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Extended…with Hollywood imagery:

Consider again that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you've ever heard of, every human being who ever was lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings; thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines; every hunter and forager; every hero and coward; every creator and destroyer of civilizations; every king and peasant, every young couple in love; every mother and father; hopeful child; inventor and explorer; every teacher of morals; every corrupt politician; every supreme leader; every superstar; every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there—on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena.

Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner. How frequent their misunderstandings; how eager they are to kill one another; how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light.

Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity—in all this vastness—there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. Like it or not, for the moment, the Earth is where we make our stand.

It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. It underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the only home we've ever known.

The pale blue dot.

I’m fascinated by cyber-anthropology and the socio-psychological implications of technology, and I think it has improved life in so many ways for so many people, but sometimes it’s not all good news. As with everything in life, there is a Ying to the Yang.

Surprise surprise. Not only does social software encourage vanity and narcissism, it also puts extra strain on relationships. Now just watch location-aware social software add more on top of that. What if your location was never a secret to your partner?  What if your partner refused to join in on the location-awareness social software that you use? As if the divorce rate wasn’t bad enough, eh? Well I guess the positive spin is, more behavioral transparency and no secrets.  It’s gonna be a tough adjustment though.  Ah, social software, you cruel mistress. Here’s the latest:
Facebook fuelling divorce, research claims
Study: Facebook Increases Jealousy in Relationships
Another reason to stay off Facebook, jealousy
Facebook may heighten jealousy in relationships: study
Facebook jealousy sparks relationship woes: study

20 Ways to Change the World in Only 15 Minutes a Day

Ford has generously offered to make a donation to Mashable’s (Mashable) Summer of Social Good Charity Fund. 10 of their Ford Fiesta Movement Agents will be donating $1 per retweet for this post up to 1,000 retweets.

At the age of twelve I decared to my parents that I was ashamed of three things…. I was ashamed of being human(because of our treatment of non-humans), I was ashamed of being a white westerner(because of our treatment of minorities), and I was ashamed of being male(because of our treatment of women).  To this day, that impression sticks with me, and for good reason. The one thing I left out was my shame for being a consumer…

Watch this, and you’ll feel ashamed of your stuff, and what it says about you.
The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard

Tom Wujec on 3 ways the brain creates meaning | Video on TED.com

Information designer Tom Wujec talks through three areas of the brain that help us understand words, images, feelings, connections. In this short talk from TEDU, he asks: How can we best engage our brains to help us better understand big ideas?

Alex Steffen sees a sustainable future | Video on TED.com

Worldchanging.com founder Alex Steffen argues that reducing humanity’s ecological footprint is incredibly vital now, as the western consumer lifestyle spreads to developing countries.

What the World Will Look Like by 2050 – TIME

Imagine a world where pirates run amok, blowing themselves up in European city centers; where wars are ignited over lack of drinking water; where a global face-off between Islam and Christianity makes World War II look like a water-balloon fight. According to economist and political scientist Jacques Attali, that is what the future has in store for us by 2025. In the belief that past experiences are indicative future events, Attali combs through the history of human kind, all the way back to Homo Habilis, separating the past into nine distinct periods to isolate “what is possible, what changes and what is unvarying” and applies those trends to the coming century. Attali’s predictions range from the future of journalism (completely paperless) to the end of the economic crisis (around 2011), offering a glimpse into the future that is both provocative and petrifying.

Natural Resource Consumption by Country | Mint.com Blog | Personal Finance News & Advice

Knowing where resources are produced is only half of the equation. To really understand the role that natural resources play in a country’s overall economic picture, you have to understand how those resources are consumed. As you’d guess, the largest populations do tend to be the largest consumers, but it’s interesting to note that some consumption is based on the manufacture of products for which the country’s residents are not typically the end consumers. Which country will be the first to run out of oil or natural gas? Which will be forced into building more environmentally friendly transportation systems or means of production? Our latest map takes a closer look at the world’s resources with an eye to how they are being consumed.

YouTube – Peter Singer in “Examined Life”

Philosopher Peter Singer explains his thoughts on the ethics of consumption against the backdrop of the posh boutiques on Fifth Avenue. He also discusses the ethics of what we eat, and how to live …
Philosopher Peter Singer explains his thoughts on the ethics of consumption against the backdrop of the posh boutiques on Fifth Avenue. He also discusses the ethics of what we eat, and how to live a meaningful life.

What does an environmentally friendly biodynamic food system capable of feeding everyone actually look like? This film is a blueprint for a post-industrial future. It takes you into the heart of the world’s most important renaissance. The outcome of the battle for agricultural control in India may just dictate the future of the earth

One Man, One Cow, One Planet DVD – Cloud South Films – How to Save the World – Biodynamic Documentary featuring Peter Proctor