African Apocalypse, Build a Great Life, Internet in a Box and Plant Consciousness.
#9 of 10+1 Things
Hello,
Welcome to Issue #9 of 10+1 Things.
Here are 10+1 Things that I thought were worth sharing this week:
⌛️ 5 Hour Rule
Top business leaders around the world like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Elon Musk, etc spend 5 hours a week doing deliberate learning. These leaders despite their busy schedule set aside at least an hour a day or 5 hours per week to engage in deliberate learning activities. The phenomenon called a 5-Hour rule often fall into the categories such as Reading, Reflection and experimentation. This deliberate practise makes a huge difference and is what sets these leaders apart from others.
[Read More about 5-hour rule]
When was the last time you took some effort to learn something deliberately?
🌐 Internet-in-a-Box
40% of the world's population still do not have access to the internet even in 2021. Internet in a box solves this problem by acting as a digital library that works offline. Built using a Raspberry Pi, it consists of a wireless access point with storage, enabling nearby users to connect with it. The Digital Library consists of World's Free Knowledge including Wikipedia, Khan Academy, OpenStreetMap, Ebooks and other specific information. Since the hardware is small and simple, it can be installed anywhere and can be powered with solar power. It is available as a product with preloaded content and anybody can build one as the project is available as open-source on GitHub.
🧘 Waking Up
Waking Up is a Guided Meditation and Mindfulness app by Sam Harris. Unlike other apps like Calm, HeadSpace, etc, the app explores the theory of meditation along with the practice. I came to know about the app after reading the book Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion. Even though I'm having mixed thoughts on the ideas in the book, I would highly recommend this app if you're venturing into meditation. I used the Waking Up while I was doing the 30-Day Meditation challenge and was a great starting point in my meditation journey. The app is available for iOS as well as Android devices.
[Read about my 30-Day Meditation Challenge using Waking Up]
👨🚀 Future Astronauts
United Space Team is a global organization based in Spain that is trying to prepare future astronauts for deep space exploration missions. The company is trying to create a group of astronauts who can live and work on Mars or the Moon for long periods in extreme conditions. The Astronauts who are trained through the program are Ready to Fly with resistance towards microgravity, radiations and deal with any new viruses or bacteria. You can now join the team of crazy guys, risk-takers ranging from base jumpers, high mountains extreme climbing, and other high-risk activities by applying on their website.
[Read about the interview of Architect of UST on Space Roundup ]
🌱 Plant Consciousness
In the latest issue of Nautilus Harmony, Peter Wohlleben talks about plant consciousness and how plants feel pain. The article explores the experiments of František Baluška, a plant cell biologist at the University of Bonn. In his experiment, Baluška sedated plants that are having moving parts such as Venus flytraps. The anaesthetics deactivated electric activity in plants and the traps were no longer sensitive to touch. Once the effect of anaesthetics was over, the plants resumed their normal behaviour. The question Baluška is asking is did the plants wake up as we do after a general anaesthetic? The question is critical since to wake up you need to have consciousness. The article goes on to explain further experiments done by the scientist. It is an excellent read and is one of the best science articles I have read this year. [Read more about Plant Consciousness]
➕ 10 Conditions for Change
To solve many problems in this world, it is necessary to help people create positive behaviour changes. Whether it's improving mental health or tackling global warming, behaviour changes possess a lot of challenges. Sparkwave has defined a framework of 10 conditions that are likely to produce positive behaviour change in a person or a population. In a nutshell, successfully adopting a positive behaviour change involves making a decision, performing several actions and ensuring continuation. The framework is explained simply through examples such as that of Abby who is visiting her therapist for anxiety. [Read about the framework]
🎨 The African Apocalypse
Nick Brandt is an English photographer whose photographic themes revolves around the disappearing natural world before it is destroyed by humans. In his project, 'Inherit the Dust', Nick reminds us of the impacts of poaching, habitat destruction and climate change. Unreleased portraits of animals shot in East Africa were printed life-size and glued to large panels in Kenya. These Panels were placed in human-inhabited areas where these animals used to roam in the past. According to Nick, "‘Keep going at this pace, and the unique megafauna of Africa will be rapidly gone the way of the megafauna of America and Europe, which was wiped out by far fewer men, with far less technology, many centuries ago". You can check out more photos of the project from the official website or by reading his book.
📹 The Egg
The Egg is a short animation story by Kurzgesagt based on the story of the same name by Andy Weir, the writer of Martian. The video was created on the 10th anniversary of the short story and explores the purpose of life and human existence. The story is a thought-provoking one on interconnectedness, oneness and the paradox of life/death. This is a must-watch video for anyone curious about why we are here and what this experience is all about. You can watch the video on YouTube or read the original story here for free. The video is too good to be free!
What do you think of 'The Egg'?
📚 Last Ape Standing
I'm halfway through Happy by Derren Brown but have started another book this week. I'm parallelly reading the book, Last Ape Standing: The Seven-Million-Year Story of How and Why We Survived by Chip Walter. The book explores the interesting tale of how humans against all odds and challenges have reached where we are today as the planet's most advanced species. The book is witty and engaging. Ever since I finished Sapiens, I have been addicted to books like these on Anthropology, biology or history. I'm loving the book and my favourite quote so far is
"Today we are even manipulating the DNA that makes us possible in the first place—a case of evolution evolving new ways to evolve."
[Check out the book on Amazon]
🧵 Build a Great Life
Through 17 things he has learned, Kevin Dahlstrom has explained how to build a great life in a Twitter thread. Kevin says that a lot of people had more success and made more money than him. But what he has done better than the most is crafting a multi-dimensional life from which he doesn't need a vacation. From explaining minimalism to ignoring haters, the thread is an excellent read for redefining your life.
🎧 North Americans
It's raining here in Kerala, India and I'm listening to North Americans, an ambient/country duo based in Los Angeles. The band comprises acoustic guitarist Patrick McDermott and pedal guitarist steel guitarist Barry Walker.
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal
My favourite is Roped In, a beautiful album that makes me feel like I'm at a campfire meditation session.
That’s 10+1 Things for the week.
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See you next week!
With Love,
Rishikesh
Quote of the week: "The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time."
~ Mary Oliver
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