Category: Mind Space

Science Fiction Travel Book is Real

Don’t panic. A new “book” knows where you are and will tell you about your surroundings. It is designed for tourists so that they can get more information about what they are looking at and provide a more enriching experience.

“If you go to a historic area there may be thousands of points around the site of importance, but on their own they don’t warrant a museum,” says Wellesley-Davies. “Our guide allows you to pull them all together.

This device can perhaps provide a better way to learn about history (and other subjects) by being interactive and more engaging.

California Legalizes Marriage

gay flag, good flagCalifornia can now be added to the list of American States that have OK’d gay marriage, but Cali goes further. Now any “two persons” can be legally wed in the state.

Many people see California’s step as a good direction for the USA because social-politcal trends in the state are usually reflected by the rest of the country soon afterwards. What makes California unique (in America) is that the politicans took the steps needed to legalize gay marraige and not the courts.

Forget Books, People Want to Borrow People

A library in Holland is now loaning out volunteers so users of the library can chat with them. The people who have volunteered include homosexuals, drug addicts, asylum seekers, gipsies and the physically handicapped.

Borrowers can take the volunteer to the cafe and sit down and talk. The idea is that this program will break down social barriers and create a more understanding society. Borrowing people to fight prejudice apparently started in Sweden.

~A Good Quote~

If I have been of service, if I have glimpsed more of the nature and essence of ultimate good, if I am inspired to reach wider horizons of thought and action, if I am at peace with myself, it has been a successful day.

Alex Noble

Sustainable Cities in China

China has started a pilot project for sustainable cities in Liaoning Province named the Cradle to Cradle Village.roof top garden

“The design of the village aspires to draw power from the sun, to maintain materials in closed-loop systems of technical and biological nutrition, and to create an intergenerational community of people productively engaged in restorative commerce. Its goal is to provide a higher quality of life for the villagers and to exemplify a more hopeful future for the children.”

For more information the BBC has a good article looking into sustainability in cities.