Star Wars Medical Treatment? Not so far, far away.....

The nerds among us, including myself, grew up on science fiction movies such as Star Wars. We reveled in moments that were so far beyond what we could imagine – aliens, spacecraft and Jedi being some prominent examples. But we also took comfort in moments that we could relate to – the heartache of star-crossed lovers, the thrill of danger, and the journey of a hero. And if the hero got knocked down, there was always amazing technology that could get them back up. Bacta tanks were the answer to freezing in the cold of Hoth, R2-D2 could be patched up, and if you lost an arm, an animatronic replacement was just around the corner.

Modern medicine for amputees, however, is much closer to a peg-legged Captain Hooke than ‘a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.’ However, advances in medicine mean that a far greater number of people are able to survive injuries that the used to die from, including amputations of limbs. Along with the fact that these people are also going to be living far longer, we now live in a society where we try to get those who are disabled to live the most normal lives that they can. The problem is that modern limbs are very limited. Only recently have we been able to solve issues so that people have control of fine motor skills via the central nervous system, along with new increases in mobility and animatronics.

The main barrier that stands between the current world and Star Wars is the sense of touch. All false limbs currently are made without any sense in the appendages. This means that, even though you can pick something up, you can’t feel that you have done it. That doesn’t sound like so much of a problem, does it? Think again!

The reality is that our sense of touch is used so often we hardly think about it. We control the amount of force that we use to type on keyboards, open a door, or cradle a laughing child, by noting our grip strength and applied force. When you pick up a smooth metal water bottle, you have to apply a significantly greater amount of force to maintain your grip than you would have to if you were holding an orange. However, we can feel that we can use that force on the bottle without damaging it, while such force on an orange would crush it, through our sense of touch.

Unfortunately, amputees cannot benefit from this sense of touch. This makes their lives much more complicated. Given the fact that the control of their new limbs is far from perfect, and that the difference in force needed in the above example is significant and can result in damage, they must act with care every moment of their lives. Some things, such as holding a young child, can sometimes simply be beyond them.

Enter the combined Swiss-Italian research team led by neuro-engineer Silvestro Micera of Switzerland's Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne. Previous pilot programs in Europe and the US have been able to give patients who are test-driving the prototypes a sense of touch. However, this new research, Restoring Natural Sensory Feedback in Real-Time Bidirectional Hand Prostheses, published in Science Translational Medicine, takes technology even further. As the Sydney Morning Herald reported, the test subject of the new technology was “not only could tell differences in the shape and hardness of objects, he also could quickly react and adjust his grip.” This ability to react and adjust is key, allowing amputees to use their new limbs as if they were their original appendages. Micera noted that, even with this primitive prototype, "[The test subject] was able to use this information immediately in a quite sophisticated way."

Key to this new technology is the implanting of nerve sensors into the nerve endings in the amputated limbs. This innovative adaptation allows for direct motor control and sensory feedback. Scientific innovation of this sort is the result of not only the individual scientists and engineers working on the project and experimenting with different approaches, but also building upon the innovations of generations of scientists that have come before them. The creativity has to be seen, as Sterberg et al argue, not as the invention of a new thing, but rather as the improvement and application of existing things in a new way.

Dennis Sorensen of Denmark, the test subject of the new technology, raved about the results. "It was just amazing," he said. "It was the closest I have had to feeling like a normal hand." Sorensen is also very excited about moving past the primitive nature of current prosthetics. "You always have to look and see what's going on, so that's what is so much different from this new hand that I tried," said Sorensen, alluding to difficulties including dropped plates and crushed objects.

Noted scientists praised the joint venture as “an important step.” Biomedical engineer Dustin Tyler, leader of a similar research project in Ohio, commended the work, noting that “it is really putting the brain back in control of the system.” University of Pittsburgh neurobiologist Andrew Schwartz noted the simplicity of the project, adding that "It shows with a few sensors and some pretty elementary technology, they can recover a fair amount of functionality."

While mass production, or even a portable version, of this technology is still years away from development, the clear advance in this technology is worthy of commendation. The best thing is that, for the millions of amputees around the world, this means that soon they will be able to live their lives more like those with healthy limbs. For the nerds among us, it’s even more exciting – the reality is that Star Wars is that much closer.

Sources

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/artificial-hand-gives-wearers-a-sense-of-touch-20140206-322ty.html
http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/6/222/222ra19

Degradation = Inspiration

Over the past several years a struggling national economy and the hardships experienced across the nation seemed to be epitomized in the collapsing city of Detroit. Once, the heart of the automobile industry in the United States, the city has experienced a dramatic decline in population, a significant increase in unemployment, and a plummeting real estate market that has forced many people to abandon their homes and places of business and flee to the suburbs. The continued demise of the city resulted in it being the largest United States city to file for bankruptcy, which was completed in 2013.

It is not surprising that within the last 10 years, Detroit’s overall population has decreased by 25 percent. What is surprising is that the population under the age of 35 in the city has increased by 59 percent within that same time period. This surprising shift of young professionals into the seemingly collapsing city is the result of the rising artistic movement in Detroit that has helped to keep the city (barley) afloat. Initially drawn to the city by the cheap real estate and cheap cost of living, the youth of Detroit have become dedicated to reviving the city.

One of the most amazing movements that has been fueled by the status of the Detroit economy and other cities like it, is the style of urban decay photography that has spread throughout galleries and art shows around the nation. Photographers from all over the world have been attracted to the imploding and abandoned buildings in cities like Detroit. These struggling cities can provide them with a plethora of buildings and structures to use in composing their works. These often haunting photos represent snapshots in American society, showing the remnants of a better time, while also showing the current status of the cities. As the audience, we are confronted with the disturbing images of what may happen to the world if left to exist untouched and also the exquisite beauty and power that nature possesses. Many of these untouched masterpieces have sat like time vaults, with only nature to eat away at the objects within them creating a strangely beautiful medley of colors, shadows, and scenes that create incredibly unique photos.

One of the rising photographers known for his urban photography is Matthew Christopher, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Christopher began photographing abandoned buildings when he researched the decline of the state hospital system in Philadelphia. He wanted a creative outlet to make the information he found available to the public and chose photography as an effective medium because of its ability to provide visualizations of the problems. According to Christopher, one of the most appealing aspects of working in these locations is the sense of individualism and the peacefulness. He also says that it gives a unique perspective and appreciation for what we have in society today, while also providing a sense of sad realization for the beautiful masterpieces that are so easily forgotten in the fast pace society that we live in. Christopher has attempted to not only provide himself with unique pieces of art for his portfolio, he has worked hard to raise awareness and funding for the preservation of many of these landmarks.

From the unique locations to the amazing colors and shadows created in these buildings, these photos  convey beauty in an incredibly depressing setting. Not only has the artistic movement in cities like Detroit sparked a revitalization of the culture and the economy, the photographs have communicated the “true” images of what the city looks like today. This has not only sparked a new type of photography that is unique and beautiful, it has improved awareness of the collapsing cities across the nation and provided a new sense of use and dignity to cities and buildings that otherwise have been written off as failed and useless.  

References:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2340806/Abandoned-America-Photographer-captures-haunting-images-rusting-steel-works-crumbling-schools-factories-great-superpower.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/fashion/the-young-and-entrepreneurial-move-to-downtown-detroit-pushing-its-economic-recovery.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

The Art of Making Space

Despite opposing opinions, I do believe it is safe to say that as planet Earth is still perfectly capable of providing a stable environment for its inhabitants. However the issue at hand is overcrowding. And no, I am not presenting a radical statement in which populations are increasing so rapidly that I would advise you all to start making plans for settling on mars. I just want to bring attention to the urbanization that is creating somewhat of an unsettling problem for those individuals leaving the rural lands and trying to prosper in the urban cities.

It could be traced back to the Industrial Revolution and our ancestors’ desire to keep growing, getting bigger in everything, and reconstructing this world by maximizing the apparently bountiful resources at hand. Just like back then, the lure of urbanization, today, seems to be a popular one for a multitude of reasons: cultural exposure, economic and educational benefits, etc. Nevertheless, with all the individuals trying to commit to the “city life”, living arrangements can become somewhat of a hassle.

Whether it is a student looking for efficient ways to organize his or her dorm room or an architect trying to develop structures for the upcoming World Cup in Brazil, space is always an issue. ­­­­­In an effort to get the most out of small square units of space, there are individuals who have mastered this practice of maximization. As I was perusing the internet, only in an effort to fulfill my role as a dedicated college student of the 21^st century, I came across this video that blew my mind. Graham Hill gives us a tour of his apartment and reveals a beautiful new art of saving space (http://jacksgap.com/genius-apartment-design/). There are many more artists, if you will, like Graham who are taking measures to contribute to this brilliant idea.

This is becoming a new wave of design that allows individuals to continue living in small areas and still enjoy the luxury of spacious areas. It appears to be so simple. These ever so advanced apartments do not look as if they are scenes from sci-fi movies; they are perfectly normal living spaces in which a general population of city residents sleeps in every night. This does not resonate as a completely divergent way in design and thinking, rather, just a new take on methods that are already there.  Ward mentions this concept of novel variation when he asks college students to create monsters. None of these designs were totally abstract. Many took the form of symmetrical figures possessing limbs similar to creatures already inhabiting the earth. Evidently, it was difficult for the imagination to create something without drawing upon past influences and inspirations.

Are these new apartments’ designs merely shifts in practical strategizing or have they opened the door for a new paradigm of design and architecture? Only time will tell. On that note, I welcome further exploration of the possibilities the 21^st century has to offer.

Modern Day Shakespeare: Matt Groening

     Is it possible for one of the greatest comedic writers of all time to be underappreciated? A strong case could certainly be made for the legendary Matt Groening. Groening may have 12 Emmy Awards as well as a British Comedy Award to his name, but this barely scratches the surface to his genius.  Others such as Disney and Acme created animated skits beforehand, but Groening's work was still novel in length and story. Like a modern day Shakespeare, Groening created the plot for essentially every comedy sketch known to man.  Unfortunately not everyone has recognized Groening's true genius.  Geniuses, according to Dean Simonton, is a person who has phenomenal achievement and superlative intellect.  The awards and episodes confirm back up those claims.

Photo by lardlad.com

     Though all of Groening's work is phenomenal, The Simpsons are undoubtedly his best and most creative work.  Humor has always been a huge part in the television industry, but very few creators have been able to make as many novel works as Groening.  He managed to take an animated series, which is typically a niche television segment for children, and turned it into a universally appealing show.  The main character, Homer Simpson, plays a prototypical silly character who is so ignorant of his surroundings that it's hilarious.  All of the supporting characters have very distinct personalities and catch phrases that make them memorable.  Additionally, pop culture references are littered throughout every episode of the series, making them enjoyable for people of all interests.

  

     Of course, the best part about Groening's genius is his foresight on American society.  Episode 23 of Season 8: Homer's Enemy is the greatest episode of not just the Simpsons, but of all cartoon episodes ever.   This is the only episode where Homer Simpson, every viewer's lovable doofus, actually becomes somewhat of a villain.  Homer's Enemy is centered around Frank Grimes, the self-made man who never had anything handed to him, but still persevered.  The brilliance of the episode is that Groening predicted the dangers of our society's obsession with nonsense before it happened.  Initially, Grimes (a true hero) gets his five minutes of fame for obtaining a nuclear physics degree while hospitalized.  Immediately afterwards, Grimes' fame is taken away by a heroic dog and so did his job offer.  The shift from real news to nonsense news (overemphasis on celebrities or random events) did not occur until the mid 2000s.  Groening predicted this in 1997 with his amazing episode.


   
     The Simpsons did not create a paradigm shift in humor, but they did create this shift with the application of it.  According to Kaufman and Beghetto, Big-C creativity needs to have clear and eminent creative contributions.  Not only has Groening created a large quantity of Simpsons episodes, but he also has a ton of variety.  Most sitcoms consist of the main characters going through very similar everyday occurrences.  The semantics are altered, but the plot is generally consistent.  The Simpsons is one of the few shows that changes character development as well as circumstances.  Audiences get to see homer go to the moon, but also change as a parent, a husband, coworker, and friend throughout the episodes.  Groening's combination of animated repetition with live action sitcom development is truly an eminent accomplishment.

   Groening says he drew his inspiration from Saturday Night Live.  He wanted to express the nihilism evident in Saturday Night Live on The Simpson's while still telling a story from his heart.  The cognitive process utilized by Groening was to include realism in the cartoon without ignoring that it is a cartoon.  He wants the actions of the characters need to be improbable, not impossible.  "It's OK for Homer to fall off a cliff and survive, but he's got to be pretty banged up."  Steven Smith and Thomas Ward believe that conceptualization and visualization are the 2 most important factors within the cognitive thinking process.  Based off of Groening's work, it's safe to say that he exemplifies both factors.



     Though critics openly praise Groening's work, few competing authors replicate that praise.  There could be various reasons for this situation such as the nature of the industry.  Even though they have not openly praised Groening, it's obvious that they recognize his genius.  South Park creator, Trey Parker, made an entire episode, The Simpsons Already Did It, to exemplify how talented a creator Groening is.  Additionally, Family Guy creator, Seth MacFarlane received a ton of criticism for stealing scenes from The Simpsons for his show.  Emulation is one of the biggest praises they could give to Groening because it means that his work is so valuable, that they had to use it themselves.




     In final analysis, whether you live him or hate him, you can't deny the genius of Matt Groening.  In the era of garbage reality TV and moron celebrities, it's good to know that shows created by Groening still exist.

Are we recording?

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, JGL, or RegularJoe, as he goes by on his website, is an actor, producer, writer, director, musician, founder and owner of hitRECord and so much more. 

Just barely pre-youtube, in 2005, JGL was seeking a place to showcase some of his small artistic projects and so, with the help of his brother, set up a website where he could post videos and other pieces he had thrown together. That is what hitRECord started as, simply a place for JGL to share some things he was passionate about outside of the big Hollywood scene. However, in the years since, it has turned into a full-on collaborative production company bringing together thousands of creative individuals online, at live shows, and as of last month, on TV.

JGL describes hitRECord as developing organically. On the original site he created a message board so that he could gain feedback about his projects, and this led to a community of artistic people all sharing their own perspectives, however it was still very centered around JGL's posts. But JGL describes himself and his brother as both having a deeply engrained belief that people should be able to express themselves and voice their opinions. This led them to look for a way to work with intellectual property laws to create what is now the hitRECord collaborative production company. A place where people can upload their own pieces of art, download others and remix them, put someone else's story to music or a cartoon, then re-upload it as something completely new and collaborative. This was officially launched in 2010 at the Sundance Film Festival, and since then has grown to the point where they have put out books, created short films, and now have a TV show that, before even airing its first episode, had been signed on for a second season. 

So, how does this actually work? Well, users join for free and then they can upload pretty much any of their original work, so they have to have the rights to whatever they put on the site, they can't submit a video with a Bob Marley track - to use JGL's example. And by doing this, users submit to anyone else downloading their work and remixing it, then uploading it again, and of course all users have the right to do that to other peoples creations. A lot of times RegularJoe will submit a request for pieces related to a certain theme or to go with a script he's written for a particular project. With the start of the TV show, he has requested pieces based on where he wants the episode to go. Each episode is totally different and has a completely new theme. The one that I actually just watched was Re: Fantasy, which was actually really related to this class because it was all about fantasy and the creativity that goes on in your own mind. HitRECord then gets thousands of uploads responding to these requests and JGL and his small team go through them with the help of other users and the "heart" tool. One of the greatest things is that JGL can have an idea or a theme that he wants to follow, but ultimately what the show ends up looking like is dependent on how other people interpret that idea and what they put out together.

When they upload these pieces, users are also agreeing for them to be used in the profit-making ventures of the company, because it is a production company at its core. A really cool part of the whole venture is that when somebody's contribution gets used either on the show or becomes part of the book or in any way makes a profit, JGL and his team work out the financial stuff so that the company keeps 50% of the profits and the other 50% are split proportionally between all the contributors. They obviously have a formula for figuring this out, but they also post a preliminary profit proposal online for 4 weeks and any of the users can give their feedback (I think this piece deserves a bigger/smaller cut…) and then the final breakdown is settled on and checks get sent out.

HitRECord then, is not just a creative venture of JGL's, it's not solely what Maslow would consider primary creativity, it's not just JGL self-actualizing and fulfilling himself, although I think for him, creating a space for others to realize themselves and express themselves would be considered a dream come true or at least a really fulfilling experience. But I think he has put something together that is creating a different avenue in the entertainment, artistic world. It's not big screen Hollywood but it's not dinky little youtube. Obviously it's not Big-C, he's not changing the entertainment world, there is no paradigm shift here, but I think it's bigger than little-c just because of the scope it has and the insane amount of people it has reached, inspired and allowed to realize their own creativity.

So, you should all check it out (hitrecord.org), create an account, upload a piece of art or a song or a poem. Or if you aren't creative, like me, JGL always needs help from people with good taste to "heart" what's good, so that he doesn't have to go through every single piece that's uploaded or remixed each week. 

http://hitrecordjoe.tumblr.com

http://thinkprogress.org/alyssa/2014/01/18/3181191/joseph-gordon-levitt-hitrecord/

The Flavor of Creativity

            If necessity is the mother of invention, then serendipity must be the father. On the road to grand discoveries, innovators hit speed bumps along the way, but sometimes those speed bumps will knock you onto a new path. Such was the case with Chicago-based chef and molecular gastronomist Homaro Cantu when he discovered the miracle berry and the culinary phenomenon of flavor tripping.

 

            Cantu’s journey began when a friend who was receiving chemotherapy and radiation for cancer asked him to look for a way to improve the taste of food, as one side effect of chemo is the twisting of the taste buds. Because the taste buds are twisted, patients cannot taste sweetness, only sour and metallic tastes. Cantu began the search for such a cure and happened upon a berry he suspects is originally from West Africa. This fruit, named the miracle berry, contains miraculin, a substance that coats the tongue, making sour foods taste sweet. Cantu also found that miraculin will latch onto the twisted taste buds and untwist them. He had found the solution to his friend’s taste problems, but he had also unlocked the door to an untapped market of the food industry.

            As a molecular gastronomist, Cantu realized the power the miracle berry had to eliminate the need for sugar in food. He argues that if your tongue is coated in miraculin, healthy, sugarless foods can be combined to make a healthy junk food. This phenomenon is called “flavor tripping,” and it is the driving force behind the success of his two restaurants, Ing and Moto. A video on the Ing website shows Cantu at home with his wife and two daughters. He walks viewers through the process of flavor tripping and makes waffles with caramel apple sauce—all without sugar. The entire science has been developed in the field of flavor tripping based out of the food laboratories that are connected to his restaurants. 

The innovations that stem from this discovery go much farther than an amazing culinary experience. Cancer specialists are currently studying mirculin for the possibility of treating chemo patients. Though the studies are incomplete, they are beginning to show that chemo patients who use miracle berries gain more weight and have a more enjoyable eating experience. Cantu is also working toward applying the “sugarless junk food” he has created to the obesity epidemic in America. He believes that technology can be developed to infuse junk food with miriculin, essentially making the two-step process he uses at his restaurants into a one-step, everyday experience.

In addition to the extensive work with the miracle berry, Cantu has developed a system of indoor farms where the offices of his Moto restaurant used to be. He organically grows all his own food, saving the business $2,000 a week in extraneous packaging, preserving, and shipping costs. This also gives him complete control over the food he gives his customers. Cantu says that the thing he values most is efficiency. With efficiency, he can save money, and put that saved money toward becoming more efficient.

“Everything becomes obsolete at some point,” he said. “The trick is staying ahead of the curve.”

Cantu draws his inspiration from experiences he had as a child:

I grew up very poor. My mother, sister, and I were homeless for about 3 years. We went from homeless shelter to homeless shelter, and all we saw was junk food. When I started working in nicer restaurants I realized the biggest difference between poverty and upper middle class was diet. There’s a huge opportunity out there to take all the problems with food that I grew up with and really flip them upside down.

His family background and childhood as well as his expertise in the fields of molecular gastronomy and culinary arts both served him in his creative and innovative endeavors.

Even though it’s as if timing and circumstance led Cantu to his discovery, he also used all but one of the “Creative Aids” outlined by Steven M. Smith and Thomas B. Ward in their article “Cognition and the Creation of Ideas.” These aids are: combination, abstraction, noticing, knowledge, and support technologies. Combination is the technique of blending novel ideas with old ones. In developing new foods for his restaurants, he takes what he has already created and reshapes it to make new taste experiences. Essentially, the ingredients he uses are not new, they’re just combined in new ways. Abstraction is looking at the problem in an abstract way so as to see all possibilities instead of focusing on what is in front of you. Cantu searched the world over for the miracle berry when a less creative person would have looked for a medication or a certain food group that they already had at their disposal.

Noticing involves seeing all of the possibilities of your discovery. After he found a solution to his friend’s problem, Cantu could have moved on with his life and started other projects. Instead, he noticed that the miracle berry could be used for other purposes as well. Knowledge is the next step after noticing. Because Cantu had the knowledge base he did, he was able to expound upon the possibilities he noticed. Without cooking school and a scientific education, he would not have been able to capitalize on his ideas. In the same vein, he would not have been able to make his creations without the help of the support technologies at his disposal. He used all of these cognitive creative aids to turn his discovery into a business, then a career, then a science.

The fact that his work is on its way to change the food industry is a real life example of how little-c creativity can become Big-C. Little-c creativity is his restaurants and the various concoctions made to delight customers. Big-C creativity is the paradigm shift in suggesting that sugar could become obsolete. In Cantu’s own words, “There’s a whole world in gastronomy that we’re opening the doors to. It’s really kind of mind blowing.”