Academy

Commander Chris Hadfield: Making space (and Canada) cool again

This evening (Eastern Standard Time), Canadian Space Agency astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield will return to Earth after five months orbiting our planet in the International Space Station — eventually serving as commander of the mission.

At 53, Commander Hadfield is a veteran astronaut, having been in space previously to work on the construction of the ISS in 2001 (which included a 14-hour space walk) and on the Space Shuttle in 1995. But this mission, which is likely Commander Hadfield’s last, has had a particular influence on public perception of space and science because of his social media activity.

Non-profits: embrace the pearls for your cause

I bought myself an Apple TV recently. And I’m not the only one who connected the TV on the internet. It is the new thing to explore.
It changed my media consumption madly. Instead of watching the regular stuff I spent my spare time with exploring short films. And there is a lot out there. The kind of stuff I’m not watching on my desktop computer. Because I’m too impatient for. But slumped on the couch is a different story.

That makes me think. What can non-profits do with with new online evolution? The connected TV is in it’s early stages but you can already can do something. Without any budget.
Build yourself a playlist on Vimeo or YouTube and start exploring. As the title above says ‘embrace the pearls for your cause’. I see it as a new way of storytelling.

Don’t worry — “The Science of Orgasms” is more info than graphic!

I really love infographic-style videos like this, and have ever since I worked with Lee LeFever’s commoncraft  on “Preparing a Family Emergency Kit in Plain English” for the Government of Canada.

AsapSCIENCE is a YouTube channel that publishes weekly curiosity-quenching videos on the science behind everyday life and pop culture, including “The Scientific Power of Naps” and “The Science of Spider-Man”. It’s like Bill Nye the Science Guy for nerdy grownups.

Their latest video is perhaps their most “adult” — but is also something everyone should be interested in: The Science of Orgasms.

AsapSCIENCE is social as well, and they invite viewers to submit their own questions on Facebook or Twitter.

It’s simple, low-budget, and fun infotainment. Nice work, Mitchell and Gregory!

Talk: Craig Newmark on Building a Community of Trust

In the movie Hot Tub Time Machine, John Cusack goes “back to the future” and discovers that his friend Lou has become incredibly wealthy due to a little search-engine-that-could that he aptly named “Lougle.” It’s a fun example of how an individual’s name can become a familiar household term based on a single choice to use that name in a product.

Can you think of another example of this? You got it—craigslist. In the States, craigslist is synonymous with connection. Hundreds of thousands of people utilize the ad-free website to find jobs, frisbee leagues, used furniture, and to barter their services. The founder of this incredible site is Craig Newmark, a self-professed nerd who has dedicated his life to customer service.

At the iStrategy conference on global digital marketing in San Francisco, Craig Newmark was not there to speak about his great invention. Rather, he wanted to talk about where he’s putting his energies now: craigconnects.

At first look, craigconnects seems to be a way for him to organize his personal efforts on giving back: military veterans, technology for good, and back-to-basics journalism. And right now, it is. But a few points that were brought up in his talk on how to build a community of trust provide a few hints as to the potential of his own model.