Baby, It’s Cold Outside
It’s been a frigid past few days in Southern California – Arctic Freeze 2013 is no joke; well, except to the rest of the country! While we’re lamenting about trading in our perennial flip-flop wearing weather for a few days of finally flaunting our sexy winter coats and knee high boots, everyone else is mocking our inability to handle weather under 65 degrees.
Financial Trading Has Gone to the Cats
The early bird might very well get the worm, but apparently the early cat also gets the trade. Last year, an adorable feline named Orlando got his little paws on an investment challenge sponsored by The Guardian. As luck would have it, this cat wound up over $500 richer than the other participants which included a group of finance students, stock brokers and wealth managers.
A Solo Duet
Technology can be a wily minx; there’s this perpetual race to see what we can come up with next but there are only a few rare moments when I feel truly amazed. This is one of those moments. Equipped with a neuroheadset set to detect brainwaves, renowned Cellist Katinka Kleijn managed to perform both halves of a duet at once! Her hands to performed one half of the duet, and the other was performed using her mind – brainwaves were interpreted by machine and translated into sounds.
Obama’s 23 Executive Actions on Gun Violence
This morning, after much anticipation and too many unfortunate events – President Obama outlined his 23 Executive Actions on Gun Violence in America. I’m proud to report that almost a third of them pertain to Mental Health. Keep in mind that this is a dialogue and a starting point; a means to and end but as a country – we need to actively work towards a future where all these things are possible.
Don’t Cough on Me
According to, well…basically everyone – Flu season is getting into full gear and it’s the worst it’s been in a long, long time. Thankfully, there are some social media tools at your disposal to help fight back!
My vote: Google.org‘s Google Flu Trends
First of all, I was pleased to discover the Philanthropic side of Google over at Google.org – what rocks have I been hiding under?! Secondly, with Google’s Flu Trends you can essentially monitor real time activity on a regional, national and international level. For an all encompassing look at infection rates and outbreak areas, checkout their partner site – HealthMap.
Capture of the Week
Slowly but surely, I’ve gotten more into photography – the nuances of lighting and shadow, empty space and intricacies of shooting inanimate objects sporadically cause me to geek out. I’m still a total noob, but with the assistance of friends (and the interwebz) I’ve gotten to hone in on my skills and perfect my craft. Every once in a while a picture grabs me by the shoulders and screams “Aren’t I magnificent?!” The picture below is an areal shot of New York’s Central Park, and most definitely one of those pictures.
The Bouncy Kitty 