MIT OpenCourseWare | Free Online Course Materials

Did you know that the prestigious MIT has a website dedicated to open courses free to the public?



From aeronautics to cognitive science to anthropology, your options are far from few. Complete with syllabi, readings, assignments, and projects, each course has everything you need to round out your online learning experience.


Since MIT's official open courseware site launch back in 2003, the number of visitors and available classes has met and surpassed the expected success of the program. But if MIT is not your style, feel free to check out these other highly regarded open university programs.


In this modern era, ignorance is no longer an excuse, it is a decision.

21st Century "Food"

You are what you eat!

Eat mindfully, my friends. For the food you consume to nourish your body is the investment you make in your health and well-being.

The future of our food is in your hands! Please don't forget that as a consumer you vote with your dollars. So make the healthful decision today, and be conscious about what you eat. Next time you find yourself in the store look at the labels and read.

¡Salud!

How to Use Google More Efficiently!

A Lesson in Political Philosophy: Only a matter of perspective

"Doublespeak."

Social Controlling Processes: It's all a matter of how you word your actions to disguise your true intent.

The Secret Story of TOYS

What would a childhood be without toys?

Did you have a favorite toy growing up? Perhaps a stuffed animal? Doll? Action figure? Ball? For those of us fortunate enough to grow up with toys to play with, we are able to look back on our formative years with a special fondness and sentimental delight. Toys help facilitate that carefree world in our imaginations where we create and play and maybe even destroy...

Unfortunately, there are many children out there who are toyless, and many toys out there who are girl and boy-less. As you know, it takes a village to raise a child. So in a way, we are all responsible for the positive upbringing of our youth. Please consider donating new and/or used toys to a happy child today. It might make a world of difference to a young mind in need of some inspiration. :)

For a place to start, check out Toys for Tots!

Here is a sneak peak into the world of modern day toy-makers. They truly are artists of a childlike imagination.


The Secret Story of TOYS from Anthony Ladesich on Vimeo.

Happy 157th Birthday Tesla!

Today marks the 157th birthday of the scientific genius and visionary Nikola Tesla. Tesla is perhaps the most profound inventor of the modern era, and you might be surprised to find out just how many "smart" devices we use in today's tech-savvy culture that can be attributed to his revolutionary mind.

Here's a fun and educational doodle created by the artists over at theoatmeal.com that gives a little snippet of Tesla's life accomplishments and prophetic visions of a future aligned with technology. And here is a comedic biographical drama of Tesla's life story. Enjoy! And now go out and imagine your own groundbreaking ideas!

What Most People Think Versus What Successful People Know

A Revolutionary Idea in Higher Education

Have you already heard of coursera.orgcoursera.org?

It is a relatively new internet innovation that has the potential to further the democratization of knowledge -- a powerful mechanism bringing a somewhat institutionalized form of higher education to the public. Many of the universities represented on Coursera are well-recognized, quite prestigious, and give a justifiable legitimacy to the course content.

Friends, I urge you to foster your appetite for knowledge. Feed your curiosity; for a mind is a terrible thing to waste.  

Go have some fun learning something new!  Aloha~

P.S. I really like the logo idea. (The "co" in "coursera" is the symbol of "infinity.") But what does the "ra" mean?

Cheating to Learn: How a UCLA professor gamed a game theory midterm (Posted April 22, 2013 by Peter Nonacs)

Peter Nonacs, a professor in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at UCLA, turned his own class into a revealing experiment in game theory and an excellent learning opportunity for everyone. So in this life, do you choose to help out your neighbor? What do you have to lose? What do you have to gain? Do you feel morally obligated to choose one over the other in certain situations?

 

Symphony of Science - Our Biggest Challenge

In keeping with yesterday's theme, here is an awesome video produced by melodysheep for the Symphony of Science collection on climate change and personal responsibility. I truly believe that we should all strive to be good stewards with our time and money. Conscious spending should trump conspicuous consumption, always. In a society of waste and replace, who will save the planet from ourselves? Live simply, and you shall know how to simply live. Your life will be that much more fulfilling; I guarantee it. Aloha~

15 Surreal Satellite Images of Earth

The impact and devastation that human beings are capable of incising upon the Earth is astounding. Here are some incredible satellite images of specific events caused by human activity that have left lasting scars on the planet. In terms of a macroscopic analogy, it appears that the Earth is suffering from a virus or cancer of the human variety.

Below is a before-and-after comparison of the exponential growth of Las Vegas -- an artificial human playground in the middle of a non-sustainable desert.

The Universal Language Is In Our Minds

"UC Berkeley linguistics lecturer Patrick Boudreault, who is deaf, explains that language is a fluid thing that's not just spoken. It's something universal that happens in our minds, whether it's communicated with our hands or our voice."

Have you ever stopped to really think about language?

How it magically enables us to communicate with each other?
How it mysteriously allows us to think
and define the incredible world which surrounds us?
How without it, our reality would not be our own?

In a culture of affluence, it is all too easy to take material things for granted. Which consequently makes it even easier still to walk through this life and overlook the most fundamental miracles of simply being.

Be grateful. And you will be happy, my friends.
Aloha~

9-Year Old Discusses the Meaning of Life and the Universe

It is amazing what a mind this young can grasp with such conviction. Continue to plant seeds among the youth! They are the ones that will have to answer to the problems we create today. 

20 Gentle Quotations From Mister Rogers

Today marks the 85th birthday of Mister Fred McFeely Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. And in honor of his life's work and dedication to educating the public, particularly the youth, I would like to share some insightful pieces of wisdom from Mister Rogers himself. Additionally, below is a re-shared post of the most excellent audio/visual production by melodysheep for PBS Digital Studios called "Garden of Your Mind." Enjoy, neighbors! 

Mister Rogers | Garden of Your Mind | PBS Digital Studios

Born Curious

The Legend of Surfing: Kelly Slater | Living an Organic Life

This is one of the current issues my immediate home is facing at the moment. I am grateful for those who are convicted to speak up about certain topics that seem to be implemented in our society without any general consensus by public accord.  The only social malfeasance more contemptible than ignorance, is apathetic silence.