop and a highway play together, or what geometry has to do with music. Today’s short-and-sweet is Improvisation 2 — an audiovisual experiment by multimedia artist/singer Fredo Viola, who explores the environment solely with his voice and what he sees around him.
The vocal improvisation was recorded on a laptop mic, then stunningly animated using footage from New York’s West Side Highway arranged into a mesmerizing swirl of circles and hexagons. The video is intended to be experienced in a more interactive way that allows you to drag, drop and play with the various spinning shapes — give it a spin. Brain Pickings has a free weekly newsletter and people say it’s cool. It comes out on Sundays and offers the week’s best articles. Here’s an example. Share on Tumblr. How teenagers keep reinventing language. 21 October 2011Last updated at 03:17 By Catrin Nye and Denise Winterman BBC News Ex-gang members were used as script advisers on a new British film about girl gangs so that the language would be authentic. How hard is it to write in the way that young people speak to each other?
"The word Sket means ho (whore) basically, someone who sleeps around. Some guys might call girls a ho when they're not actually, they're just trying to tarnish their name. " Antiqu'e, 24 - real name Janet - was one of the script advisers on Sket, a new film about girl gangs which is released next Friday. For the film-makers realism was key, so director Nirpal Bhogal approached a youth project in south London.
This is where he met Antiqu'e, who believes getting the language right is vital. "I got involved because I could bring that vibe to it, because it is a street film," she says. Watch: Antiqu'e talks about street language and girl gangs Own intonation "That's not my world," he says. Antiqu'e understands why. Charles Eames on Design: Rare Q&A from 1972. By Maria Popova A lucid reflection on the role and culture of design by one of the most iconic and influential designers of all time. Legendary design duo Charles and Ray Eames shaped the mid-century modern aesthetic and influenced the voice of design for decades to come.
They were also prolific filmmakers, perhaps best known for the iconic Powers of Ten film. In this fantastic Q&A from 1972, found on the excellent compilation The Films of Charles & Ray Eames and reproduced here in House Industries’ typography journal, Madame L’Amic of the Musee des Art s Decoratifs in Paris asks Charles Eames 29 questions about design, covering everything from the balance between form and function to the role of computers in creativity to the impact of influences.
His answers are a timeless treasure trove of wisdom and insight on all that design is and should be. I’m particularly taken with this bit affirming remix culture and combinatorial creativity: [Is design] a creation of an individual? Morality Is Other People.