Friday Five

1. FutureLearn: This new MOOC site is the British equivalent of Coursera and it allows you to take college courses online for free.  Not only do they have a better variety of courses, but their site is so much nicer.  The site itself is much more organized and cleaner than Coursera. It's easy to use and much more interactive and fun.  Speaking of MOOCs...

2. MoocMonitor on Twitter: A MOOC is a massive Open Online Course site.  MOOCMonitor on Twitter serves as a one-stop shop in regards to all things MOOC.  It makes research for work much easier and is always presenting new course opportunities and classes I've never even heard of.  Twitter isn't always relevant, but I think the creators behind this handle definitely have the right idea!

3. The 21 Loveliest Places to go on a Date in London: While it's lovely to think I'd move to London and meet the Prince Charming (or Sherlock Holmes) of my dreams, I just don't have that luck.  But if I did, I'd be ready with this fantastic list of great date places.  Even without the date to take me there, there are some serious hidden gems that I'd just love to see.

4. Hawking on PBS: On Wednesday evening, Stephen Hawking presented an in-depth look at his life so far.  If you don't know anything about him, he's one of the most brilliant human beings living today.  He also has been living with ALS since the 60s and is forced to communicate with slight movements in his cheek that power a computer.  That man is nothing short of a medical miracle, and has still been able to present some of the most important ideas in Physics in a century.  While I understand next to nothing of his work, I'm fascinated by the way he lives his life and the amazing pieces of medical equipment that allow him to continue working.  

5. Mexican Food: I am in love with Mexican Food.  I can eat it pretty much anytime of day, multiple times a day.  It's even better when you have a father that makes REALLY delicious Mexican food. Yum Yum Yum!  Only question I have is: when are you making more?
  

Creativity Is...

A few weeks ago I decided to sign up for this Creativity class on a whim, through Coursera.  As far as I know the darn thing doesn't start until September but all 5000 of us participants have been getting weekly email "assignments" to gear up for what seems slightly intense/over the top for an online free class.  But I suppose it's summer and I don't really have much else to do, so I'm game.  Tonight's "assignment" was to think up 5 words that described creativity and they would include them all in a word cloud this weekend.  After a bit of deliberation my words were:

1. Necessary - The world would be so boring without creatives in our lives!

2. Contagious - I don't know about you, but I feel a whole lot more creative after spending a few hours browsing Pinterest.

3. Un-teachable - Though I'm not sure this is a real word, I'm sticking by it.  I think it's next to impossible to teach someone how to be creative.  You can teach them how to do creative things like art projects or preparing a 4 course meal but you can't change their thought patterns.  They have to discover the hidden potential on their own.

4. Innate - Like I said, it's a thought process thing.  We're all creative in our own ways, it's just the expression of that creativity that differs.  Don't let anyone ever say that they're not creative.  They just haven't discovered how to be yet.

5. Awesome! - Seeing a beautifully performed scene in a television show, hearing a stirring new song on the radio, reading a well-crafted novel, viewing a gorgeous photo, and about thousands of other things we all do on a daily basis: what could be better!?  The world is actually a pretty boring place, it's all of us creating our own little pieces of it, that makes it so awe-inspiring!

PS: Since I couldn't find a single picture that spoke the word "creativity" to me, I improvised...hence the rainbow font : )