Hack

The origin of the word "hack" is German, meaning a person who makes furniture with an axe, implying a lack of finesse in the final product. Today the most hacking people might do is changing the wallpaper on their iphone, 5 years ago it may have been buying a new cover for your nokia. At what point is it acceptable to actively engage in change of a product or design? Few designs ever account for fundamental changes the way the original PC's of the 80's did - these days you are expected to replace or upgrade rather than modify what you already have. There are some exceptions, and often these become real drivers of innovation.

Consider Artist HD41117, and his adaption of mobile phone cameras (above)

Photos taken by the phone at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hd41117/sets/72157594578302055

Or the classic Wii Hack, creating with $10 dollars of hardware what computer companies claim is prohibitively expensive in RnD.

www.ted.com/index/talks/johnny_lee_demos_wii_remote_hacks.html

Psychology and Learning

Turns out there are two types of people in this world: Those who think talent is a constant and decided at birth, and those who think talent is created. Carol Dweck in her book "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success" terms it "Fixed" and "Growth" mindsets, suggesting that Fixed mindset people are concerned about making their existing abilities look good and Growth mindset people look to cultivate their existing abilities. Of course this, like all things in psychology, is not an absolute, and fixed mindset people are not doomed to be unsuccessful, nor are people necessarily in one mindset their entire life. It does however relate to how you might react in a given situation. Myself for example was in a fixed mindset in high school maths - preferring to develop elaborate methods of smuggling formulae into tests rather than actually learning something new. It is however possible to acknowledge and then flip a mindset entirely! For parents and educators, this would suggest praising children for effort and improvement rather than talent and intelligence. Perhaps the "most improved" awards at school were the best after all?

Pastafarianism

A debate rages in US school boards about the teaching of creationism in the science classroom. Unlike Australia, there is no scope for teaching of religion in the normal school system, and so a network of Christians, with the funding and support of the Discovery Institute, have launched a progressive battle to have Creation taught as an alternative science. Of course, religion is not a science (it offers no falsifiable arguments, only absolute "truths"), and so instead the Discovery Institute launched a campaign based on "Intelligent Design Theory" which uses scientific arguments to prove that something 'higher' must have created life. Arguments mainly affect Evolution, a well documented process, such as reductionism (for which a typical argument is "what good is half an eye - a lens without a retina is useless and vice versa, how could they both have spontaneously arisen?"). However, the courts have systematically proven each one of Intelligent Design Theory's proofs to be invalid (such as the innumerable examples of proto-eyes, as can be found in everything from jellyfish to insects). 

Note for the religious: Evolution is an extremely well documented process, showing what is happening and has been happening for millions of years. Evolution, as a process, does not in any way discuss the origin of the process, and as such does not rule out any theory about gods, creators, or spontaneous chemical reactions. Evolution is not an attack on religion, but is often framed that way. Please don't take evolution personally!

The latest assault has been to defend individuals teacher's academic fre

edom to teach what they like - including non-science in the science classroom. By framing Intelligent Design Theory's ban as censorship, the lobby is once again gaining momentum. However, consider that if Intelligent Design Theory can be taug

ht in science, why not astrology? Scientology? Or my favorite, Pastafarianism?

Pastafarianism

Pastafarianism is a response to Intelligent Design Theory and is a mock-religious movement insisting that their creation also be taught in the science classroom. Pastafarians believe that the world was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster, a belief supported by a well documented sighting of his Holy Noodlyness in the galaxy NGC 1275 (see below).

 

Accidental Design

Bicycles can do amazing things for entrepreneurs and the inventive.

No matter how careful a designer is to make their work intuitive, simple to use or idiot proof, they are no match for human ingenuity and adaptiveness.