Category: Entertainment

Impact Lab > Entertainment
Analysis, Big Problems, Breakthrough Thinking, Education, Entertainment, facebook, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior

The Social Network paradox

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Hi there. Wanna chat? I’m hip, scruffy and funny.

Over the years, there’s been a radical change in the way we interact with our networks of friends online. It used to be that we had a few of our friends (online or offline friends) on a service, allowing us to connect to friends through the Internet and see what their activities were. Where the Internet used to be a somewhat scary world full of strangers, we suddenly had friendly anchors to explore that world with. Sure, most of our friends weren’t online, or at least not using the same services, but the familiarity was comforting and the ability to see what a few of our friends were doing allowed us to find new content and new friends.

We fell in love with sites that made us feel like there are people out there who are similar to us, who we are talking to and having common experiences with. But then, some of these networks — Facebook and Twitter in particular — began to grow explosively…

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Analysis, Art, Breakthrough Thinking, Culture, Education, Entertainment, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior

Why QR Codes are here to stay

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Scan that code for  a shortcut to information.

If you raise the subject of QR codes among tech early adopters, you are likely to elicit a passionate response. Some people think QR codes, those scanable black and white squares on everything from billboards to product packaging, are on an unstoppable growth trajectory, while skeptics are quick to dismiss them as a fad.

This reaction is common whenever new technology formats or standards are being decided upon. Pundits want to exhibit their knack for predicting the future and stakeholders (of which I am undeniably one) want to make sure their format wins out. The general public, meanwhile, tends to lay in wait for a particular format to show dominance…

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Analysis, Brain, Entertainment, Science & Technology News

Why women get more scared watching horror movies than men

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The study found that women get more scared than men during horror films.

Have you ever wondered why some women get scared watching horror films while most men stay calm?  It’s actually their brains which make females more likely to be terrified by the flicks, a new study has claimed.

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Art, Breakthrough Thinking, Education, Entertainment, Science & Technology News, Upcoming Events

DaVinci Institute announces Inventor Art Competition

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Are you ready to show off your artistic prowess?

The DaVinci Institute is pleased to announce a “call for artists” for the Inventor Art Competition.

The theme of this competition is inventors and their great inventions. Inventors chosen may be contemporary or from any time in the past. They just have to show the mark of being a great inventor.

When you think of a great inventor, who do you think of? What invention did they create?

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Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking, Entertainment, Food, Historical Perspectives, New Discoveries

Scientists discovered the “Missing Link” of beer brewing

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Beech galls in Patagonia inhabited by Saccharomyces eubayanus, the species
researchers think combined with domesticated yeast to create a lager-producing hybrid.

Mystery solved! Scientists have discovered the “missing link” in beer brewing. Ladies and gents, take a good look at the orange-colored galls on the beech tree to your left: they were found to harbor the specific strain of yeast that makes lager beer possible.

How did lager beer come to be? After pondering the question for decades, scientists have found that an elusive species of yeast isolated in the forests of Argentina was key to the invention of the crisp-tasting German beer 600 years ago.

It took a five-year search around the world before a scientific team discovered, identified and named the organism, a species of wild yeast called Saccharomyces eubayanus that lives on beech trees…

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Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff, Current Events, Entertainment, Globalism, Great Videos, Historical Perspectives, Latest News, New Viewpoints

Google Street View is using canoes and tricycles to map the Amazon

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Trecking down the Amazon on your computer thanks to Google.

Google has teamed up with Amazon for a new project. Well, not Amazon, as in the company that sells the Kindle. No, we’re talking about the great, untamed wilderness of the Amazon rainforest. In a partnership with the Sustainable Amazon Foundation, Google aims to use its Street View technology to raise awareness of the world’s largest rainforest and its important ecosystems.

To do this, Google is mapping the byways of the Amazon River…

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Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking, Education, Entertainment, Historical Perspectives, New Viewpoints

Free artificial intelligence class

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Learn more about artificial intelligence.

If you’ve ever been drawn to the idea of artificial intelligence, Stanford University School of Engineering is giving out the opportunity to learn how to build software that “reasons about the world around it.” The free class is as challenging as courses given to Stanford students and starts on October 10. So far over 100,000 students have signed up…

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Business, Current Events, Entertainment, Historical Perspectives, New Viewpoints

Amazon Instant Video reaches 100,000 on-demand titles

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Amazon grows again.

Amazon is constantly growing and expanding its catalog of videos available for on-demand streaming. The service just reached the 100k mark with 9,000 of those available under the Prime streaming plan. The bulk of the library is set aside for à la carte renting and buying with TV titles starting at $.99 cent and movies for $3.99. With deep living room penetration, all Amazon needs to do is flip the switch, offer a reasonably-priced subscription plan open to all titles, and effectively shut down Netflix…

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Breakthrough Thinking, Current Events, Entertainment, Historical Perspectives

Are we ready for a true Cloud Phone?

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Off on a cloud with your phone.

As we approach the fall, all the rumors of the Apple empire descend upon us. And this year may be the craziest yet because for the first time since the iPhone’s inception, Apple did not release new hardware in the summer. And there are still whispers of an iPad revamp as well. iOS 5 is coming. iCloud is coming. And then there are the iPods which are traditionally updated in the fall timeframe each year. Things are already getting crazy enough that potential Apple announcement dates are topping Techmeme one minute, and then stories debunking those dates are the top story in tech the next minute.

This will only get worse…

Continue reading… “Are we ready for a true Cloud Phone?”

Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.