CNN reported an amazing story about a father who was reunited with his long lost daughter via Twitter.  Daniel Morales obtained a phone and began tweeting via the “Unheard in New York” project that was initiated by a group of interns hoping to give a voice to the homeless.  This story shows that those spearheading the project did not only accomplish their amazing goal, but that they created a salient example of how social media can be used for immense good.

“Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, redacted by Adeena Schlussel.”

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Tags: Science and Technology, Interesting Random Stuff, Media and Alternative Media by daniel
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My brother shared this hilarious video, which while mocking the obsession of people with Apple products, actually highlights the power of brands.

Apple does actually have a lot of technological reasons for its success. But its brand indeed transcends much of the functional strengths to the iconic sphere and status symbol.

Then again, there is another side to this debate which says the iPhone really IS better:

Tags: Science and Technology, Funnies, Marketing by daniel
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This video, launched by Entrepreneur Magazine encapsulates some of the attributes that made KIND’s Daniel Lubetzky win the 2010 Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and carries new meaning since the Award was announced.  Among the key lessons: build a supportive environment for a super-star team, and use technology to simplify life, and food, rather than to complicate it.

Innovator - Kind Snacks from OC Creative Media on Vimeo.

by Adeena Schlussel

Tags: Entrepreneurship and Management, Science and Technology, New Product Development, Kinded, Education/Raising Children, Innovation, New York City, Marketing, KIND Snacks, Media and Alternative Media, Leadership, PeaceWorks Business by daniel
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My cousin shared this very cool presentation showing the evolution of our globe by geography and time – the life expectancy and wealth of 200 countries over the last 200 years. Fascinating.

And you can also play around with this platform across a plethora of indicators…

http://graphs.gapminder.org/communityproxy/ChartDataServlet?

Tags: Science and Technology, Anthropology, Innovation, Economics, Interesting Random Stuff, Global by daniel
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A recent New York Times article depicts Sweden’s amazing efforts to decrease their use of fossil fuels.  The most admirable aspect of Sweden’s efforts- also the key to their success- is that the country uses what it’s got; instead of turning to solar energy or wind turbines (two approaches that would both be inappropriate for the country’s climate) they capitalize on farming byproducts to produce energy.

Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, redacted by Adeena Schlussel

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Tags: Science and Technology, Innovation, Environment, Global by daniel
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Israeli entrepreneur, Amit Goffer just invented an incredible device to  benefit the disabled population: robotic pants that use sensors to allow paralyzed patients to walk and stand.  The Washington Post reported on the product called “ReWalk,” which will hopefully be for sale after the next coming years of trials and tests.  While there are bound to be many obstacles for the inventors and the early adapters, this looks like a truly incredible opportunity for anyone who is paralyzed and I am excited to see this brilliance at work.

Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, redacted by Adeena Schlussel

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Tags: Entrepreneurship and Management, Israel, Health, Science and Technology, Innovation by daniel
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Although technology has countless benefits in our lives, there are more and more reports that suggest there is an accompanying negative effect on our brains and on our children’s development, as I have written in the past. A recent article in the New York Times paints a scary picture:  some teens prefer the instant gratification of a YouTube video or a Facebook status update, to the enriching (albeit, delayed) gratification that one can glean from reading a book.  Although children have always enjoyed distractions when it comes to work, technology has carried a whole new slew of tools with which to procrastinate with that prove to be increasingly dangerous.

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Tags: Education/Raising Children, Twitter, Science and Technology, United States by daniel
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A recent New York Time article points to a new useful site called WorthMonkey, aimed to help users determine if used goods for sale are fairly priced or not.

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Tags: Science and Technology, Interesting Random Stuff by daniel
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Lev Grossman wrote an excellent article in TIME on how recommendation engines work (ie, for Netflix movie selection, and for Pandora radio selection) and how they can start turning us into boringly homogenous & predictive blockbuster consumers of the same stuff within one safe space.

Alas, when it comes to movie choices, the options and parameters are so many, that suggestions I get are often unreliable.

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Tags: New Product Development, Anthropology, Science and Technology, Innovation, Art, Music, Movies by daniel
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Modern technology and education may not encourage creativity and imagination in children as much as the past.  Reading books makes you imagine your own characters, and blocks of wood - or pieces of nature - can prompt a child to imagine its toys. But tvs, xboxes, video games and pdas are less likely to stimulate the unknown, as they guide you through a pre-created and pre-imagined world.

Here is an article from babycenter (an informative and valuable website for parents) that shares ideas on how to tap your child’s natural curiosity.

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Tags: Education/Raising Children, Science and Technology, Innovation, Family by daniel
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