This video speaks for itself:

This is the type of work that makes me want to pursue a career in Astronomy – which happens to be one of my oldest and deepest passions.

Software such as this coupled with broadband can drastically reshape the way children in grades 6-7 can be taught Astronomy — and made to take an interest in science and technology in general. I can only imagine how different a “Buraq Space Camp” would be now, compared to when I attended.

This also goes to show that the rules of the world are changing – the smartest person is no longer the person who can retain the most information through experience…. it is the person who can parse the largest set of information, extract clues and make bigger meaning out of information that is in heavy abundance and available instantly.

That requires a different type of thinking mindset altogether, and I would dare to say that the best people prepared for the new world are Journalists and editors, where “finding the news” is a core activity of their day anyway.

My advice is that if you want to learn the secret of smarts in the new world, start a blog — but dont use it as a personal diary or rant machine, start a serious, mature analytical discussion on an incredibly challenging niche subject. Pick a topic area that your friends tell you has no information available (lets say, a blog about the different sets of shell patterns found on snails), and then challenge yourself to hunt the info, find the news, and provide analysis all withing the ever-limiting timeframe of 2-4 posts / day.

If you really are serious about learning these skills, write for Green & White for a little while – we’ll need 1 post / day but each post must have relevant news and some perspective.