Sheron Long's Blog, page 38
October 12, 2013
Aha Moment Maker: A Best Friend’s Bond
CÓRDOBA, 2006—It is no secret that dogs are intensely loyal, though they can still manage to surprise us with the degree of their devotion. Not long after his death, the family of Manuel Guzmán of Córdoba, Argentina, noticed that his faithful canine companion, Capitán, had run away. A week later, they found him lying next to Guzmán’s gravesite, where he continues to spend every night and most days.
That alone would be a remarkable testament to the bond between man and dog. What makes the story even more amazing is that nobody can figure out how Capitán managed to find the grave at a cemetery he had never visited, after his owner had gone from a hospital, to a funeral home, to that final resting place.
What’s the aha moment you see?
Image © iStockphoto
October 10, 2013
Brain Science Behind The Aha Moment
Don’t bother me. I’m having an aha moment!
© iStockphoto
What Do Aha Moments Feel Like?
Flex your brain and you may find out. Look at these three words. What’s another word that can combine with each word and produce a familiar compound or a two-word phrase?
loser / throat / spot
Here’s another:
show / life / row
Try some harder examples, knowing that the word you think of can combine at the beginning or the end of the words in the set:
crab / pine / sauce
fence / card / master
When you came up with a solution,* was it sudden and obvious? If so, you probably experienced an aha moment and found the solution by insight.
What Do Aha Moments Look Like in Your Brain?
Researchers John Kounios, Professor of Psychology at Drexel University, and Mark Jung-Beeman, Associate Professor of Psychology at...
October 9, 2013
Secrets to Life #104: Mind Your Own Business
[image error]
What other Secrets to Life have been revealed?
Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here .
Image © iStockphoto
October 7, 2013
Excuse Me, Where’s the Fly in My Soup?
This fly crafted from different foods is perfectly edible.
The actual insect may be harder for many to swallow.
© Thinkstock
New Views About Insects as Food
When I was a child, Brussels sprouts were disgusting. I knew this quite well because so many of the book and TV characters I loved told me so. No way was I going to eat Brussels sprouts!
Then a respected friend, who happened to be a Brussels sprouts supporter, convinced me to try the tiny cabbages. I did, and, it turns out, Brussels sprouts are actually pretty good.
My view of Brussels sprouts changed when someone I knew and respected convinced me to try them.
Is it possible for us to apply this same thinking to something we’d rather squash under our shoe than eat?
I’m talking about bugs. As food.
Can a beautiful presentation make fried worms taste delicious?
© Thinkstock
A Cookbook...
October 6, 2013
Culture Smart: How’s Life in Costa Rica?
[image error]
Tile floor in a Costa Rican restaurant greets visitors with a love of life.
© Sheron Long
When It Comes to Greetings & Good-byes, “Pura Vida” Sings
Ciao! That’s a pretty universal way to say “good-bye,” though in Italian—the language that gave this word to the world—it’s used for both “hello” and “good-bye.” In that respect, it’s much like aloha in Hawaiian or pura vida in the Spanish language of Costa Rica.
In many languages, “hello” passes along little more than a quick greeting. But in Costa Rica pura vida comes from a more meaningful place within. Though translated literally as “pure life,” it bespeaks a contentment with life, one that embodies a relaxed lifestyle and the satisfaction of a life enjoyed.
When spoken as a greeting, it can be a question...
October 5, 2013
Aha Moment Maker: Colors To Go, Please
LONDON, 1841—Frustrated by the inability to keep his oil paints from drying out, American portrait artist John Goff Rand created the paint tube. Made from tin with a resealable screw cap, Rand’s paint storage solution preserved the paints and prevented leakage.
It would also dramatically alter the direction of art:
“En plein air” painting, or open-air painting, became possible as artists were no longer bound to a studio.
Producing oil paints was time-consuming and required technical understanding. Once oil paints could be purchased in tubes, more people could participate in painting.
With tube paint that did not dry out, artists could work with a full rainbow of colors on their palettes during a single painting session.
Two decades later, the Impressionist movement developed in Paris. Impressionists like Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir broke...
October 3, 2013
The Power of Exceptional Photographs
Competition is fierce in the world of international photo contests.
© krystalkenney.com
Capturing the Moment
Winning a photo competition is a challenge.
Why do we enter? Because we want to have our work seen and appreciated by a well-respected jury . . . and by a wider audience.
Prizes, opportunity for exhibition, and getting representation from the right gallery or museum are all important for success as an artist.
As with the lottery, we always enter with hope, but the reality is that the winners’ circle is a very exclusive club.
Anne Biroleau, Curator of Photography for the Bibliothèque Nationale, makes her final jury selections.
© krystalkenney.com
Recognizing Talent
The International Fine Art Photography Competition (Grand Prix de la Découverte) has just announced the 2013 winners. This competition, recognized as one of the most prestigious in the...
October 2, 2013
Secrets to Life #103: Dance Like Nobody’s Watching
September 30, 2013
Connect Kids and Nature, And What Do You Get?
© Thinkstock
A Better Life
Test yourself—
What percentage of preschoolers go outside daily with a parent?
About how many hours do children spend outside on a weekday?
Do children spend more or less time outdoors today than children did twenty years ago?
See answers below.*
Yes, the “Caution: Children at Play” signs are still on the streets, but the real caution today is that children are not playing outside. In fact, they are losing touch with nature and are losing out on better lives.
The statistics may be surprising. But digging deeper into the research, I ran into some “Oh, I see” moments. Maybe you will, too.
The dirtier you are, the more fun you had
© Thinkstock
What Disconnected Kids and Nature?
According to a survey done by JCB Kids, kids would rather watch TV, play computer games, go on the Internet, listen to...
September 28, 2013
Aha Moment Maker: You Look Mauve-lous!
LONDON, 1856—Eighteen-year-old chemist William Henry Perkin was working on creating an artificial version of the malaria drug quinine, which was very much in demand for the expanding British colonies.
Instead, he managed to produce only a dark oily sludge that left indelible stains. As he examined the outcome of his failed experiment more closely, he noticed that the sludge turned fabrics a striking light purple color.
And thus the world’s first synthetic dye was born. After patenting the dye in 1856, Perkin went on to manufacture it on a large scale, and synthetic dyes became important to the growing textile industry in the late 1800s.
After success in France, the dye which Perkin had called “aniline purple” was renamed “mauve” after a French purple flower.
What’s the aha moment you see?
Image © iStockphoto
