The Biomimetic Advantage
The Mission Newsletter, 7/24/18
“A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one would find fault with what he has done.” — Cardinal Newman
Stories from Idea Mazes
Episode 62 of The Mission Daily
Chad and Stephanie have been winding their way through the idea maze for years. Let them take you through their journey so you can learn from every twist and turn they’ve taken.
Listen to Episode 62 on Google Play or iTunes.
The Mission Daily is a podcast dedicated to accelerated learning and helping you become healthier, wealthier, and wiser. It is designed to help you learn — as fast as you possibly can.
From the Archives
20 Storytelling Lessons We Can Learn from Marvel
Marvel’s timeless comics turned blockbuster films have inspired generations to fight for good in the face of evil and find the superheroes within themselves.
The Marvel Universe has undoubtedly withstood the test of time, but what is it about these stories that keep viewers flooding the box office? Sure, we all love the superb cast and immersive cinematic magic (plus everyone’s favorite Stan Lee cameos and end credits scenes), but there must be more to it than that, right?
We think so. That’s why we’ve compiled these 20 quick lessons in storytelling that Marvel has taught us over the years.
News That Matters
Health
There is no better time in the year to stock up on fresh fruits and veggies than in the summer. And if you’re into fitness, the dog days are easily the prime time for getting some of the most nutrient-rich foods needed for an optimal workout. We’ve got just the shopping list for you to make sure you get the goods. 😏
- Peppers — packed with vitamin C, which is crucial for tissue growth and repair
- Cherries — which have an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect and can protect against muscle damage and accelerate recovery
- Watermelon — with health benefits including lower blood pressure, improved insulin sensitivity, and reduced muscle soreness
- Beets — high in nitrates
- Dark leafy greens — think spinach and kale
These are all in season right now, so stock up at your local farmer’s market or grocery store!
Wealth
Entrepreneur David Lorenzen launched an internet start-up at the age of 15. Today, at age 26, his business is valued in the multi-millions and includes Expedia and the United Nations among its clientele.
How did he make it so young? Lorenzen has home advice:
- Start your day early, and get straight to work
- Create a routine and stick to it
- Dress for success — take pride in how you look and look like what you want to be
- Read, Read, Read
At The Mission, we love that advice. Especially the last point. Don’t forget to join us for our book club!
To read more about Lorenzen and his success, check here.
Wisdom
We get more from biomimetics than you can imagine. And a new study is hoping to add to the list of goods that use biomimetics for our benefit:
“The term ‘biomimetics’ originates from the Greek words ‘bios’ (life) and ‘mimesis’ (to imitate), yet its definition is not as simple as just those two words. More specifically, biomimetics is a creative form of technology that uses or imitates nature to improve human lives.
From knives and axes inspired by the dental structures of currently extinct animals to the strongest cutting-edge carbon nanomaterials, bioengineering has always evolved along with human history.
Leonardo da Vinci’s (1452–1519) work is a fundamental example of biomimicry. He designed a ‘flying machine’ inspired by a bird. In the Far East, General Yi Sun-sin built the turtle ship, a warship modeled after a turtle, to fight Japanese raiders during invasions. The Wright brothers (1867–1948) took note of the wings of eagles and made a powered airplane that succeeded in human flight for the first time in 1903.
Biomimetics is the study of nature and natural phenomena to understand the principles of underlying mechanisms, to obtain ideas from nature, and to apply concepts that may benefit science, engineering, and medicine. Examples of biomimetic studies include fluid-drag reduction swimsuits inspired by the structure of shark’s skin, velcro fasteners modeled on burrs, shape of airplanes developed from the look of birds, and stable building structures copied from the backbone of turban shells. In this article, we focus on the current research topics in biomimetics and discuss the potential of biomimetics in science, engineering, and medicine. Our report proposes to become a blueprint for accomplishments that can stem from biomimetics in the next 5 years as well as providing insight into their unseen limitations.”
Join us at SIGNAL!
SIGNAL celebrates the developers, the builders, the innovators, the doers, and the dreamers who are reimagining how the world communicates. Be a part of it with us! Go to signal.twilio.com and get your ticket for 20% off by using the promo code: MISSION20.
Tech Trends
You might want to rethink entering those cheat codes into your Xbox…
A newly revealed patent has shown that Microsoft is working on machine learning technology that will detect cheaters. Users’ data will be aggregated and the machine will look for outliers among criteria including scores, achievements met, items awarded, and ranks achieved.
“A sudden spike in a player’s ranking, for example, might be deemed abnormal — and therefore flagged for cheating potential.”
Those caught cheating could get a warning, a suspension, or wind up banned from the entire Xbox network.
Marketing Trends
When you’re video chatting with someone, how often are you looking at the picture of yourself on the screen rather than the person you’re chatting with? Studies show that it’s far more often than most people realize, and it’s that sort of distraction that makes connecting personally while using technology such a challenge.
Marketers are trying to battle through problems like that one so that rather than distract, brands can create human connections, which are more meaningful. This is especially true at events, where all the bells and whistles of new tech prevent attendees from having an experience that will stay with them. Now, instead of just trying to blow people away with what’s new, marketers are harnessing the power of technology to try to forge relationships. More here.
Education Trends
In Sweden, a new study has shown that men’s education level could have an influence on if and how they use paternity leave.
On average, those with higher levels of education (think doctors and lawyers) took much more paternity leave than those with less schooling. This makes sense for a lot of reasons, namely in professions such as the medical and law fields, workers are higher-paid and can afford to take more time off (if that time off is unpaid), and in those professions, there is often a paternity leave policy, which is rarer in other industries.
As a contrast, mothers with higher levels of education actually took less maternity leave than those who did not achieve the same level of education.
Content Curation is Hard…
So let the folks at 1440 do it for you. 😜
1440 delivers all your news in a single email. They scour 100+ sources so you don’t have to. Culture, science, sports, politics, business, and more — all in a 5-minute read. Subscribe here!
The Best of What We Are Using
Movi is a new cinema robot that turns your smartphone into a movie-making dream.
Our friends over at Freefly sent us a Movi and we have had a blast using it to create professional-looking movies right from our phone! 😎
Movi is great because it works in sync with your smart device so that it moves and acts just like the cameras big-time Hollywood directors are using to shoot blockbusters. It’s small and portable, so you can take it on all of your adventures, and it can shoot in a bunch of different modes. All you have to do is point and shoot, and the Movi stabilizes your phone to give you the crisp, clean videos you’re used to seeing on the big screen! 📽 🎬
Thanks again to our friends at Twilio for sponsoring The Mission!
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