To blush is to be human, vulnerable, and humble to the power of the subconscious. This BBC article synthesizes a series of studies on how, why, and what happens when we blush. In particular it focuses on the social impact of blushing, and the trust it often engenders from those observing the blush.
As we move further into an automated, robotic, and fast paced society, the inherently human characteristics we can all exhibit will and are already becoming more powerful. We desire authenticity, and we demand transparency of our leaders, perhaps the blush is a means of cultivating these qualities.
Call it a currency without a country. Bitcoins … digital tokens that are traded over the Internet … can’t be stuffed in your wallet, or crammed in your pocket. But that hasn’t stopped the virtual coinage from sending ripples through the financial world. Early this year you could buy a bitcoin online for $15. But its value has surged — spiking upwards of $250 this week.
With more and more people looking to shelter themselves from a jittery global economy an increasing number of these virtual bucks are finding real-world homes. Just ask Alex Likhtenstein. He co-owns EVR Bar in Manhattan, and allows people to pay their tabs in bitcoin.
For more on this, we were joined by Jesse Hirsh. He is a technology correspondent for CBC. He’s also co-founder of Academy of the Impossible, a peer-to-peer learning facility in Toronto.
