CBrajkovich Ramblings

If you want to know more about what’s happening, then read the article on Argonne National Laboratory’s site. I have never thought about using sound as a levitator, but this device was actually developed by NASA in order to simulate microgravity conditions. This is what happens when two sound waves perfectly interfere each other, and create a standing wave. At certain points, the acoustic waves cancel out the effects of gravity and light objects can levitate when placed at the nodes. And the whole purpose behind this experiment is to form pristine sources of amorphous drugs so that the body only has to take in a lower dose of the medicine.

How’s this for blowing your mind with science?

– thanks Reddit for this fascinating find

There’s ALWAYS complaints about how bad education is, and how little teachers care for their students. And then, over and over, we find examples of teachers who really feel that their life’s work is truly personal. Take this TA presenting solutions to a student needing help (who happened to ask and get answered on Reddit):

There are a couple of things to say about people demanding better education. One is that, while our educational system needs vast amounts of improvement, it is not to be solely focused on evaluating teacher’s and student’s performances. We’ve been looking at education with the wrong prism for too many years, and the results are biting us on the nose. Another is that Australia really understands the importance of teachers in our world.

Education isn’t a business, any more than government is. These teachers go into a line of work that typically has very little appreciation. While this may not be true universally, it is causing a mass exodus from the teaching field which will impact our collective futures.

Teachers are not only there to teach, but also to inspire. TA’s and professors, like the one above, show how a good teacher acts. If you want to create a benchmark for comparison, then use this and the corresponding results as that line. What these people need is the freedom to teach in a manner that will keep both students and teachers engaged and enthusiastic. They don’t need more tests, more numbers, more measurements of performance.

Education is not something to master. It is something to be engaged in for life. It’s what enables us to grow as individuals, so that we in turn can inspire the world around us. If anyone wants to re-evaluate education, then start at the top at the management level, because this is where the wrong message is being created. No one’s there to get monetarily rich. They’re there to be replete with the type of information that’s the building blocks of life.

Let the re-evaluation begin, and let the changes continue as they have been with the likes of the Khan Academy, Udacity, and so many more. We’re entering into the enlightenment period of education, and it’s a beautiful experience.

For all of those science deniers out there, here’s an image of just how truly inspiring science can be to a child.

Yes, that’s the Space Shuttle flying over a school yard, and yes, those are children excitedly following it’s path across our skies. You can’t make this kind of inspiration up. There is a lot that science has to offer us. Most of all, it broadens our vision so that we take in more of the world around us. And that’s something that we need to keep doing. We can only make our world a better place for everyone if we keep learning about all there is to know. The knowledge is an endless fountain willing to share it’s spring with each and every one of us.

So, if you run into any doubters, listen to their words so that you understand why you need to keep learning. Life never stops, so our education shouldn’t either. There’s a big universe waiting to be discovered.

– thanks to Reddit and to the teacher who chose to share this image with the rest of us!

Reddit just shared this incredible ceremonial mace used by the ruling council of Nunavut, Canada. Yes, that’s a Narwhal tusk, which is a central part of the Nunavut coat of arms and symbolizes the natural resources of the sea. The Mace of Nunavut is carried by the Sargeant-at-Arms and symbolizes the authority of the legislative assembly. you should read some of the history of the maces of Canadian authority as their creators put a lot of thought into their actual design and creation. It’s rather incredible that the first governing groups of society understood that symbolism went beyond ceremonial, and had the purpose to remind us of our beginnings. As we move farther away from understanding our past, it’s these types of collaborative creations that seek to connect us with that which we barely remember.

Narwhals are not only for Reddit, though many of us rarely hear about them if we don’t live in these type of water-based communities. The world is full of wonders that we need to immortalize, so that we respect them, protect them, and nurture them in life and not in memory. Isn’t history fascinating?