Why gardening is fantastic if you’re a nerd

Being a nerd is not about what you love; it’s about how you love it. Wil Wheaton Gardening is a nerd’s paradise. Nerds like to use their minds, to learn, to problem solve. Gardening lets you do that, requires you to do that. Move things, try things, experiment with different growing media, make mistakes, move …

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No more antibiotics

depth photography of blue and white medication pill

Why we’re running out of effective antibiotics – in between 10 and 20 years time, all bacteria may be antibiotic resistant. That means that dangerous infections like Tuberculosis grow a lot more dangerous, and minor ailments like strep throat or an ear infection become killers. Alanna Shaikh explains what this means and how an innovative approach to …

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“At least we fed the hippos”

“What you do [to provide better aid is] you shut up. You never arrive in a community with any ideas.” Ernesto Sirolli An often funny TED talk from Ernesto Sirolli on listening to communities in development, which also emphasises the importance of consulting entrepreneurs.

Farm for the Future

Farmer Rebecca Hosking explores the terrifying dependence of modern intensive farming on fossil fuels and looks at the role of permaculture, forest farming and other practices in regenerating agricultural land and achieving a sustainable future for farming. Originally broadcast on the BBC.

Embedding dignity in development

‘A Day Without Dignity‘ was established to provide a counterbalance to the popular image of people in the developing world as hopeless, helpless, and in need of ‘saving’ by affluent Westerners. The latest of these images to be shared around the world are of Ugandans, apparently powerless against the warlord Joseph Kony, waiting for salvation …

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Vanilla Ice’s development advice

Ice, Ice Baby

Maybe it’s because it’s a four-day weekend here, maybe I’ve been inspired by Britney Spears’ Guide To Semiconductor Physics (look it up), I don’t know, but I just discovered that Vanilla Ice, intentionally or not, offers one of the most essential pearls of international development wisdom I’ve seen yet:

Stop; collaborate and listen.

Do not follow Vanilla’s advice to ‘light up a stage and wax a chump like a candle’. This is usually not appreciated and may be seen as unprofessional. You should also exercise caution when accepting advice from someone who raps wearing peach-coloured trousers.

*gets coat*