Science

Whenever the world seems hopeless, I find myself revisiting the 2012 don't-worry-it's-all-gonna-be-great TED talk from XPrize CEO Peter Diamandis (embedded below). Diamandis is a passionate proponent of "rational optimism," and uses cold hard data to demonstrate how humanity is improving its condition thanks to technology. In the decades to come—according to Diamandis—enhancements in things like artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, and robotics will lead us into strange, uncharted territories. For example, people may no longer have to work for a living; we'll transition into being an extraterrestrial species; and aging—as we know it—might become a thing of the past. That's just to name a few. Anyone familiar with the predictions of the often-correct (but sometimes wrong) tech prognosticator Ray Kurzweil will be familiar with Diamandis' world view. In fact, Diamandis co-founded the Silicon Valley-based Singularity University with Kurzweil … [Read more...] about Our Exciting, Weird, and Scary Future: Q&A With Peter Diamandis

Whether you’re breaking a bad habit or trying to form a good one, a little nudge in the right direction can go a long way. These free printables and ebooks promise to help you track or change habits easily.As the year draws to a close, we often succumb to the pressure of setting resolutions. But if you’re serious about changing habits, you need the right advice and tools to get you going. You can use habit apps to reach your goals or go old-school with a pen and paper. There is just something more satisfying about the tactile feel of crossing or ticking a box.1. Habit Print: Create a Printable Seinfeld-Like ChainComedian Jerry Seinfeld famously shared his productivity habit. He wrote a joke every single day and crossed it out on the calendar. The visual chain of his successful habit kept him going every day. Several people now swear by this trick.Habit Print is a free web app to create such a visual habit tracker and print it. Just write whatever task you want to accomplish … [Read more...] about 6 Free Printables and Ebooks to Track or Change Habits

Advertisement Everyone makes a New Year’s resolution. Some people want to lose weight, some want to make more money and some people want to learn to program. Well, if you are one of the budding coders, than the folks at Code Academy have a service for you. To coincide with the New Year, they have invented Code Year, which is designed to help you learn to program over the course of 2012.Basically, Code Year sends you one free interactive lesson per week, and over the course of the 52 weeks in 2012, it will help you become a solid programmer. Their regular programming classes are among the best, and you can rest assured that Code Year will get the job done if you stick with it. It’s a great free service that can help improve your life a great deal.Features: Weekly newsletter with free interactive coding lesson. Learn to build websites and apps by the end of 2012. Free and easy to fit in with your existing schedule. Brought to you by Code Academy, one of the best in … [Read more...] about Code Year: Learn How To Program In 2012

Advertisement Using live desktop wallpaper is a great alternative to bland photos that you never get around to changing. They can help you relax, improve your mood, or even get you hyped ahead of a big event.Sadly, Windows no longer offers native animated wallpapers; they’ve not been included since Windows Vista. That doesn’t mean that you can’t have one though, you’ll just have to use a third-party tool. Which tool you’ll need depends on which version of Windows you have – check out our guide How to Set Live Wallpapers & Animated Desktop Backgrounds in Windows 10 How to Set Live Wallpapers & Animated Desktop Backgrounds in Windows 10 Want to liven up your Windows 10 desktop with some animated backgrounds? Here's what you need to do. Read More for more information.A Word of WarningBefore we proceed, it is important to make sure that you understand exactly what a live wallpaper entails.Sure, they can provide some pleasing … [Read more...] about 8 Fascinating Live Wallpapers for Your Windows Desktop

Advertisement If you have low self-esteem, you aren’t alone. It’s a huge problem, not only in America but all over the world, and it appears to be growing with every year that passes. It starts at a young age, in grade school children, and ramps up to a peak in students who are in high school and college.Sadly, most of us carry this baggage well into adulthood, and some of us never overcome it.There are many factors involved — for example, various forms of modern tech addiction could be deeply connected with rising rates of depression and anxiety 5 Ways Technology Might Be Feeding Your Depression 5 Ways Technology Might Be Feeding Your Depression Technology can worsen depression. With tech enveloping our lives, we should be more aware of technology's potential impact on us. There are some things you can do to lessen the burden. Read More . If you feel so crippled by low self-esteem that your day-to-day life is hindered, you should seek professional guidance … [Read more...] about 7 Nifty Hacks to Boost Your Self-Esteem