Image via Mind/Shift

The dioramas are the student-made visual representations of the poetry. Due to the help of the robotics, lights will flash and colors change when a student says a certain word in the poem (for example, saying “water” triggers a blue color in the diorama to deepen). Working on a physical project based on poems helps the students connect with, and understand more deeply, the poetry they are studying.

To me, it also says that perhaps these categories aren’t as separate as they seem. Often, we mark a separation between things like “science and math” vs. “the arts.” What is so intriguing about robotic poetry, then, is that it’s not only innovatively teaching students how to connect with words, but it also shows us that we shouldn’t make such a distinction between the “categories,” since there is inherently art in science, and science in art.

Read the full article from Mind/Shift here. 

Nelson George, author and director of the short film, All Hail the Beat, explains that “the 808 has remained a vital element in much of the pop music since the 1980’s, in genres like hip hop, techno, and house.” Drum machines since the creation of the 808 have mimicked the features of this first one, and it has subsequently changed the tune of pop music.

All Hail The Beat | Nelson George from Focus Forward Films on Vimeo.

Some tweets and reactions to the Amazon/Goodreads merger.

Last month, Amazon announced that it had acquired Goodreads, a social networking site where both readers and authors can join to review and recommend books. Following the announcement, many fans on Twitter were not very pleased by the upcoming merger. Publishing Perspectives highlighted some of the wittier and more vocal tweets. Many joked about the price of ads increasing, banning authors from reviewing any books, and whether Amazon would not target readers based on the previous reviews of books readers have written.

In the press release announcing the partnership, Russ Grandinetti, Amazon Vice President of Kindle Content said, “Amazon and Goodreads share a passion for reinventing reading. Goodreads has helped change how we discover and discuss books, and, with Kindle, Amazon has helped expand reading around the world.” Only time will tell whether readers and authors will warm up to this merger and how it will be used by both in the long run.

Created by French visionary duo, Cauboyz (made up of photographer Bertrand Jamot and graphic designer Philippe Tytgat), they created a concept for “Dream” that “fools viewers into thinking the flashing retro typographies are done digitally.” Upon closer inspection, this is not the case. In the “Making of / Husbands – “Dream”” video, we see that in order to create the effect of digital typographies, Cauboyz assembled light-up boxes in a wooden frame with “each box connected to a control panel with switches assigned to each phrase or word in the song.”

What I found amazing about this is I see digitally typographic lyric videos all the time, but I enjoyed watching this video the most, especially after I learned that it was, in fact, not digitally created.

Previous videos created by the Cauboyz include “Set You Free” by The Black Keys where the words appear on a revolving can, and AgesandAges, “No Nostalgia” where the words to the song appear on a green background written in white chalk.

Source: The Creators Project

Husbands – “Dream” from Cauboyz on Vimeo.

From The Artist’s and Writer’s Cookbook

Ever wonder what some of your favorite artists’ and writers’ favorite recipes are? Look no further than The Artists’ & Writers’ Cookbook, “a lavish 350-page vintage tome, illustrated with 19^th-century engravings and original drawings.” Brain Pickings recently wrote a review on the 1961 published book, featuring “220 recipes and 30 courses by 55 painters, 61 novelists, 15 sculptors, and 19 poets.” Some artists featured include John Keats, Harper Lee, and Anna Tolstoy, daughter of famed writer, Leo Tolstoy. Several artists take creative liberty with their recipes, but the end result is something any artist and writer can enjoy.

From The Artist’s and Writer’s Cookbook

Junior year I found a second home in the Professional Writing program. And while the economy had seen some recovery, the doubters’ chorus had just become louder in its refrain: I would graduate and go live in my parents’ basement.

I had an entirely different set of plans, though. Plan A was still to immediately find a great job that would rocket me to stardom. If that didn’t work out by the end of my lease, plan B was to crash with family on Lake Charlevoix while continuing my job search. I have the greatest parents in the world, but moving into their basement was somewhere around plan X.

My job search prior to graduation was largely unsuccessful. I had little time, my portfolio wasn’t done, and I was trying to plan for my future in a field that only fills vacancies in the present. But following my graduation ceremony, I started making progress. I cast a wide net, searching a number of job sites, reaching out to my network, and researching the companies where I’d be happy to work for free (but looking for opportunities to be paid). Nine applications, three interviews and two offers later I’d accepted a job as the Visual Communication Coordinator at Adrian College.

Relocating to the small town that is Adrian, Michigan was never something I’d considered. However, I would have moved to Antarctica to be titled a Visual Communications Coordinator and to be given the opportunity to work in higher education marketing, so relocate I did. When I applied, when I was interviewed, and when I was hired, I felt really prepared to do the work I’d been hired for. There were a few quite practical things I wasn’t prepared for, though.

1. I underestimated how hard it would be to move somewhere I’d never been, away from everyone I’d ever known. While I’d do it again tomorrow, I wish I’d better appreciated the support system I was leaving behind and the work it was going to take to forge new relationships.
2. As many internship and work experiences as I accumulated over my four years at MSU, I did not yet have a grasp on workplace politics. Nor did I understand that navigating social aspects of my workplace would be a frustrating and unwritten responsibility of my job.
3. Not everyone I encountered would have the same appreciation and respect for great communication that I’d assumed it demanded.

It’s funny seeing those basic lessons articulated, because they are such practical lessons, but it took landing my dream job to realize that no matter how much I love a position, it’s never going to be a constant dream.

While learning those things, I was still strictly following plan A. I’d capitalize on the incredible opportunity Adrian College had afforded me for a year or two, and then begin the search for the next step in my career (read: rocket to stardom). Then, something that wasn’t part of any plan intervened. I got an email about an open job. The job description was drool-worthy, I had it on good authority that the person running the department was incomparable, and best of all it was at MSU. I’d only been at Adrian for five months, but I applied. Perhaps I’d never hear back. Perhaps I wouldn’t get an interview. Perhaps I wouldn’t get the job. But plan A became plan B and I submitted my application.

When I heard back and when I had an interview, it was much different from the time before. Five months of work had given me a lot confidence. Suddenly, I wasn’t struggling to think of quality questions to ask during the interview to prove myself. I had a list full of questions and I really wanted answers. What kind of manager are you? How does work flow in the department? How does leadership outside of the department understand the role of communications, if at all? I stopped feeling like I was following a script and felt instead like I was part of a conversation.

When I was offered the job I weighed my options. Adrian was a small place, but was my position worth leaving behind? Especially when all (inexplicable) conventional wisdom says stay in your first job for a year? Was this new job the next step for me? And if so, was I ready for the next step?

In the end, the answers were all yes, and so I took several terrifying steps into my supervisor’s office, resignation letter in hand. I was incredibly lucky to give my resignation to someone who was so understanding of my career ambitions, who made the transition easier than I could have ever hoped. I was also incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to assist in the search for my replacement, a process that helped me see the other side of the job search, and an experience that will make me a stronger applicant in the future.

Armed with the kind knowledge only experience can provide, I feel more prepared to conquer challenges as they inevitably arise. Settling in at my new dream job, I see immense value in questioning conventional wisdom. Sorting out HR paperwork for the second time in a year, I’m beginning to see similar value in the stability conventional wisdom provides. Fortunately for me, this particular dream might allow me both.

Olivia Asiala is the digital communications specialist at the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine. Find her on Twitter @OliviaAsiala.

A recent post on Read Write explores the possibility that the iPhone is killing a person’s creativity. The average user spends more than two hours a day on their phone, with the majority of that time being “wasted” on surfing the web, checking social networks, and playing games.

While spending your free time on your phone may not seem all that bad, this post reminds us that boredom may be a good thing. “Psychologists from the University of Central Lancashire have conducted research into the potential upsides of boredom and found that the time we spend daydreaming could improve our creative ability.”

The verdict is still out, however, as many users argue that phones can also help enhance creativity. Do you think the cultural phenomenon of the smart phone is killing creativity? Let us know @msuwrac.

Mike Breach, a barista in NYC uses coffee foam to display his art. Not only can he do the typical heart design, he can “paint” portraits. Check out Mike’s tumblr, and watch the video below!

This post from Cool Infographics demonstrates the “Social Network Overload.” A lot of people feel unplugged if they don’t check their social media accounts. 62% of people are afraid they will miss something if they don’t check, and 40% of people said they would rather run a marathon, get a root canal, or wait in line at the DMV than get rid of their social profile.

Are you a victim of social media overload? Check the rest of this infographic to find out!

This is pretty much the coolest couch, ever. Designed based on the theory that “sooner or later, at home or at work, we all end up by falling asleep on our computers keyboard.” With that, these designers created this soft, comfy sofa bed, designed to look like a keyboard.

What’s more, the couch is completely customizable by remote. Each cushion, or key if you may, can be adjusted to any height.

I want this couch in my home! Do you? Check out more pictures here.