HOW DOES OUR LANGUAGE SHAPE THE WAY WE THINK?

By Lera Boroditsky

"For a long time, the idea that language might shape thought was considered at best untestable and more often simply wrong. Research in my labs at Stanford University and at MIT has helped reopen this question. We have collected data around the world: from China, Greece, Chile, Indonesia, Russia, and Aboriginal Australia. What we have learned is that people who speak different languages do indeed think differently and that even flukes of grammar can profoundly affect how we see the world. Language is a uniquely human gift, central to our experience of being human. Appreciating its role in constructing our mental lives brings us one step closer to understanding the very nature of humanity."

Being married to a someone from Hong Kong and a woman, I can attest to the conclusion above. :-)

Read the rest of this fascinating study by clicking on the title above.

A lovely voice

While watching/listening to Bob Dylan videos on YouTube earlier this week, I found this lovely cover version of "Make You Feel My Love", by a young Irish woman named Kiera Dignam. Although she's using primitive accompaniment for this video, that makes the voice that shines through even more impressive.



I wrote to her to express my appreciation, but also to request that she record 'Fields of Gold' (I had linked Eva Cassidy's version on my mother's memorial website), and Kiera was happy to oblige. Although she's in a band, I'd love to hear her with appropriate accompaniment!

Presidential signing pens

Many people were fascinated by the ritual of President Obama's signing of the healthcare bill (politics aside). He used 22 pens to sign his name (which is why his signature is far from 'free-flowing')!

The pens appear to be Cross Townsend rollerballs.

Neptune may have eaten a planet and stolen its moon

"NEPTUNE may have polished off a super-Earth that once roamed the outer solar system and stolen its moon to boot. The brutal deed could explain mysterious heat radiating from the icy planet and the odd orbit of its moon Triton."

Virgin Galactic spaceship makes first test flight

(Reuters)
"The sleek, six-passenger ship, called VSS Enterprise, remained attached to its carrier aircraft throughout the two-hour, 54-minute flight.



Virgin Galactic, an offshoot of billionaire Richard Branson's London-based Virgin Group, has collected about $45 million in deposits and fares from more than 330 aspiring amateur astronauts, each of whom will be charged $200,000 to experience a few minutes of suborbital spaceflight."

Image via Wikipedia

Click the title to read the full article

2010 Winter Paralympics

Take a look at more stunning photos here.

Ping Pong song

The Cove

I wasn't really aware of this documentary until it won the Oscar last week. It's going to be very difficult for me to watch.

Fields of Gold

Beautiful photos, a beautiful song (by Sting), sung by a beautiful artist...the late Eva Cassidy.

Sheaffer Pen Commercial Vivian Vance 1950's