I answered 13 of 13 questions correctly

I answered 13 of 13 questions correctly… and scored better than 93% of the public!

How about you?

Try the Science and Technology Knowledge Quiz and let us know how you score

Do you know more about science and technology than the average American?
Take our 13-question quiz to test your knowledge of scientific concepts. Then see how you did in comparison with the 1,006 randomly sampled adults asked the same questions in a national poll conducted by the Pew Research Center and Smithsonian magazine.
The analysis of the findings from the poll can be found in the full report. (No peeking! If you are going to take the quiz, do it first before reading the analysis.)

Making Room by Living Small

Do you love small spaces and simple living?  During my time in Japan I came to appreciate the creative design innovations of small Japanese houses.  Apparently these design innovations are gaining popularity outside of Japan.

Small living has deep roots in Japan, where land is scarce. “It’s just the way things have always been done,” says Azby Brown, an architect and author of The Very Small Home: Japanese Ideas for Living Well in Limited Space. Three hundred square feet may sound tight, but consider that Japanese families historically lived in row houses outfitted with 100-square-foot living quarters and large communal areas. After World War II, Japan’s homes grew, though not much by American standards. By the late 1980s the average Japanese home measured 900 square feet.  From Making Room by Living Small

Making Room: New Models for Housing New Yorkers showcases innovative design solutions to better accommodate New York City’s changing, and sometimes surprising, demographics, including a rising number of single people, and will feature a full-sized, flexibly furnished micro-studio apartment of just 325 square feet – a size prohibited in most areas of the city.  Visitors to the exhibition will see models and drawings of housing designs by architectural teams commissioned in 2011 by Citizens Housing & Planning Council, in partnership with the Architectural League of New York. The exhibition also presents winning designs from the Bloomberg administration’s recently launched pilot competition to test new housing models, as well as examples set by other cities in the United States and around the world, including Seattle, Providence, Montreal, San Diego, and Tokyo.  From Micro-Apartments in the Big City: A Trend Builds

Can money buy happiness?

Apparently not

The American tradition is to enshrine economic activity as a central element of “the pursuit of happiness.” In reality, however, economic activity is largely concerned with the relief of unhappiness. At the subsistence level of economic activity that has prevailed through most of human history, people must work to eat and to be clothed and housed, not so that they can enjoy the happiness that these goods can bring but so that they can avoid the pain of hunger, cold, and exposure to the elements.

In developed economies, most of us can assuage these fundamental sources of unhappiness.  But whether because of drives inherent in our nature or because of the constant efforts of advertisers and others, we seem destined to remain unhappy with our economic lot. Despite the burgeoning literature on happiness, and the contributions of prominent economists such as Richard Easterlin, Richard Layard, and Andrew Oswald, the general response of the mainstream English-language literature in economics has been to shrug and leave questions of this kind to psychologists and marketers.  However, there is some interesting discussion going on in Europe, and a couple of recently translated works might help to stir the debate.

From The Chronicle of Higher Education

A place to talk about art

From the Official Google Blog:

An excellent guide often best brings an art gallery or museum’s collections to life. [Google is] hoping to bring this experience online with “Art Talks,” a series of Hangouts on Air on our Google Art Project Google+ page. Each month, curators, museum directors, historians and educators from some of the world’s most renowned cultural institutions will reveal the hidden stories behind particular works, examine the curation process and provide insights into particular masterpieces or artists.

Google calls the Google Art Project a ” place for anyone who wants to talk about art, museums, artists and other sources of inspirations” and it may indeed fill that purpose.  Information, intelligent conversation, and well-written criticism can bring art to life.

Art Talks is the latest expansion to Google’s Art Project, an attempt to make images of fine art, and now of art criticism, available to all.  A laudable goal, although I remain concerned about the monster Google has become.

Google Art Project website

bizarre, odd and downright weird books

At first thought, using words like bizarre, odd, or weird to describe a book leaves me feeling  a bit uncomfortable.  How can something so important be described in such a disrespectful manner?

That was until I visited AbeBooks’ Weird Book Room, the self-described “finest source of everything that’s bizarre, odd and downright weird in books.  [...]  With new titles added periodically, AbeBooks now ha[s] an excellent selection of crazy and strange titles for sale by [...] booksellers, about every oddball aspect of life you could possibly imagine (and a few things you couldn’t).”

Their collection of literary oddities will amuse, surprise, and delight. Upon perusal it appears most unusual tomes are judged so by their subject matter.  Certainly there’s someone out there who loves a book about Land Snails and Slugs, or possesses a strong affection for muskrats.  The Strange Story of False Teeth may make a riveting tale; I for one am intrigued by the story of  Shepherds’ Crooks and Walking Sticks.  Certainly their authors believe their subject matter has value.  And most of the books are easily affordable.

My current favorite:  Electricity in Gynecology by May Cushman Rice:  Ouch!

Now that I’m more comfortable with the concept I’ll be searching my personal library for unusual books.  And you can even suggest your own biblio-oddity to add to the list.

Any bizarre, odd, or weird books out there?

the costs of constant connectivity

The balance between connectivity and contemplation

Restoring Contemplation: How Disconnecting Bolsters the Knowledge Economy, by Jessie L. Mannisto

“While constant access to information enabled by digital devices has done much to improve our lives, it also exacts costs with respect to our attention and productivity that are especially harmful in a knowledge based economy. Increased public awareness of the impact of our information consumption habits—and ways to develop a healthier “information diet”—will help mitigate the negative impacts of constant connectivity. To build this awareness, librarians and educators can teach information consumers to differentiate actively between gathering and processing information and help them understand when and how each of these modes of thought will benefit them. Libraries also can provide services and spaces that promote contemplation within the modern information infrastructure. Software developers and system engineers can contribute by creating products and services that promote contemplation. Researchers can help us better understand the costs of constant connectivity and tailor an information infrastructure that better supports creative and analytical thought—and, ultimately, a higher quality of life.”

Men in Suits, A Documentary on the History & Art of Monster Suit Acting

Reblogged from THE FIRE WIRE:

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Men in Suits is an in-depth documentary directed by Frank H. Woodward of Wyrd Studios which takes a look at the hard work behind ‘monster suit acting’ in films and television.

The film examines the history and craft of suit performers from ‘The Creature of the Black Lagoon’ to ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ and beyond. Through interviews with these actors we will learn the skill, strength and art required to be “under rubber”.

Read more… 7 more words

I grew up with Robby the Robot in Forbidden Planet, and Godzilla, still among my favorites