Toy blocks that... think?

In a talk by David Merrill at TED conference, he showed a set of computers that look like children's toy blocks - only they are aware of each other, and programming becomes a game of rearranging the blocks spatially. Sounds like fun - when even 5-year-olds (not to mention adults) get hooked on some of these games :-)

Animation on the theme "Master and Margarita"

A beautiful Russian animation on the theme of "Master and Margarita" (Bulgakov) - by Natasha Berezovaya & Svetlana Petrova:

Power Plant (Tree to be exact) in Your Back Yard

Green leaves have been solar power plants of nature since forever - and it seems humans are only now are starting to catch onto that. In a bit of a curious twist, a company called "SolarBotanic" is producing artificial trees that provide "green energy" - literally.

"SolarBotanic will introduce artificial trees that make use of renewable
energy from the sun and wind, they are an efficient clean and
environmentally sound means of collecting solar radiation and wind
energy."



Now, how cool is that?

A short video I've created with other students at BAVC in October, 2008:

There is no secret!

Some people make it, and some people don't. Some seem to just "get it" somehow, and others can't. Some people study and learn for their entire life, and remain firmly stuck in a rut, and others pull through with no degrees or special courses. 

What's the secret?

When I was visiting my family in Russia last month, my nephew played Kung-Fu Panda cartoon over and over again. It's a fun cartoon, no doubts, to watch once. Well, maybe twice. But every other day for a month - oh, come on, stop it already! Right? Well, guess what... I'm flying back to the US, and on the longest (transatlantic) lag, they've been showing a bunch of movies, including... Yes! Kung-Fu Panda! Oh, no...

When I saw that, "Oh no..." was indeed my first reaction. But then, I remembered the line from that same cartoon - "there are no coincidences" - hence, I asked myself a question, "Why is this cartoon being shown to me? What do I have to learn from it?" So, I decided to bite the bullet and watch it one more time... And sure enough - (CAUTION! SPOILER ALERT!) the Panda opens up the Dragon Scroll, supposedly containing the greatest secret of the Dragon Warrior - just to find it ... empty! And, sure enough, his dad gives away his secret ingredient for his famous noodle soop (ONE MORE SPOILER ALERT!) - that there is no secret ingredient. And, sure enough, Panda finally "gets it"...

And, sure enough, I finally "get it" too!

So, here's the scoop, my brothers and sisters... To my utter embarrassment, in that very moment I'm realizing that for a while (for quite a while, in fact), I've been searching for that "secret ingredient" - without realizing it - to make my life happier, to move to the "next level", to become someone I want to become but apparently haven't gotten there yet... All because, I thought, I haven't "gotten" some kind of "secret ingredient" that other, more successful / happier people, apparently, discovered... BANG! Here's your secret, my dear friends. Look no further. Sell your ticket to that expensive "The Most Well-Guarded Secrets Of <...>" seminar, use your "The Secret" DVD as a backyard decoration (scares of squirrels, by the way, I kid you not!), stop running around like a madman spying out the techniques and ideas from all and everyone you might think have "got it". The real secret is that there is no secret. Stop looking, start living. It's that simple.

Of course, I'm in no way saying that you should stop learning - no-no-no! I didn't mean that at all. In fact, you'll probably start learning at a "new and improved" rate and quality. What I'm saying is - stop stopping yourself from being who you are, and start living your goddamn life already! You've had your "secret ingredient" all along - you might need to learn a few technicalities and practice and few things, maybe even quite a few things, maybe even for a few years. But don't expect to "get it" from some sort of "secret revealed" hoccus-poccus delivered to you over the week-end by some "guru" - that's what I mean.

Curiously, I should have known that long ago from my prior successes in science, in music, in NLP, and a few other things. What is that "secret ingredient" in being a good programmer, for example? If you asked me, I would laugh and say, "common sense, hard work, and lots of patience." That's no "secret", really. If you ask me what's the secret ingredient in skillful communication - I would say, "common sense, hard work, and even more patience." And probably laugh even harder :-) But when it came to making my own life happier, what did I do? Yeah, you got me there... Your turn to laugh.

So, why do people look for "secrets", to begin with? Perhaps, one reason is our own greed - to get more for less... One Russian humorist, Michael Zadornov, writes how he once saw a very wealthy Russian businessman playing piano in a hotel during his trip to the US. Just for fun, for his own entertainment. Played very well, with all his soul... Like only Russians can play Russian popular melodies - passers-by were stopping to listen... Someone gave him a $20 bill (remember, his an insanely rich businessman!). When he finished playing, he grabbed that $20 bill, ran back to his friends, all thrilled and happy, like a kid, showing the money. One guy remarked, "You know why you are so happy? This is the first $20 you have actually earned, honestly."

Another reason, perhaps, is the appearance of successful people "getting lucky". Someone said, "It took me 20 years to become an overnight success." Funny, but true. Sadly, most people don't see the prior 20 years leading to the glorious "popping out of nowhere" celebrity, hence the illusion of a "secret ingredient".

And the third reason - sadly, not the least, in my opinion - that "secrets" sell... So our infamous marketing and advertising does every trick in the book to get the unsuspecting crowd bite another bait of "secret ingredient", just to find an expensive hook underneath, and a chef waiting for you with a knife and a campfire on the other end of the line... 

A child-carp asks his mother - where's daddy? - Gone fishing... 

Are you aware?

A great video demonstrating the power of our perceptual filters (follow the instruction carefully):

No comments... Watch and find out for yourself what you might be missing :-)

Martial Arts and Me

Long time ago, when I was a college undergrad in the "capital of Siberia", I had a roommate who was totally passionate about martial arts. I remember he would regularly get the 3 or 4 of us out at the University stadium and teach us some Karate - punches, blocks, stances. Being young and having too much extra energy, we would often get into dynamic sparring sessions, occasionally getting each other's noses to bleed, or knocking the wind out - but it was fun, and we kept it friendly. One day, a real Karate sensei showed up at our school, and for about a month I had my first real martial art class experience. I really loved the class, but unfortunately, life circumstances prevented me from continuing on this path for a number of years...

Years went by, I moved to the US, and every time I would pass a martial art school, I would feel the urge to go and join it... But I thought I was too busy for that. Until one day, already in California, one of my friends finally dragged me into a dojo of a Korean martial arts called Kuk Sool Won. I liked the instructor and his gentle yet quite precise way of teaching. I was fascinated to see my progress, and stayed with the school for a few years until I got my black belt rank.

However, something was still missing in that school. Even though I was pretty good at doing forms and kicks and various techniques on the mat, I didn't feel confident that I could actually fight in real life, if the need be. Also, I had a sense that there has to be more to martial arts than what I was learning...

...And I was right. Not too long ago, I met a sensei of a rare Japanese variety of Aiki Jujutsu, who graciously agreed to teach me the art. And after a few classes, I realized what I have been looking for, and could not find in the other schools - the practical approach of simplicity, elegance, time-proven concepts (not just techniques!) that really work in a real fight. My new sensei has been systematically showing me new defenses and movements that were so effective that I just couldn't believe it! It took me several years and many tests to get to the black belt rank in another system just to be totally blown away by the techniques I never thought were possible! I feel that after only a few months in the new system I have probably learned more ways to defend myself than in all my previous years of martial arts experience.

What is also remarkable about my current sensei is his amazing level of skill. He has been studying for many years under a Grand Master of the system - and before that had many years of martial arts experience from other schools, some of which were also quite effective for a practical fight. Listen to the Grand Master talk about the art himself.

In addition, this art is not just an extremely effective self-defense system. It is a rather holistic art that pays a lot of attention to the balanced development of body and mind, together. And it starts right there, in the first class. I cannot really do a good justice in explaining or describing it here, you have to go and experience it for yourself.

By the way, for a limited time, my sensei has opened the school for new students. So, if you live in or near Mountain View, you are welcome to join the school. This is truly a rare treat, as this particular art is usually not openly taught to the public, and if you are serious about martial arts, you don't want to miss this one out.

How to join us? Really easy. We practice in the Rengstorff park in the open-air dojo, in Mountain View every Monday and Thursday from 5:45 to 6:45pm. The cost is only $75/month (which is a steal compared to most commercial schools), and we have some scholarships available for students in need. All you have to do is show up, and ask to be admitted to the floor.

If you have questions about this art, feel free to contact me through my website at http://martial-arts.sergeyberezin.com