Instant Electronic Whiteboards: Evernote and IdeaPaint

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via youtube.com

This is an instant favorite for me. The concept of an inexpensive, instant electronic whiteboard is a sure winner for the types of meetings I’m often in. Even if we’ve got a group collaborating to take notes in real time using Google Docs, there are usually several of us who prefer to sketch mind maps or doodle notes. Typed notes just don’t cut it for me. But the problem with whiteboards has always been that the fancy electronic versions cost a fortune and require a technical support team. Painting I can handle though, and Evernote is already a favorite tool, so my order has been placed. I’ll report back after putting this new combination through its paces.

What your state is the worst at – United States of shame

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In a survey of rankings from a variety of sources, Pleated Jeans maps the United States of Shame. Because all states must be bad at something. Go, California. If we’re the worst at air pollution, does that mean we actually have really clean air? Must be.
See also a spinoff from Political Language: The United States of Awesome. Because all states must be good at something. Go, California.

[Pleated Jeans via Laughing Squid]

via flowingdata.com

Lest you get too depressed by the first infographic here, the second one shows what your state is best at.

Competition is a tried and true motivator, so let’s hope we can look forward to some changes in the rankings next year….

Trending terms: Sustainable business, green business or CSR? Google Labs – Books Ngram Viewer

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via ngrams.googlelabs.com

The delightful new Ngram Google Labs tool combines three of my favorite things: words, books and infographics. Here I’ve selected three terms — green biz, sustainable business and corporate social responsibility – to see which is the trending term in books over the past 50 years. Fascinating! (Who needs sudoku?) Check it out for your favorite words >> New Google Labs Ngram http://ow.ly/3r7KW

MyBikeLane: A Growing Photo Gallery of Bike Lane Violations

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via good.is

The site MyBikeLane is a sort of user-generated catalog of pictures of bike lane misuse in cities all over the world. In the photo above, for example, a parking enforcement officer has completely blocked the bike lane.

What a great idea! For centuries public shame has proven to be an effective tool for stimulating behavior change. Add in social networking and the embarassment of the corporate or government employers captured here and I foresee improvement for bike commuters around the world.

Do you have a photo to contribute? Unfortunately, Vermont has few marked bike lanes, but I’m still planning to be on the lookout.

The Human Brain: Neuroscience Meet Conceptual Art

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via huffingtonpost.com

True, the nine images selected here by Carl Schoonover are stunning, but what intrigues me more is the obvious passion for his work that is communicated in his written descriptions and stories for the images.

Elegance often begets meaning and understanding. In a fit of candor, Nobel laureate Richard Axel once pronounced that “science without enchantment is nothing!” In my new book Portraits of the Mind: Visualizing the Brain from Antiquity to the 21st Century (Abrams), I examine this special relationship, and share the images and stories I have come to love–many of which were, until now, only available to people in the field.

If only by name, ‘neuroscience’ can be off-putting. An invitation to a guided tour, of words and images depicting humanity’s emerging understanding of a key part of what makes us each who we are, is very appealing. I’m not really an example of a hard sell for books on human behavior or the brain, but nonetheless, Schoonover’s new book has been added to the top of my ‘next-trip’ list for the bookstore or library.