Why Extroverts Could Cause Problems on a Mission to Mars As NASA focuses considerable effort on a mission to send humans to Mars in the coming decades, psychology researchers are looking at what types of personalities would work the best together on such a long trip. Now, a new study finds that on long-term space missions — such as missions to Mars, which could take as long as three years to complete a round trip — having an extrovert on board could have several disadvantages. For example, extroverts tend to be talkative, but their gregarious nature may make them seem intrusive or demanding of attention in confined and isolated environments over the long term, the researchers say. Mars Through Curiosity's Powerful MAHLI Camera: Photos "You're talking about a very tiny vehicle, where people are in very isolated, very confined spaces," said study researcher Suzanne Bell, an associate professor of psychology at DePaul University in Chicago. The researchers concluded that extroverts could potentially be a "liability" on these missions.
The science of willpower: Kelly McGonigal on sticking to resolutions It’s the second week in January and, at about this time, that resolution that seemed so reasonable a week ago — go to the gym every other day, read a book a week, only drink alcohol on weekends — is starting to seem very … hard. As you are teetering on the edge of abandoning it all together, Kelly McGonigal is here to help. This Stanford University psychologist — who shared last year how you can make stress your friend — wants you to know that you’re not having a hard time sticking to a resolution because you are a terrible person. Perhaps you’ve just formulated the wrong resolution. McGonigal has, for years, taught a course called “The Science of Willpower” through Stanford’s Continuing Studies program and, in 2011, she spun it into a book, The Willpower Instinct. The TED Blog spoke to McGonigal this week about how willpower is often misunderstood, and what we each can do to improve it. First question: why is willpower such a struggle? It’s a great question. Yes! Yes.
Harvard Bonin's Blog - In Search of Bigfoot (The eight elusive phases of game development) The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company. I believe that there’s an idyllic roadmap for all game development. It can apply to all manner of projects. It’s also mythical. I only wish it worked my way in the real world. Traditional project management advocates phased development for many endeavors. Initiating Planning Executing Monitoring & Controlling Closing These phases might be fine for projects like “widget building” but software development can’t work under these strict guidelines. Think of phases like large time boxes with concrete gates the project must pass through before moving to the next. Get the tickets Drive to the show Pass through the gates Each one of those points is a big ticket item that, if not achieved, stops the entire show-going experience. Initiation: Establishing constraints. Conception: Exploring the ideas.
Erasing (And Restoring) the Brain's Memories In recent years, researchers studying the brain have implanted false memories, caused patients to hallucinate while sleeping, and even tricked the brain into hearing sounds that don't exist. Now, a team of neuroscientists has manipulated brain cells to both erase and then restore a memory, a finding that could help with treatment of brain diseases like Alzheimer's or PTSD. "Technologically, it's a huge achievement," said Steve Ramirez, a graduate student in the department of brain and cognitive sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who was not part of the study, but has published work on creating memories. Two Rats Communicate Brain To Brain In a paper published today in the journal Nature, a team at the University of California San Diego created a memory in a rat and then erased it by stimulating the connections, or synapses, between nerve cells at different frequencies. The first step was to create a memory. Simulating The Human Brain
4 scientific studies on how meditation can affect your heart and brain Many people have tried to sell me on the idea of meditating. Sometimes I try it, and have an incredible, refreshing experience. But usually, as I close my eyes and focus on my breathing, while I know that I’m supposed to be letting all thoughts go, more and more fly through my mind. Today’s TED Talk, however, might actually convince me to give meditation another shot. “We live in an incredibly busy world. In this talk, Puddicombe — who is as equally as turned off by incense as me — shares the fascinating story of how he become a monk, and gives a convincing argument for why it is worth it to take 10 minutes a day to refresh the mind. “Most people assume that meditation is all about stopping thoughts, getting rid of emotions, somehow controlling the mind, but actually it’s much different than that,” says Puddicombe. To see a demonstration, with juggling, watch this surprising talk. For years, meditation fans have said that the practice keeps them healthy. Distractions are everywhere.
Steve Jobs On Value Of Ideas Pilot Lands a Plane with His Thoughts Why pilot a plane with your hands and feet when you can do it with your brain? Thought-controlled flight could be arriving soon, according to the EU-funded “BrainFlight” project. A team of scientists from the Institute for Flight System Dynamics and the Berlin Institute of Technology says it has translated brain impulses into control commands, enabling pilots in a plane simulator to achieve a range of remarkably precise maneuvers without touching the controls or pedals. Wearing a cap with lots of cables attached, pilots in the simulator were able to land a plane simply by looking at the screen and moving the control stick with their thoughts, correcting the plane’s position repeatedly until it landed. To achieve the breakthrough, the researchers connected electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes to a cap to measure the pilot’s brain waves. Once it’s perfected, brain-controlled flight could reduce pilot workload and increase safety.
16 trends that will define the future of video games | Technology Hundreds of game developers, publishers and analysts recently descended on Brighton for the annual Develop conference. There were controversial keynotes, there were talks about how to make money in a rapidly fragmenting marketplace, but there were also some interesting forward-looking sessions, concerned with where the games industry as a whole is heading – not so much in terms of game design (that’s the domain of events like the Game Developers Conference and SXSW), more in the way the sector will operate as a business. Some of it is pretty weird. Here, then, are the major trends that we picked up on, all of which could completely change the way games are made – and played – in the near future. 1. During her talk about the gaming habits of modern teenagers, Alison York, research director at Nickelodeon, talked about how we’re now seeing the first generation of parents who grew up playing games themselves and are passing that passion and knowledge on to their children. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Velociraptor Inspires Fast Running Robot Researchers have long been interested in fast-running robots with powerful, agile legs. In particular, several groups have focused on bio-inspired designsbased on cheetahs. But when a team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) set out to create a new sprinting robot, they didn't look at big cats; instead, they found inspiration in a completely different kind of creature: a velociraptor. Innovations Inspired By Animals The robot, called Raptor, has two nimble legs and a mechanism that mimics a tail. That's faster than the fastest human, the Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt, whose top speed has been estimated at 43.92 km/h. And it's almost as fast as the world's fastest legged robot, Cheetah, built by Boston Dynamics, which reached 47 km/h in a trial two years ago, also on a treadmill. And despite their similar speeds, the two robots are very different. Top 10 Flower Technologies Another difference is that Raptor has a tail.
Your Strategy Has to Be Flexible — But So Does Your Execution Executive Summary Strategy execution should be as varied, as thoughtful, as subtle, as diverse and as intertwined with the strategy itself as is necessary to get the job done. But all too often, executives fail to execute a strategy because they’re oversimplifying its execution. Some fall into a trap of excessive complexity, which can undermine thoughtful execution as much as a failure to specify tactics. Busyness can become an implicit goal or cultural norm, and the original strategic intent can be lost in a frenzy of detail and activity. Peter Drucker said: “Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.” In fact, several frequently observed traps result from such a view of execution: Losing the plot. We should not let the simplistic but comforting dualism of strategy and execution deceive us.
New Solar Plane Flies, On Track for Global Trip A sun-powered plane made a successful test flight on Monday, clearing a vital hurdle towards its goal of a round-the-world trip next year, its pilot and mission chiefs said. Solar Impulse 2 carried out a flight lasting two hours and 15 minutes, half an hour longer than scheduled, German test pilot Markus Scherdel said. 8 Cray Cray Ways To Harness Solar Energy "Everything worked as expected," Scherdel told a press conference at an air base in Payerne, central Switzerland. "Of course, we have to do more testing, but it's a good start and I'm looking forward to flying the airplane the next time." Built from carbon fibre, the 2.3-ton plane has four 17.5-horsepower electrical motors powered by 17,248 solar cells studding its fuselage and 72-meter (234-feet) wingspan -- as long as that of an Airbus A380. The forerunner was put through its paces in Europe, crossed the Mediterranean to reach Morocco and traversed the United States last year without using a drop of fossil fuel. 120-Hour Flight
A 3x3x3 Perspective for getting your Vision, Strategy, and Product aligned I’m sure you’ve run into Simon Sinek’s TED talk on the Golden Circle where he made the case for how great leaders communicate differently — leading first with their why (or purpose), then describing their how (or unique value proposition), and finally describing what they do. I find the Golden Circle is just as applicable when deconstructing or charting a new idea or venture — mapping quite nicely to the vision, strategy, and product pyramid that you’ve probably also run into. The mistake too many entrepreneurs make is rushing up this pyramid and prematurely falling in love with their product. Vision and strategy are foundational pieces without which even a good product cannot withstand the weight of its market. The challenge, of course, is that vision, strategy, and product all have varying, and often fuzzy, time horizons — making it challenging to keep them aligned and actionable simultaneously. A few years ago I met a young startup team at an accelerator in Chile. Why 3 weeks?