Roger Greenwald's Psychology of Art website is an experiment that seems more for the sake of the participant than the experimenter. Greenwald explains the purpose of his website and research: "If one practices using their creative mind, mental imaging, a positive mood can be chosen by recalling a pleasant image or memory. Tough day at work, bad mood - modify your state of mind by choosing a pleasant image."

The Psychology of Art consists of a series of bright, colorful images - some with recognizable forms and some abstract - that invite you to recall pleasant memories. The text fields for your responses ("What do you see?", "Does it trigger a memory or familiar thought?") are an exercise, helping you to more fully process the art and obtain a positive state of mind.   Read more...

Today I met an inspirational young man named Kapil in Lucknow, India. Kapil grew up very poor in rural India, without attending school. At some point during his childhood, two sisters from Lucknow - the capital city of the Uttar Pradesh province - offered him a job doing domestic work. The two sisters began schooling him and eventually sent him to school. During this time, he began recycling cards and selling them. He asked everyone he knew for old birthday, wedding, etc. cards and cut out the figurines, scenes and images, and pasted them onto cards he had designed. Ever since he has been selling the cards.   Read more...

If you didn't get into Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford or Yale, you can still get a world-class education via Academic Earth. This new site, profiled in BusinessWeek's feature on America's Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs, hosts over a thousand video lectures from courses taught at top US universities.

The site's videos are high-quality enough to read the blackboard, with clear sound, and they load quickly. Some videos are single lectures, some videos cover an entire course, and all are free.   Read more...

My Tokyo neighbor Suzuki-san took great joy in walking her ailing Chihuahua, Pon-chan, around the neighborhood. When Pon-chan died suddenly one day, my neighbor was deeply saddened. I wanted to cheer her up, so I had my daughter write a note in Japanese that read, "I'm looking forward to seeing you happy again!" I left the message and a box of cookies by the woman's door.

The next day as I was riding away on my bicycle, I saw Suzuki-san cleaning up her yard and called out a hearty "Good morning!" As I returned home, she was unlocking the door to her house, and she asked, "Did you leave me cookies and a note yesterday?"   Read more...

I'm a 54-year-old inventor from south-east Texas. I work designing the Robotic Construction Model, a series of robots I have invented to build a new kind of building. Through the RC Model, using a series of construction robots, we will build much faster, safer, stronger and cheaper. So cheap that we could add several energy systems, constructing an energy self-sufficient building, still less expensive than today's construction methods. We change the way we live by changing the way we build. I believe the RC Model will help bring on the personal robotic revolution.   Read more...

Despite the difficult economic environment, counselor Sheila Radha Conrad’s expert advice on self-awareness and confidence can give us the freedom to create and enjoy the life we’re after. Conrad emphasizes three areas:

Tip #1: Make a list of things you would need to feel prosperous in your life.   Read more...

As an optimist and a photographer, I am always looking for happy emotions. I work with my camera the way a musician masters an instrument, because when I am shooting, I want to be able to completely step into the moment, and not be distracted by fussing with technical details.

During this economy, a lot of people have asked me, "How's the optimism going?" And I say, "It's going great!" Because I am always looking for happy moments, they are easy to find. A pause in a person's thoughts often give way to a contemplative smile. Asking someone to speak about their dog or their beloved always creates a grin or even a giggle. While much of the mainstream media is obsessed with making and showing images of fear and despair, I keep myself focused on the beauty in our daily lives.   Read more...

TV, hand-held devices and computers have shrunk the world, allowing us to communicate across previously unimaginable differences. However, excessive use of these devices distances us from those closest to us - we end up watching TV or grooving to our own personal mp3 players rather than speaking to each other. That's why the Center for Screen-Time Awareness has created Turnoff Week. Turnoff Week is for interpersonal relationships what Earth Hour is for energy consciousness: a chance to unplug and remember the importance of our human environment.

In addition to providing some scary facts about the extent of our media addiction, Screentime.org organizes Turnoff Week so that we have "time to think, read, create, and do the things we never have time for." People interested in supporting Turnoff Week on a larger-than-individual scale can order an Organizer's Kit CD that includes a step-by-step organizing toolkit, facts sheets, suggested screen-free activities, curricular suggestions, posters and Screen-Time-Reduction plans.   Read more...

I'm lucky enough to have a brilliant friend who shares some of the questions and thoughts he garners from his education at Harvard Law, questions about human rights or economic policies. One question he raised recently was "How do you encourage people to take risk?" In hard economic times, we suffer potentially more from a lack of risk and entrepreneurship than from falling stock prices. Just when we need creative solutions the most, we are least willing to take a risk on new ideas.

This question has had me looking for examples of successful entrepreneurship. Ode has featured several in the past couple of issues. Another great source of entrepreneurial insight is the Pop!Tech/American Express OPEN Series.   Read more...

It's something to meditate over the weekend, before you re-enter the rat race: what is the difference between winning and success? It's the topic of a TED video with basketball coach John Wooden. Wooden's casual, grandfatherly style is a great way to relax and revisit what matters most. He speaks from a long perspective; he's almost 100 years old.   Read more...