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[P]roof that crowdsourced science can solve problems quickly. READ: Gamers beat scientists to making a protein discovery | Engadget
Tag Archives: problem solving
Yves Morieux: How Too Many Rules at #Work Keep You From #GTD | TED.com #productivity #business
Modern work — from waiting tables to crunching numbers to designing products — is about solving brand-new problems every day, flexibly and collaboratively. But as Yves Morieux shows in this insightful talk, too often, an overload of rules, processes and metrics keeps us from doing our best work together. Meet the new frontier of productivity: cooperation.
12-Year-Old Girl Got Higher #IQ Score than Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking | Mashable #girlpower #Mensa
Nicole Barr, a 12-year-old in Essex, London, just scored a 162 on her Mensa IQ test — that’s two points higher than Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking scored. READ MORE: A 12-year-old girl got a higher IQ score than Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking | Mashable
This New #Software Turns Any Object Into a Rubik’s Cube Puzzle | Gizmodo #puzzles #3D
Turning a cube into a rotating multi-colored puzzle isn’t terribly difficult. Ernő Rubik did it back in 1974 without the need for a computer. For other shapes, though, like a complicated 3D bunny, you need to figure out the perfect way to slice it up so that every sub-section can rotate freely. But thankfully there’s now software that can automatically do that for you.
Developed by Timothy Sun and Changxi Zheng at Columbia University, the software first requires you to have a 3D CG model of whatever object or shape you want to convert to a Rubik’s-like puzzle. READ MORE: This New Software Turns Any Object Into a Rubik’s Cube Puzzle | Gizmodo
MinecraftEdu Takes Hold in Schools | School Library Journal #minecraft #education
There aren’t any express objectives or any real way to win in Minecraft. It’s a “sandbox,” in gaming speak—offering free play without a specific goal and currently used by more than 18.5 million players, with some 20,000 more signing up every day. Users may choose between Creative Mode, in which they can build using unlimited resources by themselves or with friends, with no real danger or enemies, and Survival Mode, where they fend off enemies and other players and fight for resources and space. They can trade items and communicate using a chat bar. Modifications (or mods) can add complexity by creating things like economic systems that let players buy and sell resources from in-game characters using an in-game currency system. These downloadable mods can also add computer science concepts and thousands of additional features.
MINECRAFTEDU
Minecraft’s worlds and possibilities are truly endless—and increasingly, so are its educational adaptations for school use. Available on multiple platforms (Apple, Windows, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Raspberry Pi, iOS, Android, Windows Phone), the game’s flexibility and collaborative possibilities make it a favorite among devotees of gamification.
“Minecraft is like LEGOs on steroids,” says Eric Sheninger, a senior fellow at the International Center for Leadership in Education. “Learners of all ages work together to ultimately create a product that has value to them,” he adds. “The simple interface provides students in the classroom with endless possibilities to demonstrate creativity, think critically, communicate, collaborate, and solve problems.” A Swedish student research study also showed that collaboration in Minecraft provided a more immersive problem-solving experience than group LEGO building.
via MinecraftEdu Takes Hold in Schools | School Library Journal.
It Took This Guy Over 7 Hours To Solve the World’s Hardest Rubik’s Cube | Gizmodo
Fascinating to glimpse the different types of Rubik’s Cubes this guy has in his collection. I thought there was only the original! The 17x17x17 cube would be a unique addition for libraries to have available for patrons to borrow.
Seven hours sounds just about right for the average puzzle enthusiast to solve a standard 3x3x3 Rubik’s Cube. But Youtuber RedKB isn’t your average puzzle enthusiast. Instead of tackling a 3x3x3 cube, he solves this incredibly complex 17x17x17 cube designed by Oskar Van Deventer. In the end it took him about seven-and-a-half hours to get all the colored sides put back in order. READ MORE: It Took This Guy Over 7 Hours To Solve the World’s Hardest Rubik’s Cube | Gizmodo
Why Geocaching Is The Perfect Sport for Readers | BOOK RIOT
I’ve heard of geocaching before but never thought about this activity associated with books. This would be so much fun…would love to try!! Adventure and discovery, mysteries and problem-solving, stories and books, gadgets and tech, plus new environments…now if I had a to-go mug filled with tea…my idea of perfection. I also think geocaching would be a fun date activity.
Geocaching is a real-world treasure hunt. When this was written, there were over 2.5 million geocaches or “caches” and 6 million geocachers around the world. Each cache is listed on a website. A player uses a GPS device either a handheld GPS unit or a smartphone to read and decipher the clues and then find the actual treasure. It may take a long hikes in the woods or a simple walk around the corner, depending on where you are and what you want to do. For someone like me, who prefers to sit with her head in a book, it can be a welcome little bit of exercise between chapters. Once found, you sign a log, record it on the computer, and move on to the next one.
READ MORE: Why Geocaching Is The Perfect Sport for Readers | BOOK RIOT
A Brilliantly Simple Design Transforms Old Boxes Into School Desks And Bags | Co.Exist
Most schools in rural India can’t afford basic supplies like desks, and most of the students attending them can’t afford backpacks. The Bombay-based nonprofit Aarambh worked with designers to come up with an ingenious solution to both problems: Their simple stencil transforms old cardboard boxes into a convertible desk and school bag.
READ MORE: A Brilliantly Simple Design Transforms Old Boxes Into School Desks And Bags | Co.Exist | ideas + impact.
The Best Leaders Are Humble Leaders | Harvard Business Review
In a global marketplace where problems are increasingly complex, no one person will ever have all the answers. That’s why Google’s SVP of People Operations, Lazlo Bock, says humility is one of the traits he’s looking for in new hires. “Your end goal,” explained Bock, “is what can we do together to problem-solve. I’ve contributed my piece, and then I step back.” And it is not just humility in creating space for others to contribute, says Bock—it’s “intellectual humility. Without humility, you are unable to learn.”
A recent Catalyst study backs this up, showing that humility is one of four critical leadership factors for creating an environment where employees from different demographic backgrounds feel included. In a survey of more than 1500 workers from Australia, China, Germany, India, Mexico, and the U.S., we found that when employees observed altruistic or selfless behavior in their managers — a style characterized by 1 acts of humility, such as learning from criticism and admitting mistakes; 2 empowering followers to learn and develop; 3 acts of courage, such as taking personal risks for the greater good; and 4 holding employees responsible for results — they were more likely to report feeling included in their work teams. This was true for both women and men.
READ MORE: The Best Leaders Are Humble Leaders | Jeanine Prime, and Elizabeth Salib | Harvard Business Review.
Why The Rubiks Cube Fascinates Designers | Co.Design
GOOGLES RUBIKS CUBE ISNT JUST A COOL GAME: ITS AN ARGUMENT FOR THE FUTURE OF COMPUTING. Read More: Why The Rubiks Cube Fascinates Designers | Co.Design | business + design.
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