TED Community » Masami Mutsukado and Kacie Landrum

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• +2

  A reply on Talk: Adam Ostrow: After your final status update

  Aug 4 2011: Note to future generations: after I'm gone, please let me rest in peace. I find the concept of a computer program speaking in my name quite disturbing. My family and friends will grieve for me, but after a while they will recover and life will go on for them. I don't want a piece of software forever reminding them of what they've lost or (even worse) growing and evolving over time into something very different from the original me.
  
  I was surprised that so many of the commenters here think it would be comforting to have a virtual copy of a deceased loved one with them. Of course, there's nothing wrong with looking through old home videos or photos of people you've lost every once in a while, but surely it can't be healthy to live 24-7 with a virtual representation of someone, instead of mourning them then letting them go.
• +3

  A reply on Talk: Dean Ornish: The world's killer diet

  Aug 4 2011: I taught English in Japan for a few years, and one thing that surprised me was how much the kids loved their school lunches. For about $3 a day, they got a piece of meat (grilled chicken, fish, meatloaf, etc.), a salad, a bowl of soup with vegetables, either rice or bread, and a carton of milk. Most days they would receive a small piece of fruit or bite-sized piece of candy for dessert. The kids all knew not to waste food and would eat every bite on their plate. I never heard a student say they hated vegetables; I never saw a student refuse the salad and eat only the candy. Of course, it's not like my experiences were exhaustive and I didn't do a thorough scientific study about the eating habits of Japanese children. But at least at the schools I attended it seemed like the children had been raised to willingly and cheerfully eat healthy foods.
  
  If American kids refuse to eat healthy, perhaps it's because we excuse their behavior by saying things like, "But kids hate vegetables! What kid is going to choose salad over a hamburger?" I say, give them the salad, and they can eat it or go hungry; I predict that pretty soon they'll discover a new appreciation for green vegetables. We Americans need to stop defending the poor dietary choices that are killing our children.

• A reply on Talk: Dean Ornish: The world's killer diet

  Aug 4 2011: I did an experiment called the Food Stamp Diet this summer: for one week I lived like someone on food stamps. That is, I could only spend $3.70 per person per day on food and drinks.
  
  The first thing I found was that healthy food was FAR more affordable than unhealthy food. That week I occasionally treated myself to 4 Hershey's Kisses when the budget allowed, but otherwise avoided pre-made foods entirely. A bag of Dorito's and a bottle of Coke cost more than a spinach quiche that feeds 6. For what I would pay for a burger and fries at McDonald's, I could make a large pot of chicken and vegetable soup, supplement it with rice or a potato, and have a full stomach all day long.
  
  While I was on the Food Stamp Diet, I used no coupons, did not compare prices, and did not search for sales. I bought almost everything at the regular price at Wal-Mart. If I were serious about saving money, I probably could have spent 60% less, possibly eaten all organic foods. But even without cost-cutting measures, I still was able to eat one protein source, one carbohydrate, and at least one fruit or vegetable with every meal. Excepting expensive foods like filet mignon, I could eat almost anything I wanted.
  
  Where are people getting the impression that healthy food is too expensive? I don't understand how those on food stamps can afford NOT to eat healthy.

• A comment on Talk: Marcel Dicke: Why not eat insects?

  Mar 10 2011: I've had friend locusts before. There wasn't much in the way of flavor. It was mostly like eating shrimp tails: kind of bland and crunchy. I suppose if it were a choice between surviving on a diet of insects or starving, I'd get by OK, but they definitely don't compare to livestock in terms of yumminess. Necessity is the mother of chitinous chocolate, I suppose.
• +2

  A reply on Talk: Jonathan Zittrain: The Web as random acts of kindness

  Feb 15 2010: I too have a huge crush on him. Wikipedia says he's single. Wonder if any Harvard students are couch surfers...
  
  This speech is an abbreviated version of the lecture he gave at Singularity University here:
  http://singularityu.org/videos/2009/12/jonathan-zittrain-civic-technologies-and-the-future-of-the-internet/
  
  If you have a couple of hours to spare, I'd highly recommend it. You'll have to sit through some of the jokes a second time, but he really speaks very convincingly about the benefits, downsides, and future of 'civic technology' like the Internet.