FutureVigil (tm) » learning

Beluga Whale Saves Free Diver in China

Jeffrey Newman — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:33:06 +0000

In July 2009, a Beluga whale named Mila saved 26-year-old Yang Yun when her legs froze up during a free dive competition in Mila’s arctic aquarium home. When Yang tried to surface, she realized that she couldn’t move her legs and she began sinking. She thought “that was it for me – I was dead, until I felt this incredible force under me driving me to the surface.” The incredible force was Mila, a Beluga whale who had sensed Yun’s distress. Using her sensitive dolphin-like nose, Mila guided Yun safely to the surface gently carrying one of Yun’s legs in her mouth.

Experts say Beluga whales have facial muscles that allow them to smile. They were among the first whales to interact with humans.

SOCIAL MEDIA PREDICTIONS FOR 2010

Jeffrey Newman — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:48:32 +0000

Social media has become the subject of a lot of writing and discussion and its hard for someone not in the field to get a sense of the realistic trends for the coming year in this arena. Here is what I have come up with for social media predictions (probable trends) for 2010; 1) New kinds of searching on the internet will evolve. Instead of going to sites like Google, users will receive customized search results in the context of what they are currently doing (similar to Amazon only more broadly applied). So, if you are researching travel plans, you will be sent links and summaries rirectly related to the topic. If you are researching an illness, you will be sent articles and summaries of studies closely on point, automatically; 2) Social media interaction on mobile devices will skyrocket, especially as tablets come on the market next year; 3) Augmented reality will continue to emerge in the form of applications on mobile phones and tablets which superimpose computer-generated info like instructions or labels or pricing over real world data; 4) Facebook will continue to grow in popularity and will come into greater use as a business networking device like Linkedin, only with more flexibility and less rigidity. In addition, Facebook will become a repository of directory information to find stuff; 5) Twitter will also continue to expand, as will the development of more uses for it including the immediate distribution of critical news and information to users on a highly customized format. Twitter will evolve quickly from its present use as a fun tool to an essential one.

KOKO THE GORILLA AND HER KITTEN ALL BALL

Jeffrey Newman — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:35:09 +0000

Much has been written and said about Koko the gorilla and her enormous and gentle affection for her kitten All Ball. Posted on this site is a video showing their mutual love but also the grief felt by Koko when the kitten was killed by a car. These images convey more than could be said by a scientist studying the phenominon of love and emotion. Perhaps a poet could come close to the meaning and feelings demonstrated. There is something here worth watching.

SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS eREADER EXPLOSION

Jeffrey Newman — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:03:54 +0000

According to Forrester Research, one of the major successes in social media in the near future will be the breakout of sReaders for books, magazines, newspapers and other publications. There are a number of reasons why eReader sales ar gorwing faster than expected including lower prices, more content availability and lots of media buzz. In addition, new technology for eReaders is about to burst on the scene in the form of a whole newe generation of tablet PC’s from Apple, Microsoft and others making use of E Ink and LCD screens. In 2009, eReader sales in the U.S. were about 2 million units. Sales in the U.S. in 2010 are expected to be beyong six million units, three times as many! Competition among many companies is expected to enhance design and technology and lower the price. Content developers should also benefit.

SLEEP REPLACEMENT NASAL SPRAY BEING DEVELOPED

Jeffrey Newman — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:01:16 +0000

Scientists have discovered a naturally occuring brain hormone called orexin, which when administered nasally, has reversed the effects of sleep deprivation in monkeys, allowing them to perform like well rested monkeys in cognitive tests. The drug’s first application may be for the severe sleep disorder narcolepsy, but the drug performs the job of increasing alertness, reducing sleepiness without increasing edginess and it is expected to be a promising candidate for sleepl replacement or augmentation. The drug could be desired by more than 70 percent of Americans who The National Sleep Foundation estimate get less than the recommended eight hours of sleep. The research follows the discovery by Jerome Siegel Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA,that the absence of orexin A appears to cause narcolepsy.

MIND READING BRAIN SCANS LEAD TO COMMERCIAL USES

Jeffrey Newman — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:38:35 +0000

Technical advances in brain scanning now allow individuals to post electronic messages just by thinking them. Last month, Adam Wilson posted a message “Go Badgers” on Twitter and became the first person to post an electronic message just by thinking it, when aided by a scanning device developed at the University of Wisconsin. With a little practice, Wilson learned to pick out letters from the alphabet. The capacity of the new scanner to detect the electrical fields generated by currents from brain cells is considered a major breakthrough and is now being put to commercial use. Gemma Calvert, professor of applied neurology at Warwick University and founder of Neurosense has many customers including Unilever, Procter & Gamble, McDonalds and GMTV. Research says that most of our purchasing decisions are subconscious, but brain scans can reveal those processes and help corporations market their products. Some people feel this is “brainjacking”, however, the research has significant potential benefits. For example studies indicate that when cigarette packaging with health warnings are shown, the result may be counter-productive. The brain scans show that when smokers re shown the warning labels it activates the ventral striatum and nucleus accumbens implying that the labels are actually triggering a craving for cigarettes. Scientists also believe that brain scanning will help with metal illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia.

COMIC BOOKS TEACH KIDS READING AS WELL AS REGULAR BOOKS

Jeffrey Newman — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:07:21 +0000

A study of early childhood learning revealed that kids learn as much from comics as regular books and that teachers are now starting to use them as tools in the classroom. University of Illinois Professor Carol Tilly says that comic books and graphic novels had previously received a bad wrap but that the industry is changing. The comic book and graphic novel publishers are attending educational conferences and review journals are evaluating both for educational content.