Topics

Jun

All the World’s Got Gamification

by Janine Boylan on June 10, 2013

Checking points and rewards is easy with a smart phone.
© Thinkstock

An Observation About Life

It was a Saturday like any other. Read more...

I started my day with a walk. I turned on my fitness app to record how far and how fast my journey was. My walk earned me fifteen fitness points.
I opened my food app to scan my cereal bar code and enter my breakfast food data. Not a bad calorie count to begin the day. The app shared that I had 1900 calories left to spend.

Janine Boylan 4 Comments

Innovations/Secrets to Life

Jun

Finding Common Ground in Ocean Waters

by Janine Boylan on June 3, 2013

summer crowd on the beach, an inspiration for finding common ground on World Oceans Day

A summer crowd gathers at the beach.
© Janine Boylan

The World Comes Together to Celebrate World Oceans Day

Long before the Internet connected our world, the oceans did, flowing from the shore of one country to another. From the beginning of time, the oceans have fascinated us and served us, yet only in modern times have we come to understand the oceans as a shared responsibility.

In 2008, the United Nations officially designated June 8th as World Oceans Day, an international day to celebrate the water that unites us. Read more...

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Cultural Heritage & Traditions/Making a Difference/Worldwide Sites

May

Seven Important Life Lessons in a Bee Garden

by Janine Boylan on May 27, 2013

A bumblebee whose behavior shows life lessons in a bee garden

The other day I met some neighbors I didn’t know too well: bees. Walking through a bee garden planted especially for bees, I learned a lot about these little creatures. They had some Oh, I see important life lessons for me, too.

1. Diversity is the spice of life.

When you think of bees, it’s likely that you picture a honeybee. But the honeybee is only one of many, many different kinds of bees.

A green leafcutter bee, whose behavior shows life lessons in a bee garden

There are about 4,000 species of bees in North America: round fuzzy striped bumblebees, small bright green sweat bees, thin yellow and black leaf-cutter bees, big black carpenter bees, and more. Read more...