Working backward to solve problems - Maurice Ashley

See Maurice Ashley's blog here. He's the international chess grandmaster, and his motto is, "Your passion is your window to the world." In chess, retrograde analysis is a computational method used to solve game positions for optimal play by working backward from known outcomes (e.g. checkmate), such as the construction of endgame tablebases. In game theory at large, this method is called backward induction. For most games, retrograde analysis is only feasible in late game situations of reduced complexity, such as a chess position where few pieces remain in play. Here is a list of requirements (the whole handbook, actually) for a chess grandmaster.

What makes a hero? - Matthew Winkler The Hero Archetype in Literature, Religion, and Popular Culture: (along with a useful PowerPoint presentation teachers can download at this URL: ) Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction (users embark on their own hero's journey): An American Masters Lesson from PBS for Teachers on George Lucas, the Power of Myth, and the Hero's Journey: And an interactive approach to the Hero's Journey: And of course, information about Joseph Campbell's works on the subject, on the Joseph Campbell Foundation site: The Hero With A Thousand Faces The Hero's Journey (semi-biographical film): Challenge the paradigm.

PowToon, free business presentation software animated video maker and PowerPoint alternative The most popular 20 TED Talks, as of now UPDATED: To see all these talks at one click, check out our updated Playlist: The 20 Most Popular Talks of All Time. As 2013 draws to a close, TED is deeply humbled to have posted 1600+ talks, each representing an idea worth spreading. So which ideas have had the most widespread impact? Below, a look at the 20 most-watched talks as of December 2013. These viewership numbers include all the platforms we track: TED.com, YouTube, iTunes, embed and download, Hulu and more. Some fascinating things to notice on this list, if you’d like to compare and contrast it to the most popular talks in 2012, and to the list we shared back in 2011: Amy Cuddy, Susan Cain, David Blaine and Pamela Meyer are all newcomers to the list, with Cuddy’s talk storming to spot #5 thanks to you sharing it. But what really makes this list so incredible is the fact that it spans so many areas of interest, from education to happiness, statistics to creativity, tech demos to illusions.

Os festivais mais legais para você conhecer pelo mundo Muitas pessoas defendem que viajar é o melhor jeito de gastar dinheiro. E que a boa viagem é aquela em que o objetivo principal não é fazer compras ou tirar fotos, mas sim conhecer outras pessoas e culturas. Uma boa oportunidade para experimentar novos lugares pode ser conhecer seus festivais. O site Jardim do Mundo separou uma lista com os 15 festivais mais legais para um viajante conhecer. 1. Quando: Terça-feira de carnaval (em 2014, no dia 4 de março) Onde: New Orleans, EUA Por que ir: Pelas simbólicas ruas da cidade sulista passa essa espécie de carnaval com máscaras e colares de contas coloridas. 2. Quando: Última quarta-feira de agosto. Onde: Buñol, Espanha Por que ir: na década de 1940, alguns moradores da pequena cidade mediterrânea começaram a atirar frutas e verduras durante um desfile. 3. Quando: De 25 de agosto a 1º de setembro (em 2014) Onde: Black Rock City, EUA Por que ir: O evento de contracultura tem um caráter diferenciado dos demais. 4. Onde: Veneza, Itália 5.