How fiction can change reality - Jessica Wise How to Read a Book was first written in 1940. It elaborates on ways to effectively read books from several different genres. It was revised in the 1970's to include a list of the top books you should read. Take a look to see how many of the books on the list you have read. an article on how to become an author. Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States of America, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States.
The Ten Videos to Change How You View the World - lifehack.org I believe that a sign of good information is that it makes you think. If reading a book, listening to a lecture or watching a video doesn’t change how you think, it probably isn’t that important. But if you encounter something that forces you to change your views, even if you don’t completely agree with it, you’ve found something valuable. The problem is where do you find these ideas? Better yet, where do you find the time to consume this information? Recently I found a great place to get started. In this video, Steven Pinker tackles the myth that today is a more violent era than in the past. Pinker believes that a more sensitive reporting system has led us to believe violence has increased, when it has actually dropped. Particle accelerators producing black holes that could destroy the world? Plus, who doesn’t want to terraform Mars? Statistics generally aren’t described as beautiful, but Hans Rosling comes close in showing the information about our changing world.
An antihero of one’s own - Tim Adams The spice of a story, the element that makes it more than simply heroes and villains, lies within the character of the antihero. is an article about antiheroes in mainstream science fiction movies: one about the 50 Greatest Movie antiheroes: Northrop "Norrie" Frye, (July 14, 1912 – January 23, 1991) was a Canadian literary critic and literary theorist, considered one of the most influential of the 20th century. Educated Imagination is a website dedicated to Northrop Frye. Let the Good Times Roll by Guy Kawasaki: How to Get a Standing Ovation When I started public speaking in about 1986, I was deathly afraid of public speaking—for one thing, working for the division run by Steve Jobs was hugely intimidating: How could you possibly compete with Steve? It’s taken me twenty years to get comfortable at it. I hope that many of you are are called upon to give speeches—it’s the closest thing to being a professional athlete that many of us will achieve. Have something interesting to say. It’s taken me twenty years to get to this point.
What makes a hero? - Matthew Winkler The Hero Archetype in Literature, Religion, and Popular Culture: (along with a useful PowerPoint presentation teachers can download at this URL: )Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction (users embark on their own hero's journey): American Masters Lesson from PBS for Teachers on George Lucas, the Power of Myth, and the Hero's Journey: an interactive approach to the Hero's Journey: of course, information about Joseph Campbell's works on the subject, on the Joseph Campbell Foundation site:The Hero With A Thousand Faces Hero's Journey (semi-biographical film):
The Craig Web Experience: Presentation Tips Presentation Tips This collection of tips was transcribed from a seminar given in Seattle by Edward Tufte. He attributes these tips to another author (but I can't remember who it was). Show up early, and something good is bound to happen. Post scriptum October 18th, 1999: Amazing. October 24th, 1999: I guess the trend is catching. October 24th, 1999: Thanks to Shimon Schocken from Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya for pointing out a typo on this page. October 4th, 2001: Bernhard Reiter points out that the above links to Ted Romer's home page are now defunct. What's the definition of comedy? Banana. - Addison Anderson Bergson’s essay titled, Laughter: An essay on the meaning of comic Here's an English translation of Aristotle’s Poetics. "All men by nature desire to know. Here's a topic posted in the TED-Ed Community about standup comedy. Jerry Seinfeld's web series is really fun. Speaking of Seinfeld, here's an interview he did with the New York Times about how to write a joke. So, while it’s true that nothing is less funny than trying to explain why a joke is funny, it’s still worth asking: What makes the long-joke work?
'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says Video of the Commencement address. I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. The first story is about connecting the dots. I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. It started before I was born. And 17 years later I did go to college. It wasn't all romantic. Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. My second story is about love and loss. I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. I really didn't know what to do for a few months. Stay Hungry.
How to write descriptively - Nalo Hopkinson Can reading fiction actually build morality and help you grow as an individual? This article from the Boston Globe, "Why fiction is good for you,” might just answer that question. Ohio State also weighs in on the discussion with this report, “Losing Yourself” in A Fictional Character Can Affect Your Real Life.” Have you ever lost yourself in a book, unable to pull yourself away from it? Which one? Think about what the author did that made the book so special. Find yourself so immersed in those electronic devices that you fail to read books anymore? Why is it so important that children have books to read? This TED-Ed lesson: How fiction can change reality discusses how popular fiction can spark public dialogue and affect culture. (Educator headshot by David Findlay, 2011)
Who IS Sherlock Holmes? - Neil McCaw The first Sherlock Holmes tales started appearing in 1887. See this video to hear their creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, explaining why he created Sherlock in the first place. However, Sherlock Holmes was not the first fictional detective. Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, and Émile Gaboriau had all created detectives of their own before Conan Doyle was writing. Here are some sources for those who are interested in early forms of detective fiction. But the global interest in Sherlock Holmes goes far beyond Doyle’s 56 short stories and 4 novels. There have been hundreds of other writers who have created new Holmes adventures on film, TV, radio, and stage. Across the world, people admire Sherlock Holmes for numerous reasons.
How to recognize a dystopia - Alex Gendler Many of the books mentioned in the lesson are in the public domain and can be downloaded for free. For a more critical look, read about the political history of dystopia and its implications, or the role of nature in many dystopian scenarios. And if you’re wondering how past visions of dystopia hold up today, you can track which dystopian predictions from various works have come true. Interested in reading some dystopian novels? Want to learn more about the original dystopia?