Exploration, curiosity, discovery: Jules Verne's Case

Imagination. When we are young, imagination reigns supreme. In many ways, our real, physical, lives are ruled by the images in our heads. Imagination: a noun of Latin origin, dictated by the act of creating these images. Imagination is employed, as one forms mental images of what is not practically present to the senses (dictionary.com).  As children, less precedence is given to the fact that these images are purely mental—as adults, a change occurs: imagination is weakened as consistency with reality is valued. Is this change in the way we think predestined, or is it an unconscious decision forced upon us by society?

Imagination and reality are not mutually exclusive. Instead, mental exploration, leads to curiosity, and future discovery. Only after it is first imagined, can an idea become reality. Such is true of Jules Verne’s imagination.

In 1865, Verne has the courage to delve into his mind and imagine what had never been practical by reality’s standards—space travel. Eye-opening and awe-inspiring, Jules Verne’s imagination forces us to remember to fight through the veneer of being labeled a “romantic”, and think back to the importance of using our minds to create images of, and for, the future.

The future is ours to create, if we are willing to work for the challenge. We have the power to use our imaginations to anticipate the future, the only question is…will we?

From the Earth to the Moon

From science fiction to science fact.  Experience a trip to the moon through Jules Verne's "From the Earth to the Moon," and into the future.

A brief History of Death

Did you know that the first person to ever receive an artificial heart was "accused of tax evasion, but when his heart was removed, he was declared dead because under Swedish law a person was declared dead when his or her heart stopped beating.  The charges against him were dropped."

http://www.jarvikheart.com/basic.asp?id=69

How's that for cheating death?

Ciao!

From Work to Leisure

“This is a time to free people of work.  Rather than rack their brains to create employment economists should now work out plans to create leisure.”

            -FM-2030

Leisure. 

Something that I all know we could have more of.

It always seems like there are never enough hours in a day and that when the day is over, I wonder where did my time go?  A world where I could be free from the confines of work sounds like a paradise.  I would be free to do the things that I have always wanted to do and not worry.  However, that is a day in the far future or is it?

FM-2030 certainly thinks that the brains of society should be working towards figuring out a way to make it possible.  According to FM-2030, “fewer and fewer people working less and less can produce more and more and more.  This is the meaning of the new cybernated world of Leisure and Abundance.”

So how does working less produce more?

As society hasn’t come that far it can be concluded that that day is far off, however it will be interesting to see when it comes or if it comes.  The day that fewer people have to work will be the day when leisure becomes more then just a once in a time thing because…

As Aristotle once said, “the end of labor is to gain leisure.”

For more on FM-2030 check out this video...

Ciao!

Unplug from the World

Could you do this experiment? 

Take a week, and turn off your phones, get off Facebook, and get away from your computer.

It’s hard, right?

Let’s be honest.  How many of you say you can do this but then only an hour later have failed and gone right back to your phone.  I mean…I wouldn’t be able to achieve this. 

How many times have you gone and enjoyed your phone while ignoring the people that you are with?  How many hours have you spent logging time on meaningless apps?  Let’s face the music.  Humans today have an insatiable need to be on their phones, constantly on Facebook and always checking for messages. 

Can you even remember what it was like to not have phones?  Probably not.  Now I don’t think that having phones is necessarily a bad thing but it might do you a world of good to put down the phone and take a few minutes to simply, stop and smell the roses.

So, who’s with me?  Let’s see what a few minutes free of using our cell phones will do for our lives.  If you want more information check out this blog post...http://galacticpublicarchives.blogspot.com/2015/06/click-here-for-happiness.html

The Next Revolution: A 21st Century Job Market

As a Cal Berkeley student, it is with a mixed conscious that I celebrate the great mind of a Stanford scholar, but as an inquisitive spirit, it is necessary that I recognize a revolutionary thinker. Steve Jurvetson, managing director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm, has one of those minds.

As part of our i4j series (Innovation for Jobs), Jurvetson applies his futuristic thinking to the question of what the job market may begin to look like, with continuing advancement in technology and science. He does not fear change, instead he is excited by it. He presents a scenario in which people and governments embrace progressing times, and adapt conceptions of “living” to fit into a new world.

In this video, Jurvetson’s passion and excitement for technology is apparent. He highlights the importance of looking long, and accepting fundamental change as a benefit for the future of civil society.  Certain points he highlights, such as the inevitably changing formal definition of what it means to “have a job”, resonate heavily in my life, and the lives of other American students.

As I pay hundreds of thousands of dollars, and spend countless hours sitting in crowded lecture halls, I am constantly reminded of the reason for my doing so—my parents repeat: “school, career, family, etc etc”. For the first time, I am beginning to question the legitimacy of this reason. Jurvetson helps me see: the path on which I have projected myself for years, may not be as clear or straight as it may have seemed originally, and it is my, our society’s job, to learn to navigate the new terrain.

What is the future of Education?

The big question today regarding education in America is this:  when students finish their education are they really prepared enough?  Statistics pulled from The Board Foundation state that by the time a person graduates from college, they may lack basic knowledge and applied skills.  They also state that only one in four high school students will graduate ready for college in all four core subjects, and that less then half (about 46%) will finish college.  

All in all what has been put forth is alarming to say the least.  Where will that leave us in the future?  Should we put more effort into teaching or should we concentrate on helping them learn how to think?

As someone who is striving to get a Master’s degree, I can’t help but think how my education will affect how my future goes.  I ask the same questions.  Will I be able to land a job with the knowledge and skills that I have?  Will I be seen as having enough experience?  Do I have what it takes to make my way up the ladder?  It’s been said that what people value in an employee is someone who has experience rather then knowledge, and I believe that’s true.  However what needs to be done now is figure out how to fix this problem before it becomes too much of a hassle to fix. 

If we can’t produce the knowledge and skills that are needed to have a basic job, then where will we be in the future?

This GPA video is an interview with Dr. Woodie Flowers, professor emeritus at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  He describes that the way to propel education into the future is not to train professionals but to teach them how to think.  

Do you agree?  What are your thoughts on the future of education?

Ciao!