Brain Candy http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1130&ft=1&f=1130 Brain Candy en Copyright 2013 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.94 Mon, 20 May 2013 14:03:00 -0400 http://media.npr.org/images/npr_news_123x20.gif Brain Candy http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1130&ft=1&f=1130 The Little Metronome That Wouldn't Take a metronome. Then take another. Then another. Set them ticking at different times. Look. Lift. (That's the key part.) Watch. Then Laugh. Because you will be dumbfounded. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:03:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/17/184815141/the-little-metronome-that-wouldnt?ft=1&f=1130 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/17/184815141/the-little-metronome-that-wouldnt?ft=1&f=1130 Take a metronome. Then take another. Then another. Set them ticking at different times. Look. Lift. (That's the key part.) Watch. Then Laugh. Because you will be dumbfounded.

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]]> David Foster Wallace Tells Us About Freedom What do you get when you get a college diploma? To hear David Foster Wallace tell it, you get a muscle that will help you forever after — in shopping lines, overcrowded parking lots, in traffic jams. This muscle, he says, frees you when the world gets painfully dull. Sat, 18 May 2013 05:47:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/17/184785020/david-foster-wallace-tells-us-about-freedom?ft=1&f=1130 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/17/184785020/david-foster-wallace-tells-us-about-freedom?ft=1&f=1130 What do you get when you get a college diploma? To hear David Foster Wallace tell it, you get a muscle that will help you forever after — in shopping lines, overcrowded parking lots, in traffic jams. This muscle, he says, frees you when the world gets painfully dull.

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]]> Giving It Away You can give away almost anything — your time, money, food, your ideas. Giving helps define who we are and helps us connect with others. Thanks to the Internet and a rise in social consciousness, there's been a seismic shift not only in what we're giving, but how. In this hour, stories from TED speakers who are "giving it away" in new and surprising ways, and the things that happen in return. Fri, 17 May 2013 09:56:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/06/181684003/giving-it-away?ft=1&f=1130 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/06/181684003/giving-it-away?ft=1&f=1130 You can give away almost anything — your time, money, food, your ideas. Giving helps define who we are and helps us connect with others. Thanks to the Internet and a rise in social consciousness, there's been a seismic shift not only in what we're giving, but how. In this hour, stories from TED speakers who are "giving it away" in new and surprising ways, and the things that happen in return.

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]]> Do We Have The Wrong Idea About Charity? Activist and fundraiser Dan Pallotta calls out the double standard that drives our broken relationship to charities. Instead of equating frugality with morality, he asks us to start rewarding charities for their big goals and accomplishments.<strong> </strong> Fri, 17 May 2013 09:55:47 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/17/181693499/do-we-have-the-wrong-idea-about-charity?ft=1&f=1130 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/17/181693499/do-we-have-the-wrong-idea-about-charity?ft=1&f=1130 Activist and fundraiser Dan Pallotta calls out the double standard that drives our broken relationship to charities. Instead of equating frugality with morality, he asks us to start rewarding charities for their big goals and accomplishments.

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]]> How Do You Get People To Pay For Music? Don't make people pay for music, says musician Amanda Palmer: Let them. In a passionate talk that begins in her days as a street performer, she examines the new relationship between artist and fan. Fri, 17 May 2013 09:55:47 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/17/181868750/how-do-you-get-people-to-pay-for-music?ft=1&f=1130 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/17/181868750/how-do-you-get-people-to-pay-for-music?ft=1&f=1130 Don't make people pay for music, says musician Amanda Palmer: Let them. In a passionate talk that begins in her days as a street performer, she examines the new relationship between artist and fan.

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]]> How Can You Give A Community Better Health? Ron Finley plants vegetable gardens in South Central LA — in abandoned lots, traffic medians, along the curbs. He hopes to offer some alternative to fast food in a community where "the drive-thrus are killing more people than the drive-bys." Fri, 17 May 2013 09:55:46 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/17/181691507/how-can-you-give-a-community-better-health?ft=1&f=1130 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/17/181691507/how-can-you-give-a-community-better-health?ft=1&f=1130 Ron Finley plants vegetable gardens in South Central LA — in abandoned lots, traffic medians, along the curbs. He hopes to offer some alternative to fast food in a community where "the drive-thrus are killing more people than the drive-bys."

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]]> When Is the Right Time To Give? Volunteer firefighter Mark Bezos tells a story of an act of heroism that didn't go quite as expected — but that taught him a big lesson: Don't wait — give now.<strong> </strong> Fri, 17 May 2013 09:55:46 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/17/181685278/when-is-the-right-time-to-give?ft=1&f=1130 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/17/181685278/when-is-the-right-time-to-give?ft=1&f=1130 Volunteer firefighter Mark Bezos tells a story of an act of heroism that didn't go quite as expected — but that taught him a big lesson: Don't wait — give now.

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]]> What Did I Do Last Summer? Oh, I Discovered How To Make Babies Without Sex. And You? Sex is nice, but can animals make babies without it? One summer, two little boys, their tutor and the tutor's two friends did an experiment to explore this question. What they discovered, back in 1740, shocked the world. Fri, 17 May 2013 09:54:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/16/184593276/what-did-i-do-last-summer-oh-i-discovered-how-to-make-babies-without-sex-and-you?ft=1&f=1130 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/16/184593276/what-did-i-do-last-summer-oh-i-discovered-how-to-make-babies-without-sex-and-you?ft=1&f=1130 Sex is nice, but can animals make babies without it? One summer, two little boys, their tutor and the tutor's two friends did an experiment to explore this question. What they discovered, back in 1740, shocked the world.

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]]> What Is It About Bees And Hexagons? Bees could build flat honeycombs from just three shapes: squares, triangles or hexagons. But for some reason, bees choose hexagons. <em>Always</em> "perfect" hexagons. Why? Tue, 14 May 2013 09:50:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/13/183704091/what-is-it-about-bees-and-hexagons?ft=1&f=1130 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/13/183704091/what-is-it-about-bees-and-hexagons?ft=1&f=1130 Bees could build flat honeycombs from just three shapes: squares, triangles or hexagons. But for some reason, bees choose hexagons. Always "perfect" hexagons. Why?

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]]> Astronomy's Little Secret: The Hidden Art Of 'Moonsweeping' If you live in North America, this week we had a crescent moon — a skinny sliver of light shaped like a toenail in the sky. Why that shape? Astronomers say it's a "phase." Most of the moon is in shadow. Pixar knows better. Meet the Moon Sweepers. A Grandpa, a dad and a boy. Sat, 11 May 2013 06:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/11/182553116/astronomys-little-secret-the-hidden-art-of-moonsweeping?ft=1&f=1130 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/11/182553116/astronomys-little-secret-the-hidden-art-of-moonsweeping?ft=1&f=1130 If you live in North America, this week we had a crescent moon — a skinny sliver of light shaped like a toenail in the sky. Why that shape? Astronomers say it's a "phase." Most of the moon is in shadow. Pixar knows better. Meet the Moon Sweepers. A Grandpa, a dad and a boy.

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]]> Music, Inside Out What would it be like to be a string that made music? Not anything simple, like a guitar string or a cello string, but a magical string, a sine curve that's taut then loose, that doubles then doubles again, that sheds then dissolves into showers of notes. Fri, 10 May 2013 08:03:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/10/182672946/music-inside-out?ft=1&f=1130 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/10/182672946/music-inside-out?ft=1&f=1130 What would it be like to be a string that made music? Not anything simple, like a guitar string or a cello string, but a magical string, a sine curve that's taut then loose, that doubles then doubles again, that sheds then dissolves into showers of notes.

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]]> Moths That Drive Cars (Really) Welcome to the New World in which, no kidding, insects run robots. In this case, 14 moths take 14 drives in a wheeled vehicle and steer right to the target. Seeing is believing. Thu, 09 May 2013 09:20:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/08/182312510/moths-that-drive-cars-really?ft=1&f=1130 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/08/182312510/moths-that-drive-cars-really?ft=1&f=1130 Welcome to the New World in which, no kidding, insects run robots. In this case, 14 moths take 14 drives in a wheeled vehicle and steer right to the target. Seeing is believing.

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]]> Our Very Normal Solar System Isn't Normal Anymore Turns out our solar system — with its medium sized sun, its four small rocky planets, its four big gassy ones farther out — isn't like the others. We are unusual. Very unusual. Says one prominent astronomer, we are "a bit of a freak." Tue, 07 May 2013 08:53:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/06/181613582/our-very-normal-solar-system-isn-t-normal-anymore?ft=1&f=1130 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/06/181613582/our-very-normal-solar-system-isn-t-normal-anymore?ft=1&f=1130 Turns out our solar system — with its medium sized sun, its four small rocky planets, its four big gassy ones farther out — isn't like the others. We are unusual. Very unusual. Says one prominent astronomer, we are "a bit of a freak."

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]]> Unstoppable Learning Learning is an integral part of human nature. But why do we — as adults — assume learning must be taught, tested and reinforced? In this hour, TED speakers explore the ways babies and children learn, from the womb to the playground to the Web. Fri, 03 May 2013 10:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/04/25/179010396/unstoppable-learning?ft=1&f=1130 http://www.npr.org/2013/04/25/179010396/unstoppable-learning?ft=1&f=1130 Learning is an integral part of human nature. But why do we — as adults — assume learning must be taught, tested and reinforced? In this hour, TED speakers explore the ways babies and children learn, from the womb to the playground to the Web.

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]]> What Do Babies Think? Alison Gopnik's research explores the sophisticated intelligence-gathering and decision-making that babies are doing when they play. She offers a glimpse into the minds of babies and young children, to show how much and how fast they learn. Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:55:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/03/179818675/what-do-babies-think?ft=1&f=1130 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/03/179818675/what-do-babies-think?ft=1&f=1130 Alison Gopnik's research explores the sophisticated intelligence-gathering and decision-making that babies are doing when they play. She offers a glimpse into the minds of babies and young children, to show how much and how fast they learn.

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