WIRED, written by science fiction author Douglas E. Richards, is about a brilliant genetic engineer who has figured out a way to give people savant-like capabilities by giving you a pill. The book is an action-thriller along with an interesting look at the possibilities of enhancing our brains.

I’d like to believe that enhancing the computing power of the brain, with its multidimensional abilities to match patterns, could help us find immediate solutions to wars, famine, and climate change. As quoted in the book:

“The brain is the last and grandest biological frontier, the most complex thing we have yet discovered in our universe. It contains hundreds of billions of cells interlinked through trillions of connections. The brain boggles the mind.” —James D. Watson, Nobel Laureate and co-discoverer of the structure of DNA.

Richards, Douglas E. (2011-07-12). WIRED (Kindle Locations 4878-4880). Paragon Press. Kindle Edition.

We seem to think that every problem can be solved with a rapid-fire pill, but would it be better is we could slowly change our brain using Neurofeedback (NFB)? Regardless of how we enhance our brains, are we ready for the unintended consequences as explored in Richard Douglas’ book?

Do you think Syracuse could be a bicycle friendly town? Some of the bicycles shown in “The ultimate utility bike competition” are certainly utilitarian and could help us move throughout hilly Syracuse.

I went to expressions.syr.edu this morning and asked to see a random site. I landed on COM 11722, a course taught by Renee Stevens. Professor Steven’s site is clean, crisp, user friendly and beautiful.

I also discovered that her students were reflecting on web sites — one of them identified Pixar’s web site for its simplicity and functionality, and I agree it is a sweet site.

Two nice sites in one morning – one supports learning and the other on brand development – do you see any similarities?

– Jenny