School of Curiosity
Explore. Dream. Discover.
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Say yes more
July 18, 2012
It may be partly fiction, but Danny Wallace’s story of what happened when he decided to say “Yes” to everything is an interesting idea. A simple shift in attitude takes him on a hilarious, random and sometimes disappointing journey and puts the vim back into his life.
Are you going to say “Yes” more.
Have a curious day.
Hobson Jobson in the bungalow
July 17, 2012
In 1872 two men began to compile a lexicon of words that had crossed the divide from their Indian origin into the English language. The book known as Hobson Jobson has never been out of print and now contains over 1000 words. Here’s a list of fifty words that we brought back from India. Probably the first Indian takeaway.
Have a curious day.
50 words from India
- A – atoll, avatar
- B – bandana, bangle, bazaar, Blighty, bungalow
- C – cashmere, catamaran, char, cheroot, cheetah, chintz, chit, chokey, chutney, cot, cummerbund, curry
- D – dinghy, doolally, dungarees
- G – guru, gymkhana
- H – hullabaloo
- J – jodhpur, jungle, juggernaut, jute
- K – khaki, kedgeree
- L – loot
- N – nirvana
- P – pariah, pashmina, polo, pukka, pundit, purdah, pyjamas
- S – sari, shampoo, shawl, swastika
- T – teak, thug, toddy, typhoon
- V – veranda
- Y – yoga
Where the streets have no name
July 16, 2012
Getting your mail in Costa Rica could be a little bit of a lottery. They don’t use post codes, rather, they prefer to use well known local landmarks. A decade ago a German hotelier had to appeal to the government to update his address, which read “Steps past the dead parrot”. Firstly, he argued, it wasn’t a parrot but a quetzel, and it wasn’t dead. It had been painted on a wall by a graffiti artist and had faded into a green smudge.
The head postmaster wants to update the system and introduce post codes. He reckons it will save £500 million a year. We reckon thats a price worth paying for such a curious system. In my village we have a less expensive yet colourful way of naming people – American Andy; Radio Kenny; Whispering Richard; Walking Norman and so on.
Colourful names make for colourful people – and its free.
Have a curious day.
The art & science of the underdog
July 12, 2012
Great news for underdogs. A forthcoming book by Malcolm Gladwell suggests that underdogs win much more often than you would expect. An analysis of battles fought over the past 400 years involving nations that were ten times bigger than their opponents showed that they won 66% of the time. In other words its possible to beat someone ten times bigger than you 1 in 3 times.
That goes for sport, invention, business and pretty much anything. Winning underdogs do three things: give maximum effort; out-think the opposition; and refuse to engage on their opponents terms by going about things unconventionally.
Don’t let the Goliath’s get you down.
Have a curious day.
David & Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell will be published in the second half of 2012.
Contemplation minus the car
July 11, 2012
Bhutan, famous for it’s emphasis on increasing happiness before wealth, has a new rule. Prime Minister Jigme Thinley, a man with name that sounds rather like a dance to help you shed pounds, wants Tuesdays to be special. He has decreed that Tuesdays in the capital city of Thimphu will be ‘pedestrian days’. No cars will be allowed in order to give citizens a chance to “Contemplate the precious Himalayan mountain ecology”.
Give yourself a chance to contemplate something precious. Ditch the car for a day.
Have a curious car free day.
It’s good to talk
July 10, 2012
One language dies every 14 days. By the next century, nearly half of the 7,000 languages spoken on Earth will disappear. Use it or lose it.
It’s good to talk.
Have a curious day.
Weapon of mass instruction
July 9, 2012
Here’s a great use for a tank, It’s been turned into a travelling library or ‘Weapon of Mass Instruction’. Don’t you just love books?
Have a curious day.
Industrial alchemy
July 6, 2012
Forget school for a moment. Factory visits should be part of our own personal curriculum. There’s something magical about the alchemy of materials entering one room to be mangled, chopped, inspected, polished and transformed. It’s a reminder of human achievements and changes the way we appreciate everyday objects.
Visit a factory. Though do try to make it one in Switzerland rather than China.
Have a curious day.
For 49 other things to improve your life have a look at Monocle
One red paperclip
July 5, 2012
Kyle Macdonald had a red paper clip, but what he really wanted was a house. He decided to adapt an idea he had seen in a game called ‘bigger and better’ where people swapped things.
Using the website Craigslist he advertised his one red paperclip to see if anyone wanted to swap it. He was able to swap it for a doorknob. He swapped the doorknob for a camping stove and the stove for a keg of beer. He was well on his way.
Just fourteen swaps later Kyle’s one red paperclip had transformed into a house in Saskatoon.
All big things start small. The power is not in what you have. It is in what you do with it.
Have a curious day
The Esperanto of fonts
July 4, 2012
This little critter is called an Interrobang. In the 1960′s, advertising executive Martin Speckter was looking for a way to express astonishment. He combined the question mark with an exclamation mark. Others suggested that it should be called an Exclamaquest and a Quizding, but Interrobang was the chosen name. Remington and IBM put it onto their typewriter keyboards. It’s success was shortlived, but if you want to print one off you can find one in Microsoft Wingdings menu.
Personally, I think it sounds better than it looks. Next time I have to express astonishment I’m determined to say it out loud “What an incredible glass of wine, Interrobang”. Try it…..it feels good, Interrobang.
Have a curious day.