Is Self-Esteem a Myth?

For at least a decade now, educators, psychologists and others have been preoccupied with boosting self-esteem and self-worth in individuals, particularly in young people, believing that it is the key to personal success. However, new research finds little correlation between individual levels of self-esteem and academic performance, happiness, career success or relationships.



Some of these studies have found, for instance, that self-perceptions often do not match perceptions held by others. Others suggest that high self-esteem may simply be a form of denial, naivetee or overconfidence, and that methods of measuring it are flawed. In teens, the conventional wisdom is that teenagers with a positive self-image are less likely to engage in sex and substance abuse. Though the findings remain inconclusive, some studies indicate just the opposite; kids with high self-esteem have more active social lives, which are more likely to put them in sexual situations and environments where drug and alcohol abuse occur. In other words, these are the "cool kids" who have lots of friends, get invited to parties and go out on dates.



In other realms, high self-esteem can have the unintended consequence of morphing into self-centerdness, causing selfish and even antisocial behavior. Obviously, this doesn't bode well for professional, romantic or any other type of adult relationship.



Clearly, this research has a way to go, and there's no reason to suspect that high self-esteem is a bad thing. However, future findings in this area could help determine the way we eventually approach a number of fields, from parenting to education to career counseling to psychological therapy.



Source: Scientific American

Design 2015

The design magazine Surface has posted an online gallery of its contributors' ideas for what art, furniture, architecture, jewelry and packaging might look like within the next decade. Ideas include retro luggage, high-tech surfboards, rubber-based paint, innovative public spaces and "mood" tattoos.



Readers can vote on their favorite idea, and the winner will be developed into a full-blown project.



Source: Beverly Tang

Portable TiVo

This week, TiVo debuted its TiVoToGo portable service. So now you can not only watch your favorite shows when you want, but where you want.



The service allows TiVo users to transfer their recorded programs to their laptops. The software is available on the TiVo website, and currently supports only Windows XP or Windows 2000. TiVo will push other necessary components to Series 2 set-top boxes.



Planned enhancements include Macintosh support, support for other video-enabled mobile devices, and allowing users to record their programs to DVD. Eventually, TiVo envisions recorded content being made available through the Internet, making the TiVo recorder a personal server of sorts.



In addition to making TiVo a lot more useful to its customers, TiVoToGo opens up a host of possibilities for mobile entertainment and -- as much as content producers may not like it -- program sharing. It also further divorces TV programming from scheduling, empowering users to fit TV viewing around their schedules, instead of the other way around.



Sources: MIT Tech Review, Lockergnome, Extremetech

Chinese Self-Employed Top 100 Million

Oh well, so much for communism... The Chinese news agency Xinhua reports that 100 million Chinese are now self-employed, accounting for more than 40 percent of those working in cities. The ranks of the self-employed include everyone from attorneys to writers to migrant workers. The report notes that many more Chinese are preferring to work in short-term jobs, posing a challenge to a government that's designed to support lifetime employment and social security.



What may be most interesting is what the government doesn't know about these workers. So much self-sufficiency may indicate a thriving underground economy and culture, out of sight of a state that remains paternal and wary of uncontrolled activity. Additionally, are we sure these workers -- especially those on the lower end of the scale -- actually "prefer" to work in this manner, or are these simply the only jobs available?



Source: China View

Guerrilla Television

Artist David Sheen proposes a clever use of old computers to create "do-it-yourself television." Essentially, he advocates putting a slide show on an obsolete computer that would otherwise be trashed; placing the unit in a large, immovable container such as a 55-gallon drum or newspaper vending box; outfitting it with a battery or other power source; and placing the device in a public venue where the slide show can be viewed.

OK, so it's basically a no-frills kiosk. But it's an interesting way to create a low-cost multimedia display while repurposing old yet still serviceable computer hardware. Plus, there's no reason why audio and video couldn't be added (sound could be broadcast through a cheap, low-range FM transmitter, so anyone with an FM radio could tune in). And, in areas with WiFi connectivity, a wireless card could be thrown in so content could be updated and added remotely and on-the-fly. Now you're getting somewhere!



Source: unmediated

Gaming as a Political Tool

Don't think that, because it's 2005, you're going to get a respite from politics. Observers are quite busy examining the latest tech factor in the political arena: online games. In simulations, players can manage a candidate's campaign, create spin for the media, propose solutions to national issues -- and, of course, attack the other guy. It may be as close as many folks will care to get to the real thing.



Political scientists are intrigued by these games' potential, believing that someday they could be used to model actual campaigns, policies and positions. Forward-thinking politicians might also be able to harness multiuser games to capture input from their constituents. Political gaming is also a global phenomenon, meaning that games could be used to create solutions to world problems as well as national and local ones. However, those who study games for this purpose caution that putting games to work in this manner may be decades away.



Sources: BBC, Ludology.org

Fighting CO2 Emissions with Tree Planting

One proposed approach to countering higher CO2 emissions -- and the global warming effects that may result -- is decidedly low-tech. A team of researchers from NASA and Cal Tech is proposing to plant trees to create "carbon sinks," where vegetation absorbs excess carbon dioxide.



One problem that the research team has noted is that, as temperatures rise, tree-eating insects proliferate, attacking the existing tree population. This makes reforestation all the more important. The research team proposes planting groves of trees on marginal farmland and rangeland to create carbon sinks.



Source: Environmental News Network