Future tense
"NIELS BOHR WAS a Danish physicist who made fundamental contributions to our understanding of atomic structure and quantum mechanics, eventually earning him the Nobel Prize in Physics.
He also had a dry wit: "Prediction is very difficult," he once said, "especially about the future."
Yet, predicting the future wasn't a problem for most of human history: 100,000 years ago, life in the savannahs of Africa didn't change much from century to century.
In Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece and even the Middle Ages, life was largely unchanging, occasionally upset by war, the toppling of a monarch or pestilence and natural disaster.
It's only since the Industrial Revolution that the future has been highly unpredictable. The march of science and technology has a way of tripping us up, surprising us, and changing our societies before our very eyes."
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Scientists must not be muzzled
Scientists must not be muzzled
"In 1633, the Italian astronomer and physicist, Galileo Galilei, was put on trial by the Catholic Church for suggesting that the Earth might not be the centre of the universe — and found guilty. Almost 400 years later, scientists and those speaking on their behalf are still being persecuted for expressing opinions based on their scientific expertise."
"In 1633, the Italian astronomer and physicist, Galileo Galilei, was put on trial by the Catholic Church for suggesting that the Earth might not be the centre of the universe — and found guilty. Almost 400 years later, scientists and those speaking on their behalf are still being persecuted for expressing opinions based on their scientific expertise."
NY Times Blog: Lens
Too Many Lenses, Too Few Eyes
By SETH MYDANS"...perhaps the creative act of taking a picture, whatever its quality, can connect a person with a subject in a more personal, interactive way. Maybe it simply says, “Hey, I was there.” In any case, the spread of cameras has made tourism — from museums to mountains — a less passive pursuit than in the past, for travelers and subjects alike."
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Speaking of confidence...
THE SECRET TO CONFIDENCE IS PREPARATION
With practice you'll come to a point of competence.
You'll find yourself accomplishing your goals gracefully and confidently.
It's then that you'll do things that you never dreamed you could do.
You'll discover powers you never knew existed.
If you're prepared, you're able to feel confident.
There can be no great courage when there is no confidence or assurance.
Half the battle is in the conviction that you can accomplish what you undertake.
Confidence doesn't come out of nowhere. It's the result of constant work and dedication.
© 2010 YourDailyMotivation .com
With practice you'll come to a point of competence.
You'll find yourself accomplishing your goals gracefully and confidently.
It's then that you'll do things that you never dreamed you could do.
You'll discover powers you never knew existed.
If you're prepared, you're able to feel confident.
There can be no great courage when there is no confidence or assurance.
Half the battle is in the conviction that you can accomplish what you undertake.
Confidence doesn't come out of nowhere. It's the result of constant work and dedication.
© 2010 YourDailyMotivation .com
Monday, June 14, 2010
Public Speaking:Keys and Tips
"There are ways to overcome the fear of public speaking.
Standing up in public to address a few people or a crowd can be a terrifying ordeal. If the idea fills you with dread you're not alone. Fear of public speaking is the most common anxiety experienced by adults.
Three keys:
Public speaking can be anything from making a speech at a club to doing a presentation at work, or saying a few fond words at a birthday party. People usually fall down when they are terrified of getting things wrong but with practise you can overcome this and other public speaking fears.
A good way to learn the art is to take a course at your local community college. Geoff Stone, an ex-television journalist who has taught public speaking to HSC students and Prime Ministers alike, believes there are three keys to becoming a good speaker:
1. Overcoming your nerves.
2. Knowing how to structure your speech.
3. Being able to deliver your message with energy and enthusiasm.
"When you start speaking, think about giving the gift of your information to the audience," Geoff says.
Tips for success:
Constructive visualisation
You can build up your confidence by visualising yourself giving your speech successfully. Do this whenever you have a few spare moments in the day. And be positive. Say to yourself "I will speak with confidence and success," and repeat this over and again.
Structure
Every good speech has a beginning, middle and end. The simplest way to think of structure, Geoff advises, is to "tell them what you're going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you've told them".
Summary notes
It's a good idea to make a summary of your key points on palm cards, using different colours so you can easily keep track of where you are in the speech. With any notes or cards, make sure your writing or type is large enough to see without straining.
Practise makes perfect
Practise your whole speech out loud imagining the audience in front of you. If you have a video or tape recorder, tape the speech so you can review yourself when it's done. If you can gather some family members to practise on it will help you get used to an audience. If you don't have access to any of these, just rehearse in front of a mirror.
Slowly does it
When it comes to delivering your speech, don't rush it. And don't be afraid if you lose track of what you are saying. Just pause for a moment, take a sip of water and pick up the thread again. Your audience won't mind, and probably won't even notice!
Remember
First and foremost, it's important to be yourself.
People in the audience will not require you to deliver the perfect speech, they simply want to get something out of the experience.
You've achieved what you set out to do, if your audience walks away having learned something new, feeling better about themselves or having been entertained."
From Better Homes & Gardens.
-----------------------------------------------
Whiel I am not an excellent nor am I a seasoned public speaker, I find the following tips helpful:
1. KISS - Always keep the speech short and simple [keep it simple stupid], especially if you're not a seasoned speaker or have been asked to give an impromptu speech or remarks.
2. Keep a basic outline of what you're planning to say and keep to your outline. A speech does not need to be lengthy, especially if it is an impromptu remark. A shorter speech with sense is always better than a seemingly 'longer' wherein you dwell and keep reapeating yourself. Your audience will appreciate a 'to the point' speech.
3. Do not use a well worn joke or anecdote, if it is not too original don't repeat it.
4. If there are more than one speaker, listen to what they are saying and either add on or elaborate on the finer points without copying their speech. If you don't have something of import to say, a shorter speech is better.
5. Be confident and speak loudly/audiblly. Your audience will notice if you are not confident and nervous.
6. If you can prepare, be fully prepared & research your topic, otherwise KISS.
Standing up in public to address a few people or a crowd can be a terrifying ordeal. If the idea fills you with dread you're not alone. Fear of public speaking is the most common anxiety experienced by adults.
Three keys:
Public speaking can be anything from making a speech at a club to doing a presentation at work, or saying a few fond words at a birthday party. People usually fall down when they are terrified of getting things wrong but with practise you can overcome this and other public speaking fears.
A good way to learn the art is to take a course at your local community college. Geoff Stone, an ex-television journalist who has taught public speaking to HSC students and Prime Ministers alike, believes there are three keys to becoming a good speaker:
1. Overcoming your nerves.
2. Knowing how to structure your speech.
3. Being able to deliver your message with energy and enthusiasm.
"When you start speaking, think about giving the gift of your information to the audience," Geoff says.
Tips for success:
Constructive visualisation
You can build up your confidence by visualising yourself giving your speech successfully. Do this whenever you have a few spare moments in the day. And be positive. Say to yourself "I will speak with confidence and success," and repeat this over and again.
Structure
Every good speech has a beginning, middle and end. The simplest way to think of structure, Geoff advises, is to "tell them what you're going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you've told them".
Summary notes
It's a good idea to make a summary of your key points on palm cards, using different colours so you can easily keep track of where you are in the speech. With any notes or cards, make sure your writing or type is large enough to see without straining.
Practise makes perfect
Practise your whole speech out loud imagining the audience in front of you. If you have a video or tape recorder, tape the speech so you can review yourself when it's done. If you can gather some family members to practise on it will help you get used to an audience. If you don't have access to any of these, just rehearse in front of a mirror.
Slowly does it
When it comes to delivering your speech, don't rush it. And don't be afraid if you lose track of what you are saying. Just pause for a moment, take a sip of water and pick up the thread again. Your audience won't mind, and probably won't even notice!
Remember
First and foremost, it's important to be yourself.
People in the audience will not require you to deliver the perfect speech, they simply want to get something out of the experience.
You've achieved what you set out to do, if your audience walks away having learned something new, feeling better about themselves or having been entertained."
From Better Homes & Gardens.
-----------------------------------------------
Whiel I am not an excellent nor am I a seasoned public speaker, I find the following tips helpful:
1. KISS - Always keep the speech short and simple [keep it simple stupid], especially if you're not a seasoned speaker or have been asked to give an impromptu speech or remarks.
2. Keep a basic outline of what you're planning to say and keep to your outline. A speech does not need to be lengthy, especially if it is an impromptu remark. A shorter speech with sense is always better than a seemingly 'longer' wherein you dwell and keep reapeating yourself. Your audience will appreciate a 'to the point' speech.
3. Do not use a well worn joke or anecdote, if it is not too original don't repeat it.
4. If there are more than one speaker, listen to what they are saying and either add on or elaborate on the finer points without copying their speech. If you don't have something of import to say, a shorter speech is better.
5. Be confident and speak loudly/audiblly. Your audience will notice if you are not confident and nervous.
6. If you can prepare, be fully prepared & research your topic, otherwise KISS.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
How to Save the News by James Fallows
IN FOCUS: The evolution of a science story
This week, British newspaper The Guardian, has decided to try a new way of reporting science stories. Instead of publishing a single story on a discovery and then moving on to the next one, they are tracking how a science story evolves over time.
The story in question is a paper published this week in the journal Nature, which has been published in full online: "Functional impact of global rare copy number variation in autism spectrum disorders". (For those of you wondering what on Earth the Nature title may be hinting at, the news article was titled "DNA sweep reveals new autism genes" at Cosmos Online)
This new idea for reporting science came after Krishna Bharat, the man who guides Google News, told The Atlantic this week that what astonished him most about the news business was the predictable and pack-like response of most of the world's news outlets to most stories.
It's as true for science stories as it is for politics, sport and business. The weekly studies published in the two major scientific journals, Nature and Science, are covered by hundreds - if not thousands - of media outlets around the world.
Yet very few science news stories cater to the people usually uninterested in science, and very few cater to the people highly knowledgeable in science. Where would you go for more information if you fit into either of these categories?
Check out the story tracker at The Guardian, and if you love it or hate it, let us know.
Jacqui Hayes
Online Editor, Cosmos Magazine
At The Atlantic.com
"Plummeting newspaper circulation, disappearing classified ads, “unbundling” of content—the list of what’s killing journalism is long. But high on that list, many would say, is Google, the biggest unbundler of them all. Now, having helped break the news business, the company wants to fix it—for commercial as well as civic reasons: if news organizations stop producing great journalism, says one Google executive, the search engine will no longer have interesting content to link to. So some of the smartest minds at the company are thinking about this, and working with publishers, and peering ahead to see what the future of journalism looks like. Guess what? It’s bright."
This week, British newspaper The Guardian, has decided to try a new way of reporting science stories. Instead of publishing a single story on a discovery and then moving on to the next one, they are tracking how a science story evolves over time.
The story in question is a paper published this week in the journal Nature, which has been published in full online: "Functional impact of global rare copy number variation in autism spectrum disorders". (For those of you wondering what on Earth the Nature title may be hinting at, the news article was titled "DNA sweep reveals new autism genes" at Cosmos Online)
This new idea for reporting science came after Krishna Bharat, the man who guides Google News, told The Atlantic this week that what astonished him most about the news business was the predictable and pack-like response of most of the world's news outlets to most stories.
It's as true for science stories as it is for politics, sport and business. The weekly studies published in the two major scientific journals, Nature and Science, are covered by hundreds - if not thousands - of media outlets around the world.
Yet very few science news stories cater to the people usually uninterested in science, and very few cater to the people highly knowledgeable in science. Where would you go for more information if you fit into either of these categories?
Check out the story tracker at The Guardian, and if you love it or hate it, let us know.
Jacqui Hayes
Online Editor, Cosmos Magazine
At The Atlantic.com
"Plummeting newspaper circulation, disappearing classified ads, “unbundling” of content—the list of what’s killing journalism is long. But high on that list, many would say, is Google, the biggest unbundler of them all. Now, having helped break the news business, the company wants to fix it—for commercial as well as civic reasons: if news organizations stop producing great journalism, says one Google executive, the search engine will no longer have interesting content to link to. So some of the smartest minds at the company are thinking about this, and working with publishers, and peering ahead to see what the future of journalism looks like. Guess what? It’s bright."
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