Do you want to know the meaning of life?

   “Rock star physicist” Brian Cox talks about his work on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Discussing the biggest of big science in an engaging, accessible way, Cox brings us along on a tour of the massive complex and describes his part in it — and the vital role it’s going to play in understanding our universe.

About Brian Cox

Physicist Brian Cox has two jobs: working with the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, and explaining big… Read full bio »

HUMOUR: Ask the question:
What is quite funny about this?

Humour involves the appreciation of oddness. In humour there is the willingness to enjoy seeing the OTHER SIDE of things, the willingness to see fresh points of view, to see them and appreciate them without necessarily feeling the need to adopt them as one’s own.

Humour includes flexibility in the way we can look at information, the humour of creativity, and the humour of insight. Humour means seeing things in a different way. Appreciating the value of differences.

There’s the humour of wisdom, the humour of balance and tolerance, the humour of plurality. The enjoyment of surprise, chance and variety. The good mood, the sound of laughter, good humour and good health.

Emergency work can be distressful, but in recent years there has also been a growing number of publications which recognise the positive aspects experienced by emergency workers. This paper identifies humour as a coping strategy which contributes to emergency workers’ adjustment to difficult, arduous and exhausting situations. We argue that humour enhances communication, facilitates cognitive reframing and social support, and has possible physical benefits. The authors believe an important delineation needs to be made between a healthy use of humour and humour that is used to mask feelings in a way that will cause later distress.

Carmen Moran and Margaret Massam
School of Social Work, University of New South Wales

“Creativity is the process of having original ideas, but there are several steps. The first step is imagination, the capacity that we all have to see something in the mind’s eye. Creativity is then using that imagination to solve problems — call it applied imagination. Then innovation is putting that creativity into practice as applied creativity.

There are several common misconceptions about creativity. The first is that people think that only SOME are creative. yet It’s in the nature of human beings that we ARE creative.

The second misconception is that creativity is about design and marketing. What the TED conference shows is that creativity is central to the practice of science and business and more. Creative initiatives should help you find what you are passionate about.

The third misconception is that you can’t do anything about it. Yes, you CAN cultivate creativity.”

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Special Treat: Stop everything! Sit back, take a deep breath, relax for 15 minutes and enjoy one of the world’s best speakers on Creativity & Innovation–Sir Ken Robinson–who will entertain and inspire you and make your day.

Software For Your Brain can be found in the following Libraries of Australia:

ACT Department of Territory and Municipal Services.
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Fairfield City Council. The Whitlam Library
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