2015 Q4

The Beginner's Guide

The Beginner's Guide graphic

Made by the author of The Stanley Parable, The Beginner's Guide is a wonderful interactive storytelling experience about someone struggling to deal with something they do not understand.

It's hard to provide a detailed review without spoiling it, but I highly recommend the game.

The Aeronaut's Windlass - Jim Butcher

The Aeronaut's Windlass' Cover

The Aeronaut's Windlass is Jim Butcher's steampunk fantasy world. When the surface world is covered with thick mists and hostile creatures, humanity lives in spires and grows its food in vats. Energy crystals power the airships and weapons, and a select few can manipulate their energy without the aid of technology.

The book is a quick, action-packed, fun read. Also, one of the protagonists is a cat.

Sandrine Thuret: You can grow new brain cells. Here's how

Sandrine Thuret TED talk picture

There's a myth that adults don't grow new brain cells, but Sandrine Thuret debunks it and talks about how neurogenesis, the process of making new brain cells, works.

The average adult makes 700 new neurons in their hippocampus every day. These new neurons are important for mood (reduced neurogenesis is linked to depression) as well as learning and memory.

Ancillary Justice - Ann Leckie

The cover of Ancillary Justice

"Ancillary Justice" is a well-written novel about one segment of an AI hive mind pursuing revenge against a colonial empire that doesn't see gender distinctions.

Throughout the book, the wit and craft behind the writing is clear. I particularly enjoyed the style of banter between the different characters, and everything flowed together very well -- the pacing was fairly quick, the switches between the present and the past were well synchronized, and the themes were generally interesting.

Mac Stone: Stunning photos of the endangered Everglades

Mac Stone's TED Talk Photo

Mac Stone believes that people won't care about the environment unless they can experience it and can hear a story about it that makes them care.  He tells stories through breathtaking photos.  This If you want to see 20 minutes of photos of Florida's endangered Everglades along with interesting stories about conservation and ecology, this is a great talk.

Mia Birdsong: The story we tell about poverty isn't true

Mia Birdsong's TED talk

Mia Birdsong shares some heartfelt narratives of the ingenuity of poor people and argues that structural inequality and luck, rather than a lack of hard work, are the prime causes of continued poverty.

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