Chinese schoolchildren during lessons at a classroom in Hefei, east China's Anhui province, in 2010. I loved this piece from NPR from November 2012. Whether you have kids or not, this makes a lot of sense.
Russell Ackoff's revolutionary perspective on how we should reimagine educational systems The best teachers recognize that their role goes beyond mere instruction This article from Russell Ackoff on education is great: The Objective of Education Is Learning, Not Teaching. In this thought-provoking piece, systems thinking pioneer Russell Ackoff challenges our fundamental assumptions about education. He invites us to reconsider how learning actually happens and questions the effectiveness of traditional teaching methods that have dominated educational...
Humans as Routers The Future of Free Communication Two very important quotes in this article which may have forever changed the way I think about the Internet and communications. To give you context in case you don't know, routers control Internet traffic throughout the world (which is why Cisco became a dot com darling). Because we are still dependent on routers, dictators can kill communication in their country by telling ISPs to shut down. Give...
"Consider the mosquito borne disease malaria. This year, malaria will kill over one million people, over 80% of which will be children. Great Britain used to have malaria. In North America, malaria was epidemic and there are still a handful of infections each year. In Africa, malaria kills over 100 people per hour. In Russia, amidst the corruption of the 1990s, malaria re-established itself. What is the difference between these cases? We know how to...
Evil Clown Birthday Service When a Week of Terror Ends with Cake in Your Face Dominic Deville, the Evil Clown of Lucerne Imagine a week of being stalked by a terrifying clown who sends chilling texts, makes prank phone calls, and leaves ominous notes warning that you're being watched. This isn't the plot of a horror film — it's a birthday service offered in Switzerland that culminates in a surprise cake attack. Safety Precautions Despite...