Cherry 

Best of the past week

Hey , You may have noticed the absence of Sundae in your inbox last week, I think it might be the first time in 62 weeks I miss one. Quite simply I didn't plan for it, I was having an absolute blast in Mexico and this past week have been catching up on work and sleep - my apologies for that but we're getting back on track.As mentioned a couple of weeks ago I'm working on some exciting plans for 2017 and will be ready to tell you about them soon. We'll take a hiatus during the holidays and tell you about everything in the new year.One of the course sessions I attended in Mexico was called "The Poet's Eye." It was beautiful and all about looking at and admiring life through poetry.We read this lovely poem by Walt Whitman: "The Poem of Perfect Miracles"

REALISM is mine, my miracles,Take all of the rest—take freely—I keep but my own—I give only of them,I offer them without end—I offer them to you wherever your feet can carry you, or your eyes reach.Why! who makes much of a miracle?As to me, I know of nothing else but miracles,Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky,Or wade with naked feet along the beach, just in the edge of the water,Or stand under trees in the woods,Or talk by day with any one I love—or sleep in the bed at night with any one I love,Or sit at the table at dinner with my mother,Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car,Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive, of an August forenoon,Or animals feeding in the fields,Or birds—or the wonderfulness of insects in the air,Or the wonderfulness of the sun-down—or of stars shining so quiet and bright,Or the exquisite, delicate, thin curve of the new-moon in May,Or whether I go among those I like best, and that like me best—mechanics, boatmen, farmers,Or among the savans—or to the soiree—or to the opera,Or stand a long while looking at the movements of machinery,Or behold children at their sports,Or the admirable sight of the perfect old man, or the perfect old woman,Or the sick in hospitals, or the dead carried to burial,Or my own eyes and figure in the glass,These, with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles,The whole referring—yet each distinct and in its place.To me, every hour of the light and dark is a miracle,Every inch of space is a miracle,Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the same,Every cubic foot of the interior swarms with the same;Every spear of grass—the frames, limbs, organs, of men and women, and all that concerns them,All these to me are unspeakably perfect miracles.To me the sea is a continual miracle,The fishes that swim—the rocks—the motion of the waves—the ships, with men in them â€”what stranger miracles are there?~Walt Whitman

The following day, I was scuba diving in the Sea of Cortes. The visibility was gorgeous, the shades of blue from the surface to the bottom were gorgeous and soothing. Mid-way through the dive I remembered the last few verses of this poem and thought that breathing under water and hovering as if weightless is a pretty strange miracle, as they go.

 Sprinkles What's the GIF? 

Whipped Cream

In the news

Caramel Fudge

What's sticky in the communications industry?

I came across this lovely initiative and advertising campaign: "Every kid in a Park" featuring Michelle Obama; it is a virtual reality experience of the United States National Parks destined for school children to give them, their parents and teachers free access to the U.S. National Parks.The Virtual Reality experience shows the National Parks to the children, and in turn the hope is if they see more of the National Parks, they will be more inclined to protect them and want to visit in person too.

Chocolate

What's going on in gaming?

If you're still looking for Christmas gifts for young ones, check out Technology Will Save Us. They create and sell fun toys combining technology, coding, creativity, crafts and more.The website also features the creations made by other young people who share photos online, may it be gaming prototypes, connected objects, etc. Cool stuff.

Vanilla

What else is interesting this week?

Following from the technology and tinkering toys, I listened to this excellent episode of the Sam Harris podcast in which he has a pretty in-depth conversation about Artificial Intelligence with Berkeley University computer science professor Stuart Russell. Fascinating topic and highly recommended.That's about it for this week, I'm off to do some Christmas shopping and get ready for skiing in the French Alps just after Christmas!Enjoy the rest of the your weekend, and please share with a friend if you enjoyed the newsletter!Best,Willem