Brian Vu - "David Griffin on how photography connects us"

I watched the TED talk titled “David Griffin on how photography connects us.” The speaker is the director of photography for National Geographic magazine. He talks about how photographs have the unique ability to portray information and emotions and to move people in positive ways, all without saying a single word. First, he shows iconic masterpieces taken by professionals at the peak of their career, but explains that not only professionals take mesmerizing photos. Amateurs, too, can take great photos, as witnessed by the picture of the comet. Griffin reveals that being a photojournalist demands that the photographer take photos that poetically tell stories all the time. He proceeds to describe how a photographer set up camera traps to capture various animals in their natural behavior as they passed along the automatic cameras. The pictures included exotic animals in secluded locales. Such animals included elephants, the pride of Africa herself. A photojournalist along with a doctor followed a herd of elephants, normally protected within park grounds. But when the elephants left the confines of the sanctuary to other feeding grounds, they would fall victim to poachers. The matriarch of the herd, named Annie, along with 20 other members, was found killed and stripped of their tusks. A series of disturbing images of deceased elephants and park rangers displaying captured tusks would invoke a sense of interspecific empathy from an audience. Another National Geographic photojournalist traveled to rural India to narrate the intricate cycles of life and death and to depict the enduring human spirit in the rural community itself solely through pictures. A series of moving photos documents the journey a wounded soldier from the front lines in Iraq to recuperation in German hospital, and finally to the reincorporation into their previously active lives. Photojournalists not only show the bittersweet beauty of the world, but they also portray the various environmental and social issues that currently plague the planet.

David Griffin is the Director of Photography of National Geographic magazine headquartered in Washington, DC. He is responsible for the overall photographic direction of the magazine, working with a staff of photo editors and photographers from around the globe. Previously he was the Creative Director of U.S.News & World Report, Design Director of National Geographic Books, Associate Director of Layout & Design at National Geographic magazine. David has been honored by the National Press Photographer Assoc., University of Missouri’s Pictures of the Year competition, Assoc. of Magazine Publishers, Ohio Newspaper Photographer Assoc., the Hearst Collegiate Photojournalism Awards, the Washington Art Directors Club, the Society of Newspaper Design, Print, and Communications Art.

Photographs emulate the way that our mind freezes a significant moment. Being that we process this information in different perspectives, resulting in different interpretations, photos also depend on the right timing to portray the intended information. Photos have always fascinated me, and one of the most important reasons why is that they are of something definite and objective, yet they are still subjective to the viewer. I am attending UC Davis this coming fall, majoring in wildlife, fish, and conservation biology. I desire to learn more about the intricate complexities of life on this planet and their struggles at adapting to a constantly competitive biosphere. I would also like to involve myself in photojournalism, for my dream is to work for National Geographic as a biologist and a photographer. Much of this epitomizes my reasons for wanting to become a photojournalist. I do not desire to change the world drastically. I intend to be a simple messenger that delivers a complex message imbibed with the fantasy of emotions and the starkness of reality to an audience, and my medium is a complex union between science and art.

Dennis Hong: My seven species of robot

Evan McMahon

http://www.ted.com/talks/dennis_hong_my_seven_species_of_robot.html

This Ted talk is about engineering different kinds of robots and allowing them to have different types of motion. The work for this ted talk is based out of RoMeLa, which is a robotics lab based in Virgina. Dennis Hong is the speaker for this Ted talk and he describes seven different types of robots the lab is working on today. The first robot they are working on is called the Strider robot, which is a robot that has three legs and rotates around an axis. This robot’s movement is modeled to represent the way a pendulum moves. The second robot that they are working on is called the Impass robot, which is a wheeled like robot. In creating this one, Dennis Hong says they are basically reinventing the wheel. The interesting this about this robot is that it uses a laser range finder to calculate its necessary motions to move through obstacles. In the video, this robot climbs up a wall that is three times the size of itself. The third robot that is show in this video is called CLIMBeR which stands for cable-suspended limbed intelligent matching behavior robot. This robot was inspired by space mission where we have sent robots to scout out mars to give us video footage, but they are turned away when they have a cliff to get over or down. This robot is intended to have the ability to climb these cliffs. The next robot is called Mars, which stands for Multi-appendage robotic system. The cool thing about this robot is that they take it out to the beach and make it walk in different types of sand. This robot adapts to different environment by changing its foot soil sinkage model. Another thing that this lab is experimenting with is whole skin locomotion. This is inspired by amebiod mortality mechanism. In this, movement is created by storing potential energy in an elastic skin, then releasing it to cause motion. RAPHaEL stands for robotic air powered hand with elastic ligaments. This is a robotic hand that uses compressed air instead of robotic motors to cause movement. Most artificial hands cost thousands of dollars, but what makes this model revolutionary is that it only costs $200 to make the prototype. The sixth robot is the HyDRAS. This stands for hyper degrees of freedom robotic articulated serpentine and is a snake like robot that allows for user interface by creating motion with the use of fiber optics. The seventh and final robot is called DARwIn which stands for Dynamic Anthropomorphic robot with intelligence. This robot is modeled after actual human beings and posses artificial intelligence. I am very interest in the engineering field and what really spikes my interest is that they actually are modeling robots now after humans. I find it very interesting that there are all these different ways to create motion artificially. I think it is especially relevant to me because I obviously haven’t had the ability to experience natural human motion for the past five months. Dennis Hong is the founder of the robotics lab RoMeLa in Virginia. He has been at the forefront of many breakthroughs in robotic design and engineering. He initially got his education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he got his B.S. in mechanical engineering. He then got his M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at Purdue. Before he founded RoMeLa in 2003 he taught engineering classes at Purdue. I believe that the main characteristic of Dr. Hong is that he is extremely creative. His creativity are what provide him with a platform to come up with the innovative ideas that he has. He says in his Ted Talk that the inspiration he has for these robots literally comes to him in dreams he has. In order to create a robot like the RoMeLa lab does, you need to be able to step back and think outside the box. Dr. Hong does this and that is what has made him so successful in this field. I found that this Ted Talk was extremely interesting and had some points that were relevant to what I what to do in the future. I have always been very interested in the medical profession, except without the whole actually working with people thing. That is why I became interesting in the actually technology used in the medical profession. What pushed me into deciding to choose an engineering major is that I am really fascinated with robotic limbs. I plan to study engineering at UCSC next year and then I hope to move on to get my Masters in engineering as well. I want my career to have something to do with creating a better robotic limb to more accurately mimic how limbs really work. Something that inspired this is seeing people on t.v. participating in sporting events with the weird curved hook-like artificial leg that allows for people with amputated legs to walk again. I think it’s great that this provides the ability to walk again, but I think the hook leg sort of looks funny and would love to create a robotic-artificial leg that actually looks like a normal leg (with toes and what not). Overall, I found this Ted Talk very interesting and it has really led me to become excited in my future education.

Sheryll WuDunn and the Power of Women

http://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_wudunn_our_century_s_greatest_injustice.html

Sheryl WuDunn is a third generation Chinese American who grew up in New York City. After graduating from Cornell with a Bachelor’s in European History, she went on to earn her MBS from Harvard and an MPA from Princeton. She married reporter Nicholas Kristoff and eventually worked for The New York Times. She and her husband have been correspondents in China and have co-written books, including the one mentioned in the TED Talk, Half the Sky. She is a senior banker and is largely involved with working with women entrepreneurs and working along the lines of alternative energy issues. While working for The New York Times, she reported from North Korea, Australia, Burma, Beijing, Tokyo, and the Philippines. She has been recognized multiple times with prestigious awards, including the Pulitzer Prize (which made her and her husband the first married couple to ever receive the Pulitzer for journalism along with making her the first Asian American to claim the Pulitzer Prize), the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and being listed by Newsweek as one of the 150 Women who “Shake the World.”

In the TED talk, she spoke about the two tenets presented in her most recent novel. The first tenet is that of gender inequity. She presented several different surprising facts. For instance, in the Western World, where men and women are equally provided with relatively stable health care and food, there are more women, and they live longer. However, in other parts of the world, demographers have shown that anywhere from 60 to 100 million females are missing in the current population. This is a result of several different things. In some places, female fetuses are aborted after seeing the gender in sonograms. And more scarily, in the last half-century, more females were discriminated to death than all the people killed in battlefields during the 20^th century.

The second tenet of her book and of the TED talk subject is that by providing women with education and access to the labor force, the terrible cycle of poverty and of oppression can stop. What she explains is that women should no longer be considered a problem in cultures but rather looked at as solutions. She quoted Bill Gates to have explained to a gender separated crowd in Saudi Arabia that further technological advance would be impossible if “half of the resources weren’t being utilized.” Sheryl then went on to relay several stories of different females across the globe that were able to transition into a more virtuous cycle but also beneficially affect their environments as well. In these stories, some women took amounts of mere 65 to 130 dollars and changed their entire lives along with the lives of those around them. The TED talk then ended with the idea that we as the audience have scored on the lottery of life. And while being able to afford the basic essentials, there are few things that can actually permanently elevate our happiness. One of such things is that of contributing to a cause larger than ourselves to benefit others indefinitely. Thus, it becomes our responsibility not only to attain stability for ourselves but to also later on help stabilize others.

In a matter of months, I will be attending Santa Clara University. When people ask me about my major, I can most often muster enough will power to say, “Undeclared.” But that’s exactly what I am. I’ve been undecided about the entire idea of what my future is for a good majority of my life. It’s most often come down to medicine or law which are two things relatively separated on the spectrum of career. That is, unless I reform health care or something ridiculously phenomenal. However, reflecting on all of it, it ultimately comes down to whether or not I’ll be able to help people benefit from my profession. With my want and need to continuously help the Philippines develop, I’ve constantly debated whether or not my path of choice at the moment was good …because in the end, if I, myself, cannot succeed, how on earth could I possibly help others? But that also comes with the question and debate of what wealth I’d measure myself in. Money? Smiles? Fed children? Happiness? It’s like what Sheryl WuDunn said in the TED Talk. Once we’re stable individual units, we should seek to stabilize the entire unit through our actions. That would not only bring us happiness but everyone else as well. While visiting Boston University, the Dean had an open conversation with us about what we would measure happiness in. GDP? How many songs we sang each day? How many poems we wrote down in our Moleskins? Or how sure we were that everyone in the country had a bed to sleep in at night? I can’t give the equation for what would give me ultimate happiness. There are so many questions that I honestly cannot possibly give a definite answer to right now.

"Sometimes our expectations are betrayed by the numbers, variables are impossible to assign a rational value." Brownie points if anybody knows the movie reference. But I didn’t expect to end up at Santa Clara University. In truth, it was far away from my first choice. But when it came down to it, the idea of being practical and possibly benefiting my little brother’s education with a full ride at a really good college was something I couldn’t turn down. Not even for a school that I was in love with like BU. But who knows, maybe all that saved up money can go to grad school for me later on. And maybe one day I’ll be able to sing that Augustana song loudly in my car knowing that when “she says I think I’ll go to Boston,” it’ll be true. But maybe that time around, it’ll actually be Cambridge and an itty bitty school called Harvard. I’m actually really ambitious…along with being really indecisive ;)

Medical Miracle on Everest

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_kamler_medical_miracle_on_everest.html

So the TED talk I watched was by Ken Kalmer. In the video he explains his incredible journey to Mt. Everest which is 29,305 feet high. On Mt. Everest temperatures can be 40 degrees below zero on the summit. Though this was his 4th time out of 6 journeying to the mountain, it was definitely the most significant for him. While he was there he served as a medical officer to assist those battling the extreme conditions on the mountain. In his visit to Everest, there were a couple of climbers who had gone missing due to an incredibly fierce storm towards the summit. One climber which should have died, was able to survive three days buried beneath the snow through the power of his mind. Through self motivation he was able to basically reverse hypothermia in his body and get up through tremendous circumstances. This TED talk really interested me because I am truly interested in science and ways to help those medically injured and hindered. The power of the brain shown in this talk really makes me interested in learning about how we can use this great power to help people in the future. I don’t necessarily want to become a doctor, but I do want help people using my knowledge of science with my job in the future.

Kalmer specializes in microsurgery. He trained at Columbian Presbyterian Medical Center (for microsurgery) and also practices extreme medicine in remote locations around the world. He received his medical education at Universite De La Mediterranee (Aix-Marseille Ii), Faculte De Medecine, in Marseille, France. He graduated from medical school in 1974. Kalmer is currently living in New York City where he does hand surgery and orthopedic surgery. In 2002, Ney York Magazine chose Kamler as one of New York City’s best doctors. Kamler has served as a chief high altitude physician for NASA-sponsored research in human psychological responses to extreme altitude and has also worked with National Geographic on Mt. Everest trips to carry out geological research. He is such an inspiring figure to look up to because of his passion for the medical field and helping those in need. Even now he is constantly trying to discover new methods of helping people and as he explained in his video the new evidence he found about how powerful the mind truly is. I believe Kamler is definitely a leader in field because of all of the high end people and companies he’s worked with not including all of the life experience gained by actually going to all these remote places.

Next year I’ll be going to CSU Northridge where I’ll be majoring in Kinesiology, the study of human movement. I truly enjoy science which is mainly the reason why I picked kinesiology. I’m not really interested to become a doctor because that’s just too much schooling for me. I’m hoping this summer to apply for some internships at local chiropractic offices to hopefully get some clinic hours and possibly some valuable hands on experience. I’m planning on pursuing Physical Therapy or an Athletic Training as my future occupation which will probably both require me to get a PH.D level degree. I’m ready to take on that challenge though. If Kamler can accomplish all he has done through sheer will power and if that man survived in the snow can reverse hypothermia through just mind power, than I can surely become a successful Physical therapist/athletic trainer helping to serve people who are in need of assistance.

Life After High School: Erin Hoey. Black holes.

Life After High School: Erin Hoey. Black holes.: "I watched “Andrea Ghez: The Hunt for a Supermassive Black Hole.” She talks about how there are three describable characteristics of a blac..."

Erin that is so exciting that you are doing a post graduate year! Topics that are sort of beyond our understanding, like black holes, are so fascinating. Taking this next year to further advance your studies in physics is such a good idea. You would be really good doing a science-related thing like space exploration. Good luck to you and have fun next year!

Schools vs Creativity

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

“What all children have in common is that they will take a chance. They’re not frightened of being wrong. I don’t mean to say that being wrong is the same thing as being creative. But if you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original. By the time they get to be adults, most kids have lost that capacity…we are educating people out of their creative capacities”

This thought provoking quote is from Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk concerning creativity and its place in school. He remarks that world wide there is a “hierarchy” of the subjects. Math and science are placed at the top, and the arts are at the bottom. He focuses on emphasizing creativity in our education systems, and creating equal status for all subjects.

Sir Ken Robinson (knighted in 2003 for his work in education) received his PhD from University of London. He researched the value of theater in education, which is the basis of his talks. He worked on boards (such as The Arts in Schools Project) to include theater and dance and other arts into the curriculum. He’s written several books, his most recent being a new edition of Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative and The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything. He was a university professor, as he discusses briefly in his talk, which is the highest level of education. Although this is not always the case, it is one of the positions in the teaching world that truly lends itself to creativity. Sir Robinson understands that creativity is not just the arts; it’s not just for the students. Creativity is also for the educators. The way material is presented doesn’t have to be in a classic textbook to practice sheet form. As Sir Robinson says in his speech, we think the way we are. There is more than just logic and linguistics to our approach to learning and problem solving. That realization is within itself intensely creative. It doesn’t directly attach itself to the arts, but realizes that there is a new way to create a learning environment. He respects his own creativity and believes in it. This is why he is so great at what he does. He inspires people and inspires their creativity through his writings, his interviews, and his talks. It is engaging, uplifting, and thought provoking. It is creativity in almost a perfect example.

I have wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. I actually ran into an old friend, Tony, from grade school a few weeks ago and he asked me all the usual questions about college and the like. I told him that I was going to get my AA in child studies at West Valley College, and then I’d transfer to either Cal Poly SLO, or Santa Clara to finish up my BA in child development or education respectively. Tony smiled at me and said that he couldn’t believe that I still wanted to be a teacher after all these years (he believed it to be twelve years, I think it might be even longer). But my memories of my early education are very rigid. I learned to read, add, subtract, and spell very quickly in kindergarten and first grade. (Well, the last one is debatable.) There were the intensely strict art projects in which I often was scolded because I always cut off the thick black trim instead of having it be a part of my work. We didn’t walk around with black trims, so I had no idea why my angel had to have one. I had fun but looking back I can’t help but wonder why on earth any five to seven year old would want to spend their time that way. This philosophy proposed by Sir Robinson is fantastic for my desired field of work. I want my students to love walking into my classroom everyday, and I want them to come back when they don’t have to. I want kids like my little brother who can’t sit still to be engaged in class without being drugged. I know that sounds harsh but little boys will be little boys, let them run around. Teach to their energy! That’s what makes little kids so amazing, in my opinion. I love their boundless energy, that willingness to do everything and almost always with a smile. Why has that energy we crave as we get older frowned upon in a classroom setting? It’s unreasonable for kids to be told to shut off their energy for the school day. In early education specifically, it is the teacher’s job to nurture that energy and that creative spirit in the learning environment. And that is part of what Sir Robinson is saying in his work and it’s something that I’d like to make a reality.

Life After High School: Pranav Pradhan - Music is Medicine

Life After High School: Pranav Pradhan - Music is Medicine: "http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/robert_gupta.html The TED talk that I researched dealt with the unique ability of music to act as a cure ..."

This blog caught my interest right away. I really love music and I too use it to so my mind and make me relaxed at times. Hearing that music is clinically proven to cure some types of mental illnesses is not too much a shock for me because I use it all the time to calm me down or make me feel better. But the fact that it is actually proven is really awesome to hear because I have always thought of it that way. Thank you for this insight. And stick with music! If it is something you really like, then don't give it up!