Life as it goes

Have you heard of Google Zeitgeist? It is a list of trends in search terms published every year by the search giant. Zeitgeist is a German term for "spirit of the time", and Google Zeitgeist is supposedly a compilation of what the world population's timely interest during the year.

So, in case you didn't know about Google Zeitgeist, now you do. "Well then, so what?" You might ask. Well, the 2006 Zeitgeist is out. Without surprise, ever-popular social networking oriented sites (e.g. myspace.com, metacafe.com, wikipedia.com...) top the general list. My surprise came when I read the "current events" category where people were most interested in "where is Togo" (the World Cup probably had a lot to do with that.) Perhaps this shouldn't be a real surprise after all; Less than half the people I've met ever knew where our Country is located.

This is the title of a mind-blowing talk given by prof. Richard Dawkins at a TED Conference. If you like fundamental questions, then you're in for a treat.

The title itself is from a quote by J.B.S. Haldane, a famous British biologist who once wrote:

Now, my own suspicion is that the universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose. [...] I suspect that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of, or can be dreamed of, in any philosophy.

Prof. Dawkins asked deeply philosophical questions: What is about us that makes us capable of supposing anything, thinking and comprehending things? And does this tells us anything about what we can suppose? Are there things about the universe that will be forever beyond our grasps but not beyond the grasps of some superior intelligence? Are there things about the universe that are forever un-graspable by any mind, however superior?

See the video here.

Click to watch the video on YouTube.com

The smashed machine with a poll worker. Media credit Chicago Tribune

It's a touch screen voting machine, but one voter apparently overdid it :).

National Geographic has put to test martial art masters who claim to have and use a mysterious power called Chi. With Chi they claim to be able to knock people down without them. Watch the video to see how they do it. Of course there is no such thing as Chi, at least none that science can prove. I particularly enjoyed the excuse given by the master after they failed the test; Very funny.

It is nice to see the best of humanity come out of people. This real life video started slow, then people started hugging strangers as per a joyful contagion.
Watch it here