Blogs are abounding these days, and what’s unfortunately missing is an effective way to organize this new world of information and to make it accessible to others. Until a good, large-scale solution comes along (I don’t count Technorati or Google Blog Search as the real answer), some of this will get done the old fashioned way, the way Yahoo did it back in 1996 — that is, indexing by hand.
Last week, Stanford University launched the Stanford Blog Directory, which hopes to index the collective blogging wisdom coming out of the university community (faculty, staff, alumni, etc.). This small list will inevitably grow over time. But it already includes some blogs (in addition to Open Culture) that you may want to peruse. Let’s highlight a few:
Smart Energy Show: 6.6 billion people live on the earth today. 9.2 billion will be here by 2050. And, as time goes by, energy demand will inevitably push toward a breaking point. Smart Energy takes a close look at how we can meet “this rising demand without inflicting permanent damage” on our fragile environment. And it explains what science, governments and individuals can do to meet this challenge. The blog is written by Margot Gerritsena, professor in the Department of Energy Resources Engineering, and the blog posts are often accompanied by informative videos.
The Stem Cell Blog: Written by Christopher Thomas Scott, this blog examines the science, ethics, business and politics of stem cell research. Scott is particularly well positioned to do this. He is the Executive Director of Stanford’s Program on Stem Cells in Society and the author of Stem Cell Now: An Introduction to the Coming Medical Revolution. Plus he has taught a course called Straight Talk About Stem Cells that you can access on iTunes for free.
Philosophy Talk: Written by two Stanford philosophy professors, Ken Taylor and John Perry, this blog accompanies a weekly radio show (also called “Philosophy Talk”) that offers a “down-to-earth and no-nonsense approach” to philosophy that’s relevant to everyday life. Along the way, the blog/show explores philosophy that touches on our beliefs, relationships, passions and the world around us.
For more Stanford blogs, enter the Blog Directory here. For more Stanford content on Open Culture, click here.
The use of stem cells as a method of preventing and treating diseases – has great potential. As with any new progressive method, it has yet to break through the wall of mistrust. There are both opponents and followers – http://uctclinic.com/UCTC. From the media, we know that stem cells – this is either a panacea for all ills, or the worst enemy of the human race. However, cellular medicine – which is the direction that is being improved, gaining new features and is slowly gaining popularity. The reason – the high efficiency of treatment of diseases in which traditional medicine is powerless.