A Reflection on Energy.

For several days I've experienced the kind of sick that makes it hard to lift your arms. That after 2 nights straight of coughing makes it burn to drink water. That turns sweating and chills on and off like a light switch. The kind of sick that is bronchitis.

During this time I've been virtually silent. No conversations. No Television. Virtually no speaking at all. And stillness due to pain. (Admittedly some time online when sleeping was tough). All in all a time to heal and restore. This absence from everywhere, everything and everyone has offered me insight into how special energy is. In a tangible way. And it's made me appreciative of where it comes from.

I have completely taken my energy source for granted. I awake full of energy, and have it kicked up a notch after the first sip of morning coffee. It's not something I think about all that much. And it's not something I run short of very often. But this time I am virtually without. What a contrast to my typical self. I give praise for a body that is normally energized. And for times when I can energize others. I've always been grateful for that.

I take this moment to share my thanks for the energy that is God.

In the middle of the night during a typical cough-fest, I watched this heartfelt re-account given by a Neuroanatomist (brain scientist) of her experience having had a stroke, told recently at the TED conference. Taking nothing away from Jill Bolte Taylor (her talk was spectacular on the surface), I couldn't help but think how so many scientists work their entire career trying to define and describe things within our limited source and scope of understanding. We are limited by time and space. God is not. The TED talk is mesmerizing and emotional, but empty when God is absent from the conversation. Just look to God. That's where it originates.

Blaise Aguera y Arcas: Seadragon; Photosynth.

On the 4th of July, 2007, I posted about this incredible video and the incredible Photosync and Seadragon technologies. I came across it again, and wanted to repost it with the idea it may have got lost in the shuffle of the holiday season. When I think of the way the new Apple iPhone's pinch navigation works to enlarge and shrink web pages, and how the new Amazon Kindle eReader (and competitive products) will alter the way we interact with books in the future, I can't help but visualize opportunities for Seadragon in this mix. If for nothing less than to inspire interactive designers. Blaise Aguera y Arcas makes the most complicated issues seem interesting as a result of his intelligence and enthusiasm. His enthusiasm is contagious.
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Microsoft, in typical fashion, has aquired (purchased) the brilliant thinking of Blaise Aguera y Arcas and his Seadragon and Photosynth technolgies. Photosynth changes how we look at and interact with images and information. Seadragon's aim is to change the way people use screens (wall-sized, mobile devices, etc.) so visual information can can be smoothly browsed regardless of data amount involved or network bandwidth.

Both technologies blow me away.

( via ChuckGreen's PagePlane Blog )

StateMaster—an invaluable statistical database

StateMaster—a unique and invaluable statistical database which allows you to research and compare a multitude of different data on US states. Compiled information from various primary sources such as the US Census Bureau, the FBI, and the National Center for Educational Statistics. StateMaster goes beyond the numbers to provide you with visualization technology like pie charts, maps, graphs and scatterplots. Also map and flag images, state profiles, and correlations.

I found this via TED Blog's 100 Websites You Should Know and Use, a resource the TED blog posted of a presentation by Julius Wiedemann, editor in charge at Taschen GmbH.

( via TED top100, via swissmiss )