on character

good snack for thought with morning coffee

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/character-and-its-discontents/?hp

next year, statistics

we can begin to prepare for that with this entertaining article:

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2012/03/18/a-fun-diy-science-goodie-proof-yourself-against-sensationalized-stats/

re power

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/21/science/the-snails-of-war-and-other-robotics-experiments.html?_r=1

I'm hoping the scientists and engineers perfect the electric snail before the electric cockroach... our local water bugs strike me as plenty energetic already.

Heroic Imagination Project

I happened upon this Wired article about a Stanford professor's project to teach middle schoolers about social psychology and create the next generation of American heroes. It's an interesting take on developing heroism in young people.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/12/the-hero-project/

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey

I just watched this fantastic documentary about Kevin Cash, the puppeteer responsible for the character of Elmo. It is a fascinating story about the journey he took to actualize his childhood dream of becoming a puppeteer on Sesame Street. I was completely transfixed the entire time. Beautiful and truly inspiring.

Curiosity Propels Student to Learn 11+ Languages

I enjoyed this video by Alex Rawlings on his love of learning languages. I had a similar upbringing as his -- a mother who spoke Portuguese and a father in international business. These influences sparked my curiosity early. Before I left my PhD program in Slavic Linguistics I knew well over 20 languages and had multiple job offers from the CIA. Product of a super intellect? Not really. As Alex rightly admits, the more languages you know, the easier it gets.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17107435

Danil Trifonov: Dedicated to Learning

An interesting article for pianists -- as well as for those curious about excellence. Danil Trifonov is currently THE top classical pianist in the world, having won a string of important competitions in the last year, topped off by a win at the Olympics of piano, The Tchaikovsky International Competition (which -- if you recall -- Van Cliburn won at the height of the Cold War). He has reached the pinnacle of his profession, however, Trifonov still speaks about finding opportunities for growth and the importance of prioritizing learning.

http://www.chron.com/life/article/Pianist-Daniil-Trifonov-dedicated-to-learning-3344591.php

Here is Trifonov playing a popular virtuoso piece by Liszt. Just watch the fingers!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH5Qsd0k4ZY

Catch him in Houston tomorrow night if you can!