•  We Can Vastly Improve Education by Teaching This One Skill - http://bit.ly/1ghVt5p

• Strongest evidence yet of two distinct human cognitive systems -  "Cognitive neuroscientists have hypothesized that humans have distinguishable systems for categorizing the objects in their world -- one more explicit (i.e., conscious and available to introspection), one less so, or more implicit," says Smith. "To grasp the differences between these two types of learning, Smith recommends that we remember certain distinctions in our performance of the tasks of daily life. "For instance, when you select a cereal named 'Chocoholic' from the store shelf," he says, "consider why you are doing so. Is it a deliberate, explicit choice, or is it possibly an implicit-procedural chocolate reaction, one triggered by processes, memories and so on, of which you are generally unaware?" http://bit.ly/1igG8By

• The Science of Failure: Why Highly Successful People Crave Mistakes - http://bit.ly/1l3feR7

• Ever-so-slight delay improves decision-making accuracy   http://bit.ly/MYuwr9

• Brian Eno's Reading List: 20 Essential Books for Sustaining Civilization - Deconstructing a magnificent mind through his reading diet for intellectual survival.  by Maria Popova - http://bit.ly/1lL50VI

• The New Spring, Brought To You By Climate Change, In Five Charts - http://bit.ly/1gQVj04

• The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change, By Al Gore.   This book came out in January of this year and is an impressive assessment of the vectors that are shaping the major issues affecting humanity and the planet:  1.  The deeply interconnected global economy which operates with different relationships between capital, labor, and governments than in the past; 2.  The emergence of a planet wide communications grid capturing the data and thoughts of billions of people in addition to enabling robots to become integrated into our personal and professional lives; 3.  Dynamic change in political, military, and economic power across the globe with the U.S. no longer controlling the balance; 4. Unsustainable growth in population, cities, resource consumption, and pollution all with destructive consequences; 5. The emergence of a new set of biological, biochemical, genetic, and materials science technologies allowing us to reweave the fabric of material life - all with huge risks as well as potential upsides; 6. The continued impact of man's effects on planetary ecological systems - the worst of which are changing the climate and availability of natural resources on a daily basis.  Gore's extensive experience in global politics, technology development, investing, and advocacy efforts on behalf of climate change make him worth listening to. If you want to adjust your course for the turbulence ahead, this is worth reading.

• Did Socrates Get it Wrong? In this 13 minute video, Dan Rothstein, co-director of the Right Question institute (love their tagline - "A Catalyst for Microdemocracy") and co-author of the book Make Just One Change: Teach Students to Ask their Own Questions - gives an overview of his work and the power of teaching students to think critically and ask insightful questions.  http://youtu.be/_JdczdsYBNA

• Ed Sheeran -  The self titled debut from the British 22 year old is a terrific upbeat acoustic pop and folk record.  

• Ben Taylor - Deeper Than Gravity - Ben is the son of James Taylor and Carly Simon. He's a true mixture of both parent's best traits (though his voice is definitely more on the James Taylor side).  He's a great talent - excellent lyrics and style.  

• Shirley Horn - You Won't Forget Me  - The late Philadelphia native and Jazz legend, Shirley Horn came out of retirement in her late 60's and produced her best work. This is one of my favorite albums for late night melancholy moods...

• Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, and Paco DeLucia:  Various Artists - Friday Night In San Francisco The great flamenco guitarist, Paco DeLucia died unexpectedly recently at age 66.  This 1981 live album finds him at his fiery best along with two other guitar greats - Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin - who manage to light their own fireworks.  

• Leif Ove Andsnes - The Very Best of: Leif Ove Andsnes - The Norwegian Pianist is one of my favorites.  I tend to favor players who lean toward strong dynamics and Ove Andsnes always delivers.  I was fortunate to have seen him play live in London in 2004.  

• "People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion." - Albert Einstein

• "There are not many people totally devoid of some trace of kindness.  to find that trace of gold, when it is hidden in apparently stony ground, is one of the most exciting challenges." - Theodore Zeldin

• "Self is man's invincible foe, and self is manifested as man's four greatest passions: anger, pride, deceit, and greed. Man's greatest victory is the conquest of himself." - Jainism, (1450.6) 131:6.2  

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