As everyone involved in lobbying will know, public policy discussions can often be very technical, quickly getting down to nuts and bolts. In this environment, one of the biggest challenges lobbyists face is to make sure that the ideals and activities of the companies we represent are also fully reflected in the conversations we have.
At Google Brussels, we have developed a complementary approach: our Google@Thought seminar series. In these talks, we do not focus on upcoming legislation or the debates of the day, but instead go back to Google’s roots as a company that finds inspiration in the exploration of ideas and concepts.
Our first Google@Thought speaker was Professor Marcus du Sautoy, who told the story of how he discovered the language of symmetry at the age of twelve and fell in love with mathematics as a result. Today, Marcus is the University of Oxford’s Charles Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science.
“Symmetry is present everywhere in nature,” Marcus explains. “It is used by all organisms, from viruses upwards. Take bees: they have very bad vision and can’t see colours. But they excel at detecting the symmetry of a flower. Symmetry means sustenance to them. For flowers, it means reproductive success. Symmetry is the tool that bonds bees and flowers, the language they use to communicate.”
Marcus illustrates his exploration of the language of symmetry with reference to Japanese aesthetics, Bach’s Goldberg variations and to the beauty and perfection of the Moorish decorations at the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. Today, we know that the Alhambra’s designs represent all seventeen mathematically possible kinds of symmetry that can be drawn on a plane - an incredible achievement given the Alhambra was completed in 1391!
You can watch the highlights of Professor Du Sautoy’s Google@Thought seminar on YouTube.
Posted by Simon Hampton, Director of European Public Policy, and a former mathematician ;-)
At Google Brussels, we have developed a complementary approach: our Google@Thought seminar series. In these talks, we do not focus on upcoming legislation or the debates of the day, but instead go back to Google’s roots as a company that finds inspiration in the exploration of ideas and concepts.
Our first Google@Thought speaker was Professor Marcus du Sautoy, who told the story of how he discovered the language of symmetry at the age of twelve and fell in love with mathematics as a result. Today, Marcus is the University of Oxford’s Charles Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science.
“Symmetry is present everywhere in nature,” Marcus explains. “It is used by all organisms, from viruses upwards. Take bees: they have very bad vision and can’t see colours. But they excel at detecting the symmetry of a flower. Symmetry means sustenance to them. For flowers, it means reproductive success. Symmetry is the tool that bonds bees and flowers, the language they use to communicate.”
Marcus illustrates his exploration of the language of symmetry with reference to Japanese aesthetics, Bach’s Goldberg variations and to the beauty and perfection of the Moorish decorations at the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. Today, we know that the Alhambra’s designs represent all seventeen mathematically possible kinds of symmetry that can be drawn on a plane - an incredible achievement given the Alhambra was completed in 1391!
You can watch the highlights of Professor Du Sautoy’s Google@Thought seminar on YouTube.
Posted by Simon Hampton, Director of European Public Policy, and a former mathematician ;-)
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar