Flow (psychology)
Concentrating on a task is one aspect of flow. In positive psychology, flow, also known colloquially as being in the zone, is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting loss in one's sense of space and time. Flow shares many characteristics with hyperfocus. However, hyperfocus is not always described in a positive light. Some examples include spending "too much" time playing video games or getting side-tracked and pleasurably absorbed by one aspect of an assignment or task to the detriment of the overall assignment. Just as with the conditions listed above, these conditions can be independent of one another. Ideas similar to flow have been recognized throughout history and across cultures. Schaffer (2013) proposed 7 flow conditions: Further, he writes: Notes
Helge Tennø (congbo)
Facebook worth more than Portugal? Hell, it's worth a LOT more than THAT
Worstall on Wednesday As an esteemed editor said, one not a million miles away from here, the fact that Facebook has commissioned a report showing what vast amounts of wonderful, beneficial economic activity it is responsible for indicates that the company in fact contributes nothing. Stands to reason, that does. And even once one allows for a certain cynicism on the part of the said editor it is actually true that this report is a great big pile of steaming effluent, one to rival the worst morning-after-an-overly-brisant-curry outrage. Not that the Wall Street Journal uses quite that language but the message is clear: “The results are meaningless,” Stanford economist Roger Noll said in an email. As I say, steaming, and of the brownest. Further, the things that they've added together as being benefits are not, in fact, benefits. GDP is the monetised value of all production, all income, or all consumption. So, in the GDP statistics Facebook's value is the advertising that it sells.
Sacred Indigenous Site in Mexico Threatened by Canadian Mining Company
Every year, the Wixarika (Huichol) indigenous people of central west México walk 500 km to the sacred land of Wirikuta, where according to legend, the sun was born. Here, they collect jíkuri (peyote), carry out rituals of purification and come into communion with their gods, who give them blessings and guidance. In this way, they conserve their culture, maintain harmony with nature, and uphold a thousand-year-old tradition. Located in the state of San Luis Potosi, Wirikuta is one of the most biologically rich and diverse deserts in the world. To be sure, First Majestic Silver is not the first mining company to covet the mineral resources in the region. This same stage is now the backdrop for a social environmental conflict that is unfolding around First Majestic Silver’s intentions to reinitiate mining activities in the area. There is nothing extraordinary about this. First Majestic Silver is contributing to this notorious reputation. Photo from Flickr by benguez
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La Grecia vista dal Portogallo | Q CODE Magazine
da Lisbona Nei giorni scorsi, mentre Alexis Tsipras formava il governo in Grecia e gli spagnoli si preparavano all’ennesima imponente manifestazione di piazza organizzata da Podemos (la Marcha del Cambio del 31 gennaio), la ministra portoghese delle Finanze, Maria Luís Albuquerque (sulla cui carriera in vari organismi sovranazionali i portoghesi dovrebbero puntare i loro risparmi, se ne avessero e se i broker accettassero questo tipo di scommesse) volava a Bruxelles a sondare i partner europei sull’ipotesi di anticipare il rimborso della somma che il Portogallo deve al Fmi. Un anticipo che andrebbe fatto con il consenso, appunto, degli altri creditori continentali. E questo mentre l’omologo greco Varoufakis ribadiva il rifiuto a dialogare con la troika (quindi con il Fmi), perché la questione greca è politica ed europea e va risolta politicamente all’interno di questa strana “Unione di fatto” che è l’Ue. A Lisbona le reazioni alle notizie dalla Grecia sono state tutte un po’ autistiche.
Io, Robot. E donna
Avete mai parlato con Siri? O con Google Now? O Cortana, l’assistente vocale che ha ispirato l’unico spot divertente mai realizzato da Microsoft? Sono tutti servizi utili, più o meno, e soprattutto stupefacenti: parlano, rispondono a domande e danno consigli spesso vaghi, rimanendo avvolti da quel vago retrogusto dickiano del quale ci stiamo abituando così velocemente. Ma sono anche tutte donne, voci femminili, delle lei, volessimo dare un genere a un algoritmo e un po’ di silicio: perché? La risposta breve, semplice e incompleta – come tutte le risposte brevi e semplici – potrebbe essere che gli utenti interagiscono meglio con una voce femminile, specie se candida come quella di Scarlett Johansson in Her. Il Mit di Boston ha esaminato la questione creando un robot neutro a cui sono state date diverse voci, robotica, maschile e femminile. Nel futuro a questi robot saranno affidati compiti sociali nei quali dovranno spiegare agli umani la cosa giusta da fare.
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