Category Archives: Interesting

Problem-solving is for the birds

Problem-solving is not limited to the world of humans. It’s interesting to watch other species use thinking to solve a problem. Crows and ravens are, for me, associated with Grimms’ fairy tales and tales of dark forces, but here, thanks to Britannica Blog, we see a very practical crow persisting in reaching its goal.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtmLVP0HvDg&feature=player_embedded]

Ukraine has talent (and creativity)

Occasionally I see something creative in an unexpected way.  I wanted to share this video of a contestant on ‘The Ukraine has talent” who expresses her creativity in an unusual way. Frankly, I was surprised to see such a performance amongst the usual entertainment, and also surprised how long it lasted.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1JZ9O15280]

This ‘performance’ demonstrates the power of human creativity and original thought. I love seeing the story come to life through real-time art, and its transitory nature. Thanks to Nadya Ignatievsky for posting this on Facebook.

Fun and games?

Before I say anything, I’m going to ask you to watch a video of a British game show called Split or steal.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3Uos2fzIJ0&feature=player_embedded]

Am I alone in thinking that game shows are not all fun and games, that they contain more than a small portion of insidiousness? We like to watch people compete to win, and we may enjoy living vicariously through the contestants, imagining we were just about to win an incredible amount of money. But shows like this one seem to go beyond the harmless. But despite the fact that this game show is more like torture than fun, it’s interesting to observe our own motivations as observers. I was watching with my eyes popping out; I think my hands were on my face, perhaps in disbelief. Although I had a feeling there was going to be betrayal, I couldn’t believe that a person would actually lie so coldly, and then leave the other person so shattered. It’s an interesting study in human nature. If there was a war or state of emergency, I’d hate to have my life depend on the good will of the woman in this video. And shows like Big brother mess around with people in such a bad way, it makes you wonder how this form of psychological torture is permitted.

Does anyone else feel that way, or am I just overreacting?

Thanks to Howard Rheingold for the link to the video.