Neil Harbisson, a self-described cyborg, has gone from being completely color blind to hearing colors—and sensing much more.
The only time you’ve probably thought about the idea of “hearing colors” is when some medical expert talks about synesthesia or your friend regales you with their magical adventures on psychedelics. But one man’s story of his incredibly rare condition will open your eyes and ears to a new way of connecting with objects and people.
The best things on and off the Internet this week, curated by Fast Company employees.
Name: Joshua Lieberman
Twitter: @joshualieberman
Role at Fast Company: Software/Web developer. I have already had the chance to lead on two big projects since I joined Fast Company in October 2014. I wrote the front-end code (code that processes and formats data for a browser to present) on our new mobile site and am currently leading the front-end for a top-secret but much bigger project.
Titillating Fact: It usually surprises people that I once had a go as a figure skater. I’m a pretty big guy now and not exactly graceful, but up until I was about 13, I was doing competition “ice dancing” (my mom’s preferred name for the sport). I only ever wore all black outfits, and stole the hearts of judges throughout the region. I also have a rat tattoo on my ribcage and am a big fan of Mariah.
There’s no true one-stop, all-you-can-eat shop for podcast distribution. Howl and podcasting king Marc Maron are looking to change that.
Long before the breakout of last year’s Serial podcast from This American Life, the medium of podcasting had evolved into a cultural phenomenon, thanks in large part to the success of WTF With Marc Maron. That show, launched in 2009 by comedian Maron and producer Brendan McDonald, is now nearly 630 episodes deep and features compelling, revealing interviews with everyone from little-known comedians to President Obama. Which is one good reason to pay attention to Howl, a podcast discovery and listening app that relaunches today from podcast ad network Midroll. Maron has partnered with the platform to offer his entire archives, and sees it as a critical step in expanding the medium’s reach.
Becoming a leader takes courage as well as creativity. And creativity takes practice.
Being a leader is difficult. That’s why most of us end up taking direction from others in our professional lives. But the ranks of the self-employed are swelling, hinting that more people are getting comfortable taking the reins in their own hands. And in fact, becoming a leader (even if it’s just of yourself) is something anyone who’s committed to the task can master. There’s no inborn quality that leaders possess. They’re ordinary people who decide at one point or another to do extraordinary things.
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