Tuesday, November 24, 2009

“Rhodes Scholars named for 2010 - heartland connection.com” plus 4 more

“Rhodes Scholars named for 2010 - heartland connection.com” plus 4 more

Rhodes Scholars named for 2010 - heartland connection.com

Posted: 23 Nov 2009 07:05 PM PST

Monday, November 23, 2009 at 6:15 a.m.

Read more: Education, Rhodes Scholars

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A senior at Truman State University is among 32 men and women from across the U.S. have been selected as Rhodes Scholars for 2010.

Andrew McCall of St. Louis is the first Rhodes Scholar to be elected from Truman State.

He is studying philosophy and religion at the Kirksville school, which has about 6,000 students. He also is captain of the swimming team and a violinist in the university symphony.

McCall also has taken courses in Vienna, Austria, and the University of Colorado.

The scholarships announced early Sunday provide all expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford in England. The 32 winners were selected from 805 applicants endorsed by 326 different colleges and universities.

McCall plans to study philosophy.

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Kant do that: University of Cincinnati philosophy grad admits ... - Cleveland News - Fox 8

Posted: 19 Nov 2009 05:34 AM PST

By Associated Press

8:40 AM EST, November 19, 2009

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Honda’s design philosophy stresses function - KTVZ.com

Posted: 24 Nov 2009 09:10 AM PST

Honda isn't typically singled out for its design expertise. Instead, it is the fun-to-drive and rock-solid aspects of Honda vehicles that usually get top billing. But quietly, Honda has been capturing more and more international kudos for its leading-edge design work, and we were pleased to have the opportunity to meet with Nobuki Ebisawa, the corporate managing director and general manager of styling and design development, to talk about it.

Ebisawa stressed two simple and overarching themes for Honda design: dynamism and functionality. He said the company's designers still draw inspiration from the functional designs of the first-generation Civic and first-generation Accord that were drawn in the same nondescript design studio in which Ebisawa and his crew work today. And at the same time, they look back all the way to the 1963 S500 sports car to channel the dynamism that helps set the brand apart. 

Ebisawa is proud of what he calls "an unbroken chain of dynamism and functionality" that stretches from those earliest models through the legendary Acura NSX sports coupe of the '90s to the Honda Odyssey minivan that transformed its segment. He expects that the upcoming hybrid Honda CR-Z, which was shown in concept form at the recent Tokyo Motor Show, will draw on both aspects of the Honda personality. Functionality will be characterized by the fuel-efficient hybrid drivetrain, and dynamism will be expressed by the car's style and fun-to-drive nature.

While the exterior design of Honda vehicles has not always been highly praised, the interior of its vehicles -- and especially their instruments and controls -- have routinely been lauded around the globe. Ebisawa cites his group's intense study of the "man-machine interface" for this, noting that Honda has long relied on the philosophy "Man maximum, machine minimum" in its designs. This means that Honda's controls are intended to be intuitive, not intrusive: to help the driver, not to challenge the driver or to make a design statement for design's sake.

An example of this effort is the bi-level instrument panel seen on the current Honda Civic. Intuitive operation and instant recognition were keys in the design, and Ebisawa said that in the "layered construction," perceived space is enhanced and line of sight movement minimized to prioritize information. Special effort goes into achieving natural hand position and create buttons that are easily understood. Ebisawa believes that voice support is the next frontier in making things simpler and more functional.

Since 2000, said Ebisawa, Honda design execs made the conscious decision to add emotional appeal to the company's vehicles without compromising functionality. In keeping with the "man maximum, machine minimum" philosophy, space has been intentionally reduced for mechanical components, and interior space with long rooflines has been increased to maximize usable roominess.

The Honda CR-Z, which will be launched next year, will encapsulate all these ideas in a vehicle that is functional and emotional, dynamic yet pragmatic. It draws on Honda's long heritage while at the same time presenting a new face and a new heart. The CR-Z will also be the harbinger of even more fascinating products from the carmaker that was once best known for its motorcycles.

Tom Ripley Driving Today Contributing Editor Tom Ripley writes frequently about the auto industry and the human condition from his home in Villeperce, France. He is a big fan of the art world. 

Copyright (c) 2009 Studio One Networks. All rights reserved.

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Story Archives of 'philosophy' - NHPR

Posted: 24 Nov 2009 07:15 AM PST

Here's a question that's been stumping philosophers and psychologists for centuries: does the language we use to describe the world actually shape how we view the world? In other words, does an English speaker actually think differently, and live their life differently, than someone who speaks Mandarin, or Turkish?

That idea was largely pushed aside for the past half-century. Linguists like Noam Chomsky looked for universalities – aspects of grammar common to all languages, to show that we all think similarly, despite differences in language.

Now the idea that language shapes thought is coming back into fashion, thanks in part to researchers like Stanford neuroscientist Lera Boroditsky. She's been collecting data from China, Greece, Chile, Indonesia, Russia and Aboriginal Australia, among other places. And she believes language plays a big role in how we view the world. She joins us from San Francisco.

Edge: How Does Our Language Shape The Way We Think?
From What's Next?: Dispatches on the Future of Science

(Photo by Mike Bailey-Gates via Flickr/Creative Commons)

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Prison philosophy and the strange case of the clever parrot - The Guardian

Posted: 24 Nov 2009 07:37 AM PST

Is the parrot a person?

Is the parrot a person? Photograph: Kevin Schafer/Corbis

Tony can't get over the parrot. "Are you sure," he says, "about punishing this parrot?" Casey turns to him and says: "If you can hold an intelligent conversation with it, then sure, it's a person like anybody else." "It's not human," I say, "but it's a person." Tony takes a couple of seconds to gather himself. "So, am I a person?" "Is this an intelligent conversation?" asks Casey. "And this is John Locke is it?" "It sure is," says Ian. "And," says Tony, "if a human was like a parrot and not a person," pause, "could I eat him?" Ian's eyes light up, "Of course," he says, "why ever not?" "There are people in here who should be eaten right now," says Casey.

I can see John smiling at all this, and seeing John smile is quite something. John has been terribly ill, life-threateningly ill, in fact when Ian told us that he'd been shipped out to the local hospital it crossed our minds that it might be curtains. But here he is, and when he walked in this morning, I grabbed him, and when Casey saw him, he grabbed him, too. "I think we should keep quiet about all this," says John. "You know, Mr Parrot and cannibalism and all that. They might close us down." "What?" says Ade. "What do you mean: close us down?"

There has, in fact, been talk of closing the philosophy class. "They don't think that it gets you ready for the real world." "What," says Tony, "like the packing shop does?" I'm a bit taken aback by the sudden vehemence in the room. "This is real rehabilitation, this is," says Ade. Is it? I'd always liked the idea of being a waste of time. But Ade is right, of course. Philosophy and history and all those subjects that the bureaucrats have referred to as "fluffy" ("Fluffy?" says John, "Fluffy? Cheeky bastards.") – what they do is make you feel secure. Most of my guys have never been offered any kind of cultural education, have no real idea of who they are, where they come from. No one has given them much in the way of a systematic understanding of, for example, history – and so they have only a sketchy idea of what is happening to them. They are a bit lost. Like most of their contemporaries, I guess. Then, in step the useless ones, wasting time.

"It's like Michael Angelo," says Rhys. "He used to sit there just thinking about things. Not doing anything." "Yeah, he was," says John, "he was working." "From now on," says Ian, "that's what I'm going to tell people."

"They're not going to close us down are they, Al?" says Ade. And he sounds quite anxious. "No," I tell him. "Not with the power of the press behind us. I've told them that if they do, I shall denounce them in the Guardian: name the guilty men. They're running scared." Not that I suppose they are. My mother always used to say: "What can't think, can't feel."

"I want to live in a fluffy universe," says Tony. "I know you fuckin do," says Casey, "so let me set your tormented mind free."

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