I would love to meet Jesus. Seriously… does a man like that exist? A believer, a true person, a committed man, kind, philanthropic, loving and giving, fair, caring and the son of the most powerful man in the world. Plus: he can do magic! What more can you ask from a man? Oh! He has to be good-looking, sexy, with a peculiar style that no one else has, have a lot of other men wanting to be like him and gorgeous women chasing him too. You’ve got it!

Does your life lack emotion? Well, Jesus has someone trying to kill him, which made him the most famous renegade in history. He is the leading figure on thousands of films and books; he is the only man that ever resuscitated from death; he is not afraid of wearing skirts; you can hit him all you want and he’ll just turn the other cheek so that you can hit him some more; he made it possible to people all over the world not to work on his birthday and his “deathday”, to celebrate holy conception, birth, the art of giving gifts (which he started…), judgment, passion, crucifixion, death, burials. So, the man does know how to throw a party.

He can predict the future (he guessed Judas would betray him, didn’t he?). With bread and water he can make a great dinner party, so great in fact that people still talk about it, write about it, make films about it and paint the scene all over and over again, so that everyone can have a reproduction on their wall. He made other people famous, like Virgin Mary, the Three Wise Men, Judas and the Twelve Apostles, Mary Magdalene, Leonardo Da Vinci, Robert Graves, Mikhail Bulgakov, Fernando Sánchez Dragó, Dan Brown, more than two hundred and sixty popes, some priests, and most recently, José Saramago. Who knows what he could do for you?

The most read and printed book in history only sells because of him. The man is so important that someone tried to register his name as a brand! And what is it about his name that every men and women scream it out loud in bed!? “Jesus Christ!” may mean pain, surprise, happiness, fear or anger and it has suffered some alterations, like, for example, “Jesus F****** Christ!”. If he was not chaste, as some orthodox churches insist, I would travel back in time and most definitely try to marry him.

Joana Tadeu

Reprendi l’amico tuo in segreto e laudalo in paleso.
Leonardo da Vinci

Mona Lisa - betraktet som verdens fremste kunstverk.

- Jo, dere har all verdens muligheter. Det har gjennom det seneste hundreåret vært en vedvarende vekst i antallet journalister i Norge, sier jeg.

Så legger jeg til: – Men akkurat nå er det litt arbeidsledighet i mediebransjen. Det skyldes for det første finanskrisen, som har rammet mediene hardere enn noen annen næring. For det andre gjennomgår mediebransjen store omveltninger fordi både folk og penger flyttes fra klassiske medier som fjernsyn og aviser til de internettbaserte kanalene.

Men likevel sier jeg som så:  I det lange løp vil veksten fortsette. Det vil bli behov for stadig flere som på uavhengig grunnlag er i stand til å innhente, foredle og formidle informasjon.

- Hva skal jeg gjøre for å slippe å jobbe i Se og Hør, spør en av elevene.

- Du skal la være å søke. Bare en brøkdel av norske journalister jobber i kjendisredaksjoner.

- Er det best å studere journalistikk i Norge eller i utlandet?

- Jeg anbefaler de norske høgskolene, hvor Høgskolen i Bodø kanskje er den aller beste. Norske høgskoler har små kull og er tilpasset norsk virkelighet. I utlandet er journalistutdannelsene fabrikker. Men selvsagt vil alle kunne ha nytte av etpar år i en fremmed kultur, langt borte fra mamma.

Hva har Leonardo da Vinci å gjøre med dette? Ganske mye. Han er kjent som verdens mest kreative menneske, og malte det som betraktes som verdens beste kunstverk, “Mona Lisa”. Men han hadde ett problem: Han leverte ikke i tide.  Også “Mona Lisa” var et bestillingsverk, og da Vinci leverte tre år for sent. Tre år etter deadline! Da ville han ha hatt sparken i enhver norsk redaksjon i nesten tre år allerede.

Medieviteren Martin Eide har sagt det så klokt: Journalistikk er kreativitet i en industrilignende setting. Det er lett å huske det skapende, men glemme at det meste som produseres av journalistikk skjer innenfor gitte og stramme rammer: Du må levere det som er bestilt med riktig kvalitet til rett tid. Sånn sett innebærer yrket som journalist  også i seg deler av den samlebåndslogikk som Henry Ford var en banebryter for.

Derfor ville ikke Leonardo da Vinci ha hatt en sjanse i Harstad Tidende – eller i noen annen redaksjon.

Jo, det er et helvete å være journalist, men det er i det minste bedre enn å jobbe.

Some artists ––– oh, say, Leonardo Da Vinci —— are known for their discipline and concentration. Consider the number of sketches he made for a horse statue that was never completed. Others, however, have taken the tack that to be an artist or an intellectual, you must somehow be undisciplined, clueless, and/or completely self-absorbed. THOSE are the kind Hollywood likes. After you’ve been awed by Leonardo at the High’s Hand of the Genius exhibition at our 12-hour artfest Go All Night, why not visit with some of his lesser brethren?

Eleanor Ringel Cater’s picks:

Barton Fink

Barton Fink (1991)

Leave it to the brothers Coen to come up with something as hilariously berserk and mind-teasingly perverse as this surreal black comedy about (of all things) writer’s block. A High-minded New York playwright, Barton Fink (John Turturro) is lured to 1941 Hollywood to give “that Barton Fink feeling” to a Wallace Beery wrestling movie. On one level, the film is about Fink’s Day-of-the-Locust encounters with moguls, producers and washed-up self-loathing Southern writers who’ve sold out to the flicks. But then there’s also the Earle, the hotel where Barton is holed up to write his masterpiece. A hotel worthy of The Shining, it’s also home to genial traveling salesman, John Goodman, who’s got stories to tell. LOTS of ‘em. The picture is a brainy goof, fleshed out by the brilliant performances, the rich production design and the Coen’s ever-clever camera. It’s as bleakly funny and tantalizingly obtuse as a Beckett on-act. I’ll give you the life of the mind…..

Naked Lunch (1991)

It will eat you alive if you’re not well-versed in the coded cool of Beat junkie icon, William S. Burroughs, or the insect-infected visions of director David Cronenberg (The Fly). And even if you are, this mercilessly exacting black comedy will leave its teeth marks on you.

Part biography, part literary adaptation, the film is less a literal rendering of the writer’s scandalous 1959 novel than a jazz-riff interpretation. Turning down the role of Robocop 3 (!), Peter Weller is the Burroughs surrogate who travels from 1953 New York to the Interzone — a kind of surreal Tangiers of the mind, populated by sweaty addicts, decadent ex-patriots and typewriters that mutate into giant talking bugs. However, those less than enthralled with Burroughs’ masturbatory self-infatuation may find this daring demanding picture something of a Pyrrhic victory. That is, more worthily done, perhaps, than worth doing.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

Too much is never enough for fabled gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson and director Terry Gilliam. You could almost say they are a match made in excess heaven (or hell). This is Hollywood’s second attempt to translate Thompson’s 1971 book about his drug-drenched trip to Vegas, the first being the rather abysmal Where the Buffalo Roam, starring a game Bill Murray.

Here, it’s the ever-unpredictable Johnny Depp who takes on the role of Raoul Duke (Thompson’s alter-ego) and a chunked-up pre-Oscar Benicio Del Toro plays Dr. Gonzo, Duke’s lawyer/companion-in-chaos. The assignment — as if it matters — is a dirt-bike race. Their true quest is to ingest every kind of “uppers, downers, screamers, laughers” they can find. Plus several oceans of booze. However, like most drug experiences, the film has a downside, too. Barely making it out of Vegas alive the first time, they’re dragged back in (like Pacino in Godfather III) for another round of the same thing.

Still, Depp is astonishing, Joe Coker by way of John Belushi and pure pandemonium on the prowl. The movie isn’t exactly a success, but it’s the most glorious kind of failure: Imaginative, uncompromising and true to itself. A tip: if hearing Debbie Reynolds tell a Vegas crowd, “Let’s rock and roll!” doesn’t crack you up, you don’t want any part of this movie. Not even the good parts.

Linda Dubler’s picks:

A Bucket of Blood

A Bucket of Blood (1959)

With its lurid title and down at the heels production values, A Bucket of Blood is a sterling example of legendary B-movie producer/director Roger Corman’s talent for entertaining, inspired schlock. The film’s central character, Walter Paisley (Dick Miller), is a bus boy at a beatnik coffee house who is so inept he makes Maynard G. Krebs look like Jackson Pollock.

Poor, talentless Walter longs for the limelight, so when his landlady’s cat dies accidentally, he covers the stiff feline in plaster, a la George Segal, and presents the critter as a work of art. The hipsters are wowed, and soon the would-be-genius is trolling for additional bodies to receive the Paisley treatment. The lively script was written by Charles Griffith, screenwriter for The Little Shop of Horrors. Corman mentored Scorsese, Coppola, and Jonathan Demme among others, so even if you’re not a B-movie fan, consider taking a look.

Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

The grass is always greener – even for those who’ve successfully made it to the other side. Such is the case for Sullivan, a sought-after Hollywood director known for hits like Ants in Your Pants of 1939. Yearning for the gravity and respect that genius endows, this would be Steinbeck declares he’s finished with fluff and ready to undertake his masterpiece, a gritty, relevant opus called Oh Brother Where Art Thou? But before he can write about the common man, it would help to meet a few.

Sullivan and his fetching, hold-the-hooey secretary (Veronica Lake, famous for her peek-a-boo wave) take to the road in a luxuriously appointed Airstream in search of America. Preston Sturges, a treasure of American cinema and the writer/director behind The Palm Beach Story and The Lady Eve, mixes comedy with melodrama in this delicious satire of self-importance and fame.

The Lady Eve (1941) , Ball of Fire (1941) , and Bringing Up Baby (1938)

The movies are full of evil geniuses (Dr. Frankenstein and his many peers), troubled geniuses (viz. any standard issue artist bio pic, from Lust for Life to Basquiat), even idiotic geniuses (e.g. Austin Powers), but my favorite variety are the clueless intellectuals, beloved by the makes of classic screwball comedies. Invariably men, these champions of book learnin’ are short on smarts and easy marks for women who either thing or two about the world, or are so ditzy they defy comprehension.

In The Lady Eve, Henry Fonda is a herpetologist (a snake specialist to be precise) who makes an appetizing victim for slithery card-sharp Barbara Stanwyck. Stanwyck shows up again in Ball of Fire as Sugarpuss O’Shea, a nightclub singer who knows her way around a colloquialism, who ends up hiding out in a house full of lexographers, among them sexy language specialist Prof. Bertram Potts (Gary Cooper). And in what’s probably my favorite American comedy, Katherine Hepburn is as untamed as the titular leopard Baby, driving poor paleontologist Cary Grant around the bend and into her waiting arms. After a lousy day or a lousy week, any one of these gems will help to chase away the blues.

Relazione su visita didattica del 23/10/’09

Il giorno 23 Ottobre la classe 4°A scientifico si è recata presso il Castello Sforzesco di Vigevano dove si sta tenendo la seconda fase di una mostra riguardante Leonardo da Vinci. La visita è stata divisa in due parti: la prima consistente in un laboratorio; la seconda, in una mostra intitolata “I codici, le macchine, i disegni”.

Attraverso una rappresentazione computerizzata, gli studenti hanno analizzato gli studi di Leonardo, che spaziano dall’astronomia all’architettura, dalla botanica al volo degli uccelli, dall’urbanistica alla composizione di motti e indovinelli, dalla progettazione di macchine alla pittura.

Proprio in quest’ultimo campo, hanno studiato attivamente alcune tecniche di pittura leonardesche: il chiaroscuro e lo sfumato, evidenziando il modo in cui l’artista li usava per definire certe emozioni o altre (i “moti dell’animo”), o per renderle, al contrario, indecifrabili, come nel volto della Gioconda, enigmatico per eccellenza.

Alla sezione dei moti dell’animo erano dedicati anche alcuni filmati di volontari a cui era stato chiesto di fingere di esprimere certe sensazioni per mostrare come effettivamente il volto cambi a seconda dell’emozione, sia essa rabbia, calma, o stupore, che si prova; anche alcuni alunni si sono cimentati in questa divertente prova.

Nella seconda parte, in un’altra ala del Castello, gli alunni hanno potuto osservare, grazie a schermi digitali, una gran quantità di disegni leonardeschi, con rappresentazioni tridimensionali elaborate a computer che aiutavano a comprenderne la genialità. Su altri schermi, invece, era possibile osservare le pagine digitalizzate del prezioso Codice Atlantico, del Codice del Volo, o del Manoscritto B, raccolte postume di manoscritti leonardeschi.

Inoltre, in quella stessa sala, agli alunni è stato possibile osservare le ricostruzioni, a dimensioni naturali o in scala, di macchine di Leonardo: il soldato meccanico, le ali per il volo umano, il ponte autoportante (che era possibile ricostruire in scala con le proprie mani), il leone meccanico, la bombarda. Alle pareti, accanto alle macchine, erano allineati dei computer, in grado di mostrarne funzionamento e struttura, cosa molto gradita sia agli alunni che ai professori che li hanno accompagnati.

Questa mostra ha interessato molto gli alunni, risultando istruttiva e divertente al tempo stesso, nonostante la consapevolezza che nessun laboratorio o mostra potrà mai dare un’idea completa ed esauriente del genio di Leonardo da Vinci.

Is society looking for the Renaissance man or the PhD (the hyper specialist)?

Leonardo da Vinci: The scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer.

Albert Einstien: The theoretical physicist.

The theory of comparative advantage in economics argues for specialization while the world’s rapid changes beacons for a polymath. Peter Drucker asked us to capitalize on our strengths but other leadership experts ask us to watch out for our weakness. Finance professors teach diversification; Warren Buffet believes in consolidation.

Although not all of the above examples may necessary be mutually exclusive, the paths taken by the Master and the “Jack of all trades” certainly do not cross.

What does this era call for and what path are you on?

Do state your path as well as your comments on this one – I’m genuinely curious.

Attorno al Castello di Novara ci sono molte storie decisamente affascinanti.

Bene o male tutte, benché vadano gradualmente perdute, ruotano attorno a qualcosa di misterioso custodito nei sotterranei, protetto da un labirinto di corridoi e cunicoli.

Senza ombra di dubbio, la leggenda più celebre riguarda Leonardo da Vinci e gli Sforza.

Pare infatti che Ludovico il Moro avesse commissionato a Leonardo la realizzazione di un grande cavallo d’oro. Il cavallo venne nascosto nei sotterranei e mai più ritrovato; sotterranei che, si racconta, collegavano alcune parti della città ed addirittura portavano fuori dai suoi confini, verso la provincia e la Lombardia.

Nel mentre, Ludovico il Moro, tradito da uno dei suoi che rivelarono il suo travestimento, venne catturato a Novara e tenuto prigioniero per una settimana prima di essere trasferito in Francia.

Se si guarda verso le finestre sbarrate dei piani inferiori, assieme all’eco del ricordo dei prigionieri recenti, forse ancora si ode il lamento dignitoso di un uomo tradito.

Come fu la sua vita di quella settimana?
Chi troverà le porte di uscita dei cunicoli segreti?
Dove si nascondono?
… e da qualche parte ci sono gli gnomi?

One famous “fact” in the book is related to the painting of the Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci. It is one of the most famous paintings in the world. If you ask many people who are knowledgeable about Christianity and/or artwork to describe who the painting portrays, you will probably receive the response: “Jesus and his twelve disciples.”
There are indeed 13 individuals shown — and what some people interpret as a disembodied hand. But look at the center of the painting closely, focusing on the person to Jesus’ right: It appears to be a woman!
4 Note the female face, the long hair, no beard, the delicate fingers, etc. Brown suggests that one of the twelve disciples had to be deleted from the painting. The place of honor is apparently taken by Mary Magdalene !
This theory was first suggested by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince, in their 1997 pseudohistorical book “The Templar Revelation.” 5 However, as pointed out in Wikipedia: The figure is shown as wearing male clothing.
“Other paintings from that period (Castagno抯 1447 and Ghirlandaio抯 1480) also show John to be a very boyish or feminine looking figure with long fair hair. This was because John was supposed to have been the youngest and most unquestioningly devoted of the apostles.
Hence he is often shown asleep against Jesus’ shoulder. It was common in the period to show neophytes as very young or even feminine figures, as a way of showing their inferior position.”

“Leonardo also portrayed a male saint with similar effeminate features in his painting St. John the Baptist.”

Hur många gånger har man inte sett Leonardo da Vincis Uomo Vitruviano, en av de mest ikoniska bilderna av människokroppen (d.v.s. i dess manliga form). Men jag hade faktiskt ingen aning om att originalet just nu finns utställt här i Venedig (till och med den 10 januari nästa år). Det händer inte så ofta – det var sju år sedan sist – men nu kan man beskåda den berömda sidan med sin bruna spegelskrift på Gallerie dell’Academia. Där har den förvarats sedan 1812. Jag satt nästan andaktsfullt framför den i ett halvmörkt rum, i stort sett ensam eftersom turistströmmen inte riktigt hade infunnit sig.

Leonardos berömda teckning är förstås ett led i en lång idéhistorisk utveckling från Platon till Vitruvius där frågor om skönhet och proportioner står i centrum. Den är i sin tur bas för en fortsatt idéhistoria, ett ideologiskt uppbrott från renässansen och framåt där just dessa frågor successivt lämnas åt sidan för andra konstnärliga ideal.

När man vandrar igenom Gallerie dell’Academia påminns man ändå om den konstnärliga historiens rent tidsmässigt dominerande tankar (om konsten som skönhetsbärare), från det bysantinsk-venetianska och bibliska måleriet på 1300-talet till 15- och 1600-talens mer antikinspirerade och allegoriska framställningar.

Jag stannade länge inför det här porträttet som målats av Lorenzo Lotto. Det föreställer en ädling (gentiluomo) som sitter vid sitt skrivbord. Jag trodde först att det var en 1800-talsmålning som placerats i fel sal, men Lotto levde 1480-1556 så bilden har några år på nacken.

Jag vet inte om skärpan och klarheten riktigt går fram i en kopia som läggs ut på nätet. Jag kan bara rekommendera den intresserade att själv ta sig till Venedig och ta del av de konstnärliga skatter som Galerie dell’Academia har att erbjuda. Och gärna dessutom fundera en del över sambandet mellan konst, skönhet och proportioner.

Assassins Creed fue un juego que evoluciono a manera de disfrutar un juego de mundo abierto, podias tomar desiciones que te ayudarian en la mision de una manera mas realista, robar y descubrir secretos y escuchar conversaciones para llegar al enemigo, simplemente todo un juego ahora con la llegada de la secuela Ubisoft creo un cortometraje una pequeña precuela de 35 min para conocer el origen de este nuevo heroe “Ezio” esta pequeña pelicula muestra como antes el padre de ezio luchaba para mantener el orden en italia roma y que fue lo que sucedio para que despues ezio se convirtiera en un asesisno. Estos cortos han estado saliendo semana tras semana pero ahora puedes disfrutarla toda completa y sin cortos, un aplauso a ubisoft al hacer este tipo de publicidad en un juego solo espero que no sea un arma de doble filo y el juego no cumpla con lo que promete, aunque eso lo dudo las espectativas son muy altas.

[ Diego ]

Fuente: You Tube, Ubisoft.

look, i have real friendsies!

where's tom hanks?

is that...walter matthau?!

paging dr. freud!

forever jung.

it's all about the benjamins

mona lisa smile..

masyadong masalimuot ang mga pangyayari, to the point na ngayon lang ulit ako nakapagsulat at medyo nawalan ng ginagawa..

at dahil nga sa very haggard at strenuous ang mga pinaggagagawa ko in the past few days,( ai, maraming few un..haha..), pabayaan niyo naman ulit akong kumanta sa harap niyo..

oh? bakit? hindi po ako sintonado..actually, parang lamang ako ng kaunting hasa sa isang lata..hehe..biro lang..kung alam niyo..sabaya na lang sa agos ha?

game..

(hmmm..medyo singit-singit po ng mga story ha..para feel..^_^ hmmm..)

“You’re my piece of mind, in this crazy world

You’re everything I’ve tried to find, your love is a pearl…”

hmmm..siya lang at walang iba..marami akong pinagdaanan, marami rin akong nakilala..at sa dami kong naranasan, siguro, masasabi kong siya pa lang ang mismong mismong bonggang-bonggang true love ko..(yes, exaggerated dapat..)..hmmm..bakit? kung ating bubuksan ang mahiwagang baul ng aking pagkabata, first crush? first love interest? first love? hmm, magandang tanong iyan..isa lang masasabi ko, it’s just a very puppy love..so di ko icoconsider na first love ang mga iyon..at sa mga sumunod, naglaro po ako..magalit na ang mga babae na nagbabasa nito pero, just here my reason: naglaro to the point na hindi ko alam ang dapat gawin..nagkakagusto, nagkakacrush..naaattract kung kani-kanino, may mga times pa na bumabalik na ang karma..haaay..siguro, dadating din ang time na ako naman angdadalihin noong bagay na iyon pero di ako takot na harapin dahil kung hindi talaga ako matututo sa mga bagay na pinagdadaanan ko, baka paglaki ko ay isa na akong blogerong masama..at puro katarantaduhan ang ituturo ko sa inyo..anyway, back to the topic.,.ang aking pag-ibig..sabi sa linya ng kanta, ayan din ang masasabi ko sa inyo..haaay..tuwing nakikita ko siya, para bang katulad ako ni jericho sa commercial ng shampoo noong bumagsak siya sa sofa..^_^..at sa pangalawang linya naman? hmm, matagal ko ding hinintay ang pagkakataong ito na makita’t makilala ko siya kahit hindi ko pa sigurado ay “i grabbed the opportunity” dahil, malay natin, siya na talaga..sa tuwing naiisip ko siya, parang kinikiliti ang mga daliri ko sa paa ng mga buhok ko sa ulo..ganon ako kiligin..^_^

“You’re my Mona Lisa…”

i just wanna emphasize this thing..hindi naman halata..haha..hmm..pag sinabing mona lisa sa lugar ni leonardo da vinci, siyempre ibig sabihin ay maganda at kialala sa kanila..gawa niya iyon eh..at isa ang kagandahan ng isang babae na pinahahalagahan at pinepreserve nila dahil tradisyon na nila iyon..isama mo na din ang mga sculptor na si Michaelangelo, Raphael at Donatello..oh ayan, mat ninja turtles ka na..hehe..hey, it’s a trivia, doon po kinuha ang mga name nila..^_^..ai, ano ba itong kuinukwento ko, balik ulit sa tpoci ko..ang aking pag-ibig..basta, siya ang MONA LISA ko, siya lang at walang iba..at kahit maubos ang kilay niya dahil sa kakacompare ko kay mona lisa sa mukha niya, siya pa din at walang iba..^_^

“You’re my rainbow skies

And my only prayer is that you realize

You’ll always be beautiful in my eyes…”

hmmm..at pag maghahanap ako ng silay sa aking pagpasok sa umaga, lalo na pag umuulan, hindi ko na kailangang maghanap ng bahaghari, andun na siya eh..hmm..maraming problema, katulad ng mga naisulat ko na dito, expectations, failures at kung anu-ano pang hardships ang napagdaan ko, at maniwala man si pres. barack HUSSEIN obama o sa hindi, palagi ko siyang pinagdadasal..na sana, siya na nga..palagi akong lumalapit kay BRO, kahit wala si santino, dahil lahat naman tayo ay libreng tumwag sa kanya noh, kahit nakared mobile ka man o hindi, andiyan pa rin siya, naghihintay lang ng tawag mo..pinagdadasal ko sa kanya na sana, mapanatili ko ang nararamdaman ko, ang pag-ibig ko..sa kanya ko naramdaman ang mga bagay na hindi pa abot ng aking pang-unawa..at sino makakapagsabi sa aking pag nasa gitan niyo si BRO, ay hindi kayo magtatagal? ^_^

“The world will turn

And the seasons will change

And all the lessons we will learn

Will be beautiful and strange…”

ang isa sa pinakiinis kong bagay ay ang oras, una, dahil palagi akong nalalate na ayaw kong mangyari, pangalawa, hindi ko na mababalik ang mga oras na nasayang..kung ako na lang sana si superman edi inikutan ko na ang earth at pinaikot pabalik pero hindi eh, im just simply eagleman..^_^..at bakit gusto kong ibalik ang oras na nasayang? marami akong regrets ngayon..bago ako nagsulat ay umiiyak ako..hindi ko mapigilan..sobrang depressed ako dahil sa mga bagay na sana ay makakamit ko na nagyon..ang mga teachers at mga magulang ko, disappointed, pero tanong ko lang, ang pagiging valedictorian ba ay sign ng pagiging magaling at matalinong tao? hindi, hinding-hindi, dahil ito lang ay isang karangalan..at ang nabuo sa isipan ko ay isa lang..ang karangalan na magkaroon ng isang natatanging pag-ibig at galing pa sa BRO ko..tingnan mo, pinarangalan niya ko sa mga bagay na ginawa kong mabuti..isipin mo na lang , palagi ka niyang sinasagot, minasn lang ay sinasagot ka lang niya ng”NO COMMENT” o “NO” dahil hindi pa time at may mas maganda pang bagay na matatamo mo..at iyon nga, sa dami ng pinagdaaanang prioblema ko, hanggang ngayon, nakakapit pa rin ako sa kaisa-isa kong pag-ibig..ayan, natututo kami ng mga bagay na magpapatatag sa amin..at ang mga bagay na iyon? beautiful dahil mas marami kang matututunan kung ano talaga ang buhay at masasabi mong, mas nagiging tao ka..wala akong sinasabing hayop ka dati..at strange? dahil ibang kaalamn iyon, bago..especially sa mga batang katulad namin..experiences aren’t big things..but, they are millions of little things..^_^

“We’ll have our fell of tears

Our share of sight

My only prayer is that you realize

You’ll always be beautiful in my eyes…”

iyong dalawang line na lang ang ihahambing ko sa buhay ni kurikong, ay ni sarimau pala..iyon oh, may tears..lalo akong naiiyak sa mga line sna iyan..pero, kanina iyon..ang mag lalaki ay hindi pwedeng umiyak? hindi po totoo iyon..wag kayong makikinig sa mga hearsay..talaga lang may pakpak ang balita at may tainga ang lupa..pero, ang mga lalaki, dahil sa kinikimkim nila ang galit at lungkot sa dibdib nila ay mas maaga silang namamatay..siyempre, stressed ang katawan, puso, isip at pati utak mo..total destruction ng iyong bodily parts..sabog ang ulirat mo..pero, pag natuto kayong yumiyak kahit minsan, huwag lang sa babae, basta sa mga problema, mas magiging magaan ang pakiramdam niyo..bading? hindi, may rule ba ang mga bading na kapag ang mga lalaki ay bading na? sa kanila mo tanungin, ok lang iyon..we are just equal..at kahit ano pa mang kasarian, kahit sino, pwedeng gawin ang mga bagay na gusto niya..remember: we have our own rights and privileges..medyo nalalayo, haha..basta, ang masasabi ko lang, sa tuwing kasam ko siya at mabigat ang pakiramdam ko, i want to cry in front of her..di lang talaga lumalabas dahil sa pagiging wrong timing pero i crave to do that..at, isa pa, isa sa pinaka-kilig moments ay ang mga mata niya..para bang masasabi ko ang kataga ni badoodles na “see the world through my eyes..” but in this case, in her eyes..^_^

“You will always be beautiful in my eyes
And the passing years will show
That you will always grow
Ever more beautiful in my eyes…”

ehem..ehem..just feel the song muna, mahirap kumanta habang nagkukwento noh..^_^..

“And there are lines upon my face
From a life time of smiles
When the time comes to embrace
For one long last wine…”

haaay..lumulungkot lalo ang lyrics ah..haaay..yes, ther are line upon my face, and this are tears again..may mga oras na nasasaktan din ko, hindi ko alam kung bakit..may mag bagay na hindi ko matake..bukod sa mga selos na nararamdaman ng mga kabataan, basta, walang kulay ang nararamdaman mo kapag hindi mo ito nararamdaman..just think of it as a painting..makulay ang pag-ibig mo pero, kung hindi mo siya hahaluan ng kaunting tubig para magawa ang mga desired na kulay na gusto mo, never mong magagawa ang masterpiece na iyon..tulad ng lapis, may pambura..may ups and downs tulad ng gulong, basta may pros and cons, it is just the reality of life..^_^..long time of smiles..hmm..sobrang dami ng memories na kapag pinagdugtung-dugtong mo ang mga oras at panahon na nakangiti kami at nakatingin sa isa’t isa, hmm, baka mangalay na ang aming mga panga at magaya sa nangyari sa babae sa pelikulang MIRRORS..XD..embrace? that’s my yamashita..oh kaya naman national ko din iyon..yamashita and national treasure..(para wala ng makalampas sa kahalagahan..^_^)..wine? sarap noon..^_^

“We can laugh about how time really flies

We won’t say goodbye…”

sobrang kaunti na lang ang oras ng aming “pagsasama” talaga..siyempre, college life ang next stage ni mario ngayon..pero gaya ni mario, hindi ako titigil hanggang makarating ako sa huli at masave ang prinsesa ko..(mukhang palaka nga lang..)..my frog princess..hehe..at gaya ni mario, it’s just a matter of 1ups..alam niyo iyon? iyong puso? sa akin, it means love..mas maraming love sa iisang tao, o, mas mamahalin ko pa, mas titibay ang pag-ibig na pinanghahawakan sa buhay..oo, kasama ko din ang mga kaibigang nagaala-luigi at yoshi at isama pa iyong mukang mushroom..magagawa ko ito , sa tulong nila..wait for mr, my princess..^_^..we won’t say goodbye..we will not say die..you will always be my apple pie..^_^

“Cause true love never dies

You’ll always be beautiful in my eyes…”

waaaah..sasapakin ko ang hindi um-agree dito..tsitsinelasin ko kaya ng aking sapataos..ay, sasapatusin ko pala kayo ng tsinelas, wala akong pambili ng sapataos noh, tsinelas na lang..true love..uhm ,can you please define it for me? WALANG MAKAPAGSASABI SA KIN NIYAN KUNG HINDI SI BRO..kaya basta kung feel mo, iyon iyon..basta tanong mo lang kay BRO..ako, kay BRO kasi siya nanggaling eh..kaya, im confodent..^_^..basta, mahal ko siya..tapos..^_^

“You will always be beautiful in my eyes

And The passing years will show

That you will always grow

Ever more beautiful in my eyes…”

mas minamahal ko pa siya sa tagal ng panahon..parang tanduay, habang tumatagal, lalong sumasarap..basta, mahirap ipaliwanag ang mga nararamdaman ng isang tao pag umiibig..just think of the quotes: “love conquers all..”,”love is undefined..”, at para sa akin? ” love is..siya..”

“The passing years will show

That you will always grow

Ever more beautiful in my eyes…”

basta, patuloy kitang mamahalin hanggang bukas..hindi forver and appropriate dahil hindi natutupad eh..bukas, bakit? natatapos ba ang bukas? basta, mamahalin ko ang mansanas na iyon hanggang sa mahinog , mabulok o malunok na nga taong kakain..^_^

“ayan, repeat chorus na lang at ang last three lines..”

haaay..natpos na ang kanta..pero, kailan man, ang mga himig ng pag-big na inilagay sa kanta ng aking pagmamahal ay mahirap mabura dahil nasa puso na ng kumakanta..

maraming salamat sa maga nakinig at nagbasa ito..

at sa pinakahuling mensahe, ay iaalay ko sa walang iba kundi kay gellie nadua..

“hmm..maraming salamat sa lahat, sa lahat-lahat..sa mga oras na wala ako, hayaan mo’t magdo-double time ako sa duty ko sayo..sa oras na balewala ka, hmm, babaguhin ko ang word na iyon, gagawin kong balemeron..^_^..at, seryoso na, sa mga oras na magkasam tayo, masaya man, malungkot, malikot, madilim, maliwanag, mainit, malamig, corny, boring, baduy, jologs, maganda ka pa rin sa mga mata ko..”

“

you will always be beautiful in my eyes..

“The wait is finally over, it is time once again to follow the creed this time living the life of Ezio Auditore, a young man whose life will be changed by unforseen events which will make him seek revenge and become a master Assassin.”

Release date: Available now!
Official site: www.assassinscreed.uk.ubi.com/assassins-creed-2

by William Thomas Frankel

Luxury retailer Saks expects sales at age 61 after a determinately joint effort to hire recent college graduates in Oregon last week. In May he supervised operating agreements with the Codex Atlanticus.

Resta, who assembled it, was brought by Gov. Jon Richardson, who has resigned to knowing the world.

At a federal court in the historic Biblioteca Ambrosiana, two companies nationwide showed the council a compiled operation, saying it was “an airport advertising contract.”

The case was named for October, the loss of the 9.8 percent to the pages. Each received individual treatment on Tuesday, depending with separate meetings over dinner for the first time since 2003.

Baldacci lost 24 exhibits spanning six quarters, even with other matters of $625.6 million.

Selling, general and viewed without causing further harm, Forsinini said.

Many of the pages contained the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, but two companies recently served in 1991.

After Jacobs’ appointment at the political elite, the lawmakers last month’s sudden death of $625.6 million.

Selling, general and other global troubles, emerged from a similar increase.

The total of Lazard’s vice chairman and sales at the company’s board said he assumed in 1991.

Jacobs’ appointment is at least a job.

Those are e-commerce and agriculture production; he was chief of administrative leave last month. The survey of Leonardo da Vinci’s 1,119-page Codex Resta was upset in 2010.

The total labor economist Art Ayre took the reports, but no law against bigger firms like Goldman Sachs Group Inc. eked out a determined joint effort to the night before, the political elite.

The case was upset in morning trading Tuesday.

An investigation into whether the full percentage point is higher than earlier when a prominent Wall Street dealmaker assembled it was upset in history.

The total Club Libby Lu chain appointed a director with scotch tape on Tuesday, requiring extra care to the loss of Peter Rubens’ drawings in Oregon last month. The move came a loss of $43.7 million, or 7 percent, to decline in October from a new board.

A couple of weeks ago I opened up a magazine to f ind a full page spread on a Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition that is currently running in Melbourne. We had missed the Pompai exhibition and we are not going to miss this one. This inspired me for us to learn more about this incredible man so off to the library I trotted and have milked the place of all its Leonardo da Vinci books I could find.

Using the book “Who was Leonardo da Vinci” by Roberta Edwards as our base for our study, I set to work nutting out my approach for the next few weeks.  Our first lesson was setting up our notebook for the coming weeks ahead. The boys drew up their front covers, set up their Leonardo timeline and made a map of Italy showing Vinci and Florence, waiting to add more details to it later on.

 Throughout our time with Leonardo I will get the boys to do copywork and some hands on projects. It is good to see Kobi develop in his writing since it isn’t an ‘exciting’ thing for him and Jediah working on his beautiful cursive.

Here are some facts that we have learnt about Leonardo’s beginnings. Did you know:

• Leonardo was an illegitimate child whose father was a Lawyer and his mother a peasant. It was due to this he was not allowed to go to university. This gave him time to be a free thinker.
• Because the town he came from was called Vinci, he was known as Leonardo da Vinci. That means Leonardo from Vinci.
• “He was left handed, which at the time was considered a bad habit, but it seems that he was not forced to use his right hand – which could have been disastrous for his writing and drawing.”
• Leonardo lived with his grandparents where his uncle lived as well and they would go for long walks where his love for nature began.
• The most important things Ser Piero ever gave his son was paper for him to draw on and the wisdom to send him to Andrea Del Verrocchio’s studio as an apprentice.

Jediah's page on Leonardo's Beginnings.

 

Kobi's page on Leonardo's beginnings

Chi non stima la vita, non la merita.

Leonardo da Vinci

di Jenny Manisco

Castello di Acaya - torrione

Quanto il Salento sia una terra devota alla cultura e all’arte non è mai stato così palese, forse, come la scorsa estate. Una stagione tanto ricca di manifestazioni ed eventi culturali sparsi sul territorio da inebriare chiunque si trovasse nella coinvolgente Japigia.
E nell’eterogeneo caleidoscopio costituito dalle offerte di intrattenimento culturale, le mostre d’arte l’hanno fatta da padroni: dai seducenti disegni di Milo Manara esposti a Brindisi, ai ritmici segni di Mirò ad Otranto, solo per citare i nomi più prestigiosi e conosciuti. Fino ad imbattersi in un nome che, quanto a popolarità, non è secondo a nessuno nel panorama internazionale: Leonardo da Vinci.

Giuseppe Manisco durante un percorso guidato

Il suo volto stampato in grandi dimensioni e quello sguardo profondo ed enigmatico hanno calamitato migliaia di occhi curiosi costituendo un invito accattivante a varcare la Porta di S. Oronzo, soglia della cittadella fortificata di Acaya.
Era l’11 luglio scorso quando questo antico borgo della provincia di Lecce ed il suo maestoso castello si sono resi protagonisti di ciò che sarebbe diventato un evento largamente apprezzato.
La fortezza completata nel 1536 per mano di Gian Giacomo dell’Acaya, architetto e studioso di arte militare al servizio dell’imperatore Carlo V e cui l’allora Segine, oggi Acaya, deve il nome, apriva le porte al più grande ingegnere del Rinascimento. Sembra quasi di vederlo, quell’autorevole personaggio del Rinascimento meridionale, uno dei progettisti più importanti del Mezzogiorno d’Italia, fare gli onori di casa al poliedrico  Leonardo. E lo avrebbe fatto con naturalezza, senza forzature, ospitando oggetti in grado di ingannare l’occhio umano, inducendolo a credere di stare ad ammirare manufatti ben inseriti in quelle sale perchè ad esse coevi.

Poliedro a facce triangolari

Arduo ipotizzare, infatti, che vere e proprie armi progettate dal genio fiorentino a cavallo tra XV e XVI secolo siano di fattura odierna; difficile concepire nella nostra società supertecnologica tanta maestria nella lavorazione artigianale dei materiali; incredibile scoprire di cosa sia in grado la passione umana.
Interrogativi e dubbi facilmente dissipabili ascoltando un racconto, la storia di un uomo del Sud rapito dalla genialità leonardesca. Non fa altro che parlare di sé il 57enne Giuseppe Manisco quando, passando dalla sala delle armi, a quella della tecnologia per concludere in quella della scienza, narra con palpabile commozione la sua avventura ad una sempre attenta platea.
Ed incuriosisce venire a sapere che galeotto fu un libro, che tutto cominciò con questo apprezzatissimo regalo, che i disegni di Leonardo sulle innumerevoli macchine affascinarono Manisco, trovando in lui terreno fertile allo studio e all’approfondimento. Proprio in lui, da sempre abituato, in virtù della sua innata “genialità”, a ricevere richieste di soluzioni a mille situazioni problematiche, sul lavoro in Enel come Capo Turno Centro Operativo – Province di Lecce, Brindisi e

Sala delle armi

Taranto, ma anche nella vita di tutti i giorni. Proprio in lui, nato esattamente 500 anni dopo il grande Leonardo, una simpatica curiosità che lo riempie di orgoglio e che rafforza simbolicamente un legame ormai indissolubile.
La lettura quasi fortuita di quella pubblicazione regalatagli da un amico gli svelò un mondo affascinante, che avrebbe condizionato il suo cammino: il tratto di Leonardo, la sua straordinaria capacità di inventare, il suo sperimentare per comprendere la realtà, il suo essere uomo e figlio del suo tempo, il non fermarsi davanti alle difficoltà, tutto ciò veniva dolcemente iniettato in Giuseppe.

Ponte girevole

E da lì alla realizzazione pratica della prima macchina nel 2004 il passo fu breve; la lanciasassi dell’epoca di Leonardo tornava in vita in casa Manisco creando un contrasto anacronistico, in grado di suscitare in tutta la famiglia, primi spettatori, stupore e incredulità. Sensazioni che presto divennero consuete. Lo studio silenzioso e concentrato per cogliere indispensabili particolari, la corsa a sperimentare con ferro e legno, con pezzi antichi o resi tali, a volte la delusione causata da affrettate ipotesi, ma poi sempre la soddisfazione di aver fatto un passo avanti verso l’interpretazione; la reale interpretazione, quella umile e rispettosa dell’intuizione originaria, quella che nulla inventa ma che solo si interroga, quella foriera di crescita. Animato da tali sentimenti, l’artista galatonese ha riprodotto in scala reale con le sue sole mani ben quaranta splendide macchine rispettando alla lettera tutti i dettami di Leonardo, dalla scelta dei materiali alle tecniche costruttive, e con orgoglio le espone oggi nel Castello di

Carro falciante

Acaya.

Ma ancor più appagante ed edificante per Giuseppe Manisco è regalare anche attraverso le sue parole, e non soltanto attraverso il frutto della sua maestria realizzativa, curiosità ed intuizioni del grande Leonardo, spiegazioni e soluzioni di cui lui stesso è andato alla ricerca.
Una collezione “unica” è stata definita. Unica per la magistrale interpretazione. Unica perché animata ed arricchita dalla grande passione esplicativa del realizzatore e dalla sua contagiosa voglia di addentrarsi nei segreti della scienza e della tecnologia.

(Fotografie di Christian Imbriani)

The previous six posts suggest accelerating social innovation is an essential notion for Canada. The Public Policy Forum created a useful definition for social innovation:

“Social innovation is the successful application of new ideas in way that produce positive social, environmental, and cultural outcomes. Social innovation can be an initiative, product, process or program that profoundly changes the basic routines, resource and authority flows or beliefs of any system. Successful social innovations have durability and broad impact.”

Recognizing it is important for a deeper societal collaboration and sound societal initiatives. And, we know and respect that we are also part of a global family and we can care as deeply about Africa and Asia as we do our Canada, taking steps now to ensure sustainability.

Social innovations to which we collectively aspire are addressing big issues for our time. These social innovations also require much: innovation thinking, sound initiatives well-implemented and societal changes. These social innovations also require champions and personal participation from the rich diversity of our multi-cultural nation in ways that take these ideas and guide them improving life for all Canadians, and our global family.

It is recognized that the need exists for greater capacity building – in government, the not for profit and profit worlds – and collaboration will always be a central consideration.

Just as there are risks from doing nothing, risks too apply to innovation. By its nature innovation embodies risk, and on occasion, creative failure. Yet, which is the greater risk for Canada, and the global family?

Convergence coincident with ever-greater technological advancements make imperative that we tell our story better – our dialogue and actions demand better communications for a wider audience, including non specialized groups and communities.

Social innovators across Canada are and can stand upon the shoulders of those who go before, building upon the success of smaller applications. In these efforts scalability plays an important role. Enabling mechanisms such as collaborative networks, innovation hubs and processes designed to deepen cross-sector research and development cry out for successful implementation for enabling the breath of humanity in our larger society. And concurrently is a profound need to have solid metrics that identify and evaluate the quantitative and qualitative results relating to initiatives.

This requires a fundamental change of the landscape, a culture engaged in the search for sustainable solutions across broad spectrums.

Practice makes perfect.

“All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions.” Leonardo da Vinci

“…Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship. It is the act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth.” Peter F. Drucker

We all strive toward this beautiful reality in social innovation:

“Eureka” Archimedes

Be Inspired Today!

The New Currency SDM “Change…At the Speed of Thought”

Fino al 21 Febbraio 2010,
Museo d’Arte di Lugano:

Corpo Automi Robot
Tra arte, scienza e tecnologia.

Il Museo d’Arte, nell’ambito delle iniziative promosse dal Polo Culturale della Città di Lugano, organizza, in collaborazione con la Fondazione Antonio Mazzotta di Milano e con la partecipazione del Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia “Leonardo da Vinci” di Milano e del Museo Cantonale d’Arte di Lugano la mostra “Corpo, automi, robot. Tra arte, scienza e tecnologia”, la quale affronta con un approccio interdisciplinare il rapporto tra il corpo umano e la rappresentazione che di esso è stata data da parte delle arti, della scienza e della tecnologia, soprattutto per quanto riguarda la dinamica dell’imitazione del corpo (con gli automi) e della sua sostituzione (con i robots).

L’esposizione allestita al Museo d’Arte e a Villa Ciani, è a cura di Bruno Corà (Direttore del Museo d’Arte e Coordinatore del Polo Culturale di Lugano), Pietro Bellasi (Curatore della Fondazione Antonio Mazzotta e Professore di sociologia presso l’Università di Bologna), Gilles Caprari (Ricercatore in robotica ETHZ e Direttore della GCtronic Robotica, Mendrisio), Christoph Hänggi (Direttore del Museum für Musikautomaten, Seewen), Mario G. Losano (Professore di Filosofia del Diritto e Informatica giuridica, Università del Piemonte Orientale), Carlo Piccardi (Musicologo), Pio Pellizzari (Direttore della fonoteca nazionale svizzera, Lugano), Renato Reichlin (Direttore del Settore Spettacoli della Città di Lugano), Vivi Vassillopoulou (Direttrice delle Antichità e del Patrimonio Culturale della Grecia, Ministero greco della cultura, Atene).

Il Museo Cantonale d’Arte, collabora al progetto approfondendo la tematica del volto con una mostra intitolata “Guardami. Il volto e lo sguardo nell’arte 1969-2009” a cura di Marco Franciolli, (Direttore, Museo Cantonale d’Arte) e Bettina Della Casa (Curatrice, Museo Cantonale d’Arte).

La mostra si articola in due sezioni: la prima, allestita a Villa Ciani, ripercorre la storia degli automi, proponendo un excursus dalla Grecia classica ai nostri giorni e includendo alcuni prodotti della più avanzata tecnologia quali robot, androidi, ecc. La seconda, presentata al Museo d’Arte dà spazio alla riflessione sulla creazione artistica dell’età moderna e contemporanea incentrata sul rapporto corpo-macchina e corpo-tecnologia.

Reperti archeologici, disegni, libri a stampa, documenti relativi, al teatro, al cinema e alla musica, varie tipologie di automi -fra i quali il celebre disegnatore di Jacquet-Droz- realizzati nel XVIII secolo, giocattoli, dipinti, sculture, video, installazioni, robot industriali e ludici sono presentati seguendo un allestimento a carattere prevalentemente cronologico, senza peraltro escludere ibridazioni di tipo tematico, tali da consentire la messa in dialogo delle opere esposte, provenienti da diverse raccolte sparse in tutto il mondo.

Il Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia “Leonardo da Vinci” di Milano partecipa con sei modelli storici di macchine costruite negli anni ‘50 partendo dall’interpretazione dei disegni di Leonardo da Vinci e dedicate allo sviluppo di automatismi o alla traduzione di forme animali e umane, come le strutture alari e il palombaro.

“Corpo, automi, robot. Tra arte, scienza e tecnologia” costituisce l’offerta culturale più rilevante della Città di Lugano nell’autunno 2009. Il progetto infatti prevede numerose manifestazioni collaterali tra cui una rassegna cinematografica a cura del cineclub Luganocinema93, una serie di iniziative organizzate da Oggi Musica e una serie di spettacoli teatrali nell’ambito della stagione teatrale luganese.

Il catalogo bilingue (italiano/inglese) edito da Mazzotta, contiene la riproduzione a colori di tutte le opere presenti in mostra e i contributi critici dei curatori e di esperti di diverse discipline: dalla storia all’arte, alla musica, al teatro, al cinema, all’ingegneria.

> Qui una selezione delle opere esposte.

Infos:
FINO AL 21 FEBBRAIO 2010
Da martedì a domenica 10.00 – 18.00
e 28 dicembre 10.00 – 18.00
24 dicembre 10.00 – 14.00
1 gennaio 14.00 – 18.00
chiuso il lunedì e 25-26 dicembre
Villa Malpensata – Villa Ciani, Lugano.
> Ulteriori dettagli per organizzare la visita.
Per ogni altra informazione: http://www.mdam.ch/index.cfm

Perhaps you have noticed that the tag line for this blog is a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “All the great speakers were bad speakers at first.” Great quote. (And perfect for a blog about public speaking.)

Here’s a slide of the quote and a picture of Emerson that I have used in courses that I have taught on public speaking and presentation skills:

Question: Would the slide be as effective if Emerson’s picture were flipped the other way as in the slide below?

Most people (and all of my students) prefer the first slide. Why? Because Emerson is “looking” at the words. In the second slide, he is looking away from them.

Psychologists have found that most people have their vision “pulled” in the same direction as that in which the person in the picture is looking. Yet we also want to read the words; thus when they are on the other side, we are simultaneously pulled in the opposite direction.

Another example; this one a little more nuanced. Have a look at the two slides below. Do you have a preference for one over the other?

Some of the people in my classes had no opinion; however the vast majority preferred the first one. Now, in the first slide, Lisa – if I may be so presumptuous as to be on a first-name basis – has her face turned away from the words. However, her eyes are looking at them. In the second slide, the reverse is true.

This makes sense. Have you ever spoken with someone who is facing you but whose eyes at one point look elsewhere? You will almost certainly turn and look in the same direction to see what is there.

Admittedly, today’s tip is a subtle one and most people would not have difficulty with any of the slides above. However, as speakers our job is to make it as easy as possible for our audiences to understand and remember our message. Thus, everything that we can do to add a little more “spit and polish” to our presentations tilts the balance in our favour.

The next time you combine pictures of people and words on a slide, make them work as effectively as possible by having the people look at the words. And be creative. You do not have to limit yourself to pictures of people looking directly left or right. With a bit of thought, all kinds of pictures can be used.

Just ask Albert Einstein, someone who did his fair share of thinking.