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Design

10 everyday things invented in Germany

And while many German brands have become household names (think Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz), few people realize how many commonly used items came to be thanks to German inventors […]

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Inspiration

Steven Pinker on Measuring Human Happiness

Debbie Millman talks to experimental psychologist and author Steven Pinker about measuring human happiness […]

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Design Innovation Readings

Watch “How to detect baloney the Carl Sagan way” by Michael Shermer

This is a set of tools for critical thinking that has continued to develop since Sagan’s death, 22 years ago. Here, skeptic and science writer Michael Shermer explains key lessons from Sagan, and from his own college freshman course ‘Skepticism 101’, where teaches students ten basic questions that will help them debunk untruths, and call out baloney when they see it […]

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Design Innovation Readings Software

Watch Bill Buxton’s “Sketching Experiences” talk at the IIT’s Institute of Design Strategy Conference

Bill Buxton in this old — but still very relevant — talk advocates the need for global businesses to explore how design and design thinking can provide them with high-level, strategic value and competitive advantage […]

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Design Readings

Watch Dr. Genevieve Bell’s “Rage Against the Machine?” Keynote at IxDA | Interaction ’12 Conference

Dr. Genevieve Bell is an Australian-born anthropologist and researcher. As director of User Interaction and Experience in Intel Labs, Dr. Bell leads a research team of social scientists, interaction designers, human factors engineers and computer scientists. This team shapes and helps create new Intel technologies and products that are increasingly designed around people’s needs and desires […]

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Design Readings Software

[EVENT] IxDA Shanghai presents “Four Mobile Machines” with Aaron Marcus: SEPTEMBER 5TH, 2012, 7:30PM

Mr. Marcus reviews briskly four projects that are conceptual designs for new kinds of mobile applications (smartphone and tablet with associated Web portals) that combine the theories of information design and persuasion design to change people’s behavior […]

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Innovation Trend Watching

Watch Silvio Meira’s “Cooperation: How Education can be changed into learning” talk at TEDx São Paulo

Silvio Meira walks us through a series of “provocative cartoons about how he thinks the world should work.”

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Design Economics Innovation Trend Watching

Watch Eric Berlow’s “How complexity leads to simplicity” talk at TED

Ecologist Eric Berlow doesn’t feel overwhelmed when faced with complex systems. He knows that more information can lead to a better, simpler solution. Illustrating the tips and tricks for breaking down big issues, he distills an overwhelming infographic on U.S. strategy in Afghanistan to a few elementary points […]

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Design Innovation Readings Software

Watch Tan Le’s “A headset that reads your brainwaves” demo at TED

Tan Le’s astonishing new computer interface reads its user’s brainwaves, making it possible to control virtual objects, and even physical electronics, with mere thoughts (and a little concentration). She demos the headset, and talks about its far-reaching applications […]

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China Economics Trend Watching

Education in China: Reverse Brain Drain

China is experiencing some reverse brain drain, by attracting Chinese scientists and mathematicians in the U.S. back to the mainland […]