Halcyon Inspired

The multimedia series, Invitation to World Literature, offers an interactive journey through 13 classic works from a range of eras, places, cultures, languages, and traditions

If you've ever wondered why bird species sing in a particular order as the sun rises, rhe UK Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Horticultural Society, which run the Big Wildlife Garden competition, explain what you might hear and when.

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The definitive photograph of Earth until now.  Unlike NASA's Blue Marble—which is a composite made from many different photographs—this is a portrait of Earth taken in one single shot. It's the highest resolution image of our home planet, 121 megapixels.  This image was taken by Russia's latest weather satellite, the Electro-L.

The Space is a free digital arts service that could help to transform the way people connect with, and experience, arts and culture.  It will challenge artists, arts and cultural organisations to collaborate with each other and partners to capture and create a wealth of cultural experiences.

Eminent experimental psychologist and cognitive scientist Steven Pinker examined the need for an easily accessible universe of ideas in order for one to draw on it for inspiration in a process of synthesising innovation.

A designer is creating a series of philosophy posters, representing some of his favourite thinkers and ideas and using the best paper, processes and shipping materials.

During recent months, Halcyon has listened to many original and provocative speakers, at live events, and through videos and podcasts.  Here, we recap some of the highlights:

• Humanity: The RSA recently gathered a high-profile panel of speakers to explore the hidden agendas behind our values and attitudes toward the place of ‘the human’ in today’s societies, and debate what must now be a key issue for the 21st century.
• Modernity: The Wasteland and Modernity tried to figure out whether someone who captured modern life so well could really dislike it so much.  When he stared out at a world of radio and cinema, of radical art and universal suffrage, did T.S. Eliot see only a barren, featureless plain?
• Poetry: Is it possible to appreciate fully Dante’s work without understanding the man himself and the society in which he lived? A recent book attempted to shed new light on what some have called "the greatest of all European poems".

We also listened, inter alia, to the following: ...read more

Grassroots groups worldwide are promoting a new framework to radically alter the way we produce and distribute food.  Uniting behind the banner of "food sovereignty", people are working not just for access to food, but for communities to have the right to democratically define their own food and agricultural systems without harming other people or the environment.

KarmaTube is a free online channel claiming to be dedicated to bringing inspirational stories to light, using the power of video to multiply acts of kindness (see sample video below), beauty, and generosity.

At TEDxBrussels 2011, the idea of building "paraorchestras", which would showcase the talents of disabled musicians worldwide, met with great enthusiasm.