Stephen Hawking asks big questions about the universe

Seven Amazing New Animals Discovered in 2011 2011 was an exciting year for animal discovery. Unusual frogs, snakes, a bat and even a monkey named after the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll are just a few of the extraordinary animals who are taking the scientific world by storm. Read on to learn more about these amazing creatures. Nicknamed the “Elvis Monkey”, due to their pompadour-like head of fur, Myanmar’s Snub Nose Monkey has a nose that’s so short, it is believed that rainfall causes the animal to sneeze. Wikipedia: Critical Thinking Critical thinking is a type of clear, reasoned thinking. According to Beyer (1995) Critical thinking means making clear, reasoned judgements. While in the process of critical thinking, ideas should be reasoned and well thought out/judged.[1] The National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking defines critical thinking as the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.'[2]

John Conways Game of Life - StumbleUpon The Game The Game of Life is not your typical computer game. It is a 'cellular automaton', and was invented by Cambridge mathematician John Conway. This game became widely known when it was mentioned in an article published by Scientific American in 1970. It consists of a collection of cells which, based on a few mathematical rules, can live, die or multiply. Depending on the initial conditions, the cells form various patterns throughout the course of the game. Scientists make solar cycle, stratosphere and ocean connections BOULDER-Subtle connections between the 11-year solar cycle, the stratosphere, and the tropical Pacific Ocean work in sync to generate periodic weather patterns that affect much of the globe, according to research appearing this week in the journal Science. The study can help scientists get an edge on eventually predicting the intensity of certain climate phenomena, such as the Indian monsoon and tropical Pacific rainfall, years in advance. An international team of scientists led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) used more than a century of weather observations and three powerful computer models to tackle one of the more difficult questions in meteorology: if the total energy that reaches Earth from the Sun varies by only 0.1 percent across the approximately 11-year solar cycle, how can such a small variation drive major changes in weather patterns on Earth? The answer, according to the new study, has to do with the Sun's impact on two seemingly unrelated regions.

Propaganda Techniques Propaganda designers have been putting messages into television commercials, news programs, magazine ads, and other things we read and see for years. These messages have been carefully designed to influence our opinions, emotions, attitudes and behavior. Their purpose is to persuade us to believe in something or to do something that we would not normally believe or do. These messages have been designed to benefit someone, and that someone may not be you! It's not as easy as you might think to spot hidden messages. Propaganda designers know you are on your guard. s Introduction to Complex Systems - StumbleUpon by David Kirshbaum I. Introduction: Complex Systems Theory : Basic Definition II. Four Important Characteristics of Complexity: III. Shock as retreat of Arctic sea ice releases deadly greenhouse gas Dramatic and unprecedented plumes of methane – a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide – have been seen bubbling to the surface of the Arctic Ocean by scientists undertaking an extensive survey of the region. The scale and volume of the methane release has astonished the head of the Russian research team who has been surveying the seabed of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf off northern Russia for nearly 20 years. In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Igor Semiletov, of the Far Eastern branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said that he has never before witnessed the scale and force of the methane being released from beneath the Arctic seabed. “Earlier we found torch-like structures like this but they were only tens of metres in diameter.

Complexity theory and organizations Complexity theory and organizations, also called complexity strategy or complex adaptive organization, is the use of complexity theory in the field of strategic management and organizational studies. Overview[edit] Complexity theory has been used in the fields of strategic management and organizational studies. Application areas include understanding how organizations or firms adapt to their environments and how they cope with conditions of uncertainty. The theory treats organizations and firms as collections of strategies and structures.

German village generates 321 percent more renewable energy than it needs, earns millions selling it back to national power grid (NaturalNews) Developing a renewable energy system that creates energy independence and even a considerable new source of revenue is not some sort of sci-fi pipe dream. BioCycle reports that the German village of Wildpoldsried, population 2,600, has had such incredible success in building its renewable energy system. Wildpoldsried generates 321 percent more renewable energy than it uses, and it now sells the excess back to the national power grid for roughly $5.7 million in additional revenue every single year. By utilizing a unique combination of solar panels, "biogas" generators, natural wastewater treatment plants, and wind turbines, Wildpoldsried has effectively eliminated its need to be attached to a centralized power grid, and created a thriving renewable energy sector in the town that is self-sustaining and abundantly beneficial for the local economy, the environment, and the public.

Oddity Archive & 20 interesting human body facts - StumbleUpon The Blue Fugates Troublesome creek in the state of Kentucky, U.S.A was not famous for any trouble as the name suggests, but for an odd family that lived in this wilderness. Troublesome Creek is known worldwide for the Fugates family that dwelt there. The Fugates were known as the ‘blue people’ and were an oddity because they were ... Sphinx Known fruit of the unknown; Daedalian plan; Out of sleeping a waking, Out of waking a sleep; Life death overtaking; Deep underneath deep? – the Sphinx by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1841) A creature of immense beauty and curiosity, Sphinx has held the fascination of people around the world. She does not belong to selective ...

Somebody’s hijacked Project Tiger! This sunday, over 70 parliamentarians came out in support of Save Our Tigers campaign and took part in the 2nd JK Tyre Constitution Club of India Car Rally for MPs in the capital (read a report here). This occasion calls for a re-run of a column we published in the magazine and also on the web early last year. Little seems to have changed -- except the minister, of course. Please step aside. Telecom giant Aircel has taken it upon itself to save the Indian tiger; and it will brook no interference from any quarter.

Wallpaper - StumbleUpon Videos See the universe come to life via animations, scientific visualizations, expert commentary, and more. Renewable Power Trumps Fossils for First Time as UN Talks Stall Renewable energy is surpassing fossil fuels for the first time in new power-plant investments, shaking off setbacks from the financial crisis and an impasse at the United Nations global warming talks. Electricity from the wind, sun, waves and biomass drew $187 billion last year compared with $157 billion for natural gas, oil and coal, according to calculations by Bloomberg New Energy Finance using the latest data. Accelerating installations of solar- and wind-power plants led to lower equipment prices, making clean energy more competitive with coal. “The progress of renewables has been nothing short of remarkable,” United Nations Environment Program Executive Secretary Achim Steiner said in an interview. “You have record investment in the midst of an economic and financial crisis.” The findings indicate the world is shifting toward consuming more renewable energy even without a global agreement on limiting greenhouse gases.

SCHOPENHAUERS 38 STRATAGEMS, OR 38 WAYS TO WIN AN ARGUMENT - StumbleUpon Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), was a brilliant German philosopher. These 38 Stratagems are excerpts from "The Art of Controversy", first translated into English and published in 1896. Carry your opponent's proposition beyond its natural limits; exaggerate it. The more general your opponent's statement becomes, the more objections you can find against it. The more restricted and narrow his or her propositions remain, the easier they are to defend by him or her.