http://www.ted.com/talks/geoffrey_west_the_surprising_math_of_cities_and_corporations.html
Related: Social ScienceThe Hidden Message in Pixar’s Films I love Pixar. Who doesn’t? The stories are magnificently crafted, the characters are rich, hilarious, and unique, and the images are lovingly rendered. The hidden beauty of pollination: Louie Schwartzberg on TED Live from TED2014 Mysteries of the unseen world: Louie Schwartzberg at TED2014 Louie Schwartzberg is fascinated with exposing the world’s wonders through photography. Three years ago, his talk, “Nature. Beauty. Gratitude,” demonstrated his uncanny ability to capture the captivating beauty of our natural world — the tiniest shake of a flower petal, the stirring complexity of a bee’s wing.
Internet Explorer users 'have below-average IQ' It found that Internet Explorer users scored lower than average, while Chrome, Firefox and Safari users were very slightly above average. Camino, Opera and Internet Explorer with Chrome Frame were scored "exceptionally" high. "The study showed a substantial relationship between an individual's cognitive ability and their choice of web browser," AptiQuant concluded. "From the test results, it is a clear indication that individuals on the lower side of the IQ scale tend to resist a change/upgrade of their browsers." mix & mash - the great NZ remix & mashup competition Sponsored by: The National Library of New Zealand $2000 will go to the best digital remix that tells “A New Zealand Aotearoa Story” using Creative Commons, public domain, no known copyright, or openly licensed New Zealand digital content. Be it our history retold, a traditional story refreshed, a tale about a NZer, or a ‘day in the life’ with a particular NZ flavour – we want to see digital content re-mixed in a fresh and interesting way to tell a uniquely New Zealand story. In addition, we also have a special prize pool for the best entries from New Zealand Primary and Secondary students. Our Free to Remix educators' guide provides great advice on how to get started making a digital story with support for finding openly licensed New Zealand content.
The Urban Poor, Future Proofing Cities Most people now recognize that the unfolding dangers of climate change demand worldwide attention. But we should also be aware of the opportunities that exist within climate change adaptation to improve and transform some of the most vulnerable urban communities today. On September 17, as part of a panel hosted by CHF International and the U.S. Green Building Council, Brian English, CHF's Director for Program Innovation, discussed how we can "future proof" cities, releasing an issue brief detailing how including the urban poor in planning and decision-making processes is crucial to developing more resilient cities. Slum dwellers, the poorest of the poor in ballooning mega-cities around the world, are living on the edge physically, economically, and politically: in coastal cities, on riverbanks, in hazard-prone areas, without rights to their land, with little savings, without identity or a right to their cities.
Why Privacy Matters Even if You Have 'Nothing to Hide' - The Chronicle Review By Daniel J. Solove When the government gathers or analyzes personal information, many people say they're not worried. "I've got nothing to hide," they declare. Go Figure: What can 72 tell us about life? 20 July 2011Last updated at 22:43 By Michael Blastland GO FIGURE - Seeing stats in a different way Is 72 the answer to life, the universe and everything? It's definitely the answer to a few economic questions, says Michael Blastland in his regular column. You know the joke from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy in which the answer to the ultimate question about life, the universe and everything is 42? Urbanisation & small towns The global population is increasingly gravitating towards urban areas. This shift has already taken place in many small countries, not to mention China, which now has more people living in cities and towns than villages. But even in India – where nearly 70% of the populace is rural, and more than half of all citizens are still reliant upon agriculture – the urban population has grown faster than the rural population over the past decade. This geographical shift is taking place much more rapidly in the developing world than elsewhere. Changes that used to take centuries are now occurring in a few decades, which generates huge challenges.
What You Can't Say January 2004 Have you ever seen an old photo of yourself and been embarrassed at the way you looked? Did we actually dress like that? We did. The World at 7 Billion: Can We Stop Growing Now? by Robert Engelman 18 Jul 2011: Opinion by robert engelman Demographers aren’t known for their sense of humor, but the ones who work for the United Nations recently announced that the world’s human population will hit 7 billion on Halloween this year. Since censuses and other surveys can scarcely justify such a precise calculation, it’s tempting to imagine that the UN Population Division, the data shop that pinpointed the Day of 7 Billion, is hinting that we should all be afraid, be very afraid. We have reason to be.
Are Cities Bad for the Environment? It’s easy to miss amid the day to day headlines of global economic implosion, Presidential campaign foibles and Mideast rage, but there is a less conspicuous kind of social upheaval underway that is fast altering both the face of the planet and the way that human beings live. That change is the rapid acceleration of urbanization, as more and more people in every corner of the world put down their farm tools and move from the countryside or the village to the city. In 2008, for the first time in human history, more than half the world’s population was living in towns and cities.