Connecting Technology and the Humanities, STEAM, and William Shatner

How well do you and your organization encourage connection and collaboration in attacking problems and challenges?

Jonah Lehrer writes about the emphasis Steve Jobs placed on bringing technology and art together at Apple, NeXT, and Pixar.  Money Quote:  "In an age of intellectual fragmentation, Jobs insisted that the best creations occurred when people from disparate fields were connected together, when our distinct ways of seeing the world were brought to bear on a singular problem."

Bringing this theme home to South Carolina, John Warner makes the same point over at Swamp Fox, arguing that the State's push for STEM (Science, Technology, Education, and Math) needs an A for Arts.

And finally, in a true marriage of technology and the arts, William Shatner has released Seeking Major Tom, an album of covers inspired by David Bowie's Space Oddity.   Bringing together people from disparate fields, Shatner sings Spirit in the Sky with Peter Frampton, She Blinded Me with Science with Bootsy Collins,  and Bohemian Rhapsody with John Wetton.

The album also features Lyle Lovett, Sheryl Crow, Dave Davies, Warren Haynes, Johnny Winter and others.
  

Hot Gadget Preview for the Holidays

Still a ways off, but some very interesting products featured in this article from PC World. I am particularly intrigued by the all-terrain video camera.