Arthur Benjamin perform multiplication of 5 digit numbers in his head using math tricks — an amazing performance in front of and with participation from the live audience.
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Long Tail Explained by Chris Anderson
Chris Anderson, editor of “Wired”, coined the term “Long Tail” that is now widely used today in regards to the new business dynamics that have come about due in part to the internet. It is the idea products with low sales volume can still have a large marketshare if you sell many of such products. And now you can since distribution cost have dropped to the point where this is possible.
Jeff Hawkins Tell How the Brain Works
Computer scientist Jeff Hawkins (who also pioneered PDA’s) tells us the theory of brains and how the brain work. The talk is not technical but covers the theory. There are a few chuckles here and there as well.
The Paradox of Choice — Why More is Less
In this one hour video, Professor Barry Schwartz explains why too much choice is not always good. This is a paradoxical concept since western belief is that more choice means more freedom and happiness.
At about 45 minutes into this video, Schwartz comments on the effect of money on happiness. He says that …”What is true is that once you cross subsistence, whatever subsistence is in your society, additional increases in wealth have virtually no effect on well-being. There is a hugh steep curve going from zero to subsistence. But once you cross that line of subsistence, the curve flattens out. It is worth knowing, in case you have a choice between choosing x and making more money, almost certainly choosing x is what you should choose.”
Here is another video of a talk Schwartz gave at TED summarizing the concept that too much choice can mean decrease happiness.
To learn more read Barry Schwartz’s book The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less
Schwartz also mentions in on page 106 of the book that “people in rich countries are happier than people in poor countries. Obviously, money matters. But what these surveys also reveal is that money doesn’t matter as much as you might think. Once a society’s level of per capital wealth crosses a threshold from poverty to adequate subsistence, further increase in national wealth have almost no effect on happiness.”
Myths about Developing Countries, a talk by Hans Rosling
Here is an entertaining and enlightening talk by Hans Rosling, professor of international health at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute. Lots of good data and animated graphs to give you a more accurate look at the world.
Funny picture of sign showing not to hit head on sign
Here is a funny picture on Flickr showing a sign not to hit your head on the sign.
Mah-Jongg Solitaire Game
Play the game at mah-jongg.ch.
This game was programmed by Thomas Weibel using DHTML and Javascript. The object of the game is to remove tiles that are “open” on the left and the right. Don’t worry, if you can’t see any open tiles, there is a “hint” button that may reveal moves that you did not see. There is also a “zoom” button if you find the tiles to be too small and is straining your eyes. Note that not all games can be won. However, good players can sometimes win one out of every three games.
Bricks Deluxe Game
Bricks is a fast pace game with a bit of strategy. You need to click the bricks and change their colors to get three or more in a row before the timer runs out.
Tomb Chess
Play game at FreeWorldGroup.com »
Tomb Chess is a chess-like strategy game where you can play against the computer or another human. It has rules that are simpler than chess.
Angular Momentum — a hand-eye cordination game
Who knew that rolling a disk around can be so much fan. The physics is amazingly realistic.