One of my first producing partners called me a research freak. If anything pertaining to one of our projects, in whatever field, had to be found, he knew I was the girl to do it. I had no fear when diving into the digital ether, hurtling myself down the rabbit hole. My brain was insatiable and I would have to drag myself out of the research, bookmarking and highlighting all the newness, hoping that the information had stuck and built a new pathway in my brain, making it better.
Have you given any thought to how much you have broadened your knowledge base because of the web? Things, places, people, ideas, theories, even emotions, that you would have NEVER been exposed to if your existence were limited to the books on your desk and the conversations with your same family and friends. And not just the macro knowledge, but the micro experiences, connecting with people and being exposed to their day to day in a place that you might never set foot in physically. Think how that has added perspective to your life, enriched it.
And then there’s the information, the articles, the fountains of knowledge and discovery available to us at the click of a mouse. Isaac Asimov dreamed of a future where the world’s great libraries could be accessed through a networked computer. That was only 20 years ago. Today, it is real, it’s at our finger tips. How can we not enrich our lives? I hope no one is looking this digital gift horse in the mouth.
If you were to tell me four years ago that I would be being hired to write a scifi comedy action series, that I would teaching myself physics for another project – dreaming of the stars (the actual ones, not the hollywood type) and trying to talk cosmology with anyone who will listen – I would have laughed. But here I am. I opened myself up to topics that I knew nothing about, and discovered a side of myself that loved science, space, the big questions in life, our future as a species (sadly it didn’t take away my insatiable need to shop). My brain, and thus my life changed for the better because of a digital rabbit hole that I tripped and fell into.
So this post – long winded as always – is an introduction to a new type of All Things T blog post that I want to make on a weekly basis: T & HER BRAIN. Every Wednesday I will link to a handful of articles that I have stumbled across in my various research endeavors through out the past years that has made my brain better and left me thinking, questioning, inspired. I will try to keep them varied, though a lot of times they will more often than not have some sort of ‘futurist’ bent to them as the next few decades are going to bring exponential change to our society and the planet…and it’s important to be educating ourselves so we are not caught with our head buried in the sand.
So enjoy the links! Be inspired! It’s my way of sharing and giving back to the space. And feel free to link to articles in the comments (once it’s set up)- I’d love to create the most awesome library of awesome…something Sir Asimov might even be proud of. xo T
T & Her Brain: #1
1. THE X Man: by Ted Greenwald in WIRED July 2012
Do you want to read about a brilliant, accomplished man with three revolutionary projects underway and walk away feeling inspired, not bitter? This is an article about Peter Diamandis. He is a revolutionary futurist, dreaming of space exploration, who founded the X Prize Foundation (cash incentive competitions for innovations in technology), is co-founder of Planetary Resources (the company co financed by Sergey Brin, Larry Page, James Cameron etc, which plans to mine asteroids), and Singularity University. It is a question and answer style interview thus highlights Peter’s insight and brilliance, but I was especially struck by his down to earth optimism.
2. THE BLACK BOX: by James Bamford WIRED April 2012
I know, I know, it’s another article from Wired, but I can’t believe this article didn’t get more exposure in the main stream media. It reads like a spy novel! Wait, it’s about the NSA and the massive new complex that is being built in the Utah desert under a cloack of secrecy…so maybe that’s why it got shut down. Maybe this post will get mysteriously deleted. NSA = Never Say Anything. This article is a must read. You will never type an email the same way again.
3. THE SCARLET A: By Leslie Bennets ELLE Dec 2010
This is an oldie but a goodie article. It’s all about the ‘A’ word. Ambition. Why is it good to have it if you are a man, but bad if you are a woman? The female place in society, in the work force, in the family sphere is a hotbed issue right now, especially with the election coming up. Our place in society is evolving yet challenged. I constantly wonder how women can both pursue their desired careers while being effective and nurturing parents. This is an engaging and thought provoking read.
4. The Next Species of Humans by Juan Enriquez: TED TALK Feb 2009
It blows my mind that this video was recorded in 2009. Juan Enriquez is one of my favorite TED speakers and this video vibrates with poignancy as we approach the election, still entrenched in economic woes. Don’t let the beginning of this video, with his doomsday undertones disway you. He presents awe inspiring examples of how our future economy can be shaped by innovation and how we will probably evolve. If you want a good read, check out his book “As The Future Catches You.”
5. The Biological Advantage of Being Awestruck: Video by Jason Silva
If you haven’t heard of Jason Silva yet, you will. This filmmaker, futurist, radical thinker, self proclaimed epiphany addict (who once worked at Current TV as a host), is delivering his addictive, mind blowing thoughts on life, science and the future in 2-3 minute stunning video bites. He is a walking encyclopedia of thought provoking quotes and passion. The first time I stumbled across one of his videos, I almost lost my breath, it was like he had tapped my brain and created a fervent, vivid yet coherent image of all the ‘big thoughts’ with which I was wrestling.
**This blog post will primarily be published on my Tumblr page. Please follow so that you’ll know when a new one is up!**