Mass audio instruction: A Social Experiment by Improv Everywhere

Recently, a group called Improv Everywhere performed their Sixth Annual Mp3 Experiment. This one involved over 2,000 people of all ages downloading the same mp3 and pressing play at the same time.  As seen in the video, they responded to a creepy instructional voice (think SAW) and were mindlessly led (think cult) through a series of goofy [...]

Cure Depression by Embracing the Caveman within

He doesn’t care for the term “caveman therapy.” But Stephen Ilardi, associate professor of clinical psychology at the University of Kansas, has turned to our hunter-gatherer ancestors for clues about how to best combat major depressive disorder.
Further, Ilardi fingers our modern, industrialized lifestyle as the key culprit behind the burgeoning depression epidemic, which continues to [...]

Buying experiences lead to greater happiness

Can money make us happy if we spend it on the right purchases? A new psychology study suggests that buying life experiences rather than material possessions leads to greater happiness for both the consumer and those around them.
The study demonstrates that experiential purchases, such as a meal out or theater tickets, result in increased well-being [...]

Second Life: Freedom Vs. Structure

I recently attended a Second Life demonstration at the Information Architecture Summit in Las Vegas, which by the way is as an ironic place as you get for hosting such an event. Information Architecture in Vegas? Well it may exist, but lets just say if it does, its been designed with the purpose to be [...]